Helpful Score: 6
After reading all the positive reviews, I was excited to read this but was quickly disappointed. Was more like a narration rather than a story and how many times does he have to say "the Nightside"?
Tries to be an update on the detective/noir genre but left me cold. Dresden Files is SO much better for my taste, he makes the character someone I can relate to. Sadly, I did enjoy Drinking Midnight Wine by Green but this one wasn't that good and I don't plan to continue on.
Tries to be an update on the detective/noir genre but left me cold. Dresden Files is SO much better for my taste, he makes the character someone I can relate to. Sadly, I did enjoy Drinking Midnight Wine by Green but this one wasn't that good and I don't plan to continue on.
Brittni H. (venus) reviewed Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Bk 1) on + 33 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I picked this up to read between books, and I am now about to order the third in the series. It seemed like a brief read, and that is what it was.
It was a light, enjoyable book, not meant to be delved into with any depth. That is exactly what I liked about it. It shows you mystery, oddity, and a character with a past. Cliche, but it works. Not an old dog with new tricks. It is a new dog performing old tricks, which can sound insulting, but what I mean is it's a fresh, different perspective on something that has been done to death, and it does not ask too much of you. All you have to do is get buried in the story as it is told. You don't have to wonder about the 'why' of things being possible, because they simply are in the Nightside. It was good to see a writer tell a story, rather than offer endless explanations about the inner-workings of the oddities. I could see this being an hour long tv series on the sci-fi channel, much in the same vein of other projects they have done. That is what it seemed like.
I recommend it, enthusiastically.
It was a light, enjoyable book, not meant to be delved into with any depth. That is exactly what I liked about it. It shows you mystery, oddity, and a character with a past. Cliche, but it works. Not an old dog with new tricks. It is a new dog performing old tricks, which can sound insulting, but what I mean is it's a fresh, different perspective on something that has been done to death, and it does not ask too much of you. All you have to do is get buried in the story as it is told. You don't have to wonder about the 'why' of things being possible, because they simply are in the Nightside. It was good to see a writer tell a story, rather than offer endless explanations about the inner-workings of the oddities. I could see this being an hour long tv series on the sci-fi channel, much in the same vein of other projects they have done. That is what it seemed like.
I recommend it, enthusiastically.
Helpful Score: 3
First in this series. Very interesting setting and characters. Definitely worth reading.
Helpful Score: 3
I tried... I just could not get into this book at all. Starts off like an old detective agency story.... ughhhh, just awful! I hope someone else enjoys it more than I did.
Heather J. (LadyCrymsyn) reviewed Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Bk 1) on + 28 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A very quick, rather fun little read. At only 240 pages, the plot can't get too complex, but it does make for a satisfying little story. The main character is well-fleshed-out, with many hints to a rather *interesting* past. Some of the supporting characters seem a little thin, however. All in all, a good start to a series, likely to appeal to fans of Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files."
Helpful Score: 2
Interesting line. First of a series. Taylor is a finder. Searching for a client's daughter who has run away to the Nightside. A mix of X-Files, Twilight Zone, and Out Limits.
Tracy B. (TracyB) -
Helpful Score: 1
First in the "Nightside" series. Loved it.
Helpful Score: 1
Good story, very scary and unusual.
Helpful Score: 1
The first in Simon Green's "Nightside" series, set in the dark, magical heart of London, which private eye John Taylor slips into from time to time. He knows the place well, having grown up there, and has quite a few strong and mysterious magical powers of his own, which help him stay alive in this deadly place - just barely. The first-person narration verges on being a bit too glib, but the story - in which a rich woman hires John to find her daughter who's lost in the Nightside - is twisty and fun, with a lively mixture of dark humor and truly horrific incidents.
A fast funny book for a little light reading. Opens the door for the rest of the series.
Helpful Score: 1
A fun and VERY quick read. If you like dark urban fantasy, macabre humor and/or old-fashioned detective novels (think Raymond Chandler), this is the book for you. A PI with his very own third, private eye accepts a case that leads him back to his home: a seedy and violent mythical underbelly of London where gods and monsters party, and it's always 3 AM... the Nightside.
Helpful Score: 1
Reminded me of really really bad horror videos that you rent for a dollar, or a Saturday afternoon episode on the Sci-Fi channel. The majority audience of this book must visit comix shops often.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to continue with the series.
I didn't really like this book too much. Maybe the next one will be better after I figure out the characters.
Manda G. (chickpicks) -
My usual paranormal are vampire funny romance...and this was a definite change from those. Some rather intense moments and a LOT of twists and turns and WHAT?! packed into this fairly short read. On to book two!
Tim O. (Timinator2K8) -
A great PI series taking place in "The Nightside" of London where its ALWAYS 3:00 AM and the monsters are all more-than-real and the dangers there will rarely get you injured, dead very easily, but you'll get the picture! Two Thumbs Way Up!
Cyndi J. (cyndij) reviewed Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Bk 1) on + 1031 more book reviews
If you like Jim Butchers Dresden Files youll need to give this a try; this is the first in a series. John Taylor was born in the Nightside a dark magical London where its always 3 a.m., pretty much anything can and will try to kill you, and there are no laws. John doesnt know why so many of the Nightside residents fear and hate him, its something to do with his mother. But he does know hes on too many wanted lists back there. He has a gift for finding things and has been trying to make a living as a PI in our world. Hes just about dead broke when a client shows up and tells him her daughter may be in the Nightside and she will pay anything to get her back. Of course he agrees.
From then on its one fight after another interspersed with lectures about the nature of the Nightside. Green introduces us to this odd world and gives us glimpses into Johns destiny. The mystery of the missing girl is pretty much only a frame to hang Johns character on, and doesnt take long to bring to a conclusion once they really get into it. Theres some very fun bits in here like the ghost bar and the horse who hires himself out for carriage rides, plus enough action for those who like magical fights. Lots of references to noir detective fiction too. Anyway nice snappy reading, you can finish this one pretty quick.
From then on its one fight after another interspersed with lectures about the nature of the Nightside. Green introduces us to this odd world and gives us glimpses into Johns destiny. The mystery of the missing girl is pretty much only a frame to hang Johns character on, and doesnt take long to bring to a conclusion once they really get into it. Theres some very fun bits in here like the ghost bar and the horse who hires himself out for carriage rides, plus enough action for those who like magical fights. Lots of references to noir detective fiction too. Anyway nice snappy reading, you can finish this one pretty quick.
I enjoyed this book very much. I found the characters interesting and multilayered, the setting intriguing, and the plot engaging. John Taylor is a unique PI and I look forward to reading about more of his cases. I agree with another reviewer who found the constant repetition of "in the Nightside" to be annoying -- if the tale had repeatedly ventured back and forth from our mundane world to the Nightside then the reminders wouldn't have been so out of place, but aside from the opening chapter Everything occurred in the dark and sinfully indulgent realm of the Nightside.
I've also read the second volume of this series and am happy to say the author Simon Green refrained from the constant reminders of the location, perhaps because the whole story took place in the Nightside. Both books refer to past experiences of the main character, John Taylor, which adds dimension to him. I look forward to reading more about him.
I've also read the second volume of this series and am happy to say the author Simon Green refrained from the constant reminders of the location, perhaps because the whole story took place in the Nightside. Both books refer to past experiences of the main character, John Taylor, which adds dimension to him. I look forward to reading more about him.
LAURA C. (Laura9691) reviewed Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Bk 1) on + 119 more book reviews
The first of the Nightside series. These books are awesome. This one introduces the main character, John Taylor, the man with the knack for finding things. He is hired to find the runaway of a rich woman.
Good fast read. Much better than I thought it would be.
Michelle W. (sixxchic) - , reviewed Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Bk 1) on + 69 more book reviews
The Nightside.That square mile of hell in the middle of the city,where its always 3am Where you can walk beside myths and drink with monsters.Where nothing is what it seems and everything is possible.
A detective that goes to the Nightside (a square mile of Hell in the middle of the city, where you walk beside myths and drink with monsters) looking for a lost girl that needs help.
Minnie O. (dragonmom) reviewed Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Bk 1) on + 2 more book reviews
all the joy of a mystery, with the addition that John is one bad***. starts out with a mini-case, and then goes on to the big one, and always ends surprisingly
I enjoyed this gritty mix of mystery, horror, and fantasy set in a hidden world close to our own. There were times when I could anticipate what would happen, and other times when I was totally surprised. I look forward to the next book in the Nightside series, Agents of Light and Darkness.
Candace G. (Ogre) reviewed Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Bk 1) on + 1568 more book reviews
Taylor is the name, John Taylor. My card says I'm a detective, but what I really am is an expert on finding lost things. It's part of the gift I was born with as a child of the Nightside. I left there a long time ago, with my skin and sanity barely intact. Now I make my living in the sunlit streets of London.
But business has been slow lately, so when Joanna Barrett showed up at my door, reeking of wealth, asking me to find her runaway teenage daughter, I didn't say no. Then I found out exactly where the girl had gone--The Nightside. That square mile of Hell in the middle of the city, where it's always three a.m. Where you can walk beside myths and drink with monsters. Where nothing is what it seems and everything is possible.
I swore I'd never return. But there's a kid in danger and a woman depending on me, so I have no choice--I'm going home.
Detective story in a fantastic setting.
But business has been slow lately, so when Joanna Barrett showed up at my door, reeking of wealth, asking me to find her runaway teenage daughter, I didn't say no. Then I found out exactly where the girl had gone--The Nightside. That square mile of Hell in the middle of the city, where it's always three a.m. Where you can walk beside myths and drink with monsters. Where nothing is what it seems and everything is possible.
I swore I'd never return. But there's a kid in danger and a woman depending on me, so I have no choice--I'm going home.
Detective story in a fantastic setting.
