Neverwhere [Buddy Read]

[~Sara~]

Caroline and I will be reading Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere within the next few weeks, starting as soon as she can get it from the library. :)
Anyone who would like to join us is more than welcome but be warned that I am a fan of Gaiman and am prone to rambling about things I like.

[~Sara~]

I was doing some reading about Neverwhere since I knew there was a show about it but it turns out that the book is actually based on the show, not the other way around. It was only 6 half hour episodes and I don't know if that's all it was meant to be or if it just didn't do very well. From what I've read it was not overly appealing visually due to the way it was filmed but that just makes me even more interested in watching it. I've requested it from the library and will check it out as soon as it comes in.

I checked your shelves, Caroline, and this appears to be your first book by Gaiman so I'm very interested to see what you think of not only this book, but of his writing as well. As I said, I really like his work but it's his graphic novels, particularly Sandman, that I love. His books have ranged from just ok to really good. I don't think I've found any of them amazing but they were all worth reading so far (with the exception of Sandman which was definitely in the amazing, 5+ stars range for me). The thing I love most about Gaiman is the way his descriptions give me a perfect picture in my head of what's going on, drawing me into this unique world that is still remarkably familiar. He makes me want to believe in magic and wish that it really could happen the way he says it does.

I've taken a small peak into Neverwhere (just the prologue - I don't want to get ahead, it's more fun with someone to share with!) and already he's got me hooked. There is a part where the main character, Richard, is talking to an old lady outside of a bar and it's a perfect example of why I love how he describes things:

"I was a dancer," said the old woman, and she tottered awkwardly around the sidewalk, humming tunelessly to herself. Then she teetered from side to side like a spinning top coming to rest, and finally she stopped, facing Richard."

I can't help but get a mental image of this strange old lady dancing and, with these 2 sentences, he's managed to make his character more interesting to me than some authors have done with an entire book!

[~Sara~]

I find it interesting that several reviewers compare this book to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of my favourite books but I'm not seeing the connection so far. Gaiman wrote a companion book to the series in the 80's so he definitely knows it well!

Also the prologue takes on a whole new meaning when you know the name of the heroine - (view spoiler)[Door (hide spoiler)]. There's quite a bit of foreshadowing going on!

[Stormy]

I just put this book on hold at the library, should have it early next week. I'm looking forward to reading it with you two (or more). Thanks for cross posting it to the June PIFM challenge.

[Caroline]

WOW!!! I think I maybe ordering a 2nd hand copy off Amazon at this rate!! I'm hooked already Sara your very infectious(I mean that in a really good way).... I do believe I have another Neil Gaiman book on tbr list, yes I've just looked! the graveyard book x x

[~Sara~]

Happy to have you join us Kerste!!!

The Graveyard book was one of my just ok reads. It felt a little too unfinished to me, like he roughed out the story but never really got around to filling in the details. Still a good read for what it was - a children's story about ghosts, ghouls and a little boy, but not the best of the genre. I know others have loved it though so maybe I was just expecting too much.

[Caroline]

Sara & Kerste, Finally I have my copy of Neverwhere!! So I'm ready to go when you are:-) Sorry its taken so long x x

[Stormy]

I have the book, too. So who says "Go". I figure it should be one of you two since I'm just along for the ride.

[Caroline]

Kerste wrote: "I have the book, too. So who says "Go". I figure it should be one of you two since I'm just along for the ride."

I'll let Sara do the honours as I don't know what her state of reading is at the mo! Great to have you along with us Kerste:-) xx

[~Sara~]

I'm ready to go but have to work early tomorrow so will start tomorrow night. Hopefully that works for both of you.

[Caroline]

Thats fine with me! Looking forward to it! x x

[Stormy]

Sounds good, so is this a free read? Or read so much, then comment? Or read it and hold comments until everyone else is done?

[Caroline]

?!! Never done a buddy read like this before a new one on me!! Free read sounds good though?! Sara what do you think & Kerste what do you prefer to do?! x x

[~Sara~]

I think free read will work best since, as Caroline pointed out to me, we're at fairly different time zones. I usually just comment whenever I have something to say but make a note at the top as to where I am in the book so you can catch up before reading the post. If it's a major spoiler I'll label it so you don't read anything by accident but I think minor spoilers are fine untagged. Let me know if that's good for you two. I'm starting the book tonight, but since it's 9pm Saturday and I have to be up fairly early tomorrow, I probably won't get far.

[Stormy]

Sounds good Sara. Noting at the top, where you are, Commenting when you have something to say, noting Major spoilers, minor spoilers are fine untagged. I'm good with that.

I'm finishing up a book at the moment (6:45 pm PT), then I'll pick up Neverwhere and start in.

Check in with you gals soon!

[Caroline]

Thats great!! Happy reading Ladies:-) x x

[~Sara~]

I just finished chapter 2 and I'm loving it so far.

I can kind of see why people compare it to The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there are parts were the humour and descriptive technique are very reminiscent of Douglas Adams, but it also feels a little forced at times. I don't know if he's just finding his voice, obviously Adams would have some influence on his writing, but his later novels seem to have a different tone and better flow. The one part that really stands out to me for this was were he's describing the bad guys, Croup and Vandemar:

"There are four simple ways for the observant to tell Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar apart: first, Mr. Vandemar is two and a half heads taller than Mr. Croup; second, Mr. Croup has eyes of a faded china blue, while Mr. Vandemar's eyes are brown; third, while Mr. Vandemar fashioned the rings he wears on his right hand out of the skulls of four ravens, Mr. Croup has no obvious jewelery; fourth, Mr. Croup likes words, while Mr. Vandemar is always hungry. Also, they look nothing at all alike."

It just felt like he was trying too hard to be clever.

As I mentioned before, I'm a huge fan of Gaiman's graphic novels, and that seems to be the majority of what he was writing at this time. I think that's why he seems to be so good at creating a mental image without a lot of words - you'd have to have a good grasp of the visual you're trying to portray while creating a graphic novel, not only for the illustrator but for the reader as well, since you have to fit a whole lot of description into a few fairly sparse pictures. If you don't the graphic novels are hard to follow and confusing (there are quite a few out there that illustrate this point!!!).

One of my favourite parts so far is when Richard meets the marquis whom he had mistaken for a pile of rags. It reminded me of a scene from my favourite movie, Labyrinth, which I think has a similar feel to it as this book.
Jareth undercover
The show's introduction to the marquis was a little disappointing. In the book "what Richard had taken for a pile of rags unfolded, expanded, stood up in one fluid motion.". I wish they had taken a cue from the genius Jim Henson (a slight bias :) and done a little more with it but instead of having him rise from the rags, they cut from the rags to Richard and when they cut back, he's just standing there. Would it really have been that hard to have him throw off some rags!?!
Lame!

A couple lines I liked:
"Richard had noticed that events were cowards: they didn't occur singly, but instead they would run in packs and leap out at him all at once."

"I suppose you could call them men, yes. Two legs, two arms, a head each."
Makes you wonder what they really are...

Also (view spoiler)[when the marquis greets Door he kneels and calls her "my lady" and Old Bailey asked Richard what barony he gives fealty to. We know that her family was murdered so I'm guessing she's royalty and the last of her line which is why Croup and Vandemar are trying to kill her. (hide spoiler)]

[Caroline]

Oh wow! I'm just staring chap Six!! I must say this is my first Neil Gaiman book so have nothing to compare it too. But I'm loving it so far, think we may get a few more twists before the end, but i don't want it to end!
I love magiky style bools like this, and only living 16 miles outside of London myself am loving and learning new things about the city as well as laughing at landmarks used for things! What an imagination this guy has! I love the way he descrbes things so you can really get the feeling, like when Richard is crossing the nights bridge
'With each step they took the light of the candle became dimmer. He realised the same thing was happening to the leather womans flashlight. It felt not so much as if the lights were being turned down, but as if the darkness where being turned up.'.....

[Caroline]

Hi Ladies! How you getting on with the book and what do you think of it? I finished wednesday night and I loved it, great author and will definately be reading more by him! I love the way his used names of places for names of people terrffic concept, this really appealed to me as I love this style of book.

(view spoiler)[ I don't know how far you Gals have got so I'm hiding a few spoilers here just to be safe!!... Omg did you see that one coming? I thought Croup and Vandemar were working for The Marquis not Islington!!!! And as for Hunter.... I 'm so happy the book ended how it did, I was wanting Richard to return to below London! I was begining to miss london below.... I went on the tube last night & got really excited this book has made a big impact on me and I gave it 5 stars!! I really think if it hasn't this book could have a follow on maybe series to see how things pan out! What do you think? (hide spoiler)]

x x

[~Sara~]

Sorry, it's been a busy week and I had to finish reading some friend's books and a few library books that needed returning so I'm not very far into this one - I think chapter 7.
Aside from Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels, this is my favourite of his books (well, so far anyway).

I also love the way that places take on a new meaning or become a character in London below, I just wish I new these landmarks better; I think some of it might be going right over my head. I'm reading both the paper and e-book since the paperback has a handy map of the London transit system that helps. I think I read somewhere that they published a revised edition to make it more North American friendly so I wonder what the original was like and if your reading a different version than me or not.

I've started watching Neverwhere and it's almost exactly like the book so, since you liked it so much, I think you'd like this too. It's a little cheesy but in a good, almost Doctor Who, sort of way. I've only watched the first episode so far though so I can't say much for the whole thing, just the little I've seen. I can see why it's gotten flack for the visual but I think you watch something like this to be entertained, not amazed, so I'm not disappointed. It's definitely amusing, especially the dialogue, and it helps me to not completely butcher the pronunciation of the names of places! :)

I haven't read your spoiler yet, I'm waiting until I finish reading the book which should be in the next day or two.

[Caroline]

Hi Sara!
I have the 2000 edition of the book i do believe! I concur with all you've said. I think I will watch the series sounds great and i'm a big Dr Who fan so even better! Enjoy the rest of the book x x

[Stormy]

Ladies, my apologies, I'm not sure if it's where I am in my life right now, but this book wholly does not appeal to me. The book is out in my car, so I cannot say exactly where it lost me, but I put it down last week and have started 3 books since then, finished one, picked up 3 more at the library (in addition to the 5 already sitting on my shelves and the one I'm listening to in my car) and I am just dreading picking this one back up. I'm not really sure I will. I appreciate that you are both so enthusiastic about it, we'll see if it (your joyful words)ultimately wins me over and convinces me to continue. But right now, when I think about picking the book up, I feel like I'm suffocating...dramatic? Who me? I'll let you know when I land.

[Caroline]

Aw Kerste:-( Theres nothing worse that not really getting into a book, and the other Buddy read I read after this one was just like that for me! I know where your coming from, Don't lose sleep over it and if it's making you feel that way don't finish it. I always think if i'm gonna wonder about about the book then I try to persevre, otherwise I just it up to a lost cause x x

[~Sara~]

I have that problem often where I put down a book and read several others instead, feeling a little guilty all the while for the one left behind. Sometimes the book's not worth reading, but most of the time I'm just not in the right frame of mind for it. I've gone back and read several of the "bad timing" books and absolutely loved them but a rare few were definitely better off abandoned and were put on my abandoned or complete rubbish shelves. Whatever the case may be for you, no apologies are necessary; there are too many books to enjoy to waste time on one you don't! There was a fantastic part in Hearts in Atlantis where an old man was talking to his young neighbour and tells him to try reading the first ten percent of a book “and if you don’t like it by then, if it isn’t giving more than it’s taking by then, put it aside.” The funny thing about that is it's one of the few Stephen King books that I've managed to finish and with the length of his books I doubt I make it through ten percent before giving up! :D

[~Sara~]

I finally finished Neverwhere and loved it too! I would definitely read a sequel but am pretty happy with the way it ended as well. I thought it was done well enough that I wasn't left feeling ripped off and could imagine my own ending instead but there could also easily be a whole series based in London Below without me tiring of it. I might have had to brush up on my geography in this case though! :)

For anyone else who happens to read this post here's were the spoilers begin!


The bit with the old lady seemed a little off to me though. He mentioned her dirty, once white umbrella, leading me to believe she was the same one at the start of the book but her responses didn't fit the way she acted in the beginning. Just made me wonder...

I was also surprised by Hunter's death - it was so abrupt! I expected her to put up more of a fight and beat the beast! I loved the part with Serpentine afterwards though. It left me not sure how to feel about her death; it was less sad and instead more stoic and mysterious. I thought it was a fitting end for her.

Also, what was up with the feather from Old Bailey? It didn't seem to do much but he did drop it in the gutter by where de Carabas ends up showing up for him so was it his carving a door and banging on the wall that called him or the feather that disappeared out of the gutter? Did the feather just make him realize he wasn't ready to let go of his underground life?

As for Islington, I had my suspicions about him only because de Carabas is described as a con man so I saw him as opportunistic rather then as a bad guy. Islington, on the other hand, was hinted at a lot but not really explained so I figured there had to be a lot more to that part of the story. S/he was the only one that made sense to scare Croup and Vandemar enough for their comments about their employer to make sense; they didn't seem to care about much else and were too evil for any of the other major players in the underworld to be intimidating enough. I was very surprised that Hunter was in league with them though - I forgot about the hint that they had a rat in there midst (and not the good kind).