I like Neil Gaiman. He’s messed up, but not belongs-in-a-padded-room messed up - just borderline. And as long as he manages to stay on the right side of the line, he’ll continue to create great fiction. The Sandman is a personal favourite of mine, with American Gods a close second. I read that book over nine years ago and still remember (the most unsettling) parts of it.

“Neverwhere” was originally written as a television series for the BBC. Since people were actually supposed to watch it, I’m guessing Gaiman had to keep back on some of the crazy. I’m not sure if that’s the reason I’m not able to get completely enthralled when reading the novel. I’m not saying “Neverwhere” is a bad book, I’m just saying I enjoy Gaiman more when he is free to do whatever the hell he wants, not bound by the limits of what the BBC feel they can show their viewers.

Gaiman has said that, even though he doesn’t write sequels, “Neverwhere” is the book that is most likely to get a sequel if he ever starts to write them. I guess that says a lot about Gaiman’s own feelings about the book and even though the “Neverwhere” is not my favourite Gaiman novel, I would not go as far as to not recommend it. The universe he creates is appealing, the characters are interesting, and there’s no doubt that the ending is open enough for a sequel or two.