Dark Cities Underground
#9193.47 adjusted 3.84 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1999 Reading commitment Low Lisa Goldstein Last reviewed 2026-11-01
Overview
Dark Cities Underground is a standalone fantasy novel by Lisa Goldstein, published by Tor in 1999. Ruthie Berry, a writer short of work, is hired to interview Jerry Jones, the grown-up model for the hero of a children's book series his mother wrote about a hidden land called Neverwas. Jerry remembers nothing of it and wants it left behind, but Ruthie's visit and an insistent stranger, Mr. Sattermole, who is looking for Jerry's childhood garden, bring the memories back. The story runs through the subway and underground systems of real cities, including London and Baltimore, and into the mythic realm below. It has no sequels and is not part of a larger series.
Urban fantasy, Portal fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Dark Cities Underground Lisa Goldstein
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dark Cities Underground; First published as a Tor hardcover in June 1999; a trade paperback followed in July 2000. | 1999 | 1 | core | 3.47 (276 ratings) |
A standalone fantasy novel about a children's-book fantasy land that turns out to be real.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Dark Cities Underground? Dark Cities Underground's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Dark Cities Underground finished? Complete (1999).
- How much reading does Dark Cities Underground take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Dark Cities Underground ranked? #919 in this site's official ranking, based on 276 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #919?
Ranked #919 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.47 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (276 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.34 behind #918, Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 276 ratings · Ranks #919 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2000: nominated: Dark Cities Underground
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2000: nominated: Dark Cities Underground
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Suggestions computed from what Dark Cities Underground and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Cartographers Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.62
- The Charlatan Duology Dark fantasy / Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.59
- Burn, Witch, Burn Dark fantasy / Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.59
- Unicorn Mountain Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.53
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.47 across 276 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 22 universes, among them The Ordered and Reflections of Eterna; four candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-01
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Steely Pips review Tier 2
- FictionDB Tier 2
- Worlds Without End Tier 2
- Encyclopedia.com: Goldstein, Lisa Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-01
Rule: Core Canon = the standalone novel Dark Cities Underground (1999).