Neverwhere (London Below, #1) in Fantasy-Faction.com

Jun 09, 2010 Althea Ann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was probably my favorite Neil Gaiman book I've read. I'd seen the BBC series, so nothing was much of a surprise (the 2 versions are pretty faithful), but it's just a weird and wonderful story - and with the ending that many many such books OUGHT to have but don't!

Reading this book reminds me of reading TS Eliot when I was a kid, before I'd ever been to England, and all the place-names were imbued with a mystic and legendary feeling.... ...more

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Dec 23, 2010 Kevin Xu rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read

The only book that I know was based on a mini series because he wrote the miniseries.

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Feb 26, 2009 Jennifer Provost rated it it was amazing

This book is exactly why I read fantasy - it boasts a well-crafted story with interesting, unusual characters and my suspension of disbelief never falters. I can fully accept the world of London Below, with its rat-speakers and angelic wine and Earl's who hold court in subway cars. Strikingly visual, yet not overwritten. ...more

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Jan 26, 2011 EZRead eBookstore rated it it was ok

Shelves: jenifer-reviews

This was the first book I’ve ever read by Neil Gaiman, a man so well-loved that sane people I know are vowing to send him their firstborns or changing their name to Neil. In short, I had high hopes. Sky-high, heading to Jupiter, light-speed-ahead hopes. And while I’m not in a fetal position from the beauty of “Neverwhere”, it is a pretty solid read for fans of witty humor, helpless heroes, and imaginative settings. Also, if you’ve ever been to London, you can feel pumped knowing all the stops on This was the first book I’ve ever read by Neil Gaiman, a man so well-loved that sane people I know are vowing to send him their firstborns or changing their name to Neil. In short, I had high hopes. Sky-high, heading to Jupiter, light-speed-ahead hopes. And while I’m not in a fetal position from the beauty of “Neverwhere”, it is a pretty solid read for fans of witty humor, helpless heroes, and imaginative settings. Also, if you’ve ever been to London, you can feel pumped knowing all the stops on the Underground. But is it worth the read? But will you feel like you’ve been chartered off to another world? But will you be considering a name change to Neil?

But what is the big “but” in my review? In short, “Neverwhere” feels like an outline for a script. (In fact, “Neverwhere” is an adaptation of a script for a TV series, so it all makes depressing sense.) The twists and adventures are somehow so perfectly cinematic. It even has that corny open-ending for a sequel at the end, the kind that hinges on how much money the first movie makes. Everything is fast-paced and visual, nothing really hinges on our hero Robert Mayhew’s decisions or internal conflict. It’s sort of like riding the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. You might think “oh god, I don’t want to turn that corner into the scary room with the dancing ghosts”, but it doesn’t matter what you think. You are going to turn and somehow survive. Robert’s adventure is on a track through the London Below, but his choices are predictable and too obviously plot-driven.

Admittedly, the London Below is very clever. Everyone is living a filthy life of magic and adventure with steampunk clothes and ghost trains. The characters are funny and witty, and there is danger aplenty. As far as the plot goes, we know that Door is on a quest to avenge something or prevent herself from being killed by someone, or preferably both. I did feel like we spent too long establishing this adventure, and there were too many odd side-quests that kept me distracted; sort of like a TV series, eh?

Knowing now that this was a story based on a script, I should have picked up another Gaiman to be my first. This book is a quick read, but it shouldn’t be a quick read. It should be darker, scarier, and have more conflict for the main character. But yet another “but”, it’s still not a bad read. And it will cause a smile or two while you read, scaring people around you.

EZ Read Staffer Jenifer ...more

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Feb 23, 2010 Kevin Klein rated it really liked it

I decided to read some Neil Gaiman because I had just finished one of the worst books I had ever read, and couldn't bear the idea of toughing it through another 700 pages of crap. One of my favorite upcoming authors, Patrick Rothfuss (coincidentally a GoodReads author) raves about Gaiman on his blog, so I decided to check him out. I picked up Neverwhere, and saw that it was only 350 pages. Good, I think. Even if this sucks I can knock it out quickly.

I tell you now, I wish this book had been 700 ...more

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Jul 08, 2008 Adam Shaeffer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

A beautiful tale told in Gaiman's distinct style. Dark, humorous, and exciting. Read it! ...more

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Nov 30, 2014 Bernie Charbonneau rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, fantasy, ff-challenge

This was a monthly group read and my second Gaiman book. It was a good read with twists and turns which kept me intrigued throughout the novel. At times the novel felt like a fairy tale but in the next paragraph you were lifted to a much more mature dark story. This story was quite unique. The characters are excellent! I would say Mr. Gaiman’s sense of story building is unmatched in this genre. I know that in the two novels that I have read, these stories had a development of fantasy that seemed ...more

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Sep 26, 2009 Keri rated it it was amazing

This is a book that will sweep you off your feet (literally, it did it to me while I was in the train. Wasn't paying attention, train moved...oops.)

Neverwhere tells the story of Richard Mayhew as his life gets completely flipped and he finds himself helping a girl named Door in the London Underground. Not to mention that the girl named Door has someone trying to kill her, as they killed her family. He has to help Door avenge her family so he can go back to London Above. This is all seen in the f ...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Nick Mariner rated it it was amazing

Amazing. Full of fun characters, twisting plots, and an imaginative 'other' world right below our own, London that is (which I've never been to, so I guess it's technically 'there own'). I'm beginning to form a love/hate relationship while reading Neil Gaiman's books. I love his writing and the worlds he creates, and I hate that I cannot write like that or create such amazing worlds. I highly recommend this read. ...more

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