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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
What a production on audiobook! This was a delightful read, made better by Neil Gaiman himself having narrated it. There were so many facets to the journey it was entertaining from beginning to end!
Thoroughly enjoyed this one!
Thoroughly enjoyed this one!
This book is just vaguely stupid. Too many unexplored ideas and unfinished thoughts. Richard is a pathetic character in both worlds and none of the characters really create an emotional connection, perhaps because there are too many characters and too much action. All in all it felt cluttered.
Before I begin with this book review I wanted to state the obvious. I had to separate the book from the author multiple times due to the sexual allegations against the author. Unfortunately, after so many times of doing that it did not become easier, it became harder. Especially when said book has scenes in it that further implicate the author. They may not have been abundant in number, but the author did write a few scenes that were sexual in nature. Now, that in of itself is not a crime nor is it a reason to hate on any author. But when it has been found that the author is being accused of sexual assault, it makes one wonder how deep the issue goes.
Anyways, enough with outside information and more to do with the book.
To begin, the book started out confusing just like all of Gaiman’s other books, which is by no means bad. I find that captivating and provides me with a desire to keep reading in order to find out what is going on. Pair that with a fast pace and you’ve got the perfect book for somebody with ADHD or just a really short attention span.
Secondly, I think I might be slightly biased in terms of Gaiman’s novels as I could not find a single issue in terms of grammar/writing style/characterization/ etc. I also did not see any cliches. Gaiman did an amazing job at describing scenes and showing rather than telling to the point I felt disgusted by two of the main villains. I was thoroughly repulsed by how Gaiman showed the two villains eating animals/insects that were still alive.
The book in of itself was of superior quality. Don’t get me wrong though, I did find a few things that threw me off a bit that lead to the 3 star rating.
There were times that I felt like the suspense was short lived because right after announcing something or describing something, the said thing would come into play or just simply end. And it felt predictable at times too which isn’t always bad but after a while it gets tiresome.
Another reason it is receiving 3 stars from me is because there were too many things left unexplained and not in a good way. I do love a good ending of a story to make one wonder what is going on, but what I am meaning here is that there was not enough world building or character development to allow a person to fully understand what was going on. If there had been more of a description or elaboration or you know what, how about an actual description of whatever the hell London Below is. And what on tarnations is the market? It appeared to be important but was only mentioned and visited two times. There was no further elaboration on what it was about or why there were rules or how it came to be. Nothing. Just simply nothing. I felt like this story would have done a lot better had there been more world development and character development.
In reference to characters, the one character known as Anesthesia felt very short lived, and as if the only reason she existed in the story was a means to an end because Gaiman couldn’t come up with a better option for proceeding with the story. It would have been nice to see more detail and effort put into this novel.
All in all, this book is 3 stars. I would have given it a 4 stars to be honest, but with the allegations against Gaiman, his book does not deserve a 4 star.
Anyways, enough with outside information and more to do with the book.
To begin, the book started out confusing just like all of Gaiman’s other books, which is by no means bad. I find that captivating and provides me with a desire to keep reading in order to find out what is going on. Pair that with a fast pace and you’ve got the perfect book for somebody with ADHD or just a really short attention span.
Secondly, I think I might be slightly biased in terms of Gaiman’s novels as I could not find a single issue in terms of grammar/writing style/characterization/ etc. I also did not see any cliches. Gaiman did an amazing job at describing scenes and showing rather than telling to the point I felt disgusted by two of the main villains. I was thoroughly repulsed by how Gaiman showed the two villains eating animals/insects that were still alive.
The book in of itself was of superior quality. Don’t get me wrong though, I did find a few things that threw me off a bit that lead to the 3 star rating.
There were times that I felt like the suspense was short lived because right after announcing something or describing something, the said thing would come into play or just simply end. And it felt predictable at times too which isn’t always bad but after a while it gets tiresome.
Another reason it is receiving 3 stars from me is because there were too many things left unexplained and not in a good way. I do love a good ending of a story to make one wonder what is going on, but what I am meaning here is that there was not enough world building or character development to allow a person to fully understand what was going on. If there had been more of a description or elaboration or you know what, how about an actual description of whatever the hell London Below is. And what on tarnations is the market? It appeared to be important but was only mentioned and visited two times. There was no further elaboration on what it was about or why there were rules or how it came to be. Nothing. Just simply nothing. I felt like this story would have done a lot better had there been more world development and character development.
In reference to characters, the one character known as Anesthesia felt very short lived, and as if the only reason she existed in the story was a means to an end because Gaiman couldn’t come up with a better option for proceeding with the story. It would have been nice to see more detail and effort put into this novel.
All in all, this book is 3 stars. I would have given it a 4 stars to be honest, but with the allegations against Gaiman, his book does not deserve a 4 star.
dark
funny
lighthearted
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:
No
Very interesting. The side characters and world building was great
I listened to the BBC Radio adaptation almost four years ago and told my London roommate about Neverwhere when we were living right next to the Angel station in Islington the following summer. Now that I finally got around to reading the book I'm missing London again more than ever.
I'm glad to be done with this because, even though the title is Neverwhere, every time I saw the cover, my brain did a funky thing and started playing the Queen song Nevermore. That, by itself, would be totally fine, but right after Nevermore is The Black Queen and that's a tricky song to get out of. So, I've had The Black Queen stuck in my head ever since I started this book and, while it is a great song, the non-stop loop of it was making me a little bit crazy.
The book, though! The book is great. The characters are definitely the best part, but the whole thing is really good.
The book, though! The book is great. The characters are definitely the best part, but the whole thing is really good.
Still a fun read. It's a little kooky, and the plot, though brisk, is shaggy at best (stuff just happens a lot). I mean to say, it would do better with more space for what it tells, or fewer extra details. But as Gaiman notes in this edition, he doesn't do sequels much, so he wouldn't have had a chance. I feel it would breath better and do better as a more full text if it had gotten something more like a Sandman treatment. Not in being a graphic novel, but in the expansion of the material into volumes of work.
While this book is a fine example of urban fantasy and has some really creative and dark moments that any reader would appreciate, the novel as a whole made me feel like there was something missing...maybe it was that the characters never ended up being people I cared about (live or die, it seriously made no difference to me) or maybe it was the quest's lack of epic-ness or importance that made the read seem for the majority of the novel somewhat "meh". I wish that I could say I liked this book more than I did -American Gods was one of my favorite books from last year- but this one decidedly fell short for me!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Neil Gaiman writes intelligent fantasy. This book was fantastic - about London Above and London Below, and an unsuspecting man who gets caught in the world of doors, gods, rat-speakers, Black Friars, and a lot more. It was a book that was hard for me to put down, and given the time, I would have devoured it in one sitting.
Note: I read the preferred text edition.
Note: I read the preferred text edition.