Scan barcode
namrata_jain's review against another edition
4.0
Really entertaining - fun characters. I do wish I knew London better to understand the inside jokes.
kristallmarie's review against another edition
3.0
I'm so, so sad to say this is the first Neil Gaiman book I didn't care for. The writing is lovely, as it always is, and it was surprisingly funny, in a Douglas Adams kinda way, but I just couldn't bring myself to care about Richard or Door. Croup and Vandermar were fun, though, and I liked Anesthesia. This is one of those books where it feels like we spent the story focusing on the wrong characters. The performance was lovely, though. I love that Gaiman performs it himself, it feels so much more personal!
charlote_1347's review against another edition
3.0
Saying I enjoyed this book might be an exaggeration, but there were intriguing elements to it, which gripped me. The Velvet Children, for example, and the Marquis. I felt that London Below and its inhabitants were crafted beautifully, but the plot of the novel itself seemed...flat to me. Two dimensional. The ending, however, left me with a goofy grin on my face. I have decided to give this three stars, rather than two, because I felt the characters, their backstories and their relationships were interesting enough to compensate for the plot.
molluski's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
3.25
duvyna's review against another edition
4.0
Neverwhere is a typical Neil Gaiman book in that it’s full of whimsy but you don’t want to look to deep into the why. Much like Stardust there really isn’t much explanation for why this alternate world exists within our own. If you can read the book for a bit of fun and not get concerned for the why of it than you will probably enjoy it.
cragle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ashleywrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
corvidsyay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
manjala's review against another edition
3.0
While reading this, I discovered yet again how picky I am when it comes to Urban Fantasy books, and how difficult it is to get the whimsical/magical realism vibes right. For me, this did neither well enough for me to absolutely love the book, while having fun with Neil Gaiman's usual British humour and character archetypes. In the end, it just turns out I don't love Urban Fantasy that much to begin with, I think. That said, if any of you liked this book, I can recommend the book " Un Lun Dun " by China Miéville (which also happens to be about a fantasy version of London).
What I did appreciate, is how the story handled the topic of people "falling through the cracks" (as the novel itself names it). I think that, were you to read in between the lines of the not-so-obviously-a-metaphor scenes, you would really appreciate how topics of homelessness and losing your control on life were handled. The worldbuilding didn't feel particularly solid to me, but that also has to do with the pace at which we went through certain places.
I feel like most of the characters or challenges were only there to help advance the plot, or to help Richard in his personal development. Looking back at the story, I feel like everything revolved around him looking at his life from a new perspective in the end. While reading the plot felt a bit directionless and messy.
I'm especially sad I couldn't get attached to the main characters, because I know I probably would have, had I known more about them or had more emotional connection to them.
For now, I think I will give Neil Gaiman books a break, and check in again after a while to see if he really isn't for me.
What I did appreciate, is how the story handled the topic of people "falling through the cracks" (as the novel itself names it). I think that, were you to read in between the lines of the not-so-obviously-a-metaphor scenes, you would really appreciate how topics of homelessness and losing your control on life were handled. The worldbuilding didn't feel particularly solid to me, but that also has to do with the pace at which we went through certain places.
I feel like most of the characters or challenges were only there to help advance the plot, or to help Richard in his personal development. Looking back at the story, I feel like everything revolved around him looking at his life from a new perspective in the end. While reading the plot felt a bit directionless and messy.
I'm especially sad I couldn't get attached to the main characters, because I know I probably would have, had I known more about them or had more emotional connection to them.
For now, I think I will give Neil Gaiman books a break, and check in again after a while to see if he really isn't for me.