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Oct 09, 2011

Steve rated it:

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I should have. I kept distracting myself with the thought, "Why the hell haven't I read more of Neil Gaiman's books?" Then I would have to tell myself to shut up, because I'm reading one right now, and I can return to berating myself later.

Neil Gaiman really understands fantasy. He understands that it isn't elves dancing in a forest and drunk dwarves mining for gold with improbably well maintained beards. No, fantasy is a reflection o More...

5 comments like (55 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2011

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it:

Neverwhere is one of those books that answers the 'what if' question about the city in which you live your days, going through your admittedly 'mundane' routines. In this case, London. What if there was a London Below, a strange world which consists of Underground railways, tunnels, sewers, and sometimes uncannily parallels the London that the average inhabitant thought they knew but didn't, and in a way that seems a lot more interesting? It's a scary place, not terribly clean and sanitary. B More...

14 comments like (27 people liked it)

Oct 23, 2007

James rated it:

Picture Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Really good books right? Now imagine if someone took the first book and mad libbed characters, settings, monsters, etc, so that you were left with the exact same story except instead of travelling the galaxy with your crazy friend and the most powerful man in the universe, you were travelling in haunted British sewers with a nerd's wet dream of a Xena warrior princess rival and a Gothic princess who can unlock doors (sigh). I don't think there is muc More...

12 comments like (33 people liked it)

Mar 29, 2008

Shannon rated it:

Richard Mayhew is an ordinary young man working in London, with a fiancee, Jessica, a small flat and a life more-or-less figured out. By Jessica. He's not a particularly brave man, or imaginative, and Jessica has his life all sorted for him.

Everything in his life is turned upside-down - quite literally - when he stumbles across an injured girl on the footpath who asks for his help. Despite Jessica's insistence that he leave her there for someone else to take care of, he carries her More...

13 comments like (28 people liked it)

May 03, 2008

Cat rated it:

This story has a lot of interesting bits. When I started it, it drew me in immediately. I thought the storyline seemed interesting and it was well written.

However, the story is based upon a screenplay, and it shows. The story has so many horrible clichés it really, dreadfully, dragged the book down. The whole story reads like a film script, which, technically, it is. And this is all very well for a film, but the rules that apply to films don't apply to books.

There's the w More...

1 comment like (24 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2008

Belarius rated it:

Neil Gaiman's influential penchant for dark urban fantasy presents itself in its least complicated form in his first novel, Neverwhere. The book has the simplistic characters and perfectly-even pacing of television, which should come as no surprise as it is, in fact, an adaptation of a BBC miniseries. The book is pure entertainment, which is as much praise as it is condemnation.

Neil Gaiman is reputed to have a near-encyclopedia knowledge of matters both historical and fantastical, an More...

2 comments like (15 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Steven rated it:

The first book I read by Gaiman was a collaboration with Terry Pratchett, Good Omens. Actually a pretty funny read, although the person who loaned it to me seemed to think it was the best book ever written. This was probably back in 2000. I laughed at a couple of the more auspicious stances (One of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, Famine, is responsible for the stick-thin models we see constantly…) but didn’t think much past this.

Last week I had a lot of travel scheduled. So when More...

5 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Kim rated it:

My only experience with Neil Gaiman’s writing (other than a viewing of Coraline) was Anansi Boys, which happened to be the sequel to American Gods to which no one had bothered to tell me about. So, yeah, I was hesitant. I mean really… of all the people on this site that I know that like Gaiman, couldn’t one of you have bothered to let me know? Huh? Fine. It’s done with.

Now, erasing that slight… really, I am… I will tell you that I totally gave Gaiman the brush off. I filed him u More...

3 comments like (16 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Kelly rated it:

Well done again, Gaiman. Well done indeed. I very much enjoyed this novel. The same thing happened to me here as with American Gods. I was a little uncertain at first, a bit skeptical, and then slowly Gaiman won me over with his writing and sucked me into his world until I was engrossed and turned over 100 pages in a day without realizing it, even despite some distractions that should have made it impossible for me to concentrate. It is a very special breed of author who is capable of that.
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24 comments like (7 people liked it)

Sep 07, 2011

± Colleen of the Crawling Chaos ± rated it:

After reading Neverwhere for the second time, it remains one of, if not thee, favorite book of mine by Gaiman. There really aren't many flaws to this book. I love the world and the idea that the people who 'slip through the cracks' exist in this other world beneath the world. I even love the slight ambiguity that it could be that Richard is actually just crazy, through I prefer to think of it as real.

I love the way the story unfolds. We are given information piece-meal, receiving More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jun 20, 2007

m rated it:

I've meant to serialise this review across my worlds but I've just never got round to it. All I can really say is that for one who doesn't read much of science-fiction or vampires, despite my fading Buffy obsession, this is a brilliant read.

The person who turned me on to this wasn't too keen on his following book, American Gods. There's yet another, Fragile Things, that's just now out in paperback. I've picked that one up but nothing in it caught me as much as this one.

N More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Joy rated it:

i loved this book. i think i even like it more than american gods. a young man comes across door, a girl from the underworld, and helps her. this gets him kicked out of the london above into the much-cooler london below, that can be found underneath and in between. there are pigeon men and literal interpretations of subway names and bizarre bazaar's with everything and anything for sale. gaiman is so adept at portraying a fantastic universe that butts up against our everyday universe. in our ord More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Mar 16, 2010

TDF Pamela rated it:

Another favorite Gaiman novel. This was the second I read, and the one that really hooked me on his writing. Neverwhere is painted in shades of Alice in Wonderland; somewhat hapless but helpful Richard Mayhew falls through the cracks and into London Below, and while trying to find his way home, he manages to find himself. This book is full of rich, imaginative supporting characters; the Lady Door is smart and brave, and the Marquis de Carabas is deliciously two-faced. I can read this book ov More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Brooke rated it:

Neverwhere is an urban fairy tale, taking place in modern day London. It uses the real world as a contrast to the underworld that Richard Mayhew is plunged into after he helps an injured girl he finds laying on the street.

Neverwhere has two of the best villians I've ever come across, Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar. They delight in their work and have hilarious conversations with each other. Gaiman did a great job giving them voices that are very different from the other characters.

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 19, 2011

Steph rated it:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the idea of an Above & Below London. I thought Neil Gaiman did a wonderful job painting a picture of Below and loved poor Richard fumbling around down there with Hunter, Door & marquis de Carabas.

I loved Richard's quote at the end to the homeless lady, "Have you ever got everything you ever wanted? And then realized it wasn't what you wanted at all?" I was happy that he got what he really wanted, in the very end.

4 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 01, 2011

★ Jess rated it:

This is the best book I've read in a loooooong time. Gaiman has a magnificent imagination, and writes terrifically. I need to get my hands on some more of his other work, like American Gods.
This book was unbelievably good, with characters that will stay with me for ages to come: The Angel Islington, The assassins Mister Vandamer & Mister Croup, the quirky Marquis de Carabas, the creepy Velvets and so many more. Not to mention scenes and imagery! Some favorites that come to mind are the br More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 21, 2009

Libby rated it:

I recently re-read Neverwhere for a Goodreads book group. While I am an avid Neil Gaiman fan, this is not my favorite Gaiman work. Nonetheless, it is still a very entertaining novel based on amazing conceptual ideas and deserving of 4 stars.

I would rate this as one of Gaiman’s weaker works for two primary reasons. Foremost, the story was a mini-series first then novelized and I think it shows. Some characters and plot aspects are flat on the page and I believe they probably had m More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2012

Ken-ichi rated it:

My what a pleasure. This story is comfort food, a Sunday roast or a warm stew on a cold Autumn day. There are no surprises, no revelations, but you still can’t put it down. Wonderful characters and a compelling world add heft where the plot thins, and if the dramatic zenith falls a little short, well, that’s just fine. I was happy to spend 300 pages with good folks in a nice place.

It occurred to me while reading this that world-building works of fantasy like this are interestingl More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 26, 2008

Kristjan rated it:

I read the book, then watched the BBC series and I must say that I liked the series a little better. It seems that this story really does better with the visuals then the bare text.

The basic plot has an Alice in Wonderland quality with typical, understated British humor. The main character, Richard Mayhew, begins the story as a listless man who, despite having the 'good-life' finds something lacking in his existence. A chance encounter with one of the denizens of 'London Below' More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Feb 14, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

This was my first Gaiman book and I went in with high expectations given all the praise I've read about the author. This is one of his earlier novels and I think it shows the transition period from serial comic (the Sandman series) to novelist. The writing is very visual and Gaiman appears to take great delight in describing each tiny thing in excruciating detail. Overall, I enjoyed the story but didn't always enjoy the way it was conveyed. It was a struggle to get through the entire book.
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0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 18, 2007

Martine rated it:

Neil Gaiman's first novel is an occasionally shocking but frequently funny fantasy thriller set in a London you've never seen before. At the beginning of the book, Richard Mayhew, an utterly normal businessman living in a London not too far removed from our own, rescues a damsel in distress: Door, a lovely girl whose entire family has been murdered and who would dearly like to know by whom and what for. Richard would like to help Door, but in order to do so, he has to enter a world whose existe More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 09, 2011

Joyzi rated it:

It's my first Neil Gaiman book, (I think his name is kinda funny btw, Gay-Man?)and for so long I always wanted to read one of his works.

There are some amazing parts especially in the beginning of the story but somehow in the middle of it, it became too random and I was really bored because there are times that I felt that it just draaags too much and nothing exciting is happening and I felt like I could not finish it. However I finish the book, the ending is okay and still good.

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41 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 02, 2008

Elizabeth rated it:

I finally finished it. And with all due respect to fantasy and sci-fi writers and readers, the verdict is in. I do not like this genre. Never. I've tried and tried: Dune, Lord of the Rings, Neverwhere...whatever.

I just don't care. I read about characters and I don't care if they find a ring or a magical door or some sand that supposed to be oil. No thank you. For the next employee book club choice...if we choose anything in those two genres...I'm going to have to abdicate. There are More...

11 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2009

Heather G rated it:

The character development wasn't what I think it could have been in a story that was this original and interesting. Although the characters weren't great (but not bad)-- I thought the imagery of the "underworld" the author created was impressive. I thought the whole premise of their being a whole other world of people living simultaneously with the "regular" world-- only not noticed because they "slipped through the cracks" is a really interesting concept. More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 20, 2011

Kristen rated it:

I'm pretty sure if Neil Gaiman decided to make an audio book of the phone book I'd listen to it.

So, I love Neil Gaiman. Before reading this, all of my experience with his books had been his kids and young adult books. I had heard mixed things about his adult books, so I was interested give one a try. And I did enjoy this book, although not with the same intensity that I loved The Graveyard Book or Coraline. I'm not really sure why this book didn't do it for me as much as those others More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 27, 2010

Kat rated it:

I first started reading this book and honestly wanted to just chuck it in the bin. I said very mean things about the protagonist under my breath.

Surely, I said, a Protagonist means that they are pro and totally into furthering the story. Surely, Protagonist is the similar to Proactive and Productive.

I was wrong. The word Protagonist, in its basic form is not similar to proactive. It simply, from the Greek plays, means the principle character or the first speaking char More...

33 comments like (11 people liked it)

Feb 05, 2012

Bookhuw rated it:

There are some great ideas in this book, but as it progressed I couldn't help feel they were cradled in the hands of someone not quite articulate (or bothered) enough to do them justice. Various elements felt clumsy and much of the dialogue had the hammy hangover I would expect from a BBC drama, making for a flawed and frustrating read. My edition was the 'preferred text', parts of which, Gaiman explains, had been padded out to add a little context to the locations, offering a little detail for More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 12, 2009

Misarweth rated it:

Devenue accro aux mondes de Gaiman depuis peu, je me délectais d'en entamer un nouveau.
Surtout son premier roman !

Et là, comme dans tous roman gaimanien, l'objet livre n'existe plus et on entre tel un fluide dans la mer, dans le flux du roman. Très précis, démarrant de manière parallèle : mondes parallèles, temps parallèles et personnages parallèles... on s'immerge plus ou moins, on aime rester entre deux eaux. Comment ces mondes vont ils se téléscoper? Comment les personnages More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jul 30, 2008

Heatherwen rated it:

This is one of the best damn books I have ever read. I'm trying to make the last few chapters stretch out because I don't want it to end. Huge props to my friend Jessica for insisting I read it and then loaning it to me. Rich, funny, perfectly-crafted prose, beautiful work of imagination and ingenuity. Really, REALLY good.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 18, 2010

Ruth rated it:

I recently listened to this as a audiobook, read by Gaiman himself. Either it’s a wonderful book or Gaiman is a magnificent reader, or both. For me it was a splendid experience, and I was surprised.

I’d heard so much of Gaiman, but never read anything of his before. Fantasy is not usually my cup of decaf. I have to say I was bowled over by Neverwhere. So cleverly written, by an obviously literate writer. And Gaiman’s performance (it was truly a performance) was spellbinding.

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17 comments like (2 people liked it)

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