Having heard so much about Neil Gaiman, I'll admit that this book was a bit underwhelming. I had to start it three separate times before I actually finished it. I understand that it was his first novel and so he's probably grown as a writer and a human since then.

What I liked: I loved the writing style. It's funny, punny, and manages to be light-hearted about very serious topics. The idea of a London made up of people who fell through the cracks is interesting, and I do think he achieves his stated (in the forward) goal of writing an "Alice in Wonderland" or "Narnia" for adults. He includes so many details in his writing that help build the world, and they all end up mattering in the end. His world is compelling because it is both so unfamiliar and so familiar at the same time, and there is just enough description to easily transport you there, but not so much to bore you.

What I didn't like: While the characters are well-defined and stay true to their characterization throughout the plot, I didn't find them that interesting and I couldn't bring myself to like them. The main character is a white man who starts out as a walking doormat, and through his trials becomes less of a doormat but something of an asshole. The supporting characters, who are the only female and non-white characters, are the ones who are actually driving the plot and end up saving the day, but they are written as side characters, and this story is clearly not about them. There is nothing about their happily-ever-after, and they are not the ones who get to live on in infamy for their heroic deeds (though maybe that's because they've already achieved that previously?). The villains are largely evil-for-the-sake-of-evil, and don't have any other driving force.

The main takeaways of this story felt pretty trite. If you go through struggle you can change, ordinary people can be the hero with the help of their friends, the real world is not what it seems and maybe not what it's cracked up to be, etc. I'm not sure I took away anything particularly deep.

Overall, it was an unoriginal read that was still somewhat enjoyable, but I'm happy to be done.

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. 

This is actually the fifth time I have read this book, which must mean it is my favorite book. 

I can't say enough good things about Neverwhere. For me, it is the ultimate fantasy/horror novel. We meet our protagonist, Richard Mayhew, going about his normal, boring life, going out with work "friends," being engaged to a pretty girl, and about to have dinner with her boss, a rich man who owns part of pretty much everything in London.

On their way to dinner, they stumble across a girl, who is mostly unconscious, and appears to have been beaten. She is dirty, and dressed in layers of clothing, such as a homeless person might be. Richard, risking the ire of Jessica, his fiancé, decides that he cannot simply leave this girl alone, so he picks her up and carries her back to his apartment. This girl turns out to be named Door, is from London Underground, and is being hunted by a couple of nefarious dudes named Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, a couple of villains who would rival the infamously creepy Uriah Heep.

After saving Door, and helping her regain some of her health, Richard is sent on a mission to find someone who can escort Door back to the Underground. Eventually, Richard finds himself on an adventure that is beyond his own ability to believe.

Mr. Gaiman's writing is fabulous. There is humor, there is violence, there is danger, and some of the most insanely weird beings and people that I have ever encountered. At every turn, it seems as though we meet something or someone even stranger than before, from Serpentine to the Velvets, to the Angel Islington. I absolutely love this book, and will probably read it again.

I listen through the audiobook in about a week, and nearly missed a flight because i was too engrossed in it. Dark at times, but the dreamlike world means that I could mostly leave it behind when getting back to the real world. I wish more fantasy stories ended like this one.

I read this book ages ago and loved it. Now I listened to the audio book and am so torn! 
For the first half I just wanted to stop listening and dnf. But after a while I started to like it. Also I didn't remember a single thing about the plot even though I read it in 2016! 

I hated Richard, he was so unsure about himself and I get that it was mostly to have a lot of character development, but still.... 
Also Door is supposedly the female lead, but most of the plot just happened at her and she wasn't an active part in it. She was the protected damsel in distress that our incapable hero somehow had to rescue. 

I loved the whole world Gaiman built for this book, London Below. Lots of colorful, quirky characters and fun details! 
The audio book I listened to also had the short story "How the Marquis got his Coat Back" which added even more details to London Below. And because it focused on the Marquis I enjoyed it a lot more than the main story.