Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman · first published 1996
54% recommend46% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Urban fantasy about an ordinary man pulled into a hidden London underworld; readers praise its world, plot, and distinctly British feel. The Gaiman-narrated audiobook is a favorite, and it suits Gaiman newcomers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Richard Mayhew is an ordinary young man with an ordinary life and a good heart. His world is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. This small kindness propels him into a dark world he never dreamed existed. He must learn to survive in London Below, in a world of perpetual shadows and darkness, filled with monsters and saints, murderers and angels. He must survive if he is ever to return to the London that he knew."
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Mentions per year
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American Gods was the least favorite of the Gaiman books I've (tried to) read. I love Neverwhere, which might be my favorite book, and Stardust is up there too, but I just couldn't get into American Gods, and have avoided Anasazi Boys because of this.
on “The Most Abandoned Books on GoodReads (2019)” ↗One of my favourite lines from a book was Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, where they come out of the subway and the sky is blue, the colour of television tuned to a dead channel. Very well played.
on “Neuromancer: Miles Teller Eyed for New Apple+ Sci-Fi Series” ↗Interesting. The other book this makes me think of is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I think Gaiman lives in America now, but he’d only recently moved as of when Neverwhere was published, and it’s a very British novel. I love the world and plot of Neverwhere, but the…
on “Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide over "heroes"” ↗Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
on “Ask HN: Books That Should Be Read” ↗…historical fiction starring Harry Flashman, a cowardly degenerate who always ends up admired and revered by all around as a hero. This one is set amongst the 49ers, the Battle of Little Big Horn, and more. - "Neverwhere" By Neil Gaiman. Fantasy novel about a regular guy in London sucked into a magical "London below". I thought it was clever writing, and the audiobook read by the author was surprisingly good. - "One…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗A lot of comments here about the name, it's probably a reference to Neil Gaiman's (excellent) fantasy novel Neverwhere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwhere_(novel)
on “Neverware is now part of Google” ↗I assume you have read Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" -- if not, you should go get yourself a copy this very minute.
on “Secret doorway in UK Parliament leads to historical treasure trove” ↗…Super engrossing description of the phone phreak scene almost from its start to its end Haven't heard of this one, sounds right up my alley too! I need to check out more Gaiman too, I really enjoyed Neverwhere
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗…The Conquest of Happiness --- FICTION --- Switch Bitch Lost Horizon The Cuckoo's Egg The Simlarillion The Time Traveler's Wife The Alchemist The Count of Monte Cristo A Canticle for Leibowitz Neverwhere My Uncle Oswald Stories of Your Life and Others Invisible Cities Life of Pi Atlas Shrugged --- WALL STREET / FINANCE --- When Genius Failed Liar's Poker Buffett (Lowenstein) Bull! Black-Scholes…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗If Danielle Steele wrote for a comic book, women would buy it. The only reason I own a copy of every Sandman is because I read Neverwhere first.
If you like listening to books on tape, the version of Neverwhere read by Gaiman himself, is my absolute favorite one.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗Neverwhere => wonderful setting full of fantastic things The Dark Tower => a massive epic that starts out western and goes multiverse SciFi and links together many of kings works. I felt like i was on a grand quest…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗I really liked Neverwhere, The Graveyard Book, all his short story collections, Coraline...and Stardust is probably in my top 5 favorite movies (so much to where I'm scared to read the book). I'm not a big Sandman fan...it is…
on “The Most Abandoned Books on GoodReads (2019)” ↗I've read (and like) Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere but I fail to see the connection here. Is it just the name? Because I don't see any other relation to this product. It's as if I released a tool called Silmarillion and it was just some productivity app…
on “Neverware is now part of Google” ↗…my favorite reads of this year. If you haven't read Frankenstein or Dracula then I would highly recommend them. I personally enjoyed Frankenstein much more than I thought I would. Norse Mythology and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman are also fun reads. If you want some non-fiction, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a very engaging read.
on “Ask HN: Non-sci-fi fiction recommendations?” ↗