Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Short version: Entertaining read that hits the graph somewhere near the intersection of Middle Earth, Harry Potter’s England, Alice’s Wonderland, and the alterna-worlds of William Gibson novels.
This is a book that one doesn’t put down until it is finished, and then regrets that the end of the book came so quickly. The world wraps around the main characters, immersing them in environments ranging from dark underground cities in the sewers to beautiful absurd juxtapositions of the everyday world with the realm of the dispossessed. The supporting characters who drift in and out of the book are interesting enough in their own right that one wishes to dive into the book to discover their untold stories. Magic, angels, Atlantis, the sewers of London, combine with the everyday for a cracking good tale. Good bedtime reading. Pip pip!