Neverwhere (group read part 1) by

24 May 2012


Call no:
Genre:
Setting:

As is my norm for these group reads I am behind schedule. I should have been posting this on Monday, but here I am, typing away on a Thursday. Nevertheless, I shall press on :) Better late than never, isn’t that right.

There will be spoilers up to the end of chapter 5

  1. What do you think of our two villains thus far, Messrs. Croup and Vandemar?
    Creepy, and disturbing. Maybe a tad of a cliche to them, but I think that is part of their attraction. Or, dis-attraction. Because they really are vile.
  2. Neverwhere

    Neverwhere

  3. Thus far we’ve had a small taste of London Below and of the people who inhabit it. What do you think of this world, this space that lies within or somewhat overlaps the space the “real world” occupies?
    In a funny way it reminds me a lot of Nick Harkaway’s criminal market/meeting place in Angelmaker although with a lot more weird. In Angelmaker it was an unknown world, but it still operated under our physics and there weren’t no magics. Here be dragons! Well, not yet, but you get my general drift.
  4. What ideas or themes are you seeing in these first 5 chapters of Neverwhere? Are there any that you are particularly drawn to?
    I really love London Below. Not that I’d want to live there mind, I don’t think it would be fun at all, but it is a great creation. I think that there are echoes of it in Stardust and the land beyond The Wall. Both have a border with our world but are so very different. London Below is a strange and scary place.
    And I really like poor old Richard.
  5. We’ve met a number of secondary characters in the novel, who has grabbed your attention and why?
    Hmmm, I think it might be a bit early to know if they are secondary or not :) But I like the way they all combine to flesh out the world Gaiman has created.
  6. As you consider the Floating Market, what kind of things does your imagination conjure up? What would you hope to find, or what would you be looking for, at the Market?
    I think I’d just like to wander. To see what my eye fell upon, because I’m guessing there is a lot there that I have never thought of :)
  7. If you haven’t already answered it in the questions above, what are your overall impressions of the book to this point?
    Intriguing. If I had to sum up the first five chapters of Neverwhere intriguing is the word I would use. I have read this, years ago, and I only remember a few vague details. I’m sure that more will come back to me as I read on, but for now, I love the atmosphere and the feeling of the story.
    Also, rats!

Don’t forget to visit everyone else who has joined in the group read, Carl has links on the bottom of his post.

And come back Monday, May 28th for discussion of chapters 6 through 12.

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3 Responses

  1. Christine says:

    I think the consensus on Croup and Vandemar is unanimous! Everyone finds them seriously CREEPY!
    Christine´s last blog post ..Bookmarks: What’s in YOUR Book?

  2. Scribacchina says:

    After your introduction, I'll have to look up this Angelmaker.
    Scribacchina´s last blog post ..Book appetit! A Spanish menu

  3. Emily says:

    Croup and Vandemar definitely are vile! Vile, and kinda entertaining (in a totally creepy, would never want to meet them in a dark alley kind of way).
    Emily´s last blog post ..Library Love: Glasgow Public Library