"It's always night in the Nightside. It's always three o'clock in the morning, and the dawn never comes. People are always coming and going, drawn by needs that dare not speak their names, searching for pleasures and services unforgivable in the sane, daylight world. You can buy or sell anything in the Nightside, and no-one asks questions. No-one cares."
Our man is John Taylor, not your typical hero. He's on the run from a world he's known since childhood and he's dirt-poor, living in his office which has a bullet hole on the window. He has no idea who his mother is - a plot devise you know will kick ass once it finally shows its head. But while he's literally nobody in our world, he's close to celebrity or royalty in his world.
You know - the one he's running away from. And I don't think its from paparazzis.
Now, I have very mixed feeling with this book so let me just start by saying: I quiet like the Nightside as a whole. BUT. But.. well, let me tell you what bugs me about this series.
I can't help but feel that the characters are a little bland.
I wont touch on the other characters as that would be a spoiler. So here's what I think about John Taylor.
John Taylor - supposed bad ass, shows weakness in a way that doesn't really convince you he's actually a bad ass. Just possibly someone who insists on it, but doesn't quite have what it takes. Of course he keeps saying that he likes letting his 'rep' speak more than his own actions, and how everything was exaggerated but that it helps when people fear him. I actually have a thing for wimpy heroes. I quite like that he's not all that, and the whole 'people fear me, but OMG! If only they knew...' is actually a fun plot device, but I feel like Simon R. Green overdoes it a little by spelling things out over and over again.
Here's a little spoiler: His relationships with people from the Nightside.
He keeps insisting he has no friends, just close enemies.. Well reading the two books I own, makes me think that he does have some very loyal friends. It would probably have packed more of a punch if John Taylor never mentioned that he had no friends, but casually mention acquaintances he has who have in turns helped then stabbed him in the back (or in one case, as we, the readers, find out very early on - shot him in the back).
And while I feel there's a huge need for character development, there's a whole cast of people I'm dying for you to meet. Shotgun Suzie, Razor Eddie, Cathy Barrett, and Alex Morrisey. Lovely people you wont want to meet in a dark alley, but fascinating all the same. His supporting characters are likeable and fun, and if I'm honest - the reason I read the books, more so than Sir Broodypants-I-Have-No-Friends.
As I said before - I do think it was a good read.
I liked the whole noir feel of the novel, and how he was all Dick Tracy in the beginning. Complete with a dingy office, and your quintessential dame (limited to the very first story, but I liked her so much, I thought I'd mention her). Note; not damsel in distress. But kick ass snotty dame. And I do like my snotty dames.
I also adored the whole idea of a world within a world, with it's own ominous name, Nightside. Yes, he's not the first one to ever use this concept (Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere comes to mind), but I think it distinguished itself enough with the whole range of inhabitants available for viewing. Seriously. I love the Nightside. It works. Its an intriguing world to peek at.
Plot-wise, I enjoy the fact that the stories aren't quite novel length. Three stories to a book works for Simon R. Green. And there's a wide range of cases, showcasing the sheer absurdity of the Nightside. It never quite delves into the macabre though, he seems to lack the words to describe the blood and gore and to turn it into something which turns your stomach, so you're sort of left detached to it all.
To be honest it does feel like a half assed effort at times, but its saving grace is the sheer number of possibilities available in the universe Green created. And the potential you can see peeking from the corner. At times I feel like I should maybe coo at the book and try to coax out the ability of writing horror I think Green possesses, because I did enjoy the book. I really did, but it was frustrating. Like getting a 3.97 GPA when you know you just need a little more oomph for a perfect 4.
On the whole? Read it. The genre needs more stuff like this.
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