History Literature / Neverwhere

In March 2013, BBC Radio 4 aired a radio play version, adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs, and starring an astounding who's-who of British actors, lead by JamesMcAvoy as Richard and Natalie Dormer as Door. The radio play can be heard [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r522y/episodes/guide here]].

NeilGaiman was asked to do a television series for the BBC. LennyHenry helped, too. Unfortunately, [[ExecutiveMeddling they fiddled with it]], and while the end result was good, it was not entirely true to Gaiman's vision. So he went home, and used his days off to write the story he wanted to tell.

* LargeHam: "Mr. Croup likes words," the narration tells us. ''Does he ever.'' This also extends to the audiobook, where NeilGaiman is clearly having a ''hell'' of a time reading his lines.

** Mr. Croup asks Mr. Vandemar, "if you cut us do we not bleed?", paraphrasing Shylock's famous quote from WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice''. To which Mr. Vandemar answers, "[[HumanoidAbomination No.]]"

* TheCameo: Neil Gaiman plays the Fop With No Name in the BBC radio production.

It was later adapted by Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry as a miniseries for VertigoComics. It was not well-liked.

** [[spoiler: FridgeBrilliance:That key-and-chain was a decoy Door had made to order; she ''intended'' (or at least expected) it to be unceremoniously taken from her.]]

* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler: The subtlety of Hunter's sexuality wasn't enough to save her from this trope, apparently.]]

* [[ChekhovsGunman Chekhov's Gunmen]] : [[spoiler:Old Bailey and Hammersmith.]] That's all we're sayin'.

* CoolGate

** The House of Arch is Door's family, but "Temple" is still left vague.
*** Probably Temple Tube Station on the Embankment. It's not far from the Outer and Inner Temples which are the professional associations for barristers and judges in the City of London. Arch may be for Archway Tube Station or for Marble Arch.

* DebtDetester: The Marquis de Carabas.

** [[spoiler: FridgeBrilliance: that key-and-chain was a decoy Door had made to order; she ''intended'' (or at least expected) it to be unceremoniously taken from her.]]

* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: there really ''is'' a Knight's Bridge, there really ''is'' an Earl's Court, there really ''is'' an Angel Islington, etc. This is all a lot more potent if you know the station map, ie, live in London.

* [[spoiler: FallenAngel]]

* FantasyKitchenSink: The world of London Below appears to be this, consisting of angels, [[FullBoarAction giant beasts]], [[OurVampiresAreDifferent ice vampires]], [[SpeaksFluentAnimal people who can talk to rats]], rats who can talk to people, ancient roman legions, and all ''kinds'' of crazy stuff.

** Also [[spoiler: Islington after the reveal before his VillainousBreakdown - "I didn't kill your family, Door. I ''had'' them killed...]]
* FiveFingerFillet: Mr Croup places his hand against a wall and throws several razor blades at it, landing in the spaces in between. Mr Vandemar is [[ComicallyMissingThePoint unimpressed with the fact that he missed all of them]].
* FridgeLogic: In-universe- Door wonders, in a dream, ''who'' put away her father's journal after he was killed, but forgets this by the time she wakes. The answer turns out to be significant.

* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Opening doors. To ''anywhere'', whether there was a door there or not. And the first way we see Door use her power is to open up an assassin's chest.

* InelegantBlubbering

* [[spoiler: LeavingYouToFindMyself: Possibly]]

* MacGuffin: the Black Friars' Key.

** And Hunter. [[CaptainObvious Guess what she does for a living...]]

* MurderInc: "Croup and Vandemar, the Old Firm, obstacles obliterated, nuisances eradicated, bothersome limbs removed and tutelary dentistry[[note]]"tutelary" = "to teach a lesson..."[[/note]]."

** Although it should be pointed out that the Marquis trusts Old Bailey not for any reason of comradeship or sentimentality, but because Old Bailey has no choice but to return the Marquis's favour. [[NoodleIncident "I was a fool ..."]]

* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Possibly. [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar]] are described as merely "human shaped, two arms, two legs, one head" are functionally unkillable, and run on AnimalStereotypes so strongly that "the Fox and the Wolf" may not be mere nicknames. They are also [[ImAHumanitarian not above making accomplices who fail them disappear in a flurry of teeth, claws and small knives]]. Borders on OurGhoulsAreCreepier and OurDemonsAreDifferent. What they are is never made clear. Whatever they are, it ain't human.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're called Velvets, they dress like elegant Gothic aristocrats, are apparently all women, and suck the heat out of the body of whoever's dumb enough to kiss them. The Velvets actually have a good bit in common with the Japanese yuki-onna (snow woman) folk monster, down to the freezing kiss.

* RichBitch: Jessica is a {{downplayed}Trope}} example, being merely self-centred and wrapped up in her own privileged problems. Her introductory KickTheDog moment essentially involves her ignoring a homeless person in need, [[YouBastard and how many readers haven't been guilty of that at some point?]]
* RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: "Oh, Mr Vandemar, if you cut us do we not bleed?" "... No."

* SceneryPorn / SceneryGorn: The TV adaptation uses London's hidden and grimy underside practically as an extra character, and has some spectacular shots of the Royal Mail tunnels, the Greathead Shield, Down Street Station, St. Pancras/Midland Grand Hotel and Bazalgette's sewers.

* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler: Okay, so it's more like "Sealed Evil in a room full of candles".]]

** [[{{Neuromancer}} "The sky was the perfect blue of a television, turned to a dead channel."]] - played with, since the quote in the original work was meant to evoke a grainy grey colour, but then [[TechnologyMarchesOn TV Technology Marched On]].

** Arguably a case of TruthInTelevision in the BBC series, as a large number of scenes were actually shot in out of use sections of the London Underground.

* SoundtrackDissonance: What emotions do you associate with "Cheek to Cheek" by Irving Berlin? Utter, utter terror? You do now.

* StockUnsolvedMysteries: {{Atlantis}} was destroyed by [[spoiler:a vengeful angel]], and TheLostLegion fell into a time pocket.

** Knightsbridge. It's a stationary nightmare in the middle of a bridge.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Islington, when asked about the fate of Atlantis]]:
--> ''They deserved it!''

* WickedCultured: Mr. Croup's efforts to acquire an exquisite porcelain statuette look like this at first. [[spoiler: And then he eats it with a terrifying amount of glee. Seems he just likes to destroy beautiful, precious stuff.]]

* CreatorCameo: In the radio version NeilGaiman plays Mr Figgis, the security guard at Richard's work, and would-be bodyguard The Fop With No Name.
** In the TV show, Neil Gaiman also appears at the start of in the intro credits, running under an arch.

* DevelopmentHell: TheFilmOfTheBook, which may yet grace the silver screen.
** Gaiman's own follow up works - ''The Seven Sisters'' and "How the Marquis Got His Coat Back" - haven't materialized yet.

* HeyItsThatGuy: ''[[TheThickOfIt Malcolm Tucker]]'' is an angel!
** ''[[BlackBooks Fran]]'' is a Vampire!
** The Lady Door creates armor for the Joker in ''AKnightsTale''. And gets raped and disfigured in ''Titus''.
** ''[[PeepShow Johnson]]'' is the Marquis!
*** The Marquis has achieved [[ThatMitchellAndWebbLook Numberwang!]]
** [[{{Backbeat}} Paul McCartney]] is Richard!
** The upcoming radio play adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs takes this to a whole new level, featuring [[Film/XMenFirstClass Charles Xavier]], [[GameOfThrones Margaery Tyrell]], [[{{Homeland}} David Estes]], [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Rupert Giles]], [[DoctorWho Liz 10, Wilfred Mott]], [[Series/{{Sherlock}} Sherlock Holmes]], [[Series/TheHour Bel Rowley]], [[Film/HarryPotter Kingsley Shacklebolt]], [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Mercer]], [[Series/FawltyTowers Manuel]], and [[Film/LordOfTheRings Saruman]].

* MurderInc: "Croup and Vandemar, the Old Firm, obstacles obliterated, nuisances eradicated, bothersome limbs removed and tutelary dentistry[[hottip:*: "tutelary" = "to teach a lesson..."]]."

* RichBitch: So we're told aboutJessica, although the book makes a point of noting that she does give to charity and the attempt to ignore Door when she was bleeding to death was actually not out of a lack of sympathy: People like Door are almost impossible for most people to really see or remember.

* RichBitch: Jessica, although the book makes a point of noting that she does give to charity.

* SpotOfTea: The Ordeal of the Key is preceded by the Nice Cup of Tea. Richard ultimately declines, preferring [[NothingIsWorse to get it over with]]. After he survives, he decides he'd like some.

* SpotOfTea: The Ordeal of the Key is preceded by the Nice Cup of Tea.

* FateWorseThanDeath: What will happen if you violate the truce of the floating market. Also [[spoiler:if you fail the test of the Black Friars. The test itself is no fun, either.]]

** London Below itself seems to be pretty literal-minded: there are shepherds in Shepherd's Bush, there is a Raven's Court in Ravenscourt, an angel named Islington lives under The Angel in Islington, etc.

-> "Dear Diary.

-> On Friday I had a job, a fiancee, and a life that made sense. (Well, as much as any life makes sense.) Then I found an injured girl bleeding on the pavement, [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished and I tried to be a Good Samaritan.]] [[{{Unperson}} Now I've got no fiancee, no home, no job,]] and I'm walking around a couple of hundred feet under the streets of London [[EverythingTryingToKillYou with the projected life expectancy of a suicidal fruitfly.]]

-> There are hundreds of people in this [[DarkWorld other London]]. Thousands, maybe. People who come from here, or people who have fallen through the cracks. I'm wandering around with [[ThePresidentsDaughter a girl called Door]], [[ActionGirl her bodyguard]], [[MagnificentBastard and her psychotic grand vizier.]] We slept last night in a small tunnel that Door said was once a section of Regency sewer. The bodyguard was awake when I went to sleep, and awake when they woke me up. I don't think she ever sleeps. We had fruitcake for breakfast; the marquis had a large lump of it in his pocket. [[CrazyPrepared Why would anyone have a large lump of fruitcake in his pocket?]] My shoes dried out mostly while I slept.

-> [[TrappedInAnotherWorld I want to go home.]]"

** Tons to AliceInWonderland and ThroughTheLookingGlass. Notable instances include Richard noting that he is believing many impossible things and he hasn't even had breakfast yet (the White Queen tells Alice, "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast") and sarcastically asking "Jam tomorrow?" to convince Messrs. Croup and Vandemar that Islington is never actually going to pay them (a reference to the same White Queen telling Alice, "The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day").

** In the novel, he also at one point dreams of [[a figure falling as its wings burn; this, in hindsight, must have been Islington's expulsion from Heaven]].

* DissonantSerenity: Islington, most of the time.

In March 2013, BBC Radio 4 aired a radio play version, adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs, and starring an astounding who's-who of British actors, lead by JamesMcAvoy as Richard and Natalie Dormer as Door. The radio play cab be heard [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r522y/episodes/guide here]].

[[http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2012/11/author-meets-world.html BBC Radio 4 is recording a radio play version]], adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs, and starring an astounding who's-who of British actors, lead by JamesMcAvoy as Richard and Natalie Dormer as Door. The radio play will air in six episodes starting March 16, 2013.