Nightside stories | Hex and the City (Nightside, Book 4)

Finally, a payoff!! | Hex and the City (Nightside, Book 4) | Simon R. Green

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	• Hex and the City (Nightside, Book 4) Simon R. Green Ace, 2005 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 22 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Deepens with every book

Simon R. Green's fourth Nightside installment, Hex and the City, continues the trend of the first three: the overall story line gets better with each book. The writing is getting better, but there are still some of the same flaws: he still relies too much on stock phrases and poor attempts at hardboiled wit for humor. Fortunately, the characters are much more interesting, and though there are some of the old overpowered characters in this one, they are much more interesting; John's quest in this is to find out the origins of the Nightside, which it turns out relate to the identity of his mother and his role in the potential future destruction of the Nightside and the entire world, as glimpsed in the first book. His allies in this are the best part of the book: Madman and Sinner, two people who are in one way or another impervious to harm, who he brings because he can hide behind them when things get nasty. And though there is a surprise appearance by Suzie Shooter, and some annoying parts with Alex the bartender, the book overall was a lot of fun to read.

The ending kinda sucked, though. Either a cliffhanger or just a lame attempt to maintain John's persona as the tough guy/sad victim of the world's vicissitudes. Not good, whichever it was. But then, it was only one line in a 250-page novel, so the read was definitely worth it, and we'll hope the next installment saves the series from the potential downfall of John's last words.

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Nightside stories

Simon Green has invented a nasty little piece of work called The Nightside. You will be reminded that it is called the Nightside on practically EVERY PAGE. He will not let up with repetition so get used to it. Strangely enough, he has created some strong and interesting characters. Then he kills them. Lines them up and shoots them down ( or rips their limbs off ). For a pulp serial fiction, they are rather entertaining, just be sure of the correct order to read them. Each book usually contains an individual story line but there will be occurances in each edition that will be brought up again in later novels. Unfortunately, there is no sequencing published on the cover and little listing available inside.
The series in a nutshell:
Cliche Private Investigator with supernatural power solves cases in a grim "otherworldly" location congruent to London. Mix liberally with time travel and forces of Good and Evil vying for supremacy and add a dash of zombie horror snuff film and Voila! You have THE NIGHTSIDE.

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Finally, a payoff!!

Ok, lets be honest: these books are not Shakespeare, nor are they meant to be. In fact, the writing can be downright cheesy at times, but it is hard not to get sucked into the world and the characters that Mr. Green created. In this one we finally get some payoff to the story arcs that have been building since the first book. One thing about this series, characters and themes tend to pop up again and again, and Mr. Green won't leave you hanging. Overall, this is a nice diversion from real live, but don't expect too much.

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Entertaining read, story isn't as contained as in previous books

This is the 4th book in the Nightside series by Simon Green.

John Taylor is commissioned by the Lady Luck herself to find something near and dear to John's own heart. Lady Luck wishes to know the origins of the Nightside, John suspects that his own mother is linked to the Nightside's origins. John joins up with Madman (who has seen things no human should and, as such, randomly changes the reality around himself) and Sinner (who has been rejected by both heaven and hell and as such cannot be killed) to venture into deeper and darker places beneath the Nightside than have ever been breached; at least ever been breached by people who later lived to tell about.

This book was fast-paced, fun, and very creative. I loved Madman, Sinner, and Pretty Poison. They are wonderful characters with a lot of depth and creativity in their personas.

This book answers some questions about Walker, the Authorities, the Nightside, and John's mother. It was nice to get come closure around these questions. That being said this was a departure from the previous stories in that it is not a self-contained story and adventure. The end of this book leaves you desperately waiting for the next book to find out what happens.

On one hand I kind of liked the transition of this series to something that is larger than one book; on the other hand I miss the self-contained detective story with a mysterious over-arcing storyline. This story was just structured differently from previous ones and whether that is good or bad...well, only the next book will tell.

That being said I really liked this book. I found it extremely amusing, as well as extremely disturbing. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.
karissabooks.blogspot.com

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Super Reader

We discover more about the Nightside, here, and learn that John was apprenticed to Carnacki the Ghost Finder.

After an auction for the Chaos Butterfly that does not go well, Lady Luck turns up and gives John a job. Given it is one he wants to do anyway, he is happy to stick his nose in, and go looking for the origins of the Nightside.

This is all tied up with who his mother is, the thing no-one will tell him. Taking a Sinner, Demon and Madman with him, he goes questioning the Powers, and has to go past the Lamentation, Herne the Hunter, the Lord of Thorns, Merlin, and Walker and the Authorities to get there.

Myths and Legends multiply it seems, in the Nightside.

Very interesting stuff.

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Lady Luck has hired John Taylor to investigate the origins of the Nightside--the dark heart of London where it's always 3 A.M. But when he starts to uncover facts about his long-vanished mother, the Nightside--and all of existence-- could be snuffed out.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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