The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (A Nightside Book)

by Simon R. Green

Book Overview

In the Nightside--that hidden area in the middle of London where time stands still at three A.M. and the sun won't rise to refute it--nightmares go walking in borrowed flesh, and not everything that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441019773
• Release Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Ace
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.8" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Awesome

I love Simon Green's Nightside, and I think this book is my favorite of them all! I can't wait for the next one in the series

A fine dark thriller evolves

In the Nightside where time stands still and the sun doesn't rise, nightmares inhuman are posing as human - and PI John Taylor has a knack for finding things and handling the Nightside. When he accepts some unusual jobs - including from the Dead Detective - he runs up against an agent who runs the Nightside on behalf of the Authorities - and who wants John 6to take over his job. A fine dark thriller evolves.

Starts a great new story-arc; lots of fast-paced creepy fun

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

The best in a long time

If you are like me and you loved the weird wackiness of the early Nightside novels but felt that the last few books were dragging on, waiting for the apocalypse, this book is a breath of fresh air. The Nightside, having (more or less) survived the climax of that plot arc needs new leadership. I was wondering if Green's need to invent new management would relight my interest. It really did. The pace in this one is frantic and the mixing together of what could have been 3 novellas into one book really made it fly for me. The one-liners in this series have always been great and this book had me laughing out loud at the weirdness and the stinging verbal sparring. The old favorites are still here and a couple of newer players really shine. Basically, this book breathed new life into the series for me. If you want a fast paced and very funny and otherwise entertaining story you will be happy you picked this one up.

entertaining walk (make that a sprint) on the Darkside

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