Neverwhere

Written by celebrated British fantasy author Neil Gaiman and published in 1997, Neverwhere was originally created as a BBC television series that aired in 1996 and was also written by Gaiman. However, because the practical limitations of the production process necessitated many changes to the original story, Gaiman created the novel to correct and improve upon the series and more fully encapsulate his vision. The novel follows the London-based misadventures of Richard Mayhew, who comes to the rescue of a mysterious young woman named Door and finds himself drawn into the shadowy world of London Below, a fantastical dimension of the city that exists beneath the everyday version of London. Richard’s journey encompasses themes of The Transformative Nature of Sacrifice, The Threat of Treachery, and The Pursuit of Redemption.

This guide refers to the 2015 eBook edition of Neverwhere, which includes an introduction from Gaiman about the revisions that this edition received. 

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide contain descriptions of murder and suicidal ideation.

Plot Summary

The novel begins with a prologue: Richard Mayhew is preparing to move from Scotland to London, England. The night before he leaves, an elderly woman reads his fortune and delivers an obscure warning about doors.

Years later, he’s living and working in London and engaged to a strong-willed woman named Jessica, who believes that Richard should always strive to be the best possible version of himself. Richard seems content to just let life happen to him, following whatever directions Jessica gives him without question. 

One night, on their way to dinner with Jessica’s boss, Mr. Stockton, Richard and Jessica stumble upon an injured girl who seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Richard is determined to help her, so he skips the dinner. Furious that Richard would choose to help a stranger rather than keep up appearances, Jessica ends their engagement. 

Richard takes the girl to his home, where she falls asleep before he can figure out what happened to her. The next day, he learns that the girl’s name is Door; she is fleeing from two murderous men, Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar. Door comes from London Below, a magical society that exists both alongside and underneath London Above—the world that Richard knows. Door has the power to create doors that lead to any destination. (It is this power that led her to Richard.) She is the only surviving member of her family, all of whom shared this power and have just been mysteriously murdered. She asks Richard to find the Marquis de Carabas, a mysterious trickster who deals in favors, so she can find out who is ultimately responsible for the slaughter, although she already knows that Croup and Vandemar are the ones who actually carried out the murders. 

After locating the Marquis and taking a detour to meet a man named Old Bailey, Richard and Door part ways. However, when Richard tries to return to his regular life the following Monday, he soon realizes to his dismay that almost no one can see him, and the few who can see him instantly forget him after they interact. Richard discovers that because of his involvement with Door, his life in London Above no longer exists. An unhoused man with connections to London Below takes Richard to a group of people who worship and converse with rats; they agree to guide Richard to the Floating Market, where he knows Door and the Marquis to be headed. He is escorted by a young rat-worshipper named Anaesthesia, who does not survive the journey. 

Once at the market, Richard reunites with Door and the Marquis, who have just hired a woman called Hunter to be Door’s bodyguard. They tell Richard that it is impossible for him to regain his old life in “London Above,” but even so, he joins them on their mission to discover who murdered Door’s family, hoping that he might also find a solution to his own predicament. They enlist the help of an angel named Islington, who tells them to locate a magic key protected by monks; this key will lead to the answers that Door seeks. When Door, Richard, and Hunter arrive at the key’s location―the Marquis having left the party early on―they must each pass a test before it can be retrieved. Most people who reach the third test, which Richard takes, die, so the monks are surprised when he emerges unscathed and secures the key. Meanwhile, the Marquis meets up with Croup and Vandemar to gather information, though it means he is killed in the process.

After getting the key, the trio attends another Floating Market, where a mysterious woman named Lamia offers to lead them back to Islington. As they make their way down a long, winding stairway, they meet up with the Marquis, whom Old Bailey revived. Croup and Vandemar appear, revealing that Hunter betrayed them all so that she could obtain a weapon to kill a legendary Beast that she is hunting. The identity of Croup and Vandemar’s employer also comes to light; they were hired by Islington. Croup and Vandemar capture Door and lead her to Islington; Richard follows, along with the Marquis and Hunter. He and his companions confront the Beast, and although Richard deals it a killing blow, Hunter dies in the struggle with the Beast. 

Once everyone arrives at Islington’s home, they learn the angel is being imprisoned for causing the city of Atlantis to sink beneath the sea, and the key Richard secured will release him. He had asked Door’s father to get the key for him, and when the latter refused, Islington had the family murdered, leaving behind Door so he could manipulate her into helping. He wants to use her powers to gain reentry to Heaven in hopes of overthrowing God.

But Door outsmarts Islington. Without anyone’s knowledge, she had a decoy key made; when she opens the door of Islington’s prison with it, she sends him, Croup, and Vandemar into a black hole. Richard is honored for his bravery in London Below, and because he is the master of the key, he can restore his life in London Above. Once back home, he finds that his life is even improved; he has a nicer apartment and gets promoted at work. However, he finds he is unsatisfied with his life now that he has experienced the adventures of London Below. At the end of the book, he reconnects with the Marquis, and the two disappear through a magical door.