Dealing
in “What if's” is something of a specialty of author Neil
Gaiman's. In his 1996 television miniseries “Neverwhere” he took
it to new depths, questioning just what might live in the corner of
our eye when we're occupied with everyday boring life.
Richard
Mayhew, a caring if somewhat boring chap, is faced with a decision.
Does he help a poor injured girl or not? And in that one decision
his entire life is changed forever. He is thrown into the dangerous
world of London Below and given a quest for which is he ill prepared.
He must now deal with angels, rat eating psychopaths, a pompous
marquis, a group of enigmatic monks, and a single minded hunter, just
to name of few. All because he would not leave a girl named Door to
lie bleeding on the streets of London.
Gaiman
does his usual fine job of weaving an intricate and engrossing story
around characters you really want to read more about as well as those
you only want to peak at from under the covers. If the story telling
falters in comparison to his written work, I'd say it's from the
medium of television and not his ability. (The BBC has come far in
the realm of special effects, but 1996 was still not that up
to snuff) At times the story can feel a bit rushed, and others,
stilted. But again, I feel that
is the translation to the visual and not the story in an of itself,
which is thoroughly enjoyable.
Having
both seen the mini series and read the novelization I'm hard pressed
to say which I enjoyed more. Each has its merits. The novelization
feels more like the Gaiman I know and love, but the mini series
gives us the pleasure of watching some truly great British actors ply
their trade. (Peter Capaldi as the Angel Islington is especially
worth watching.)
As
with most of Gaiman's works, although not strictly Steampunk, there
is a general Victorian aesthetic wound throughout the costuming and
set design. The series is a visual treat coming out of the late 90's
on the BBC, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good
fantastical story.
Neverwhere
BBC
1996