Neverwhere

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

National Best Seller

Selected as one of NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of All Time

The number one New York Times best-selling author's wildly successful first novel featuring his new Neverwhere tale, "How the Marquis Got His Coat Back".

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 and listeners everywhere.

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©1996, 1997, 2014 Neil Gaiman (P)2007, 2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Gaiman's gift for mixing the absurd with the frightful gives this novel the feeling of a bedtime story with adult sophistication. Readers will find themselves as unable to escape this tale as the characters themselves." ( Library Journal)

"Delightful…inventively horrific."( USA Today)

"[Gaiman] is, simply put, a treasure house of story, and we are lucky to have him in any media." (Stephen King)

Good listening for light-fantasy fans.

This was an entertaining book with good narration. My favorite genres of fiction are fantasy and sci-fi, and this book certainly falls within the boundaries of fantasy. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the author narrated the book, because good writing does not always equal good narration. The main character, Richard, grows and evolves throughout the story and is very endearing. Meanwhile, the evil characters are despicable and funny. I want to listen to more books like this!

Superb narration of fantasy fiction

The story involves many mythical creatures, set in scenes unknown to the modern eye. The hero is a modest, believable young man, thrust unexpectedly into situations where he has to do something heroic. He does it, even though his strongest wish is to go back to his normal, hum-drum life. Overall, the story has a great deal of charm.
The best part, though, is the narration. Gaiman's ability to present diverse voices with different accents and tonalities is really superb. He is right up there with David Suchet; and I can't think of a higher compliment.

This one sneaked up on me...

The move "Coraline" was genius. Though the story may have been changed some in the making of the movie, I figured the author of even a spark of such a tale must be worth a look. Based on reviews, I decided to try "Neverwhere" first. For quite a while I wasn't sure how much I was liking the story, but at some point I realized that I had been snared.
It wasn't because I became so invested in the protagonists and their quest; oddly enough, the most strongly drawn characters were the scary, freaky and creepily humorous duo of Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar. We don't get to know the good guys nearly as well.
In the end it's a sort of coming of age story for Richard Mayhew, our dubious hero, who finds that the reality he wants to live in is the one where he matters to others.
I think what captured me was a kindred imagination. This is a dark and somewhat twisted tale, as "Coraline" was, and apparently I like dark and twisted. A bedtime story for adults in the vein of The Anderson Brothers--without the Christian morality aspect--where diabolical forces test the mettle of the good, but always less powerful everyman (woman). I used to read those morbid "fairy tales" as a young child under the covers, over and over again, in spite of how much they frightened me. This book felt much like those stories, but with a modern and edgy sensibility. Anyone who kept themselves awake with "The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf" likely knows what I mean.
The narration, or performance rather, by the author is a feast for the ear, and I'm sure has much to do with the success of the story; can't really say what my final opinion would have been with another narrator, or if I'd read the paper version. I will definitely be making another visit to the Land of Gaiman.

Fantastic World Beneath Worlds

This was a great novel full of descriptive sub-worlds, intriguing characters and the hints to so much lost magic I hope Gaiman continues on with another novel one day. And as far as writer/narrators go, he is the top of his game with characters and the subtle tranquility in which he delivers his story.

Great book with great narration.

I really loved this book and the world. It is filled wiyh mysteries and tales of the folk that beg to be told and heard. Really wish it was a trilogy.

Great way to revisit

The audiobook is great as a standalone, but if you are like myself and enjoy using audiobooks as a way to revisit books you enjoy this one is really perfect. Since Neil reads the book himself you get to hear the characters how he meant them to be, with the inflections, pauses, and emphasis that was intended which can never fully come across through text itself-which is both the beauty of it and the downfall that we can make it personal. Overall a good ride and really is now I'd say a classic fantasy novel for anyone whose a fan of the genre.

Loved it!

Story line is unique, characters are vivid and interesting. I was sad when the story ended! I hope there is a sequel, I'd like to know where everyone ends up!!

So much fun!!

As an avid Neil Gaiman fan, I couldn't be any more pleased with this book .... Delightful!

This book made me a Neil Gaiman fan!

I finished Stardust and wanted to read something else Neil wrote, and this was recommended to me. What an EXCELLENT story! I loved the going between two worlds, and the plot. AWESOME story!

Great story and narration.

Great story and narration. I hope a sequel is published soon. Neil Gaiman created a world that I would like to revisit soon.