Review - The Bride Wore Black Leather (The Nightside, Book 12) by Simon R. Green (4.5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Release Date: January 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-1937007133
Stand Alone or Series: 12th book in the Nightside series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This was the 12th and final book in the Nightside series. It was a great end to the series; a lot of favorite characters are in the story and John Taylor faces a challenge tougher than any he has faced before.

John wants to do one last case as a PI before he settles down in his position as the new Walker and ties the knot with Shotgun Suzie. When an anonymous tip about an Immortality Serum shows up on his desk he decides to crash the Immortality Ball to try and figure out what's going on. This draws him into a case involving a double murder and eventually into a face off with the Sun King. The Sun King is trying to bring daylight to the Nightside and John will have to fight both his enemies and his friends if he will wants to stop the Sun King. Not to mention Shotgun Suzie was offered a really really good bounty on John's head and seems bent on collecting...now even the wedding is up in the air.

This was a great conclusion to the Nightside series. It wasn't super surprising and there weren't any moments that really awed me, but the story was very well done. We get to see a lot of the wonderfully disturbing and quirky characters that we have come to know and love. Dead Boy, Razor Eddie, the Oblivion brothers are all here. There are some great new characters too; we get to meet Frankenstein's Bride and Jack the Ripper and they were both fun.

The best part about this book is that, for reasons I won't reveal, John ends up facing off against a lot of his super powerful friends and these are some interesting fights to read about. The implications of what could happen to the rest of the world if daylight is brought to the Nightside are interesting as well.

Suzie isn't in the story a ton, which was a bit disappointing. But the role she plays towards the end of the story is stellar and all around awesome. Readers should be very happy with how the series ends. Although I am a bit sad we won't be seeing more of Taylor and his buddies. I would love to see some books about Taylor in his role as the Walker.

It did seem like Green is trying to lure readers over to his Secret Histories series (of which I have read the first book). There are mentions of the Drood family and things that they have done/had happen to them throughout the book. Some of these mentions are spoilers; I was a bit bummed to find out the fate of the Drood family in this book when I had only read the first book in that series up to this point. So just something beware of.

Overall a stellar conclusion to this series. Not quite as surprising and earth-shattering as Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth was, but still a very well done book. We get to read about a lot of our favorite characters and Taylor has to unravel a plot to bring daylight to the Nightside. Fans of this series should enjoy this installment. If you love dark urban fantasy full of quirky characters I highly recommend this series. It is a lot of fun and you never know what crazy thing each new page will bring.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - A Hard Day's Knight (The Nightside, Book 11) by Simon R. Green (4.5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 304 pages
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Release Date: January 4, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0441019700
Stand Alone or Series: 11th book in the Nightside series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the 11th book in the Nightside series by Green; last I heard there are thirteen books planned for this series.  This book picks up just moments where the last left off and plunges us into a wonderful new Nightside mystery that is more epic than the last couple books and more, like novels mid-series.

John Taylor and Shotgun Suzie discover that the sword-like package that showed up at the end of book 10 is indeed Excaliber and it is here for a purpose.  If only John knew what that purpose was.  Now John has to journey out of the Nightside to London Proper to visit the London Knights in hopes that they will have some insight into what the sword's return means.

This was another great Nightside novel and it gets up back more to the style of the books mid-way through the series.  We are back to a more epic storyline, where John is helping to save the Nightside (and maybe the whole world) from certain destruction.  We get a lot of page space with John and Suzie, which was wonderful.

The main characters dealt with in this novel focus around the London Knights so they are not as quirky as some of John's sidekicks in previous novels, this is balanced by the fact that Suzie is featured throughout the book.  Many events in earlier books are tied in with this book.  There is a lot of action and a lot of things going on.  I enjoyed the evil alternate Earth with the evil Knights of the Round Table and the inclusion of the Arthurian legend throughout.  A lot of events surrounding the Elves are dealt with and the Droods from Green's Secret Histories series are mentioned a few times in passing.

I did miss some of my old favorite characters.  Razor Eddie never shows, and neither do many of the other big players in the Nightside.  They are mentioned in passing, but never given more page space then that.

The book ends well and with a rather large surprise.  It really makes me look forward to the next book in this series.  The plot is engaging and the book moves at a fast paced, those familiar with this series will find it is similar in writing style to previous Nightside books.

Overall a very satisfying addition to the series, fans of the Nightside won't be disappointed.  I was happy that Green went back to a more epic storyline and that John and Suzie get so much page space.  I was a little disappointed that we didn't see more of our other favorite characters, but was happy with how the storyline included a lot of Arthurian legend throughout.  There are surprises in this book and I am excited to see what the next Nightside novel brings.  

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:

- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge

The Good, The Bad and the Uncanny (The Nightside, Book 10) by Simon Green (5/5 stars)

This is the tenth, yes the tenth, book in the Nightside series by Simon Green. While the last couple books in the series have been a bit less spectacular than the rest of the series, this book picks up the slack and starts a wonderful new storyline.

The book starts out with John Taylor being hired to help an elf deliver an elven peace treaty across the Nightside (what is it about Green and his evil elves?). Anyway Walker doesn't want the treaty delivered and tries to stop John. At the conclusion of this event John is then approached by Larry Oblivion who wants help finding Tommy Oblivion. On top of all this John is getting odd warnings about Excalibur (yes, the sword from Arthurian legend) and Walker has decided that John should be his replacement as, the Man.

This was a wonderful Nightside novel. You get to learn a lot more about the Oblivion brothers. They aren't my favorite Nightside characters but they have interesting powers and an interesting family history. So, if you have always wondered where the dead Larry Oblivion got that elven wand, well this is the book for you...Larry will finally tell his story in his own words.

As usual the book is a lot of craziness. The usual over-the-top but oh-so-amusing descriptions of the horribleness of the Nightside are still here in force, some of the phrases you've heard before but some are new. John Taylor and crew always talk like they are walking through the frames of a comic book. Green is extremely creative with all the side descriptions of things John sees while passing through the Nightside; I love the fact that you never can guess what's going to be around the corner. The action scenes are phenomenal and the plot moves at a quick clip; always engaging never boring.

I also loved the fact that a new huge storyline is starting in this book...it deals with Excalibur and possibly other aspects of Arthurian legend. Again I love how Green doesn't shy away from mashing whatever he wants to in this story. The first big story-arc dealt mostly with the bible and John's mother Lilith; occasionally Green would through some mythological and Arthurian elements in there as well. It is great fun!

Let me see what else should you know about this book... We get to spend time with Mrs. Fate. We learn a lot more about Walker and how he runs the Nightside. Shotgun Suzie and Dead Boy (two of my favorites) are mainly absent from the story, but the story doesn't suffer from their absence. The Lord of Thorns comes back in a big way and we learn a lot more about Larry and Tommy's older brother; who is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Razor Eddie makes a few brief appearances, but mainly only to deliver dire warnings.

Overall I was really pleased with this book. I thought books 8 and 9 were kind of slow and disappointing, but I love this series so I decided to read book 10. I am so happy I did. This book is action packed, very creative, starts a great new story, and was a wonderful read! I can't wait for the next one.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Thiller and Suspense Challenge
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge
- Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

 

Mean Streets by Jim Butcher, Simon Green, Kat Richardson, and Thomas Sniegoski (4/5 stars)

This included four novellas by wonderful authors. I was very excited to read both Butcher's and Green's stories since I love those series. I also was interested in reading Richardson's and Sniegoski's series since I really want to read those series. Overall I found the stories I expected to like were nothing special; the best of the bunch was Sniegoski's "Noah's Orphans." I think I was a bit disappointed with this book because I expected it to be really awesome.

The Warrior by Jim Butcher
This story was about Michael and Harry trying to keep Michael's family safe from someone who wants to steal the two Holy Swords that Harry has been keeping hidden. Overall the story was okay, but seemed a bit tired to me. It was interesting to hear a bit more about why Harry has the holy swords. As a huge Dresden fan, I didn't think this was the best Dresden story I've read but it was kind of interesting. (4/5 stars)

The Difference a Day Makes by Simon Green
This novella was set in the Nightside. John Taylor and Dead Boy were the main characters and are approached by a woman who wants Taylor to find a days worth of memories that she's lost. I realize that not everyone reads the Nightside series so a lot of the back story stuff was necessary. Still, a lot of the general description of the Nightside was taken word for word from other books. John Taylor spent a lot of the story ranting about how dangerous the Nightside is. I also didn't think that the characters were very engaging. Even Dead Boy was kind of disengaged for most of the story. An okay Nightside story but nothing awesome here. (3/5 stars)

The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog by Kat Richardson
I have been interested in starting to read Richardson's Greywalker series. I was hoping this novella would give me some insight on how I would like her as a writer. This was another okay story but was nothing spectacular. Harper gets a black dog statue from an old woman's will; the old woman wants her to put the statue on a grave in Mexico and Harper doesn't know why. Of course there is more involved than Harper originally thinks. I thought Harper's ability to see into the Grey was kind of interesting, but not all that creative (reminded me of many other character abilities). The plot of the mystery got a bit confusing with a whole bunch of names involved where the reader never meets the people. Definitely not an action heavy series. Again an okay story, but didn't sell me on the Greywalker series as something I will love (3/5 stars)

Noah's Orphans by Thomas E. Sniegoski
I have also been interested in reading Sniegoski's first Remy Chandler book "A Kiss Before the Apocalypse". This story was a Remy Chandler story and gave me a great feeling for Sniegoski's writing style. In this story Remy is approached by a dark angel who tells him Noah (yes, the arc guy) has been murdered. There is more to the story though Noah was trying to save the race that existed before humans, the race that God sent flooding to wipe out. It looked like God may have not succeeded though. Remy has to embrace his angelic nature against his will to solve Noah's mystery and possibly save humanity.
This was a great story. I couldn't believe how complex and interesting all of the characters were. The plot line was mysterious, interesting, and intricate. Remy was a character that I wanted to know more about. In my opinion this was the best story in the book and saved this anthology from being mearly blah. Great story, may offend the zealously religious though. (4/5 stars)

Just Another Judgment Day by Simon Green (5/5 stars)

This is book 9 in the Nightside series by Simon Green. I love this series and I loved this book. Last I heard there are going to be 12 books in this series; I hope it is more because I enjoy this series immensley.

The Nightside has a new Authority in place but the New Authories have a problem. Walker comes begging John Taylor to deal with it. You see the Walking Man is coming to the Nightside. The Walking Man is a human man that delivers the wrath of God upon humanity. The Walking man sees in black and whites, no greys. People are either bad or good and, the Nightside being what it is, everyone in it is in trouble. In fact the Walking Man is bent on destroying the whole darn place. The New Authorities need John to find the Walking Man and...deal with him.

This was a great book. As usual it opens with a small case that John Taylor and Shotgun Suzie have to solve; this case is just as interesting and creative as the rest of the book. These books continue to be wilding entertaining, bizarrely creative, and an all around great ride. I love the way Green throws in off-handed comments about the strangest things. Just the fact that the book starts in Strangefellows bar with The Tribe of Gay Barbarians doing the Cancan is enough to make me eagerly devour the whole book. Too bad it was over so quickly.

In this book Shotgun Suzie joins John for part of the journey but John's closest friend is a monster hunter from the Middle East named Chandra. Chandra is a great character. We learn even more about Walker and where his power originates. John and Suzie come to more of an understanding in their "relationship". Madness and mayhem are everywhere. And of course John has to face the Wrath of God.

These books continue to be hilarious, fast-paced, action packed, surprising, creative, and all around hugely entertaining. I was sad when it ended and am eagerly awaiting the next book.

The Unnatural Inquirer by Simon Green (3/5 stars)

This is the 8th book in the Nightside series by Simon Green. It followed much in the pattern of the last book. Which is to say, it was okay.

In this book someone has promised the Unnatural Inquirer (a Nightside tabloid) exclusive rights to a DVD recording from the Afterlife. The Unnatural Inquirer hires John Taylor to find it when it goes missing. They send Betty Divine along with him to document his findings along the way.

This book was just okay. The series seems to have lost some of it's interest and urgency with the completion of the over-arcing story in "Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth". I am still confused why the series didn't end with that book. The only thing that is left mysteriously unanswered is where Walker's power is coming from now that the Authorities are dead.

This seemed like another transition book. Really I would only think you'd need one of those to wrap up the first main story. Somehow all the characters in this book seem tired and bored. Betty Divine was a pitiful sidekick. She was clingy and unhelpful and painfully uninteresting. Many of the quips that were so amusing up to this point are starting to seem overused. The creativity that amuses me so much was there, but not to the degree it normally is.

Overall this book was a quick, well-written, and fun read...but it was also a bit disappointing as we wait for something big and interesting to start happening again. Hopefully the next book will be better.

Hell to Pay by Simon Green (3/5 stars)

This is the 7th book in Simon Green's Nightside series. To me this book seemed to be very much a transition book. Being that the 6th book capped off the over arcing storyline, it is not surprising that this book is a bit weak. I still enjoyed reading it; although it just wasn't nearly as good as Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth was.

In the aftermath of Lilith's War the Nightside needs a new leader and with John Taylor stepping aside; Walker is trying to fill that space. If there is anyone who can contend with Walker it is the Griffin family. A very powerful and immortal family the Griffin family is possibly in a position to rule the Nightside. Unfortunately when Griffin's granddaughter disappears John Taylor is called in to find her. Someone very powerful doesn't want her found and is able to shut down John's gift in an effort to stop him. Looks like John's going to have to solve this case the old-fashioned way.

While this was still an enjoyable book; it was probably the weakest one in the series. The action scenes were few and far between and somewhat blase'. The characters were weak. It was good to see Dead Boy some more but he wasn't there for much of the book. The main powers of the Nightside were notable in their absence. Seriously this is the most boring of the Nightside books. It truly seems to be a transition novel, with everyone picking up the pieces of the Nightside after the Lilith War. Unfortunately it seems like Green doesn't know exactly to do with everyone either.

I have high hopes for the next book but if it is as dull and uninspired as this one, I might have to rethink reading this series.

Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth by Simon Green (5/5 stars)

This is the 6th book in the Nightside series. All I can say is "wow" this was a good book.

Lilith has returned to the Nightside and it is up to John Taylor to stop her from destroying first the Nightside and then the world. The only problem is John knows that a future exists in which the whole world is destroyed and that future is getting more and more certain by the day. How will John oppose Lilith without destroying the world in the process?

For such a slim novel, there was a lot in this book. As usual non-stop action, continuous creativity, and lots and lots of fighting. I couldn't put this book down and the whole time I was holding my breath trying to decide how and if the Nightside would be saved.

Dead Boy returns in this book along with the Oblivion brothers, Shotgun Suzie, Walker, and Eddie Razor. The Powers are out in force seeking to save their city. It was an awesome book and ends quite nicely. If I didn't own the next two books in the series I would be asking myself if this is the end of the series. Since it's not, I am very curious about what the next few books are about. I am glad that there was some closure for this book and I am excited to see what the next book will bring.

Paths Not Taken by Simon Green (4/5 stars)

This is the 5th book in the Nightside series by Simon Green. This book followed a similar format to the last book, in that it is more of series book than a self-contained adventure. Still it was a fun read, quick paced, and very creative.

In this book John Taylor travels with Shotgun Suzie and Tommy Oblivion back through time to find out how the Nightside was created. So, pretty much this book is what the last book said it was going to be.

Occasionally because of the time travel the story seems a little disjointed. The only other negative was that the continuous descriptions of how the Nightside looked at each new time point got to be a bit drawn out. This book is also another short one, but that seems to be how this series is.

There were quite a few good things about this book. I liked how a lot of seemingly random events from the past books were given a reason in this book. It was cool that Green tied the events together so well. It was good to see Shotgun Suzie again. Mostly it was just interesting to see how the character's actions in this book affected the future. It begs the question; could they have really changed the future or were they destined to do what their future selves did in the past so that the future would end up how it was? Time travel circular logic, as John Taylor says, does make your head hurt.

Overall, a great book, and a good addition to the series. I am excited to see how this series continues.

Hex and the City by Simon Green (4/5 stars)

This is the 4th book in the Nightside series by Simon Green.

John Taylor is commissioned by the Lady Luck herself to find something near and dear to John's own heart. Lady Luck wishes to know the origins of the Nightside, John suspects that his own mother is linked to the Nightside's origins. John joins up with Madman (who has seen things no human should and, as such, randomly changes the reality around himself) and Sinner (who has been rejected by both heaven and hell and as such cannot be killed) to venture into deeper and darker places beneath the Nightside than have ever been breached; at least ever been breached by people who later lived to tell about.

This book was fast-paced, fun, and very creative. I loved Madman, Sinner, and Pretty Poison. They are wonderful characters with a lot of depth and creativity in their personas.

This book answers some questions about Walker, the Authorities, the Nightside, and John's mother. It was nice to get come closure around these questions. That being said this was a departure from the previous stories in that it is not a self-contained story and adventure. The end of this book leaves you desperately waiting for the next book to find out what happens.

On one hand I kind of liked the transition of this series to something that is larger than one book; on the other hand I miss the self-contained detective story with a mysterious over-arcing storyline. This story was just structured differently from previous ones and whether that is good or bad...well, only the next book will tell.

That being said I really liked this book. I found it extremely amusing, as well as extremely disturbing. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

Nightingale's Lament by Simon Green (5/5 stars)

This is the third book in the Nightside series by Simon Green. It was an excellent and very creative story.

John Taylor is contacted by Charles Chabron to find out the whereabouts of his daughter Rossingol. Rossingol came to the Nightside to hit it big as a singer. She has signed up with some new managers, the Cavendishes, and is selling out all of her shows. Her success is coming with a strange side effect; after hearing her sing many of her fans commit suicide. As Taylor struggles to figure out what has been done to Rossingol, he finds out her managers are more dangerous than he ever imagined.

This series just seems to be getting better and better. The cast of characters is creative, amusing, and very colorful. I loved Julien Advent and Dead Boy. Dead Boy in particular added a lot of wry humor and fun to the book. The Nightside continues to be a surprising and darkly amusing environment. I don't know how Green thinks up all of this stuff but the surprises and creative environment flies at you from all sides. The writing is action packed, descriptive, and moves along at a fast clip. The story is, once again, fairly self-contained.

The overlying doom of what John Taylor is and who his mother is still hovers over the overall story arc. So far I have just absolutely loved this series. I want to go out right away and buy all of the books!

Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon Green (4/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Nightside series by Simon Green. This was a great book; much in par with the first book.

John Taylor is good at finding things; anything. When he is contacted by the Vatican to find the Unholy Grail, the most vile and evil of artifacts, he knows he is in trouble. The Unholy Grail is somewhere in the Nightside and everyone who is anyone is trying to get their hands on it. With the assistance of Shotgun Suzie, John starts the long dangerous quest to find the Unholy grail. Meanwhile the angels of heaven and hell want the Unholy Grail for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.

This is another fast-paced, fun novel. Written in a very noir style, with great action scenes, and grisly details it's a quick (and sometimes slightly disturbing) read. It was great to get more background on Shotgun Suzie. It was also fun to meet some of the other interesting characters in the Nightside. You learn more about the Collector and get to meet Nasty Jack Starshine, along with a slew of other badies. I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that, again, it is such a short book.

The story is fairly self-contained with an over-arcing story that deals with the mystery behind John's mother and the mystery of why the Nightside itself exists. I look forward to reading the next book. These are well-written, easy to read, fun to read novels. They are very creative in their own way.

Something from the Nightside by Simon Green (4/5 stars)

This is the first book of the Nightside novels by Simon Green. I think as of now there are 12 planned books for this series. The most recent book is book 7 "Hell to Pay".

I read somewhere that this is Simon Green's homage to the detective stories of old. I suppose that is a good description of this book but with a lot of twists.

The main character John Taylor is a finder, he can find things, anything. When Joanna Barett shows up requesting that John help find her daughter Catharine, John accepts the job. The only twist is that rumors are Catharine has been seen in the Nightside; the twisted evil center of London. John fled from the Nightside 5 years ago to save his own life. For some reason though the return back there feels like home to John.

This book was a fun and quick read. I liked the character of John Taylor; he has a lot of depth and some interesting abilities. There is a lot of history hinted at in John's past that will make some interesting fodder as the series continues. The descriptions of Nightside are very dark and horror-like. I would classify this book maybe more as a horror novel; although it still is part of the alternate reality fantasy genre. Some parts of this book reminded me of the Sonya Blue series; although this book was quite as vicious as those books were.

There was a ton of well written action, some fun twists and surprises. This book is not for the faint of heart though as all the gore in the action scenes is visited in ...well...gory detail.

My only complaints with this book would be that 1)It was a really short book and 2) sometimes descriptions got a bit wordy and kind of took over the story. Otherwise it was a great book and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.