The Good, The Bad, And The Uncanny | |||||||
Simon R. Green | |||||||
Ace, 288 pages | |||||||
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A review by Michael M Jones
Providing transportation for this little outing is Ms. Fate, the Nightside's very own transvestite
superheroine. Survive that, and there's the issue of the three Oblivion brothers, one of whom went missing
sometime back, but who desperately needs finding again.
Survive that, and John gets to deal with something really upsetting.
It seems Walker, Voice of the Authorities that run Nightside, is dying, and he's looking for a
replacement. Who better than John Taylor himself, the one man the entire Nightside knows, fears, and
occasionally hates? Problem is, John doesn't want the job, so Walker's ready to try the hard sell on him....
The tenth book in the popular Nightside series continues to expand upon a mythos spanning dozens
of books and several different series at this point. Not only do we get treated to some more of the Nightside's
strangest, deadliest secrets, including the source of Walker's terrifying seeming-omniscience, but we meet
the third and most dangerous of the Oblivion brothers, who only shows up when reality itself is
threatened. We also get some explanation regarding the recent change of leadership involving the Fae,
which has also affected Simon R. Green's Secret History series, and which
ties back into an earlier work, Shadows Fall.
Part tour of the Nightside, part farewell to several long-running characters, part Devil's last temptation
for John Taylor, there's a definite sense of progress and winding down with this book, as though Green's
tidying up the board in preparation for the last few books of the series. It's chock-full of the usual
mad ideas, bizarre concepts, weird moments and characters-writ-large that Green specializes in.
Though thoroughly entertaining, it's more of a payoff for existing fans than a suitable entry point
for newcomers. Either you're in or you're out at this point.
Michael M Jones enjoys an addiction to books, for which he's glad there is no cure. He lives with his very patient wife (who doesn't complain about books taking over the house... much), eight cats, and a large plaster penguin that once tasted blood and enjoyed it. A prophecy states that when Michael finishes reading everything on his list, he'll finally die. He aims to be immortal. |
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