2025 Reading Challenge discussion

*Featured Buddy Read*
This buddy read is featured on the homepage and is pinned to the top of the February Buddy Reads folder. Otherwise it works just like every other buddy read!

If you are new to Buddy Reads, check out the sign-up-thread for instructions and to sign up for future buddy reads!

You can join in the discussion even if your name isn't on the list!

This thread is to discuss Neverwhere, the first book in the London Below series by Neil Gaiman.

Pages: 370 pages

Length: 1 month (February)

Participants: Beth, Sunny2, Valerie, Lorraine, Mo, Rebecca, Jessica

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

I'll be joining in on this :)

This is one of my all time favorites, I hope you’ll all love it! (Thinking about sneaking in a little reread this month now…)

I'm excited to join and have been looking forward to reading this one.

I love Neil Gaimans writing, and am excited to read this one. This is my first buddy read. So hello to everyone.

This is my first time joining a buddy read! Trying it out with this book!

I'll actually start reading this one later this month and won't finish until March, so I'll peek in from time to time. I'm excited because this is one of the only Gaiman novels I haven't read (the other is The Graveyard Book) and I've heard such good things about it.

I'm not officially part of the buddy read so I hope you don't mind me dropping in and posting.

I've only ever read The Graveyard Book by Gaiman and I wasn't super in love with it so I'm hoping I like this one more. Will hopefully start in the next week.

I loved this book so much that I read it and listened to the Audiobook to see if the impact would be different. I highly recommend the audiobook for some extra feel to the book.

Get swept away (in the sewers)!

A fairytale for adults, the worldbuilding is unmatched. You can tell Gaiman really enjoyed writing the London Below, as there were some scenes that were superfluous imo, but still fun to read, especially if you like Gaiman's brand of Victorian urban fantasy.

my fancast graphic + full review of this book are here

Who would u cast as the main characters in a screen adaptation? i think from my knowledge this was actually a tv miniseries first, and gaiman expanded it into a book afterwards?

I have to say, this story didn’t resonate with me. I love other Gaiman works, including The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. But I didn’t really enjoy Neverwhere the way I enjoyed those others. I listened to the audiobook, read by Gaiman.

I also finished Neverwhere. It is my second book by Neil Gaiman and unfortunately, this one did not work for me either (other one was The Norse Gods). I was really hoping to like it as I read so many good thing about him. I will probably try another one from him, before saying no more.

I’m halfway through the book at the moment but thoroughly enjoying it- so much that I’ve treated myself to The Graveyard Book (the other one of Gaimans that I haven’t read yet)to read afterwards.

I listened to a full-cast audiobook of The Graveyard Book. I loved it (both the story and the narration). Andrew Scott was The Man Jack, and Derek Jacobi was the narrator.

Beth wrote: "I listened to a full-cast audiobook of The Graveyard Book. I loved it (both the story and the narration). Andrew Scott was The Man Jack, and Derek Jacobi was the narrator."

I'll try this one later this year.

Spoiler alerts - I kind of went back and forth with this book. I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning, then started to really enjoy it. Unfortunately, in the end the simple ‘this is all there is’ realization was just rather flat. Of course life would be more interesting in a world of magic.

I gave it three stars. It was entertaining and thought provoking at times. Characters were interesting.

I'm just starting this one tonight--audio version because Gaiman has such a great reading voice! I've only finished the first two chapters, so I'm still a little confused and finding my feet in the story.

About previous conversation, I read both The Graveyard Book and Norse Mythology with my kids and we loved both of them. I've also read The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Good Omens, and so far, I havent' encountered one I've disliked, so I'm hoping to really like this one.

I should be starting this one in the next couple of days. Good Omens is the only other one I’ve read of his.

Have read the first 4 chapters. Finding it a bit of a disconcerting read. I love the dark underworld dripping with menace but find the sudden bursts of humour heavy - they seem to break the spell rather than add anything to the story. Now that we have (view spoiler)[ crossed the bridge of night on the way to the floating market (hide spoiler)] I’m hoping to get more immersed in this parallel world.

Valerie wrote: "I should be starting this one in the next couple of days. Good Omens is the only other one I’ve read of his."

Good Omens (the TV series) was my gateway to Gaiman.

I just finished chapter 9. I think the humor kind of lends a cozy feel to the story, a story that might feel more heavy and action-based otherwise. There's one Gaiman read, The Sandman, that I've never been able to get through because it feels so dark. I guess that's why it's perfect that The Sandman's in the DC universe, right? . . . . I just wanted to mention that in chapter 9 (view spoiler)[ I loved the visual of the room full of angel statues and kitsch that they had to find the real angel in. And I kind of love the realization that Jessica at least knows that the knows Richard, even if she can't remember how or why. (hide spoiler)]

So after I started reading this I realized that I already read it years ago, lol. I'm not sure if I'll do a full re-read of it yet.

End of chapter 12. I’ve got used to his writing style now and am enjoying it. A big part of that enjoyment has to do with its London setting (where I lived for quite a while) and I’m wondering how readers who don’t know London relate to the story - I imagine a lot of the wry grimaces caused by recognition and the humour would be lost on them. I thought (view spoiler)[ Richard’s ordeal was a really clever and original idea. I’m feeling this will be a pivotal moment for him now he has proved he has an inner strength that he himself never suspected (hide spoiler)]
Looking forward to seeing how the rest of the book plays out.

I through chapter 16, and I admit that I’m starting to really look forward to figuring out how this story is going to turn out!

Finished. It took me a bit to get into it, but I ended up really enjoying the book. Part quest story, part social commentary and mainly weird and wonderfully irrational, this is a story to go with the flow and not try to explain along with its hapless but not hopeless hero, Richard.

Finished. I figure it's about a 3-1/2 star book for me, and while it will never be my favorite Gaiman, it was a quite enjoyable read.

Finished! I really enjoyed this one and have now passed the book on to my son to read. I felt the only fault was that there were certain characters in the underworld that needed a bit more background particularly Vandemar and Croup, for some reason I struggled to imagine how they would look in my minds eye unlike the other characters. Having said that I still give the book a solid 4.