Neverwhere

Neil Gaiman
1996

Believe it or not, this book began as a television series on the BBC! How's that for a reversal of the book to movie stereotype. Gaiman reproduced it in novel form while the TV series was airing, and he reads the book-on-tape version himself (and is fantastic). Neil Gaiman also wrote Coraline, the just-out 3-D stop-motion animation film produced by Tim Burton (Of Edward Scissorhands and Nightmare Before Christmas fame).

I suggest listening to Neverwhere as a book on tape. I haven't seen the TV series, but you can get it on two discs from Netflix. Fun for the whole family in six installments!

The novel begins as we follow protaganist Richard Mayhew outside his local bar in Scotland where he is attempting not to be ill. His friends are throwing him a going away party and plying him with strong drink, and we discover he is headed to London the next day to start a new job and a new life.

After Mayhew has been in London for awhile (long enough to pick up a girlfriend) he nearly trips over an injured woman on the sidewalk. Turns out she belongs to 'London Below' a parallel world, invisible to "real London" that exists in the subway tunnels, sewage system, and other underground archetecture. Being the good bloke that he is, he carries the woman home and helps her, against the advice of his girlfriend. Suddenly he, too -- like the inhabitants of London Below -- is invisible to all of his old friends and acquaintences from above. Having no choice other than to go searching around underground, Mayhew begins a merry (but dangerous) adventure helping the injured woman escape from assassins.

Rumors are that the lighting effects in the television version are not great. And there is apparently a comic book series based on the television series now.

Lane and I are currently listening to American Gods on tape by Gaiman.