All Intensive Purposes

Having read American Gods a few months back, I recently picked up Neil Gaimen's Neverwhere, the story of a Londoner's descent in a London Below, a mythical realm contiguous with and laid upon the London we all know. Perhaps there are two reasons to read Neverwhere: for the story of the hero's descent and (this is hardly a spoiler) return, and for the long glimpse of this other London. By my lights, the former is nothing special, but the latter is a lot of fun. The former story struck me as rote and predictable; the latter was a hoot, full of telling details and occasional humor. If I knew London better, I'm sure it would have been more fun still.