Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green Narrator: Dan Calley
Series: Nightside #1
Published by Tantor Audio on January 18, 2022
Genres: Science Fiction Fantasy
Length: 3 hours, 55 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
Something from the Nightside is the first book in Green's Nightside sequence, a hard-boiled mystery that chronicles the life of John Taylor, a down-and-out private detective with supernatural abilities who specializes in finding lost things in Nightside. The realm of Nightside is "the secret, hidden, dark heart" of London, a subterranean world where time and reality have no meaning, a place where it's always three o'clock in the morning and something dangerous is most definitely lurking right around the corner.
When a desperate blonde comes to John searching for her runaway daughter, he takes the case, although it means returning to his place of birth, Nightside. John has been living in "the real world" for five years, and returning to Nightside means being reacquainted with old friends like Razor Eddie, Punk God of the Straight Razor, and Shotgun Suzie, a leather-clad bounty hunter. But the first rule in Nightside is never trust anyone.
I’ve read this author before and always though I would like to read this Nightside series. When I saw Something from the Nightside on audio, I wanted immediately to try it. It’s like a paranormal detective series. The feeling is historical and a bit noir with the detective working for the rich lady.
The audio was rather short and quickly read. Yet I didn’t feel I was missing anything in the world and character developments as I often can in the first book in a series. There was plenty to engage in the brief story.
We learn about John Taylor, the detective, and a bit of his skills and history with the Nightside, a start at least. His father was apparently some sort of law enforcement in the Nightside. His mother is more mysterious and there are hints he gets his “talents” from her, and that she maybe alive and coming back. John has friends and serious enemies in the Nightside.
There is a mysterious case with a woman who has lost her daughter. It is believed she is in the Nightside. John doesn’t want to go there but he can’t let innocents suffer and he needs to pay his bills. The mother insists on going with him. They argue some but get along well enough. John finds a comfort in the familiar of the Nightside, as dangerous as it is for them. The case is twisty with plenty of action from enemies and some assistance from friends.
I enjoyed the introduction to the world and characters. I look forward to learning more as there is setup for more adventures here.
Narration:
I don’t believe I have listened to Dan Calley before. I felt comfortable with his voices and accents. He did a nice performance of male and female voices with enough differentiation between characters. I did start listening at 1.25x speed, but was able to change to my normal 1.5x speed after becoming comfortable with the voices.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Simon R. Green
Simon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.
His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 22-COYER
I’ve read all the books in this series, and some are better than others, but John Taylor is one of those characters I liked immediately. 🙂
I’ll probably get to more of them over time.
This sounds like a pretty good series starter. Definitely has me curious about John Taylor.
Yes, I’m sure I’ll read more in the series.