Kell Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 The reading circle choice for February is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: Under the streets of London there's a world most people could never even dream of - a city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, and pale girls in black velvet. Richard Mayhew is a young businessman who is about to find out more than he bargained for about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his safe and predictable life and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and yet utterly bizarre. There's a girl named Door, an Angel called Islington, an Earl who holds Court on the carriage of a Tube train, a Beast in a labyrinth, and dangers and delights beyond imagining...And Richard, who only wants to go home, is to find a strange destiny waiting for him below the streets of his native city. Some questions to consider:1- Who was your favourite character and why?2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? (You do not have to answer all, or indeed, any, of these questions, they are meant only as points for you to perhaps mull over as you read, and provoke more discussion. Please feel free to ask and answer any questions that come up as you read.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 If you're looking to buy from Amazon, take a look at the BCF Store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I am on page 97 and so far I am really enjoying it, I love the whole idea of a world underneath London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty_kitty Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Is it a book that my poor brain can cope with first thing in the morning on the bus on the way to work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 It depends what kind of mood you're in on the morning, Kitty. It's quite dark, but also very funny in places, as well as being quite pithy. It's well worth a try though - even if you don't end up reading it in the mornings on the bus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I am reading it on the bus at the moment, its my book bag. I am really enjoying 'Neverwhere', its a lot of fun and having not a lot of experience with London, I have only heard of certain places, so its pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Well, I've started this (somewhere in chapter 4). I've been wanting to read American Gods because of all the awards (superficial, but some good books get awards). So far, it's interesting and clever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I'm on page 323, almost finished and I have really enjoyed 'Neverwhere' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Here goes... 1- Who was your favourite character and why? My favourite character was Richard which may seem a bit obvious since he was the main character but I thought he had lovely qualities and I just felt that he was a very likeable character, he showed strenght that he did not think he had in the face of adversity, a unassuming hero. 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? I enjoyed the parts with Old Bailey, I really liked him as a character, he was such a sweet man, 'a roof man born and bred', he cared about his birds and people. I disliked the parts with Mr Croup and Mr. Vandemar, they are very important to the story, but they were just awful men. 3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? This is the third book I have read by Neil Gaiman, the first two being 'Stardust' and then 'Anansi Boys' and 'Nevewhere' has encouraged me to read even more, 'Smoke and Mirrors' and 'American Gods' is next on my list 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? Not so much ideas, I enjoyed the idea of another world, the floating market sounded amazing. The part I struggled with was 'The Ordeal' but that was for different reasons, just shows how strong a writer Neil Gaiman is. 5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? A very enjoyable experience, all of the characters were memorable. I liked Door because she was tough but sensitive. Hunter, a woman of honour (in some aspects). The Marquis de Carabas a man who lived up to his name, a wonderful character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty_kitty Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I have started thsi and so far so good. It has got me gripped even on a very early start like this morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Finished this just now! 1- Who was your favourite character and why? I don't think I had a favourite character, I liked them all for their own individual ways. 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? Like Gyre, I didn't like the parts with Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar, they were scary and very brutal. 3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? This was the first book I have read by Neil Gaiman and certainly I will look for more of his work now. 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? No not at all. 5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Yes it was. Having travelled on the underground many many times it was interesting to read about another life living under London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsecorset Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 This is OK, American Gods is what you really want to be reading -spectacular! Neil Gaiman is king. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papillon Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 read this book last month and loved it. Not my first Gaiman or fantasy book as I love both and have read most of Gaiman's books. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, in fact it is up there with his "Stardust" in my list of "to read again" favourites. Favourite character. It has to be Richard; you see him change and grow so much that you feel for him, share his dispairs, trials and joys. Gaimon's characters do that, they become so real that they reach out and touch you. I liked Doors too, of course, and Hunter. Favourite parts? so many .. Crossing Night's Bridge, Mind the Gap, Hunter's Dream. The idea of a London Above and London Below and doors into other worlds is fascinating (reading Pullman's Dark Materials at the moment) add the prose, the tension and humour, amazing imagination and for me this book has it all. Not a great fan of Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar but their malacious intent only added to the suspense, and you have to have the villians, someone to hate in a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty_kitty Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I am really lovong this book looking forward to my OH going out tonight so i can finish this book tonight. Although having 3 kitties i do not lik them eating cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty_kitty Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I have finished the book and i loved it 1- Who was your favourite character and why? I liked all of them and i loved their names too 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? I just loved the whole book and could have read it in one sitting but alas time did not permit. Maybe the not eating puppies and kittens 3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? No i have read American Gods, Satrdust and Smoke and Mirrors and it is a close second to American Gods. I still have Anansi boys to go 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? No i loved the use of the names and the literal translation. I thought this book was excellent with togue in cheek humour running through it 5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? I loved it, loved it, loved it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 This is OK, American Gods is what you really want to be reading -spectacular! Neil Gaiman is king. I'll probably start this next time I pull myself away from mysteries. My daughter had to read Bulfinch's Mythology for school and I wish I had the determination to get through it. I have read that he uses mythology a good deal - never got beyond the major mythological heros. He's probably using it now in Neverwhere and I wouldn't know it if I tripped over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 1- Who was your favourite character and why? Would it be wrong to say Mr Croup? I know he was evil and all, but I really liked his dialogue. I also liked the Marquis de Carabas. 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? There's a part that comes to mind, although I didn't really like or dislike it - that was the Ordeal of the Key. Good stuff. I think Gaiman did a terrific job of that section. 3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? Yes. I have Good Omens at home (co-writen with Terry Pratchett), and I'm really looking forward to that. I'll also be tracking down various other Neil Gaiman works in future. 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? No. 5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Absolutely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 1- Who was your favourite character and why? I honestly just loved Richard. By the end of the book, I was practically in love, especially after his bravery in the labyrinth. I really identified with him, being the only one from London Above, and I feel like he gave the story a bit of reality which made the alien world of London Below that much more unnerving. 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? I particularly enjoyed the final confrontation with the bad guy (I won't say who) at the very end. Also, Mr. Vandemar's last moment in the book made me think a bit about the nature of evil. 3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? This is the first book by Neil Gaiman I have read, and I will definitely read more. 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? I didn't really struggle with anything in the story. There were a few things that bothered me, but it was mostly in the way Gaiman wrote. Especially the hesitant dialog...he used periods instead of elipses, and for some reason, it annoyed me. I found myself getting confused and irritated. 5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Absolutely! This will be one that a read again in the future. I'm also insisting that my older brother read it, and I don't often like to lend books. I just know he'll love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 I am a bit late...but I have just started this book, and it is quite different to those I normally read. I am enjoying what I have read so far, although it does not make much sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 1- Who was your favourite character and why? I loved Richard, but a close second would be the Marquis de Carabas. He had an interesting character, although a thief and does not go out of his way for anyone. 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? I was so glad that Richard went back to the London below in the end. I also enjoyed the fact that Islington, and his two thugs got their just desserts! 3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? This is the first book by Neil Gaiman I have read, and I will definitely read more. 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? Well, fantasy is not usually my genre - so it took me a few chapters to get to grips with the story, but once I 'accepted' what I was reading, I could not stop turning the pages. 5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Absolutely! I enjoyed it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I need to read this again, it really is a very good book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Whitefield Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 For those of you who don't know who Neil Gaiman is, he's the author of, among others, Stardust (as in the book behind the recent film), the Sandman series, and Coraline (the book behind the new Tim Burton film). He originally wrote Neverwhere as a TV series in the early 90s, but wasn't totally happy with the story (TV being unable to convey all that a book can) so he rewrote the story in book form. To best describe where Neverwhere is, I'll use the description from the back of the book: "Under the streets of London there's a place most people could never dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks." Gaiman admitted to being inspired by the likes of Wizard of Oz, Narnia and Alice in Wonderland as a child, and since then wanted to write his own adult version. The story follows Richard Mayhew as he stumnbles across and helps a Neverwhere resident, a young girl named Door, and in turn accidently finds himself caught on a journey into Neverwhere, one in which he doesn't want to be but finds himself drawn into and unable to escape. I really enjoyed Neil Gaiman's simplistic yet imaginative style of writing, and after this book am going to try more of his work, in particular Coraline and his Sandman series. I like Kirkus Reviews description of him: "Exuberantly inventive... a postmodernist punk faerie queen!" If you're into the popular modern type of fantasy fiction, such as Twilight, Pullma, Pratchett etc (I'm not a big fan but never mind) I'd definately recommend this book. Its a really enjoyable read, and while some of the ideas are a little childish, some of them are quite mindblowing and the book really takes you on an unexpected and exciting journey into an unknown world as it does with the story's main character. After I'd finished reading the book it stayed on my mind for days and days, as I feel a good book should. It really caught hold of my imagination. I'd give it 4.5 out 5, as though I thought the book as a whole was excellent, there was still one or two little areas that I felt could have been better, so I can't give it a perfect rating. Still, its the best modern fantasy book I've read in a long time and have been encouraging all my reading friends to try it! Anyone else read this book? I haven't seen much mention of Neil Gaiman on the forums which surprises me a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I haven't read this book. But I did recently read The Graveyard Book by the same author and I enjoyed that very much. Neverwhere seems even more imaginative, so I'd like to give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I have Neverwhere on my bookshelf, hoping to read within the next three months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 This is a book I closed with the sigh, "I wish I'd written that". No greater compliment out there, really. My only gripe was about Islington, it was my favourite character so to make it the slightly unhinged baddie didn't rest too well with me . Still, captivating, imaginative, superbly written; one can't complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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