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A review by meanbeanreads
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
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