books

Fantasy Mystery Romance Comics Non-Fiction

The Way of the Wizard

The Way of the Wizard (2010) John Joseph Adams I love anthologies. They give me an escape in bite size pieces that won’t keep me up past my bed time on a work night, and they also often a wonderful introduction to authors I have not read previously. This anthology focuses upon wizards of all […]

Home Improvement: Undead Edition

Home Improvement: Undead Edition (2011) Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner As with most anthologies, there are stories here I really liked, and some that I found to be just okay. What was unusual was that there were some stories that I actually strongly disliked. “Gray” by Patricia Briggs isn’t a Mercy Thompson story, but […]

Down These Strange Streets

Down These Strange Streets (2011) edited by Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin If you look at the list of authors above, you’ll immediately see why I read this series. There are some of my favorite authors here–many of whom write short stories I tend to love. And surprisingly, I loved most of these […]

Hex Appeal

Hex Appeal (2012) edited by P.N. Elrod; Stories by P.N. Elrod, Carrie Vaughn, Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Simon R Green, Rachel Caine (and others) As I was expecting, this collection was a mixed bag. Luckily, the good stories were very good, and worth the price of the anthology. I bought the anthology first and foremost […]

A Hard Day’s Knight

A Hard Day’s Knight (2011) Simon R. Green Walker is dead. Long live Walker. Because now John Taylor is Walker, and now it is his job to keep order (of a sorts) in Nightside. Unfortunately for him, someone has decided it’s time for Excalibur to make a reappearance in the world–and he needs to be […]

The Best Paranormal Crime Stories Ever Told

The Best Paranormal Crime Stories Ever Told (2010) edited by Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers I wouldn’t say the best necessarily, but it’s not a bad selection of stories. And the fact that I got to read it for free probably helped. “Appetite for Murder” is Simon R. Green story that does not feature […]

Ghost of a Smile

Ghost of a Smile (2011) Simon R. Green As much as I enjoy Simon R. Green’s writing, and as much is it frequently makes me laugh, I found Ghost of a Smile to be disappointing. There is still plenty of dialogue to make me happy: “That’s it?” said JC, after Happy had been quite for […]

The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny

The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (2010) Simon R. Green John bloody Taylor is still in Nightside, just as appalling as ever. The Authorities are gone, replaced by the new Authorities; not necessarily kinder and gentler, but almost certainly less evil than the group they replaced. And Walker is dying. The man who was […]

Ghost of a Chance

Ghost of a Chance (2010) Simon R. Green I can’t help myself. I know it isn’t good for me, but I have this addiction to Simon R. Green’s Nightside. I’ve read the Eddie Drood novels, and they’re OK, but they just aren’t the same. But I keep ordering them, and when I saw he had […]

Just Another Judgement Day

Just Another Judgement Day (2009) Simon R. Green It’s been awhile since I read a Nightside book, since they switched to publishing in hardback first. But after lots of anticipation, Just Another Judgment Day arrived. John Taylor is still a bit at loose ends after the Lilith War. He is no longer being hunted by […]

Daemons Are Forever

Daemons Are Forever (2008) Simon R. Green That was thoroughly disappointing. I really like Simon R. Green’s writing style–I love the Nightside books and liked the first Eddie Drood book, The Man with the Golden Torc. The second Eddie Drood book, however, not so much. This book was all over the place, and it wasn’t […]

Mean Streets

Mean Streets (2009) Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson, Thomas E. Sniegoski OK. I admit it. I’m an Amazon junkie. I often search for my favorite artists and look at coming releases to see if anyone I love has something new coming out. Which is how I stumbled upon Mean Streets. I believe it […]

Unnatural Inquirer

Unnatural Inquirer (2007) Simon R. Green We return once again to Nightside, where John Taylor is once again on the case. On several cases actually. As he finishes a case at the HP Lovecraft Memorial Library, he’s asked by Walker, who has the Voice of Authority in Nightside, to retrieve the Aquarius key before Max […]

Unusual Suspects

Unusual Suspects (2008) edited by Dana Stabenow I own and read Dana Stabenow’s first fantasy/mystery anthology, Powers of Detection and found it a mixed bag. But when I saw Unusual Suspects and saw it had stories from Sharon Shinn & Simon R. Green, I knew I would have to have this anthology. In general, I […]

Blue Moon Rising

Blue Moon Rising (1991) Simon R. Green I believe it was Tania who was shocked that I had not read Blue Moon Rising. After all, I love the appalling John Taylor of Nightside, so why hadn’t I read Blue Moon Rising? Especially since I own a used copy of it? Two not very good reasons. […]

The Man with the Golden Torc

The Man with the Golden Torc (2007) Simon R. Green Eddie Drood is a field agent for a family that knows more secrets than anyone else, and has magical and mechanical powers that would make mages and mad scientists drool in envy. Unfortunately for Eddie (known on the streets as Shamus Bond) there’s trouble in […]

Hell To Pay

Hell To Pay (2006) Simon R. Green Now I’m back to waiting for the next Nightside book to come out in paperback. I hate waiting.

Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth

Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth (2006) Simon R. Green John Taylor finally deals with his mother. The story arc is over!

Paths Not Taken

Paths Not Taken (2005) Simon R. Green This is the one that ends badly. Off to read Sharper than a Serpent’s Tooth.

Hex and the City

Hex and the City (2005) Simon R Green Humph. I’d nearly forgotten that this is where the books change and now it’s all a mad rush to deal with John’s mother and the possible destruction of Nightside. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get the next book.

Nightingale’s Lament

Nightingale’s Lament (2004) Simon R. Green I’m still working my way back through the Nightside books, and enjoying them the second time as much as I did the first time.

Agents of Light and Darkness

Agents of Light and Darkness (2003) Simon R Green Just reread Agents of Light and Darkness. Just as good as I remembered.

Something from the Nightside

Something from the Nightside (2002) Simon R Green Decided that re-reading the Nightside was what just what I was in the mood for, so I re-read Something from the Nightside and enjoyed it even more the second time than I did the first, as I got to see that all the passing comments that became […]

Hell To Pay

Hell To Pay (2006) Simon R. Green I am quite fond of Simon R. Green’s Nightside books, although the Nightside itself would probably be offended by the use of the word fond. John Taylor is a private investigator in the Nightside, an alternate city within London where it is always night, and anything you can […]

Swords of Haven

Swords of Haven (1999) Simon R. Green Omnibus edition of: Hawk & Fisher, Winner Takes All, The God Killer Swords of Haven, the omnibus edition containing the three Hawk and Fisher books, Hawk & Fisher, Winner Takes All, The God Killer, is a very odd book. The stories are set in a world of magic, […]