How the Marquis Got His Coat Back

Short story spin-off from fantasy novel Neverwhere

The end of 2019 was drawing nigh, I only had a few books left to go, so I thought I’d better read some of the shortest ones I could find. I had really enjoyed the original novel, which was unusually an adaptation of a TV series, and had picked up this little book at not a great some time ago. Although I, like many others, have been waiting for a proper sequel to the original novel, a short story set in the same world would have to tide me over for now.

“How the Marquis Got His Coat Back” by Neil Gaiman is a short story about the Marquis de Carabas, a resident of the parallel universe known as London Below that exists alongside its namesake with some permeability between the two. The resourceful, enigmatic and charismatic Marquis finds himself at somewhat of a disadvantage when his signature coat is lost after he was mostly murdered. Missing its style, comfort and countless pockets dreadfully, the Marquis embarks on a journey through London Below through fungi, shepherds and attempts on his life to get his coat back.

This is a fun little story that explores some other corners of the London Below so many readers fell in love with in “Neverwhere”. It is always enjoyable to get inside the psyche of characters that seem so confident on the outside, and Gaiman does a fantastic job unpicking what confidence actually is. I thought that his exploration of the tension between searching for unique, inspiring role models and wanting to be unique and inspiring oneself was particularly clever.

I think that if you wanted to dip your toe into the world of London Below, you could start here, but I think you would enjoy it better if you started with “Neverwhere”. The world is meant to be eclectic, overly literal and utterly lawless, but I suspect it might be a bit more tolerable if you were to view it through the eyes of Richard rather than the Marquis.

A quick read as dark as it is full of sparks of brilliance, and an enjoyable return to a fascinating premise.