Reviews with content warning for Violence - Neverwhere

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

61 reviews

kiwij96's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.5

The premise for this book really gripped me, but it didn't hold out as a story for me personally. I loved the way that the chapters were written like scenes in an episode of a tv show. The chapters were a manageable length for the most part (barring like 2 or 3 long ones). The story was a captivating tale of a secret and historical world under London for those who fall through the cracks in the London Above. However, at times I found the writing a little clunky and infodump-y, and in places there were too many commas. I still don't completely understand what happened in the book. There was a mystery that they tried to uncover, but then it came to a halt and I just didn't understand what happened. It just ended weird for me, felt a little rushed and unfinished in my opinion.

Flushed Away vibes for sure.

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what_did_i_just_read's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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abscott's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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scottyreadsstuff's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Well one thing I can say is that Neil Gaiman is an excellent storyteller! I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building and humor in Neverwhere. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because I don’t think I’d want to reread it. I may check out the TV adaptation though.

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ainrave's review against another edition

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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? Yes

5.0

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renettereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.75

“As a child, Richard had had nightmares in which he simply wasn’t there, in which, no matter how much noise he made, no matter what he did, nobody ever noticed him at all.”

At the beginning of Neverwhere, we meet Richard Mayhew who has a fine life; a fiance and a well-paid job, but Richard seems timid and afraid of life. He also doesn’t seem to be as content as he could be. Cue Door, a girl from London Below who shows up needing help and Richard's life irrevocably changes.

Wildly imaginative, Neverwhere once again shows off Neil Gaiman’s playful storytelling. He crafts an alternate London filled with ghouls and mysterious magic with that same unsettling prose as I fell in love with in Ocean at The End of The Lane.

The characters are distinct, including the most villainous of villains, Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar who are as creepy as they are scholarly (okay, maybe not in the case of Vandemar, but you’ll see what I mean about Mr Croup).

Richard faces many ordeals and seeing him grow confident and more certain of what he wants from life, is a really satisfying arc.

This type of whimsical fantasy reminds me of someone like Robert Rankin or Terry Pratchett. There’s a sort of innocence that could’ve translated into a children’s story if it weren’t for the undercurrent of tension and violence.

I really enjoyed this book. It truly swept me off my feet and plunged me into this underworld where kooky merchant boast their wares in magical markets and beautiful women lurk in dark corners to steal your lifeforce.

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