The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (Nightside Series #10)

super dark fantasy

Welcome to the Darkside; a place within London that can only be accessed by people in the know; a place that is perpetually dark so that those soulless who are darkest can hide without contaminating the world of light and souls. There are some good people who reside in this hell hole like private investigator John Taylor, who is on an assignment to Lord Screech guarding him and the peace treaty between the Fairy Courts of Queens Mab and Tatiana.

Walker, the voice of authority dedicated to keeping the status quo in Nightside, wants the treaty in his hands; so he sends his army, werewolves and thugs who fly on carpets to obtain it. The elf tells John that Excalibur is coming, but he has to believe it is not what it seems.

His next case involves finding Tommy Oblivion who disappeared during the Lilith Wars. His client Tommy's brother Larry the zombie, who has deep family feelings, was the person who accidentally freed Mab from the hell she inhabited. To complicate John's life, Walker is dying and needs his replacement assisting the Authorities; his choice is Taylor.

The latest Nightside fantasy provides the readers with a fresh glimpse into the frightening community. Ironically though many of the denizens are evil, they are fascinating in a macabre way having survived even before the first dinosaur was born. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action, but it is the cast especially Taylor and his three clients, who make for an entertaining walk (make that a sprint) on the Darkside.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No rest for the wickid

The usual humor and weirdness abounds. John is once again on the opposite side of Walker's interest and this time it comes to violence as an elf has come to the Nightside and Walker wants the elf dead but John has taken the elf as a client so it is John's job to get him safely out. But elves always have their own agenda. Always. Fast, humorous reading.

A DARK DAY IN THE NIGHTSIDE

The latest installment in Simon R. Green's slyly epic "Nightside" series does not disappoint, and it even tugs at the heartstrings in an unexpected but strangely satisfying way.For the uninitiated, the Nightside is a secret, parallel plane of existence, "the secret dark heart of London" where it is always three am, and all the creatures and beings of myth, legend, religions (all of them) and superstition exist, co-exist, struggle for power and sometimes meet for drinks. The hero, John Taylor is a supernatural detective, who is something more, and sometimes, something less, than human. He stalks the mean streets of the Nightside with a colorful cast of back-up, including Suzie Shooter, an implaccable bounty hunter and Razor Eddie, the Punk God of the Straight Razor, which very well may be the greatest character name ever.In John Taylor's many adventures, beginning with Something from the Nightside, you can expect John, Suzie and Eddie in various combinations, to run up against vampires, werewolves, demons, immortal crime bosses, and the other usual suspects of dark fantasy fiction, as well as incredibly original and unexpected creations like the resurrected wizard Merlin, Old Father Time, an infatuated succubus, "soft ghosts" Lady Luck, The Unbeliever,angels,fallen and otherwise, and one seriously nasty biblical myth come back for revenge. Green's book's are amazingly inventive fantastically researched (a whole lot of knowlege of mythology and comparative religion is built into these seemingly light-weight and snarky little tales)and thoroughly enjoyable.John Taylor is Sam Spade and Spenser, crossed with Luke Skywalker with a little touch of Houdini for spice. If you enjoy dark fantasy with a deeper underpinning, visit the Nightside for a while.

An excellently told story

Science Fiction/Fantasy is my favorite genre and I probably get a new book from this genre at least every other week. And I have no problem saying that Green, and his Nightside series, has quickly become one of my favorites. The writing is simple, but mostly well done, but Green's real strengths lie in his characters and his ability to spin a good story.

Great writer

This is the kind of book I enjoy reading to get away from the real world.

Mental Bubblegum.

These books are not intended to be great literature. They are intended to be light reading, sort of the potato chip of fiction. In this installment there is some forward movement of John Taylor.

I would buy this product again and again

This series of books is an exciting way to spend the morning

More of the best!

great reading for before bedtime. Good short chapters and an easy read!

Great Addition to the series

A great book for those who enjoy the urban fantasy with a healthy dose of mystery.

Fun, mindless romp

If you want something mindless to read, this is a good book. It is part of a series but the previous books are not needed to understand the story. Fantasy themes are heavily recycled but they are treated in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. Original story but unoriginal writing.

this was very good

Each book gets better

my favorite author

i have read everything he has written and the quality does not change!!!

a good read

A good read as usual

another in the nightside series

another addition to the night side series , does not stand alone from outside the series so for fans onyl

I will buy all of Simon Greens books

I ride the bus everyday to and from work. My travel time is an hour and 1/2 each way. This book was so exciting to read as this time.

Recommended

A good read for fans of the Nightside series. Once a reader is hooked on it its difficult to stop. However, While the story can stand alone I would recommend reading from the beginning.

say hello to the walking man

another interesting installment. gotta love the progression of john as he evolves along with everyone in the series. per usual you have Walker screwing with everything. this epilogue has one of m favorite cliff hangers.

A little peeved

Why is it that every single other book in the Nightside Series is available for Nook EXCEPT this one?! That's completely ridiculous. Now I have to go get or order this in paperback while I've read every other book in NOOKBook format. Its things like this that make people NOT buy a Nook.

An Entertaining Read For 'Nightside' Fans

This book is a 'must read' for 'Nightside' fans, but lacks the series' signature urgency and excitement. Significant events occur between P. I. John Taylor, (the series' engaging and off-beat protagonist), and Walker, (the Nightside's ultimate defender of the status quo). In comparison to earlier novels, action-sequences are scarce in the novel's latter-half and there's no desperate, over-arching challenge which John must confront. Nonetheless, the tale entertains with enjoyable 'Nightside' descriptions, vividly eccentric characters, a riotous but quickly resolved chase/running battle, and several interesting encounters between John and Walker which conclude with an ironic twist. I recommend this book to other Nightside fans but question its overall entertainment value to the casual reader.

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