In Dark Cities Underground, Lisa Goldstein uses Egyptian mythology and children's stories (Peter Pan, Alice, Wind in the Willows) as the backdrop for a gripping fantasy. She creates a world in which the subway systems of the world (in particular San Francisco's BART and London's Underground) are interconnected as part of a vast "Nether Land" into which children routinely venture, returning with outlandish stories that their parents sometimes publish as fantasy. The protagonist, Jerry, was one such child. He's grown now and struggling to come to terms with his childhood, particularly with his estranged mother (who grew rich publishing Jerry's childhood tales). He joins Ruthie Berry, a writer working on a book about Jerry's story, on a journey that takes them deep into the underworld.

Goldstein paces the story well, bringing in interesting elements at every turn without ever making them seem contrived. The world she creates has been compared to the work of Jonathan Carroll, but other than the theme of childhood stories being tinged with reality (as in Carroll's The Land of Laughs), the connection is weak. Carroll usually blends fantastic elements more subtly into the "real" world, such that the characters aren't always sure where the magic begins; Goldstein, in constrast, clearly demarcates the two worlds. This, of course, is not to say that one approach is better than the other, but rather just to point out a difference. Goldstein also works less at characterization, and doesn't provide any really likable characters. That said, I was consistently entertained by her writing and always curious about what would happen at the next turn. Dark Cities Underground is quick and enjoyable dark fantasy.