Neverwhere (London Below, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

Mar 19, 2016 Rachel N. rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016, england, london, humor, pbt-fiction-100, adventure, fantasy, london-below, angel, assassins

Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a young woman lying injured on a London street. After getting her aid and dealing with some odd people the next day Richard finds that no one in his daily life recognizes him and he has lost his job and apartment. to figure out what is going on Richard must enter the world of London Below. This book was wonderfully inventive. I got sucked into the world Gaiman created. I didn't want the book to end and still want to know what happens next. ...more

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Apr 29, 2021 Allison Jenkins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lost-2021, hoopla, ebook, library, buddy-read

I am so glad that I finally read this for the LOST-2021 Challenge in the Pick-a-shelf group. One of my co-workers recommended it when I first started my job and this magnificent story has been patiently waiting for me to get around to reading it all these years.

I usually read epic fantasy novels about dragons, and warriors, and wizards. Neverwhere was something different that I enjoyed immensely. This is my first time reading Neil Gaiman and it certainly won't be the last.

The author tells a uniq ...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Slayermel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, 20th-century, fantasy, fiction, favorites, mystery, thriller, suspense, neil-gaiman, gave-away

I really loved this book; it had me hooked right from the beginning, and now is one of my favourite books. Thanks to this book I only got 45 minutes of sleep before having to go into work this morning, but it was worth it as I don’t think I could have managed to get through the day without trying to sneak time in for the finale of the story. I was so disappointed when the story came to an end and I had no more pages to read. :0( I’ll just have to pick up another Neil Gaiman book :0)

This story is I really loved this book; it had me hooked right from the beginning, and now is one of my favourite books. Thanks to this book I only got 45 minutes of sleep before having to go into work this morning, but it was worth it as I don’t think I could have managed to get through the day without trying to sneak time in for the finale of the story. I was so disappointed when the story came to an end and I had no more pages to read. :0( I’ll just have to pick up another Neil Gaiman book :0)

This story is about Richard Mayhew a run of the mill ordinary guy, living in London. He had a good job, a beautiful girlfriend and a wonderful disposition. One day on the way to meet his fiancé’s boss for dinner they stumble across the body of a girl lying hurt on the pavement. Jessica, Richards’s girlfriend would rather walk on as she thinks the girl is a homeless person and dealing with her will make them late for dinner with the boss. Richard can’t just leave her lying there though, he picks her up and starts’ heading towards his home after the girl begs him not to take her to a hospital.

That was the turning point in Richards life, after that moment everything changes.

Jessica calls off the engagement, people start ignoring him as if they can’t see him and his life is spiralling out of control in all the wrong ways. However the people from the London down below can still see Richard and their world is very different than the one Richard is used to. It is filled with sewers, dark tunnels and old historical ruins from London’s past. Not to mention some very dangerous people.

Door, the girl Richard saved is running for her life. There are two very evil and sadistic men after her who would like nothing better than to torture her to death, and she is on a mission to get answers for a crime committed against her family. Unfortunately she seems to have accidentally dragged Richard along into her mess and now the two have to work together and stay alive long enough to get answers for Door and to find a way to get Richard home again.

This is an excellent book. :0)
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Aug 14, 2008 Lynlee4 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookring, ya, 2009, gaiman, 2010, audio

2007-I had a hard time getting into this one because it was so strange at the beginning. I'm so glad I stuck with it!! Loved it.

May2009-listening to audio on road trip. Read by Neil, himself. Loved it! ...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Cora rated it really liked it

Shelves: lost-in-fire, fantasy, urban-fantasy, mystery, paranormal, horror, europe, angels, london, england

Richard Mayhew lives a normal life with a normal job and a fiance until one day he helps a girl he finds bleeding in the street. Another world is opened up to him, one full of the people who fall through the cracks. He begins a quest to help the girl find out who killed her family and to try to find his way back to his old life.

I really enjoyed Neverwhere. The world Gaiman has imagined is compelling because it is both a facinating fantasy world and a commentary on our world where the homeless of ...more

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Jul 16, 2013 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, audiobook

I found this book slow to start. I actually listened to the audiobook which was read by Neil Gaiman himself and I found it took me a little while to get used to his style of reading. I do like his voice though, and it felt authentic listening to the book as read by the author. But I was at least a third of the way in before the book really started to grab me. Richard just felt like a non-character for much of the book. But I loved how Gaiman had used names of London Tube Stations and realised th ...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Tien rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, england

It was a fascinating dark (literally) underworld. Set in London, a very old city with lots of history as its background and its own urban myths, it's almost believable (to a certain degree). As interesting as I found the story itself, I just can't give it more than 3.5 stars. To me, it's above average but as it doesn't truly appeal to my emotions, I can't say that I love the story; some interesting & 'funny' characters tho. I walk past an average of 2 homeless persons / beggars each time I walk ...more

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Dec 13, 2013 Rebekah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fantasy, genre-young-adult, genre-contemporary, genre-adventure, genre-science-fiction, genre-adult, rating-4, genre-horror, genre-science-fiction-fantasy, genre-fantasy-urban-fantasy

Lovely!! I think Gaiman is such a master at blending fantasy with reality and past legends in a way that is humorous, exciting, thought-provoking, and realistic enough to be slightly off-putting. He creates wonderful, dreamlike works that are a pleasure to read and new worlds that are hard to leave but also familiar. It is obvious Gaiman knows and loves London well and gets its atmosphere perfect in this novel. I also love all of his characters, particularly his powerful female ones, who usually ...more

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Jun 19, 2008 Christina rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2008-reads, fantasy

I chose this novel as my introduction to Neil Gaiman and I'm so glad I did. I was absolutely HOOKED within the first few pages. Frightening and humorous at the same time, I could not put this book down and was so upset when it ended. I loved the villains - so creepy!! - and all the hidden twists in the plot, the puns, the wit...

Seriously. Just brilliant. ...more

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