Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved Neverwhere, read Neil Gaiman's Stardust, American Gods and Coraline, then Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens, then Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London, and Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library and Susanna Clarke's Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. All are urban fantasy and dark whimsy.
Neil Gaiman's 1996 novel Neverwhere follows a man who falls into London Below. These picks share its magic and strangeness.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stardust | Neil Gaiman | Adult | readers who want a gentle fairy tale |
| American Gods | Neil Gaiman | Adult | readers who like gods in the modern world |
| Good Omens | Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman | Adult | readers who want laughs |
| Coraline | Neil Gaiman | 8-12 | readers who like gothic fantasy |
| The Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman | 9-13 | readers who like ghosts with heart |
| The Ocean at the End of the Lane | Neil Gaiman | Adult | readers who like memory and dread |
| Rivers of London | Ben Aaronovitch | Adult | readers who like fantasy with humor |
| The Invisible Library | Genevieve Cogman | Adult | readers who love books and magic |
| Piranesi | Susanna Clarke | Adult | readers who like puzzles |
| The Book of Lost Things | John Connolly | Adult | readers who like dark fairy tales |
| The Night Circus | Erin Morgenstern | Adult | readers who like atmosphere |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke | Adult | patient readers |
| Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | Douglas Adams | Adult | more Adams |
| The Eyre Affair | Jasper Fforde | Adult | readers who love books |
| The Last Unicorn | Peter S. Beagle | Adult | readers who want a classic |
1. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Tristran crosses the wall into the land of Faerie to retrieve a fallen star for the girl he loves. A fairy tale for adults, short and charming.
Best for: readers who want a gentle fairy tale.
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Shadow Moon gets caught in a war between old gods brought by immigrants and new gods of media and technology. Strange, dark and big in scope.
Best for: readers who like gods in the modern world.
3. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
An angel and a demon who have grown fond of Earth try to stop the Apocalypse after the Antichrist is mixed up at birth. A comic fantasy classic.
Best for: readers who want laughs.
4. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Coraline finds a door to a world where her other mother has button eyes. Eerie but loving, and a modern classic.
Best for: readers who like gothic fantasy.
5. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Bod grows up in a graveyard raised by ghosts after his family is killed. Winner of the Newbery Medal.
Best for: readers who like ghosts with heart.
6. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
A man returns to his childhood home and remembers a strange and terrifying summer. Short and haunting.
Best for: readers who like memory and dread.
7. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Constable Peter Grant joins a secret unit of the London police that deals with magic and river gods. Funny, quick and procedural. Published in the US as Midnight Riot.
Best for: readers who like fantasy with humor.
8. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Irene, a spy for a library that exists between worlds, steals books from different realities. Fast and full of adventure.
Best for: readers who love books and magic.
9. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A man lives in a vast house of statues and tides and slowly learns the truth about his world. Strange, quiet and brilliant.
Best for: readers who like puzzles.
10. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
David, a grieving boy, enters a world where fairy tales are twisted and dangerous. Dark and moving.
Best for: readers who like dark fairy tales.
11. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Two magicians are bound in a contest in a mysterious circus. Lush, slow and enchanting.
Best for: readers who like atmosphere.
12. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two magicians revive English magic during the Napoleonic wars. Long, dry-witted and rich.
Best for: patient readers.
13. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
A detective who believes everything is connected solves a murder. Funny and clever.
Best for: more Adams.
14. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Thursday Next, a literary detective, enters books to catch a villain. Clever and witty.
Best for: readers who love books.
15. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
A unicorn leaves her forest to find the others of her kind, with the help of a magician. Lyrical and bittersweet.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Neverwhere: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Neverwhere. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For more Gaiman, read Stardust or American Gods. For urban fantasy, try Rivers of London. For fairy tales, pick The Graveyard Book.
Related: 15 Books Like Wings of Fire Kids Will Love: Dragons, Quests and Animal Adventures · 12 Dystopian Books Like the Hunger Games | Best Books to Read Like Hunger Games
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Neverwhere?
Neil Gaiman, in 1996.
Was it a TV series?
Yes, a BBC series first.
Where do I start with Gaiman?
With Neverwhere or Coraline.