Lora Hates Spam

by Neil Gaiman

I've got the definitive authors preferred edition of this and the advantage of not having seen much of the television series, so I'm experiencing this Fantasy world as Neil Gaiman intended it should be.

It starts out introducing two main characters; Richard from London above, who seems like a very ordinary person and Door from London below, who has the ability to open doors, including doors that weren't already there. Pretty nifty trick! Naturally their paths cross and nothing will be ordinary again.

Door is from an alternative world where the laws of Physics are altered and magic is a part of their reality. Richard wants his life back in London above, but he will have to go through some adventures in London below to attain that. There are cut throats, supernatural creatures, intelligent rats who run much of the underground sewers and a floating market that might show up anywhere and frequently does.

This was an amazing and original Fantasy world, even for Gaiman who has built some fantastic worlds before. Thugs with changing loyalties, political intrigue and unexpected abilities keep the suspense high and the plot moving at a fast pace. An interesting spectrum of characters with a heavy dose of whimsy populate London below and are surprisingly likable.

I wasn't quite satisfied near the ending with some things that were just a little too convenient without explanation, but the ending itself was what it needed to be, although it could have been made just a little harder for a last emotional pull. Overall though it is certainly one of Gaiman's best.