Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Neverwhere: Author's Preferred Text by Neil Gaiman

25 reviews

bookycnidaria's review

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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bel017's review against another edition

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 Riddel's illustrations are such a perfect fit for Gaiman's prose. I look forward to seeing their continued collaboration.

I'm always looking to fill the Pratchett shaped hole in my reading, but have avoided Gaiman, as I DNF'd Ocean at the end of the lane, which he has said is his favourite of his works, and he seemed way too dark for me (have you met Coraline?). To the darkness, I did glance over some of the scenes with ... Mr C and Mr V, the names escape me ... the scary version of Pratchett's Mr Tulip and Mr Pin (who were scary enough for me). I was quite distressed by the
  loss of Anaesthesia
. Gaiman does go out of his way to be gross and morbid (so many descriptions of sewer content and dead bodies), but the deadpan, understated, humour is great.

Gaiman is a gifted storyteller, and I really enjoyed his writing even though I didn't like the dark/gross/awful/scary/violent parts. I like Riddel has a distinct style that suits Gaiman. If you buy a copy of Neverwhere, make sure it's this one. 

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jkononova's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 
My second Neil Gaiman book, my first real introduction to urban fantasy, and now probably one of my new all-time favorite reads!

I don't read many pure fantasy books, mainly because the whole "elves/dwarves/mages/etc" setup feels trite and overdone, and I generally don't enjoy historical fiction very much either (and a lot of fantasy tends to dwell primarily in the past). But I loved the gritty vibe of the description, and I trusted Gaiman's worldbuilding to be more original than that brand of the run-of-the-mill fantasy, and I'm so glad that I did!

I won't spoil much other than this did really feel like an Alice in Wonderland for adults, with all the vibrant whimsy of Carroll's story but much more intense, explicit, and dark in the ugliness of its world. I am in love with Gaiman's writing style -- especially for its fusion of humor and sincerity -- and am happy it, by and large, avoids the many pitfalls of male fantasy writing (e.g. lack of diverse characters as well as the typical "men writing women" fare) that I've come to begrudgingly expect. Also, the bonus content in the "definitive version" of the book felt like a delightful lil treat on top of the already amazing novel.

Would absolutely recommend for those looking to go on an escapist journey with a bit of an edge to it, as well as countless laughs along the way!!

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typewritersandtrees's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Neil Gaiman continues to impress and will always be a wordsmith. Neverwhere was beautifully put together with interesting characters. 

My (only?) criticism is that the gore and violence really shone through, I understand this was written for a TV series but eh, could have been adjusted for the book. I’m sure lots of people didn’t have a problem with it. Maybe it’s a me thing.

Check your CWs/TWs.

Also the animal stuff wasn’t fun. The one character is always eating an animal (mice, kittens, puppies). Really left a bad feeling. 

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keen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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gayelfboi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It’s Gaiman’s first novel and its shows but still very enjoyable and creative. Warning for some very uncomfortable horror descriptions involving animals 

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ahh_listen's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

No one needs to hear that many descriptions of people eating small animals. This was an interesting idea that was executed terribly.

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faerie123's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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nicnevin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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emilyplun's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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