Neverwhere - Spoiler Thread

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is our March 2024 New School Classic Group Read.

This is the Spoiler Thread.

[Anulekha]

I finished Neverwhere as well.
Neil Gaiman has a unique world-building ability, which I enjoyed quite a lot.
It did become a bit predictable in a few places, but overall, it was a good read.
I felt Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar's story needed more detail as they had a lot of layers.

[Jakub]

Amazing read, I see that there is short story taking place also in London Below:How the Marquis Got His Coat Back

Another group i'm following is reading this month Norse Mythology - this one is also on my plate ready to be consumed.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished it and enjoyed it OK, but it wasn't one of my favorites by Gaiman. Here's a bunch of my thoughts below:

The novel is a "novelization" of the BBC TV series Neverwhere, which Gaiman also wrote. Apparently he tried to keep the book and the show similar although a few differences occured. It's said that he has revised the book a couple times, at least once to supposedly make it more accessible to us Yanks. I think I read the original version, and I doubt much re-writing would have made it more accessible to me or changed my rating much.

This isn't the first Gaiman I've ever read. My first by him was Stardust which is still my favorite of his novels. Since then I've read most of his novels and a couple short story collections. Neverwhere is a 3-star read for me which ranks it lower than just about all of his other works except Good Omens, which I didn't like much. I haven't read any of his graphic novels or comic books.

I always like Gaiman's creativity - his settings and characters spring to life vividly, and they feel unique and well-crafted. The main male character is often a befuddled male who is in awe of the strong female lead, so I always wonder how much of Gaiman's personality is reflected in his characters. Gaiman's plots are often a mix of various mythological sources with a strong smattering of Shakespearean influence without all that Iambic Pentameter to slog through, although his stories never end up being a simple update of one specific myth or story (with the exception of Norse Mythology, of course).

Plots aren't Gaiman's strong point. While he has a flair for the dramatic which fits neatly with his usual fantasy adventures, quite often you feel (especially in the middle parts) that the plot has simply wandered off the track aimlessly. I really did like the ending to Neverwhere, which I thought was sweet, although he has been less successful with other endings.

In summary, this is an early novel for Gaiman, so I wouldn't expect it to reflect the high point of his career. But it was a nice, interesting, non-offensive read that gave some hints to how Gaiman's work would evolve with future novels.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Anulekha]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I finished it and enjoyed it OK, but it wasn't one of my favorites by Gaiman. Here's a bunch of my thoughts below:

The novel is a "novelization" of the BBC TV series Neverwhere, which Gaiman also..."

I agree.
Though the plot needed more work, the story had the mesmerising quality of pulling a reader into its world.

Stardust has been on my TBR for a long time. I saw the movie long back, not knowing it was based on a book. I plan to pick it up soon.

[J_BlueFlower]

Way behind here: I just started reading....

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Way behind here: I just started reading...."

Good for you. I am still on the fence on this one - Gaiman can be hit and miss for me.

[J_BlueFlower]

"Mind the gap". I am starting to see a pattern in how he uses place names and common terms.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

J_BlueFlower wrote: ""Mind the gap". I am starting to see a pattern in how he uses place names and common terms."

I do think that Gaiman is a talented writer, especially with his word play.

[J_BlueFlower]

I am at 46%

I like the constant flow of mysteries: Starting with what on earth is happening to Richard? Who are these people? What happened to Door and why? Why do they live so long? ....

I also like this level of attention requiring: The author does not just give you all the answers, but they are not hard to find (at least so far).

[J_BlueFlower]

Finished.

A funny bit of a fantasy story. Creative world building. The destiny of the a priceless Tang dynasty figurine was a fine little detail. How places, stations and terms of speech like "Mind the gap" was used was another plus.

I agree about the plot: The angel Islington.... Why did it kill most of Doors family? Why did nobody tell that Islington had turned bad? Why did these people live so long? Why did they heal so fast?

I like the short story "How The Marquis Got His Coat Back" better than the main story: Here Gainman used his world building for something.

[Jessica-sim]

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Finished.

A funny bit of a fantasy story. Creative world building. The destiny of the a priceless Tang dynasty figurine was a fine little detail. How places, stations and terms of speech like "Min..."

I also really enjoyed the short story! Made it worth reading an entire book for 😅

Islington need the key to escape and had asked Door's father to get it for him, but the father refused so Islington had the family murdered, leaving behind Door so he could manipulate her into doing his bidding

[J_BlueFlower]

Jessica-sim wrote: "J_BlueFlower wrote: "Finished.

Islington need the key to escape and had asked Door's father to get it for him, but the father refused so Islington had the family murdered, leaving behind Door so he could manipulate her into doing his bidding..."

But why murder the family and take the sister prisoner, rather than all of them prisoners? He could have used the family to bargain with if Door had not accepted in the first place.

[Jessica-sim]

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Jessica-sim wrote: "J_BlueFlower wrote: "Finished.

Islington need the key to escape and had asked Door's father to get it for him, but the father refused so Islington had the family murdered, leav..."

Hm yes but he’s an evil maniac with grandeur visions and enormous hatred towards the family who didn’t want to help him escape

[Karen]

Just finished this, and rated it 4*. I really enjoyed the word play (especially "Mind the Gap"), and the world-building. However, I got the impression that I would have loved the book if I had lived in London, and really understood some of the references.

[Franky]

I finished this one years ago and never came back for another Gaiman read. I liked some aspects of it but felt pretty lukewarm about it overall. I never have quite caught on to urban fantasy.