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A review by grrr8_catsby
Neverwhere: Author's Preferred Text by Neil Gaiman
3.0
In 1996, English author Neil Gaiman (and British actor, comedian, singer, presenter, and writer Lenny Henry) began production on the BBC series Neverwhere; Neverwhere the book exists as the companion novelization.
Those familiar with Neil Gaiman's works will know what to expect here. However, Neverwhere's origins have a direct impact on the book itself. Instead of a fluid narration, the book reads very episodic, as if truly derived from a television format. Although one overarching story, the reader can almost feel where the individual episodes and even the commercial breaks would be if Neverwhere were viewed, rather than read.
Gaiman's typical sense of tone persists through Neverwhere, but hints of books such as Alice In Wonderland and movies such as Labyrinth can be detected throughout. Unfortunately, Gaiman focuses on the wrong parts of these for inspiration, which leaves a book that is largely unfocused and poorly fleshed out throughout the first and second acts.
The lack of character depth and growth is the most glaring flaw in Neverwhere; while protagonist Richard Mayhew does show hints of growth throughout the course of the novel, most of the supporting cast exist as caricatures meant to highlight the strange and unusual setting of London Below, rather than exist as living, breathing characters.
In my reading of Neverwhere, the book exists closer on the spectrum of Good Omens (which I previously reviewed as 2 stars) rather than Coraline or Stardust (which I previously previewed as 4.5 and 4 stars, respectively).
Those familiar with Neil Gaiman's works will know what to expect here. However, Neverwhere's origins have a direct impact on the book itself. Instead of a fluid narration, the book reads very episodic, as if truly derived from a television format. Although one overarching story, the reader can almost feel where the individual episodes and even the commercial breaks would be if Neverwhere were viewed, rather than read.
Gaiman's typical sense of tone persists through Neverwhere, but hints of books such as Alice In Wonderland and movies such as Labyrinth can be detected throughout. Unfortunately, Gaiman focuses on the wrong parts of these for inspiration, which leaves a book that is largely unfocused and poorly fleshed out throughout the first and second acts.
The lack of character depth and growth is the most glaring flaw in Neverwhere; while protagonist Richard Mayhew does show hints of growth throughout the course of the novel, most of the supporting cast exist as caricatures meant to highlight the strange and unusual setting of London Below, rather than exist as living, breathing characters.
In my reading of Neverwhere, the book exists closer on the spectrum of Good Omens (which I previously reviewed as 2 stars) rather than Coraline or Stardust (which I previously previewed as 4.5 and 4 stars, respectively).