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A review by frootlupo
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
There is not a sentence wasted in this entire tale -
Neverwhere is positively chock-full of dark whimsy, British droll humour, and sharp cultural critique. At times the humour could be a little more bitter or dark than my personal preference, and at least 3% of the jokes flew over my head simply due to the fact that I'm not a London native, but I still found myself quite merrily lost in the playful magic of Gaiman's world.
I was also deeply impressed by the thoughtfulness and density of Gaiman's writing. The bombardment of details early in the story aren't merely used to illustrate how overwhelmed our protagonist is (though it does that masterfully) - rather, each peculiar detail and character just add into layers upon layers of setups that eventually all avalanche into payoff after payoff later on in the book. Nothing is wasted - everything is thoughtful and everything matters.
The story then ultimately ends with a nuanced examination on purpose and what we ultimately desire in life. The true climax feeling purposely less dramatic than one would have expected after the magical journey through the rest of the book.
Overall, Neverwhere is a playful and darkly magical story written in an unmistakably wry tone that we've all come to expect from Neil Gaiman.
Neverwhere is positively chock-full of dark whimsy, British droll humour, and sharp cultural critique. At times the humour could be a little more bitter or dark than my personal preference, and at least 3% of the jokes flew over my head simply due to the fact that I'm not a London native, but I still found myself quite merrily lost in the playful magic of Gaiman's world.
I was also deeply impressed by the thoughtfulness and density of Gaiman's writing. The bombardment of details early in the story aren't merely used to illustrate how overwhelmed our protagonist is (though it does that masterfully) - rather, each peculiar detail and character just add into layers upon layers of setups that eventually all avalanche into payoff after payoff later on in the book. Nothing is wasted - everything is thoughtful and everything matters.
The story then ultimately ends with a nuanced examination on purpose and what we ultimately desire in life. The true climax feeling purposely less dramatic than one would have expected after the magical journey through the rest of the book.
Overall, Neverwhere is a playful and darkly magical story written in an unmistakably wry tone that we've all come to expect from Neil Gaiman.