Matt Brown's Blog: Blobs from Matt Brown's Brain - Posts Tagged "review"

It must be a fine balancing act when you're writing in an already established and beloved world. Enough of the old to show the fans some love, not too much that the book descends into parody. I loved the first Holmes book by Anthony Horowitz and really enjoyed this one too (well up until the end).
Moriarty takes place just after the "deaths" of Holmes and Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls and follows the fortunes of a Scotland Yard detective (who is a total Sherlock Holmes fanboy) and a New York investigator (who likes chronicling their exploits) as they try and unravel an international crime syndicate. But that's about all I can tell you about Moriarty because I fear I might spoil it for you if I revealed any more. I have a BIG problem with the ending, which doesn't ring at all true, but that might because I didn't spot it coming and I'm just another flat footed plod. Worth reading though if you love SH.

I've read a lot of Gaiman's Sandman series, which I adore, but this was my first of his novels. Neverwhere is set in London. London Above and London Below. The story follows Richard as he saves a bleeding girl from the attentions of two nefarious gentlemen, an act which transforms his life. He falls through the cracks of London (Above) and descends into the dark, rat-infested sewers of London Below. Here he must help the girl again in order to try and find a way back to London Above and his old life.
Gaiman says in the intro that he wanted to give adults the opportunity to emmerse themselves in the kind of world that is the usual fare of children's stories. And he has absolutely done this. Neverwhere is brilliant and by turns dark and sinister and very funny. I would add though that but for a few mild bits of effing and jeffing and some moderate sex descriptions there isn't much here that would trouble a middle grade reader (10-12 YO). Richard is a very childlike character, as is Door, the other hero of the story. But these are not criticisms, merely observations. If you like NGs work, you'll love this I'm sure.