Reviews with content warning for Violence - Neverwhere

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

77 reviews

bickleyhouse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is actually the fifth time I have read this book, which must mean it is my favorite book.

I can't say enough good things about Neverwhere. For me, it is the ultimate fantasy/horror novel. We meet our protagonist, Richard Mayhew, going about his normal, boring life, going out with work "friends," being engaged to a pretty girl, and about to have dinner with her boss, a rich man who owns part of pretty much everything in London.

On their way to dinner, they stumble across a girl, who is mostly unconscious, and appears to have been beaten. She is dirty, and dressed in layers of clothing, such as a homeless person might be. Richard, risking the ire of Jessica, his fiancé, decides that he cannot simply leave this girl alone, so he picks her up and carries her back to his apartment. This girl turns out to be named Door, is from London Underground, and is being hunted by a couple of nefarious dudes named Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, a couple of villains who would rival the infamously creepy Uriah Heep.

After saving Door, and helping her regain some of her health, Richard is sent on a mission to find someone who can escort Door back to the Underground. Eventually, Richard finds himself on an adventure that is beyond his own ability to believe.

Mr. Gaiman's writing is fabulous. There is humor, there is violence, there is danger, and some of the most insanely weird beings and people that I have ever encountered. At every turn, it seems as though we meet something or someone even stranger than before, from Serpentine to the Velvets, to the Angel Islington. I absolutely love this book, and will probably read it again.

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kcmg710's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.75

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justaddwater's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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galexy_brain's review against another edition

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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.

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chronicacademia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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allishortell's review against another edition

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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

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kiwij96's review against another edition

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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.

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