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meanbeanreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
The plot is a fairly basic fetch quest. With a compelling protagonist, I don't have a problem with simple storylines, but the problem with Neverwhere is that its protagonist, Richard, is seriously dull. I just didn't enjoy reading about him very much. He's a weenie. It's true that we see a bit of growth, but it's not enough to make me care about him.
On the other hand, the setting and the side characters are the stars of the show. I found myself wanting to experience even more of London Below, since it seemed that we only got to see a tiny sliver of it. I'd also read a whole book about the side characters. Even the evil goons, Croup and Vandemar, were great. It was a very whimsical read, despite my gripes with the main character.
I'm realizing as I'm writing this that Neverwhere would make a great video game, maybe even a better video game than a novel. Alas, it will probably never happen.
One last thing--I struggled with how old Door was supposed to be. It's a pet peeve of mine, but I hate when authors describe a character as being a "girl" and then don't specify their age. For about half the book I was thinking that she was in her early teens at the latest, but it seems more likely given some of the events in the story that she's late teens/early twenties.
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty
emachinescat's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
quarkie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What I liked: I loved the writing style. It's funny, punny, and manages to be light-hearted about very serious topics. The idea of a London made up of people who fell through the cracks is interesting, and I do think he achieves his stated (in the forward) goal of writing an "Alice in Wonderland" or "Narnia" for adults. He includes so many details in his writing that help build the world, and they all end up mattering in the end. His world is compelling because it is both so unfamiliar and so familiar at the same time, and there is just enough description to easily transport you there, but not so much to bore you.
What I didn't like: While the characters are well-defined and stay true to their characterization throughout the plot, I didn't find them that interesting and I couldn't bring myself to like them. The main character is a white man who starts out as a walking doormat, and through his trials becomes less of a doormat but something of an asshole. The supporting characters, who are the only female and non-white characters, are the ones who are actually driving the plot and end up saving the day, but they are written as side characters, and this story is clearly not about them. There is nothing about their happily-ever-after, and they are not the ones who get to live on in infamy for their heroic deeds (though maybe that's because they've already achieved that previously?). The villains are largely evil-for-the-sake-of-evil, and don't have any other driving force.
The main takeaways of this story felt pretty trite. If you go through struggle you can change, ordinary people can be the hero with the help of their friends, the real world is not what it seems and maybe not what it's cracked up to be, etc. I'm not sure I took away anything particularly deep.
Overall, it was an unoriginal read that was still somewhat enjoyable, but I'm happy to be done.
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Animal death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Animal cruelty, and Death
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Classism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Trafficking and Adult/minor relationship
breamfish1138's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Excrement, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child death, Grief, Death, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Torture, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, and Genocide
ashmedai's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
mreequalsmc2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
Moderate: Vomit, Dementia, Blood, Suicide, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Classism, Cursing, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
kcmg710's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Torture, Grief, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Vomit, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Cursing
chronicacademia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Racism, Torture, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, and Classism
ashlynmae311's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Torture
Moderate: Animal cruelty
brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Cursing and Violence