Something From The Nightside
As I've observed before, my urges to read and my urges to write tend to come and go at the same time. I've been wanting to write a lot recently, and in turn picked up the closest unread book and read it. The book was "Something from the Nightside" by Simon R. Green.
I wrote on November 1, 2005, of Green's short story The Nightside, Needless To Say, "Although the writing was occasionally a bit gimmicky and the plot wasn't the greatest, I have great faith that a full-length novel could make for much better reading." As it turned out, I'd say I was more or less right on in that assessment.
The novel stars John Taylor, a detective with a gift for finding things, a gift that manifests itself particularly well in the Nightside: a hidden part of London where it's always 3 a.m. and the supernatural is very much real. John swore he would never return, but short on cash, he accepted a case that would take him back into it's heart - a search for a missing girl.
The book is essentially a supernatural horror/mystery novel, and Green spends a lot of time developing the atmosphere of the Nightside in this first book of the series. Inhuman and supernatural beings are everywhere, and no one can truly be trusted. Green's writing style pays homage to many noir cliches, occasionally bordering on send-ups. The slight playfulness in the writing makes the book a very enjoyable read, but (for better or worse) minimizes the impact of some of the more gruesome and disturbing scenes.
The book flies by. It's about 230 pages and can be polished off awfully quickly, but while it lasts, it's quite the ride. It moves briskly, but purposefully, and does an excellent job of whetting the reader's appetite for future books while satisfying as a standalone narrative. It may not be deep, but it's deeply entertaining, and a great book for the times when you don't want too much desired of you as a reader. I'd recommend it.
I wrote on November 1, 2005, of Green's short story The Nightside, Needless To Say, "Although the writing was occasionally a bit gimmicky and the plot wasn't the greatest, I have great faith that a full-length novel could make for much better reading." As it turned out, I'd say I was more or less right on in that assessment.
The novel stars John Taylor, a detective with a gift for finding things, a gift that manifests itself particularly well in the Nightside: a hidden part of London where it's always 3 a.m. and the supernatural is very much real. John swore he would never return, but short on cash, he accepted a case that would take him back into it's heart - a search for a missing girl.
The book is essentially a supernatural horror/mystery novel, and Green spends a lot of time developing the atmosphere of the Nightside in this first book of the series. Inhuman and supernatural beings are everywhere, and no one can truly be trusted. Green's writing style pays homage to many noir cliches, occasionally bordering on send-ups. The slight playfulness in the writing makes the book a very enjoyable read, but (for better or worse) minimizes the impact of some of the more gruesome and disturbing scenes.
The book flies by. It's about 230 pages and can be polished off awfully quickly, but while it lasts, it's quite the ride. It moves briskly, but purposefully, and does an excellent job of whetting the reader's appetite for future books while satisfying as a standalone narrative. It may not be deep, but it's deeply entertaining, and a great book for the times when you don't want too much desired of you as a reader. I'd recommend it.