The plot is interesting, the strangeness and some of the places (like the Market) seem to be out of a movie like Labyrinth (recall the dumping ground w/ the old lady carrying rubbish on her back). The names were, though it's par for course in most fantasy, a bit ridiculous. A daughter named "door" from a family that can magically open up doors & other spaces? how original! snortle! Finally, the supposed "ordeal" he must endure for the part of his journey was I thought, less psychologically played out than it could have been to make the struggle for the truth/sanity real. for a book that is trying to blend the line between literature and fantasy I found it less satisfactory than other works I've read, but still interesting enough to keep going.



Jonothan (United Kingdom) (2009/09/03):
This book's real power is apparent for those who live in London or know it's streets and tube stations well. Perhaps you never stopped to think about the word Angel, in Angel and Islington, and why it's there. Or you never thought of the possibilities of why it is called Knightsbridge (Night's Bridge), or if there really were Black Friars at some point in history.

This book creates a fantasy world out of the London we know so well and its magic lies in suggesting that we go through our daily routine oblivious of London's 'real' world that lies beneath.

If other reviewers feel that a character called Door who can open doors to other places is stupid, then I suggest they stop reading fantasy books. Or perhaps remember a time when their childhood imaginations ran wild with this stuff all time time.