emilyplun's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Blood
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Animal cruelty
byrdies's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I would consider myself a fan of Neil Gaiman's writing, and Neverwhere has a lot of the charm and soul to it. The protagonist is Richard Mayhew, a boring Londoner in an unsatisfying relationship working a comfortable job that doesn't challenge him. Richard's life is interrupted quite abruptly when Door, a filthy and very injured teenage girl, appears in front of him and asks for help. When Richard accepts, he finds himself on a whirlwind adventure in London Below, an alternate invisible London populated by those who have slipped through the cracks of every day life. It's a place where the worst and the best of humanity are brought within reach through a pliable relationship with reality, and that made it easy to immerse myself in the story. Most of the ensemble cast felt two dimensional to me, but that doesn't mean the characters were boring nor that they didn't successfully fill the narrative role Neil Gaiman cast them in. I find myself revisiting this book when I need something adventurous with a strong emotional through line that I can read in 1-2 sittings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, and Vomit
aelis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
surelyinthefountain's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love Gaiman's prose in general, and I laughed quite a bit reading this -- guy's got a wry, dark sense of humor that really jives with me. That said, this is a 5 stars with an incredible amount of reservations. There's a scene about half way through the book -- -- the metaphor is very well done, and the audio format, especially with the version where Gaiman is reading the book, brings it a kind of immediacy that is...very...emotionally hard to listen to, honestly. -- so much thematically to sink your teeth into here. I've got to adore this book just on the merits of this scene alone; it's incredibly powerful. That said, it's also very triggering re: suicidal ideation, making you doubt your reality, etc. -- especially so if you've ever experienced any kind of housing insecurity. I suggest approaching with caution if that's something you aren't in a good place for.
I'm also really iffy on how the women in this book are written. This is mostly a general vibe I get, but one specific thing that bothered me was that it's a little...troubling how we're given the impression early on Door is like, 14 or 15 or something, but we get occasional incongruous, weird moments where she's sexualized. I get that this is mostly done by bad guys or people with dementia, and I get we're supposed to find it weird. Still. I just get a weird vibe overall, that's all. Not enough fully formed thoughts on this to talk about it; just leaving a note.
Spoiler
Richard's ordealSpoiler
The troll being dangled in front of him, knocked onto the tracks, while Richard pathetically scrambles after it all along -- how sometimes, just surviving in this world is a heroic undertaking and not trivial in the leastI'm also really iffy on how the women in this book are written. This is mostly a general vibe I get, but one specific thing that bothered me was that it's a little...troubling how we're given the impression early on Door is like, 14 or 15 or something, but we get occasional incongruous, weird moments where she's sexualized. I get that this is mostly done by bad guys or people with dementia, and I get we're supposed to find it weird. Still. I just get a weird vibe overall, that's all. Not enough fully formed thoughts on this to talk about it; just leaving a note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
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