Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Neverwhere

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Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

45 reviews

ashleykitkat's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted 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

4.0

I read this per a suggestion from one of my book club attendees. And I'm glad I did. Filled with British humor, a relatable everyday man named Richard finds himself in a fantastical world after helping a girl. Although not wanting to be there, he grows as a person with more confidence and his priorities change as he befriends unusual characters assisting them on a quest, ultimately questioning where he belongs. This book was more gruesome than expected but simultaneously cartoonish which reminds me of villains with slapstick humor like Horace and Jasper from 101 Dalmatians. The silliness and being on a journey reminded me of other media such as Neverending Story and The Labyrinth and like the author mentions in the introduction, of Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, and Chronicles of Narnia. I'm highly interested in checking out the BBC Neverwhere show which the author wrote around the same time as the novel, if I understand correctly. I often thought it would be neat seeing it as a visual medium as I read. I would definitely read more stories of characters from this university and appreciated the bonus short story about one at the end of this edition.

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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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brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

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nbmki's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

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bookycnidaria's review against another edition

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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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julieyael's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I was once again taken into the story by Gaiman’s writting.
This book takes us to a wonderful universe, full of fun and interesting characters.
The reader only has to follow the story and let it evolve through the pages.

As often we find some gory scenes and details, but it makes sense and nothing is gratuitious.

I would have appreciated a slighty faster rythm, but the tension is nice. Also, even if I really enjoyed the book, I found that the overall story and plot could have been a bit deeper to make it perfect.

The best part of this novel is the world building and the little details, and of course the way the story is told.
So far, I’ve never been wrong picking a Gaiman’s book.

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