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Science Fiction & Fantasy |
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Neverwhere
Studio : HarperAudio
by HarperAudio
Release Date : 2007-10-23
Publisher : HarperAudio
Released : 2007-11-01
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 10
EAN : 9780061373879
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 570 reviews)
List Price : $39.95
Our Price : $14.00
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Product Description |
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Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. His small act of kindness propels him into a world he never dreamed existed. There are people who fall through the cracks, and Richard has become one of them. And he must learn to survive in this city of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels, if he is ever to return to the London that he knew. "A fantastic story that is both the stuff of dreams and nightmares" (San Diego Union-Tribune), Neil Gaiman's first solo novel has become a touchstone of urban fantasy, and a perennial favorite of readers everywhere. |
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Americancivilwar.com |
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Neverwhere's protagonist, Richard Mayhew, learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. He ceases to exist in the ordinary world of London Above, and joins a quest through the dark and dangerous London Below, a shadow city of lost and forgotten people, places, and times. His companions are Door, who is trying to find out who hired the assassins who murdered her family and why; the Marquis of Carabas, a trickster who trades services for very big favors; and Hunter, a mysterious lady who guards bodies and hunts only the biggest game. London Below is a wonderfully realized shadow world, and the story plunges through it like an express passing local stations, with plenty of action and a satisfying conclusion. The story is reminiscent of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but Neil Gaiman's humor is much darker and his images sometimes truly horrific. Puns and allusions to everything from Paradise Lost to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz abound, but you can enjoy the book without getting all of them. Gaiman is definitely not just for graphic-novel fans anymore. --Nona Vero |
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I didn't buy into it at all. |
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I watched the superb Hellboy Golden Army film while I was reading this so so novel, and it really hammered in my dissatisfaction with this book. This occured because of the wonderful underground world that was created in Hellboy if not by Del Toro, then the person who wrote the original graphic novel. The whole London Underground thing which ties the names of tubestops to characters is absurd and ridiculous. Imagine if Neil Gaiman were not a household name (sort of) but a first time novelist trying to pitch this story to Tor publishing. He would be thrown out within seconds. Luckily Gaiman has a wonderful imagination and is a gifted writer so all is not lost. But lame is really the best word I can come up with to describe the whole plot. I loved American Gods and Stardust, but Gaiman is definitely hit and miss in my book. |
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There and back again |
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All London office worker Richard Mayhew tried to do that evening was help a damsel in distress, but he got more - way more - than he bargained for. Neil Gaiman has spun another magical mystery tour from the elements of the mythological quest paradigm. Underworlds, eternity, horrific beasts to be slain, labyrinths, immortality, heroes and antiheroes - it's all here in modern form, but nothing crucial really changes, does it? Reading this book is like watching a movie in your head. And through it all, the hapless Richard discovers a well of personal courage that he never thought existed. A timeless tale of humanity's existential search told anew, skillfully written and highly recommended. It's a trip! |
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There. |
Neverwhere is a fantastic story and won't disappoint most Gaiman fans. Although Neverwhere is full of 'twists,' I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who enjoys stories solely for their surprise endings. The 'twists' in Neverwhere are somewhat predictable--to the point that I find myself wondering whether Gaiman meant for Neverwhere to be surprising in the first place, or, if so, whether surprising readers was at the top of his agenda. I've concluded that it probably wasn't: there's so much more going on in this book.
The way Neverwhere is written is interesting. It's almost like a history textbook that fictionalizes London's past and present and is authored by Neverwhere's characters (charismatic murderers, to name some), all of whom refer to themselves in the objective third-person. Similar to the way most history textbooks about most places are written, really. Except, way more entertaining.
And I loved Richard's ordeal. SPOILER: Richard's ordeal *wasn't* predictable, for me. When Richard walked through those doors, I expected some horrible Inferi to jump out and tear him to shreads and confirm that Rowling jacked her ideas from this book completely. But, no. I was wrong. Richard ends up experiencing a reality in which he's a crazed homeless man on the verge of suiciding. This is one of the most poignant, suspenseful moments in Neverwhere, and it seems to have something to say about the plight of the homeless and the calousness, disdain, and apathy with which they're received by those who are more fortunate.
I also appreciate that Neverwhere isn't about Richard hooking up with this girl or that, yet it is about love and compassion for others.
A good book. Definitely worth reading.
My favorite passage:
"...[Door] began to cry, in low, raging sobs, that sounded like they were being tugged from inside her.
"'There. There,' said the marquis de Carabas, awkwardly, patting her shoulder. And he added, for good measure, 'There.'"
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Disappointing |
The short of it: creative but,
1. storyline is lame
2. characters are cardboard cut-outs without a hint of personality.
eeek. I loved Stardust. It was such a witty and pleasant fairy-tale. I heard wonderful things about Sandman. I expected an interesting story. In all honestly- it was boring. There was no real point to the story. There is creativity and great ideas, but there is no substance. It is almost like the book is a dumping ground for wonderful ideas, but the chord that ties them together is painfully weak.
The plot, or the reason behind the situation turns out to be so simple, that from the moment the character in question (the one causing the problems) comes in, I figured it out. I told myself: "no, that can't be it, that is too simple. Don't worry, it will pick up. Keep reading".
The ending is painfully anti-climatic. The characters hired to be bad, are bad, and then are hired not to be bad and then are hired to be bad again- it was silly. SMALL SPOLER WARNING: in the beginning he wants her dead, but at the same time he needed her- then why was he ordering her death??? That was never cleared up. Also, Richard's ordeal? That was it?LAME!!
The place is dirty and ugly and yes, like an Alice in Wonderland adventure... but without emotion and with characters who utterly lack personality and who are painfully boring. I just never cared for ANY of them, blaaah :P. |
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Swashbuckling story with fanciful and alluring language |
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Gaiman has an amazing talent for weaving a beautiful story with the most amazing and alluring descriptions. His words leave vivid impressions in your mind in the most unusual and melodic way. |
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