| Subcategories | | • | Gaiman, Neil | | • | Gardner, Craig Shaw | | • | Garland, Mark | | • | Garner, Alan | | • | Gaskell, Jane | | • | Gemmell, David | | • | Gentle, Mary | | • | Gerrold, David | | • | Gibson, William | | • | Gilbert, Michael | | • | Gloss, Molly | | • | Godwin, Parke | | • | Golden, Christie | | • | Goldman, William | | • | Goldstein, Lisa | | • | Goodkind, Terry | | • | Goonan, Kathleen Ann | | • | Gorden, Greg | | • | Gotlieb, Phyllis | | • | Gould, Steven | | • | Graf, L.A. | | • | Grant, Charles L. | | • | Gravel, Geary | | • | Gray, Alasdair | | • | Green, Roland J. | | • | Green, Sharon | | • | Green, Simon R. | | • | Greenberg, Martin H. | | • | Greenberger, Robert | | • | Greenland, Colin | | • | Greeno, Gayle | | • | Greenwood, Ed | | • | Griffith, Nicola | | • | Groell, Anne Lesley | | • | Gruenwald, Mark | | • | Gunnarsson, Thorarinn | | • | Guon, Ellen | | • | Mass Market | | • | Trade |
|
|
|
|
| Neverwhere: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $4.40
You Save: $9.55 (68%)
New (38) Used (36) from $4.40
Avg. Customer Rating:  579 reviews
Sales Rank: 3147
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 1
ISBN: 0060557818
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780060557812
ASIN: 0060557818
Publication Date: September 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Bayfront Books carefully selects the books it offers for sale on Amazon, and only includes those that are worthy of another read. While dust jackets may be missing and covers may show some damage, the contents are very readable... even in those books where previous owners had taken considerable notes or highlighting.
|
| Customer Reviews:
 There. August 15, 2008
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.'"
 perfect September 22, 2008
This book arrived well before the expected date and was a great buy. I will be buying from them again.
A Story for Those Wandering in Our Own Subways October 13, 2008
Most novelists would describe themselves as storytellers of some kind, arguably the function of the Novel is to tell a story while conveying certain themes to the reader. However, the large population of today's novelists are more concerned with rehashing well-worn thematic storytelling instead of pushing the envelop of creativity to take the reader on paths they haven't seen, and experience things from angles they never comprehended. Luckily for us, Neil Gaiman has asserted his role firmly in the latter. Neverwhere can be best described as an amalgamation of elements derived from many facets of fantasy and science fiction. What makes the story successful is the ideal blend of the fantastical and the real, the contrast fuels the narrative and makes the novel a cohesive piece of great fiction.
The story follows Richard Mayhew, a typical Londoner of little regard. On his way to a dinner function with his fiancee he stumbles upon a bleeding young woman on the street. He takes her home and his life changes forever. The young woman, aptly named Door, takes him on a journey to a world standing in the shadows, full of people who can talk to rats, traveling markets, and assassins of the most ruthless sort. Richard ends up traveling with Door trying to uncover the mysteries of her past, and desperately trying to find a way back to his world, London Above.
Gaiman has a knack for creating memorable characters and Neverwhere isn't any different. Richard is every bit the forlorn traveler that the reader would expect, and he plays the role beautifully. He is both endearing and funny, and his knack for macabre humor brings needed levity to the novel. Door is the weakest character in my mind, she is fairly generic, but their are certain points, especially towards the beginning and end, that make her shine. My favorite character, however, is the Marquis. For me, he ties the novel together. He takes Door, the protagonist Richard, and the many ancillary characters and weaves them into the narrative in precisely the right way. He makes the novel move.
Good storytelling is not an easy business. In an era where genre's are hashed and re-hashed, Neil Gaiman has carved out his niche as a gifted storyteller amongst a sea of hacks. He doesn't dazzle you with the ideas he conveys, but rather the method for their illustration. He's comfortable in his style and confident in his execution. It is easy to write a story about a man trying to find his way home. It is immensely more difficult, however, to take that idea and create something powerful, relatable, and memorable, and at this, Gaiman succeeds absolutely.
Surprised and pleased October 13, 2008
A friend highly recommended American Gods to me, I read it and was not very taken by it so wasn't going to bother with more Gaiman but Neverwhere came into my possession (book was left at my home by some visitor) so I read it and was swallowed up by it to the point where I almost called in "sick" so I could stay home and read. I think why I can relate to this book is because I have dreams that kind of run the same way--things that can't be possible are, things go topsy-turvy and you accept them as normal, people get dead (some come back to life later on), etc. And, heck, I LOVE these dreams although I'm not sure I could handle actually living like that all the time. And now I find this book was made into a tv show??? Did they record it to DVD? I hope so 'cause I just have to see this. This is what they ought to make movies from, not that "Rent" drivel or mediocre re-dos of "Sabrina." But then, I loved "Brazil" too. The first 10-20 pages of Gaiman's books are real dull because he's setting up the main character (and they tend to be kind of boring guys) but once the story gets going, it's a fun ride. I'm reading his other books and will try to hunt down that tv show too. Thanks, NG, always a great feeling to "discover" an author who write for me--and you're still young so I can look forward to good reading for the rest of my life!
 Don't buy audio version October 15, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The primary aim of an audio recording is to be clear and understandable and Neil Gaiman's recording of Neverwhere is neither. The author has the annoying habit of dropping his voice on the last few words of each sentence, making them unintelligible. The only option is to turn up the volume, thus risking hearing damage as the first part of each sentence is now very loud. On certain sections, he adds special effects (echos, static) which make those sections completely unintelligible. This may be a great book, but I will never know as I gave up in frustration after about 1 hour.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
