Nowhere in Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy (urban)

"Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. His small act of kindness propels him into a world he never dreamed existed. 

"There are people who fall through the cracks, and Richard has become one of them. And he must learn to survive in this city of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels, if he is ever to return to the London that he knew." 

This is the first novel by Gaiman that I have completed. I listened to part of Coraline, but my mother thought it too strange, so we turned it off. Thus, I didn't know quite what to expect when I read this book; I possessed no expectations, so I can confidently say that it didn't fail them. But, I can also say that it didn't exceed them. 

The same three words kept running through my head as I read this book: creepy, strange, and mysterious. The majority of the book takes place in the subways and tunnels beneath modern-day London. It was dark for most of the time in the story and two of the characters are masters of killing, hence creepy. There are also plenty of other creatures that are just plain strange, not to mention the world Gaiman has created. And the reader never knows what's going to happen, hence mysterious. This book was also a mystery for me because I'm not used to reading fantasy novels set in contemporary landscapes. 

Despite the dark, eerie mood of this tale, I did enjoy it. There is a huge twist that I didn't expect, and the world beneath London was as new and different to me as it was to Richard that my interest never wavered, and I, too, wanted to pester the other characters about their lives and why this place existed. 

Some of the scenes are grotesque, and I never felt close or cared much about Richard himself; Gaiman probably could have woven his character more deeply or changed it more. I probably liked him the most at the end when he made a certain decision. Many of the characters are sardonic, no doubt due to Gaiman's natural personality, and the places and characters based on the London geography was well done. 

I give this book a 3.5 and recommend it for 16 year olds and up because of a few gruesome scenes. 

If you want to read a light, happy book, don't pick this novel up. But if you crave something saturated with shadows and eeriness, where reality is not what you expect, then immerse yourself in this world. And don't fret, it does have a hopeful ending! If it hadn't, my rating would have been much lower (it's all about the endings, after all :). 

What I learned: Not to treat people strangely or like they don't exist just because they're different from me. 

Check out Neil Gaiman's website for more information about him and his other books (which are many): http://www.neilgaiman.com/

You thought You Knew the Story of Peter Pan...

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy 
*First novel of a trilogy/quartet

"In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island, an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil.

"Aboard the Never Land is a trunk that holds the 'greatest treasure on earth'-but is it gold, jewels, or something far more mysterious and dangerous?

"Roiling waves and raging storms; skullduggery and pirate treachery provide the backdrop for battles at sea. Bone-crushing breakers eventually land our characters on Mollusk Island-where the action really heats up."

If you haven't read this novel yet, or even if you have, please, please pick it up! I don't care if you are nine years old or forty-five; it is a book worth reading. This tale has everything a good story should have: suspense, convincing/conniving evil characters, life-like protagonists, magic, and plenty of plot twists. It even has beautiful illustrations. It is super easy to read (it's meant for a younger audience, after all), and took me two days to read it this second time.

I love that this story is basically the back-story of Peter Pan's life and that it explains how he got to Never Land, why he can fly, and all of that crucial, mysterious information that the original story just doesn't clear up completely. And even though it is meant for a younger audience, I still enjoyed this story. It had plenty of good, innocent humor and enough action to keep me on my toes, but then again, I might still be a kid at heart.

The only major qualm I have about this book is that my copy had a lot of little errors, like misplaced quotes, missing words, and the like. I'm sure not every copy is like that, but it did annoy me slightly. I'm reading the sequel now, and it doesn't have any mistakes.

I also wish that the narrator could have given us more insights into Peter's mind, since he is the main character, but I still felt like I knew him. The book does jump around from different characters quite frequently (at the end of every chapter), so that could be a bit overwhelming. But it is still a masterfully written novel, which makes sense, since its authors are the famous Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (who's written the Kingdom Keepers series).

I give this book a 3.5 and recommend it for ages 8 and up.

What I learned: When people use something powerful with good motives, they usually end up using it for evil. Plenty of pirate/ship words, including: aft, dory, yardarm. Oh, and pirates often go around ships barefoot.

Dave Barry's website: http://www.davebarry.com/
Ridley Pearson's website: http://ridleypearson.com/


 So, who's going to pick this book up now? Or if you have already read it, what did you think?

A Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Genre: YA Fantasy

"Harry wants to get away form the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving tow other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal-even by wizarding standards.
        And, in his case, different can be deadly."

This is my favorite novel of the Harry Potter series, and I'm not quite sure why. It could be the exciting competition and danger inherent in each event, the nail-biting exciting game of Quidditch at the beginning, the mysteries woven into the novel, or that this novel is less depressing/dark than the later ones, and Harry is becoming a great wizard. Most likely it's all of the above.

I love how creative this novel is; I've read it probably three times before, but as I listened to it again, there was much I had forgotten. Rowling is the best author at world building that I have encountered thus far. She fills her novels (especially this one), with details that bring the reader right into the protagonist's life, as if the idea of a wizarding world is as natural as the dirt on the ground. All these tidbits, like the kinds of candies the wizards eat, the classes they take and what they learn, the games they play, etc. fascinates me and makes me feel as if I've stepped right into the wizarding school of Hogwarts and not want to leave.

I understand why people don't let their children read these books, but they are some of the cleanest novels I've ever read and full of fun. Yes, they get darker toward the end, but good always triumphs, and readers learn that life is not all peaches and cream, and love is worth fighting for. I give this novel a 4.5 and recommend it for middle-schoolers and up.

What I learned: Constant Vigilance! (gotta love Mad-Eye Moody.) Friendships are invaluable, and fretting over the future does no one any good.