Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

In this book, Gaiman brings to life a world "underneath" the world we walk around in every day. Londoner Richard Mayhew encounters London Below one day on his way to dinner with his fiance, Jessica. They come to a girl who is clearly in distress and, over Jessica's objections, Richard brings her back to his apartment to help her recuperate. Little does Richard know that the girl, Door, is from London Below and that his contact with her banishes him from London Above -- that "normal" London he is used to -- and send him to London Below, which Gaiman explains is made up of souls who "fell through the cracks". Once there, Richard manages to find and join Door, who is on a quest to avenge the murder of her prominent family, all the while trying to go back to his old life. Along the way, he encounters all sorts of strange creatures and, of course, learns much about himself.

Gaiman clearly had fun creating London Below and imagining a world turn on its head. That makes it fun for the reader. And even if the plot is a little predictable, Gaiman nevertheless does a great job of keeping us wanting more. It's a world and a story to get lost in, and sometimes that's exactly what you want from a book. And there is something of a message: It seems to be that there is much fun and adventure to be had outside of the type of robotic life that Richard has at the beginning of the book. Our failure to find them might just be a failure of imagination.