Review: Neverwhere

Book: NeverwhereAuthor: Neil Gaiman

Date Completed: 20 October 2016

Narrator: Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman continues to be one of those authors that most people would think I would enjoy, but don't. I read Stardust, but the movie was better. I've unsuccessfully read Good Omens twice (never made it more than halfway). And now I have listened to Neverwhere read by Gaiman himself. Still not a fan. His writing style just doesn't resonate with me nor his stories draw me in. I'm not sure how to articulate what I don't like about his novels. 

The protagonist of this book just seems to wander about in a haze and detached from it all. The secondary characters Lady Door, the Marquis, and Hunter might have been more interesting if they had been willing to actually talk about their backgrounds or explain the underworld a bit more to Richard. The primary thing I remember about Neverwhere are descriptions of filth and a feeling of confusion. The dialog between the two hired killers just dragged. It might have been funny if seen in a movie, but was painful to listen to. The plot was mediocre and did not help me keep turning the pages. I only finished it out of a sense of obligation to at least give Gaiman one last chance. Meh--about sums up what I feel.