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sarahgordon327's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Very imaginative and fun. I enjoyed listening to it as an audiobook read by the author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
embersbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
This book was really interesting - it’s my first Neil Gaiman read. I thoroughly enjoyed Good Omens, of course - but a rather different reading experience, as it was co-authored by Terry Pratchett.
Neil is an inarguably talented author - his prose, storytelling style, pacing, plots, character development, etc. are all fantastic. This book was dark and gritty and real in a way that I think made it better, even if it was harder to read because of it.
I typically don’t stray into the horror genre because I am an HSP, and my sensitivity to disturbing content makes it hard for me to look past that and enjoy the deeper meanings and content therein.
For fellow sensitive readers, I would say …don’t read it before going to sleep. But otherwise, if you can stomach some violence and disturbing ideas, it is a very well crafted and thought-provoking tale that has a lot to say about a lot of these that we ought to talk more about.
While people don’t literally fall through the cracks in our world, they may as well do, frankly, for all the mind that we more fortunate folks pay to them. The houseless, the sick, those living in poverty, hungry, etc. - our society casts so many away, wishing them to be unseen as Neil portrays them in this book.
This book challenged me to try take the time to see people, and not look away just because I feel guilty that I have enough to eat and a warm place to sleep.
I loved Door, the Marquis de Carabas, and Richard…so many complex characters that have a very real, flawed nature to them, which makes them leap off the page all the more.
Neil is brilliant, this book definitely makes me look forward to continuing on with more of Neil’s works in the future.
Neil is an inarguably talented author - his prose, storytelling style, pacing, plots, character development, etc. are all fantastic. This book was dark and gritty and real in a way that I think made it better, even if it was harder to read because of it.
I typically don’t stray into the horror genre because I am an HSP, and my sensitivity to disturbing content makes it hard for me to look past that and enjoy the deeper meanings and content therein.
For fellow sensitive readers, I would say …don’t read it before going to sleep. But otherwise, if you can stomach some violence and disturbing ideas, it is a very well crafted and thought-provoking tale that has a lot to say about a lot of these that we ought to talk more about.
While people don’t literally fall through the cracks in our world, they may as well do, frankly, for all the mind that we more fortunate folks pay to them. The houseless, the sick, those living in poverty, hungry, etc. - our society casts so many away, wishing them to be unseen as Neil portrays them in this book.
This book challenged me to try take the time to see people, and not look away just because I feel guilty that I have enough to eat and a warm place to sleep.
I loved Door, the Marquis de Carabas, and Richard…so many complex characters that have a very real, flawed nature to them, which makes them leap off the page all the more.
Neil is brilliant, this book definitely makes me look forward to continuing on with more of Neil’s works in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
themissyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
breamfish1138's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
This book is kind of like Paddington in that it's an unapologetic love letter to London and its landmarks and history. And there's also a lot of murder, urban decay, esoteric folklore, mild cosmic horror and rats. So yeah, just like Paddington.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Genocide, Sexual assault, and Vomit
mreequalsmc2's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Alcohol, and Classism
galexy_brain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
This felt like a pretty bog-standard hero's journey sort of book, though the action was great (I felt myself grimacing and cringing often). I wish Richard was a more compelling main character. The backdrop of a creepy London underworld was pretty cool. I've only been to London once so the references to city locations I'm familiar with were neat, though I'm sure it would have been cooler if I had been well-acquainted with the city. However, I found it hard to visualize London Below. I don't know if I missed something, but half the time it felt like they were walking through subway systems and sewers and marshes, and other times it was described as having buildings, almost reflecting London Above? idk maybe I'm inattentive. My only other qualm with this book is when Richard, who seems as if he is in his mid-twenties, wants to kiss Door, who is described by Richard as appearing to be a teenager. Then they never bring this up again??? The final inconsistency that didn't bother me but caught my attention was that the Sewer People are introduced as not speaking English in Neverwhere, but in the short story prologue from this edition ("How the Marquis Got his Coat Back" or whatever), he had a full-on conversation with them. Anyway, if you like gritty grimy creepy spooky hero stories this book may be for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol
chronicacademia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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.
Flushed Away vibes for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
hexe_19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse
bel017's review against another edition
Riddel's illustrations are such a perfect fit for Gaiman's prose. I look forward to seeing their continued collaboration.
I'm always looking to fill the Pratchett shaped hole in my reading, but have avoided Gaiman, as I DNF'd Ocean at the end of the lane, which he has said is his favourite of his works, and he seemed way too dark for me (have you met Coraline?). To the darkness, I did glance over some of the scenes with ... Mr C and Mr V, the names escape me ... the scary version of Pratchett's Mr Tulip and Mr Pin (who were scary enough for me). I was quite distressed by the loss of Anaesthesia . Gaiman does go out of his way to be gross and morbid (so many descriptions of sewer content and dead bodies), but the deadpan, understated, humour is great.
Gaiman is a gifted storyteller, and I really enjoyed his writing even though I didn't like the dark/gross/awful/scary/violent parts. I like Riddel has a distinct style that suits Gaiman. If you buy a copy of Neverwhere, make sure it's this one.
I'm always looking to fill the Pratchett shaped hole in my reading, but have avoided Gaiman, as I DNF'd Ocean at the end of the lane, which he has said is his favourite of his works, and he seemed way too dark for me (have you met Coraline?). To the darkness, I did glance over some of the scenes with ... Mr C and Mr V, the names escape me ... the scary version of Pratchett's Mr Tulip and Mr Pin (who were scary enough for me). I was quite distressed by the
Gaiman is a gifted storyteller, and I really enjoyed his writing even though I didn't like the dark/gross/awful/scary/violent parts. I like Riddel has a distinct style that suits Gaiman. If you buy a copy of Neverwhere, make sure it's this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Excrement
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Blood, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Torture, Grief, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail