Ratings870
Average rating4.1
I've been reading too much serious/mostly serious fantasy recently, because I'd forgotten how fun and funny a wacky Gaiman adventure can be. [b:Neverwhere 23462649 Neverwhere Neil Gaiman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454334106s/23462649.jpg 16534] is sprinkled with dry puns and sly references that constantly keep me chuckling, giving Gaiman credit for the gotcha. But it's also host to great pacing and worldbuilding that keeps me engaged for a charming tale of growth. We end up learning to how to live once you fall through the cracks of London and of life, and then letting yourself stay fallen. What does it take for you to come back when you hit your lowest lows, literally in this case? I don't know that my personal answer will include facing off against a terrible foe, but maybe it'll be something close.
If I could, I think this review would be a 3.5-4ish, and not a full four stars, but I wouldn't knock it down to three, so four it is. Richard Mayhew himself isn't terribly memorable – it's the characters he becomes surrounded by, purely by chance. Neverwhere is kind of a warped Alice style story, in that Mayhew goes from regular old London to the crazy fantasy London Below, where angels and demons and women named after doorways take him on an adventure he never could have dreamed in a million years.
Gaiman's got a great style, and a wicked sense of humor, so all in all I had a great time reading this novel, and I'd definitely loan it to a friend (so long as they promised to give it back when they were done).
I love Neil Gaiman's work because I know that he's going to create a world that's slightly unsettling, with terrifying villains. Neverwhere follows Richard Mayhew, from Upper London, on a grand adventure to London Below when he rescues Door, a damsel dealing quite capably with an attempt on her life and the death of her entire family. Once sucked into the chaotic world of London Below, Richard bumbles along, managing to keep himself alive and contribute to Door's quest to find the Angel Islington who knows what happened to her family. Neverwhere is great fun, keeping you on the edge of your seat, because you never know who the grand villain is and where he/she/it will pop up next.
I haven't given it a higher rating yet, mainly because I'm still finding my footing in fantasy and I'm not sure if it's my favorite genre. That said, I did genuinely enjoy it, and about halfway through, I found myself completely immersed in the story. However, watching the show while reading made the settings and events feel a bit less impressive than I'd imagined and as the author intended.
For now, I'd rate it around a 3.5, though I can't wait to dive deeper into fantasy and revisit this book with a fresh perspective once I'm able to appreciate it more!
Enough whimsy to be intriguing. Enough depth to make you think. Enough imagination and plot to keep you engaged.
A three star book, by the high standards of Neil Gaiman, pulled up to four by a great ending.
4.5 rounded up; My second book (first book officially, since [b:Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch 12067 Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch Terry Pratchett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1615552073l/12067.SY75.jpg 4110990] was also by [a:Terry Pratchett 1654 Terry Pratchett https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg]) by Neil Gaiman, and it was wonderful! Richard's kind gesture got him spiraling to another world. Meeting new people, encountering loss, pain, and all sorts of feelings that he couldn't/wouldn't feel at home. I enjoy Neil Gaiman's way of explaining and describing things (sometimes makes me a bit squeamish), and a bit of humor here and there makes it all great. Excited to start my next book by him!
I picked this up because I read a review that said it got them out of a reading slump and I was in one too. It's wonderful, weird, unexpected, and fun. One of those where you just don't want it to end. Slump, over.
Neil is now a new favorite author for me and I've put a bunch more of his books on my TBR.
Neverwhere is Alice in wonderland if Alice was a twenty something Londoner businessman in the Nineteens with Doctor who vibes ”.
This is a very bizarre fantasy and I could feel Gaiman style as I watched the adaptation of Good Omens.
He tells a story it's own way and with a brilliant imagination. It is told in a really photographic way and I wasn't surprised to discover it is actually a Tv show adaptation.
I am really difficult with urban fantasy and I know that this book is not a favorite to me. But I would highly recommend the read to a lot of person around me that would know how to appreciate this.
This was my first Neil Gaiman book. I gotta say, I was really impressed.
In Neverwhere, the main character is sucked into a shadow world inside/beneath/adjacent London. He meets quite a motley crew in this fantasy world and experiences quite a ride while trying to get home. Gaiman kind of walks the line of being twee and yet dark not unlike Tim Burton's lighter fare.
One thing for new readers to consider is that this book is based on a TV series written by Gaiman and Lenny Henry. Maybe check that out if you don't have the time to read or if you want to go deeper before/after reading.
I've been wanting to re-read this for years and the time finally felt right this October. I hesitate to say that Gaiman ‘builds' a compelling world for that phrase seems to imply some of the scaffolding is visible. It's not. The world Gaiman describes exists so wholly and so well painted that you never once think of it as something constructed but just, a place that is. It's a treat to be allowed a glimpse into it all. The story itself is actually a lot simpler than I remember, allowing the reader to drink in the world and characters and bob along with the story without having to concentrate too hard. Which is fine, but compared with the richness of the world, the plot itself does feel a little secondary. 5/5 for world, 5/5 for language, 4/5 for characters and 4/5 for plot, that's all I'm saying. Still an absolutely wonderful book. Oh, and Richard is a boring character, I feel the book would have been better without him and just wholly about London Below. I get that he has a function as muse and narrator and reflector of audience's perspective, but bleh he's just really naff.
Exactly the dark, urban fairytale I was hoping for.
It's been a while since I've read Gaiman's works though he remains one of my favourite authors. I took a break from his novels to give other authors and their books a fighting chance but now, returning to his work, I'm suddenly reminded how effortless it all is.
Effortlessly funny, effortlessly gripping, and absolutely effortless to read. I suffer from what some may call a tragically short attention span, even in the books I enjoy some passages take me two to three rereads because my brain just wont process the words but amazingly this has never been an issue with any of Gaiman's works.
Reading a Gaiman novel to me has always felt more like watching a show than actually reading, so rich it is in its description of people and places without ever being boring. Definitely would recommend and now I feel like checking out the audiobook!
Well it was Ok I suppose, but it lacked the wit and depth of Pratchett or Adams and I didn't warm to Mr Mayhew. I may try another Gaiman novel at some point - but I'm in no hurry.
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Neverwhere
If you had told me a year ago I would be reviewing a Neil Gaiman book as my first book review of 2021 I wouldn't believe you. I've DNFed multiple Gaiman books, not because of the writing, but because the worlds he built weren't for me. I respect Gaiman's talent and am glad so many people can find entertainment in his stories, I was just never one of them. Until a co-worker challenged me to read Neverwhere.
Those who live in London Above have no clue there is an entire world below their feet. Every day people walk along, never noticing those who fall beneath the cracks to London Below. Richard was once from London Above. The day he saved a dying girl changed everything. Door is hunted in London Below but will let nothing stop her from avenging her family. But dark things are lurking in London Below and Richard may not be enough to keep her safe.
Neverwhere is a dark tale that takes the underbelly of London and runs away with it wrapped up in wild imagination. The world-building is brilliant as the characters venture deeper into London Below. Piece by piece readers are introduced to the lore and people that make the Below their home. I especially enjoyed the rats whom those from Above deemed pests, actually carried messages to people known as rat-speakers.
The characters are phenomenal. Each one is filled to the brim with complexity and their character arcs will keep readers entertained. Gaiman makes sure to throw in some twists and turns to keep readers guessing. I loved the story all the more for them. The dialogue between Richard, Door, and the Marquis was the perfect mixture of witty banter and story-driven conversation. Richard especially showed his evolution as a character as he grew more confident in his actions and how he reacted to London Below.
Well done Neil Gaiman, well done. You've won me over and I am looking forward to the second book in London Below.
Have you ever had a day where things started out okay - just in your rut, and you imagine that maybe you'd like to be somewhere else? Well, what if you didn't imagine that but suddenly, through events and circumstances that you will never understand, you get pulled out of your rut to....somewhere else. That's the problem set up for our hero in this story. And, oh, what a ride he is about to be on. In typical Neil Gaiman fashion, things get crazy real quick, but it always has some thread that you can almost see or touch or smell that hangs you right on believability.
This adventure is like no other - back in the real world, this story may set you to thinking about what is truly important in life and what you want.
There's probably too much weirdness and violence for kiddos, but this is definitely a winner for young adult on up.
** I listened to the audible version
I loved this book. From the first to the last chapter,this story never left me. The characters and the world and the writing style were original, wicked delightful and haunting.
This is one I will most certainly read many many more times.
I knew a little about Neil Gaiman before this book... I look forward to checking out everything else he's written.
Pues... meh
Quizá ha sido tema de expectativas... Por las reviews esperaba y quería que este libro me gustara más.
Se describen mundos ocultos bajo nuestras ciudades, de interesantes personajes, aventuras y villanos.
Es original y tiene buenas dosis de imaginación y fantasía... pero es que, no sé por qué, no ha logrado mantenerme enganchada.
Lo he terminado de leer porque sentía curiosidad por cómo terminaría todo.
Pero el ritmo en el que pasaban las cosas se me ha hecho lentooooo.
Sólo cuando ya llevaba un 80-85% se ha animado la cosa y ya he cogido carrerilla!
En mi edición hay también un relato, “De cómo el Marqués recuperó su abrigo”.
Este relato me ha convencido más en cuanto a ritmo.
Y, como ocurre en “Neverwhere”, también tiene muchos toques de fantasía, mucha locura y mucha MUCHA imaginación.
En fin... voy intentándolo con Gaiman (Mitos Nórdicos hace poco), pero todavía no lo pillo...
Seguiré intentando!
Amazing! I don't know how I didn't read this earlier. I am huge fan of urban fantasy and this is certainly a genre defining classic in the genre.
Gaiman did a wonderful job of intertwining the city of London we all know and love with a part hidden from view. It was done in such a way that you are left wondering if maybe that beggar on the street, that empty tram cabin, or that scurrying rat are really signs of something more.
The very best narrative I've read of a man going from being nothing to becoming something. Fanciful and taut with tension, I loved EVERY moment therein.