Ratings10
Average rating4
Welcome to the Nightside. For those foolish enough to seek it out, it’s literal tourist trap, populated by beings, human and otherwise, who have never seen the sun rise. A place where your dreams can come true—as long as your nightmares don’t get you first. My name is John Taylor. I’m a PI with a special talent for finding lost things. I’m also the reluctant owner of a very special—and dangerous—weapon: Excalibur, the legendary sword (which isn’t what you think it is, and never was). Excalibur chose me, and to find out why, I’ll have to consult the last defenders of Camelot, a group of knights who dwell in a place that some find more frightening than the Nightside. London Proper. It’s been years since I’ve been back—and there are good reasons for that…
Reviews with the most likes.
I loved the book and look forward to each new addition to the series. It's amazing to think about the length of the series and how the characters continue to change and yet remain familiar and true to form. This series is a wonderful departure from the Wheel of Time / Song of Ice and Fire trend in fantasy where you need a thousand pages to get to the point.
In this book John Taylor get's Excalibur delivered to him in the mail and typical Simon R. Green adventure ensues. Shotgun Susie accompanies him as he travels Nightside and London Proper trying to figure out what his destiny is as it relates to the legendary sword.
Of course not everyone in Nightside is the the typical black and white paragon of good or evil. There are exceptions of course, such and King Arthur and Sinister Merlin. Even those exceptions have there typically Green moments of folly. Almost nobody is safe from Green taking his jab at their stereotypical nature.
One particularly fun scene is when John is walking through London Proper and no one get's out of his way. Don't they know who he is?!?!?! Oh wait, they don't know who he is. Last time he was in London Proper he was a less than successful private investigator.
I particularly liked Green's treatment of the Lady of the Lake and what the true nature of Excalibur is.
This book is a fun and funny romp through some the more common legends in English folklore.
Finally finished this a bit ago. Its one of his better ones. Pretty quick read once I got into it. It mixes the usual characters with Arthurian Lore.
Featured Series
12 primary books18 released booksNightside is a 12-book series with 12 primary works first released in 2003 with contributions by Simon R. Green, Toni L. P. Kelner, and 5 others.