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meanbeanreads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
I went into this one with high expectations, which makes rating difficult. Though it was a fun read, it's not as polished as some of Gaiman's other work.
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. I had this "omg is Richard a pedo" moment when he thinks about kissing her. Talk about ick. >_> I guess I wish I had known what age to imagine her starting from her introduction.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty
soupynoodles's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
-.75 literally just for a couple lines during the climax that just Did Not Work for me and took me out of the atmosphere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
breamfish1138's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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? It's complicated
4.75
This book is kind of like Paddington in that it's an unapologetic love letter to London and its landmarks and history. And there's also a lot of murder, urban decay, esoteric folklore, mild cosmic horror and rats. So yeah, just like Paddington.
Content Warnings
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
wheat_singularity_bezforshort's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I listen through the audiobook in about a week, and nearly missed a flight because i was too engrossed in it. Dark at times, but the dreamlike world means that I could mostly leave it behind when getting back to the real world. I wish more fantasy stories ended like this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse
mreequalsmc2's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
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
galexy_brain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.0
This felt like a pretty bog-standard hero's journey sort of book, though the action was great (I felt myself grimacing and cringing often). I wish Richard was a more compelling main character. The backdrop of a creepy London underworld was pretty cool. I've only been to London once so the references to city locations I'm familiar with were neat, though I'm sure it would have been cooler if I had been well-acquainted with the city. However, I found it hard to visualize London Below. I don't know if I missed something, but half the time it felt like they were walking through subway systems and sewers and marshes, and other times it was described as having buildings, almost reflecting London Above? idk maybe I'm inattentive. My only other qualm with this book is when Richard, who seems as if he is in his mid-twenties, wants to kiss Door, who is described by Richard as appearing to be a teenager. Then they never bring this up again??? The final inconsistency that didn't bother me but caught my attention was that the Sewer People are introduced as not speaking English in Neverwhere, but in the short story prologue from this edition ("How the Marquis Got his Coat Back" or whatever), he had a full-on conversation with them. Anyway, if you like gritty grimy creepy spooky hero stories this book may be for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Gore
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Child death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol, Pedophilia, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Grief, and Abandonment
allishortell's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Vomit
kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.5
The premise for this book really gripped me, but it didn't hold out as a story for me personally. I loved the way that the chapters were written like scenes in an episode of a tv show. The chapters were a manageable length for the most part (barring like 2 or 3 long ones). The story was a captivating tale of a secret and historical world under London for those who fall through the cracks in the London Above. However, at times I found the writing a little clunky and infodump-y, and in places there were too many commas. I still don't completely understand what happened in the book. There was a mystery that they tried to uncover, but then it came to a halt and I just didn't understand what happened. It just ended weird for me, felt a little rushed and unfinished in my opinion.
Flushed Away vibes for sure.
Flushed Away vibes for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Child death, Torture, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
ashlynmae311's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Torture
Moderate: Animal cruelty
bluehairedraven's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Blood