Nightside (book series)
Encyclopedia
Nightside is a series of fantasy novels by author Simon R. Green.
After Just Another Judgement Day, Green has only three more books planned, which will bring an end to the series.
based in the fictional Nightside, a dark, hidden netherworld of London
in which the supernatural and science fiction super-technology co-exist. Dark, cynical, and humorous, the books offer an adventure into the Nightside, where classic pulp
PI
novels blend with fantasy
and science fiction
.
The novels also contain references to various folklore
and iconic world literature.
The series itself takes place in a fictional inner city
area of London
known as the Nightside. The Nightside experiences perpetual night ("it's always 3am"). The Nightside itself is contained within London, yet is significantly larger than London itself. Though access to the Nightside is hidden, it does experience a steady stream of tourists from the "normal world".
The series' protagonist John Taylor describes the Nightside as "a place where dreams come true and nightmares come alive. Where one can buy anything, often at the price of your soul... or someone else's. Where the music never stops and the fun never ends". Numerous seemingly impossible services or goods are available such as albums from alternative time-lines (e.g. a live Mama Cass concert from 2003), a business where customers pay to be possessed for a brief period of time "just for the kick of it," and a drug called Revert which causes users to temporarily devolve into a biological ancestor (e.g. a Neanderthal).
A recurring feature in the Nightside is the appearance of "timeslips", locations where the Nightside collides with another part of space and/or time, and sometimes with a completely separate, alternate timeline as well. A number of characters identified within the series are "refugees" displaced by timeslips. The appearance of timeslips is generally, though not always, unpredictable and unplanned.
The Nightside is overseen by The Authorities, a committee whose members are largely unknown which makes rules, policy, and decisions concerning what is allowed to happen within the realm. The Authorities' decisions are enforced by their Agent (or "The Man"), who among other equipment and abilities is given The Voice, a way of issuing vocal commands which no human can refuse. At the beginning of the first book this position is held by Walker.
The main character of the series, John possesses the ability to locate anything with a supernatural ability he refers to as his "private eye". This allows him several secondary abilities, such as unloading enemy weapons at a distance or removing cavity fillings, or disrupting magical forces and wards by finding and removing the lynch-pins that hold them together. Taylor is the son of Lilith
, who first created the Nightside. Lilith herself has stated that her history is a parable and not literal truth. This fact has made Taylor a primary target for many powerful forces e.g. the Harrowing, who wish to aid or kill Taylor depending on their opinion of his mother.
Suzie Shooter aka Shotgun Suzie aka Dear God It's Her Run!
The Nightside's most dangerous bounty hunter
, named for her trademark pump-action shotgun. Known for bringing back her bounties dead because, as she always puts it, "it takes less paperwork". Later in the series, she reveals to John that her older brother rape
d her and made her pregnant when she was a teenager, forcing her to have an abortion
. After she murdered her brother, she disappeared into the Nightside. Later in the series she and Taylor become lovers. Introduced in the book as "Suzie Shooter, also known as Shotgun Suzie and Oh Christ its her, RUN!!!"
Razor Eddie, Punk God of the Straight Razor
A former gang member turned homeless vigilante
, he is known for prowling the streets and killing bad guys with his trademark
straight razor
. In later books, he apparently went to the Street of the Gods and became a deity. Razor Eddie is also mentioned in another of Green's series', Hawk and Fisher, as a well known street fighter
, turned vigilante from the Street of the Gods. Eddie's pearl-handled straight razor is purportedly the only thing that can end his immortality.
Walker
The public face of the "Authorities". First name Henry. Was a good friend of John's father. Most of Taylor's cases in the Nightside are due to him. He is known for using 'The Voice', allegedly given to him by the Authorities, which forces people to do as he wants, although there are a few members of the Nightside that can defy or outright ignore his 'Voice'.
Alex Morrisey
The current owner of Strangefellows, an irritable young man always dressed in black. Taylor goes to him for information and meets clients at the bar. His sour behaviour has something to do with the fact that Merlin Satanspawn, his direct ancestor, put a curse
on the bar so that he can only leave if another member of his family takes his place—and apparently he's the last of the Morrisey family. Has something of a grudging friendship with Taylor.
Dead Boy
Once a young man who was brutally murdered outside a Nightside club, he came back as a zombie
to avenge his own death. He is stuck in the Nightside, so in the meantime he does good deeds, often getting in the line of fire because he can't die; but then he can't heal, either, and so he is largely held together by staples and duct tape.
Merlin Satanspawn
The Merlin of Arthurian legend is buried underneath Alex's bar, Strangefellows, and sometimes appears in public by possessing Alex Morrisey, an act which Alex finds quite traumatic. Merlin has had his heart ripped out and wants John to find out where it is and get it back to him so he can regain his former strength and glory. Later in the series, it is revealed that it is Taylor himself who is responsible for Merlin losing his heart. Taylor knows the current whereabouts of Merlin's heart but is keeping it a secret, fearing what would happen to the world if Merlin regained his former power.
The Harrowing
A collection of faceless assassins that possess anaesthetic-filled hypodermic needles for fingers, the Harrowing have been attempting to kill John since he was a child. Unstoppable by normal means and nearly indestructible. Taylor has managed to either avoid them or escape from them when assisted by powerful forces. The Harrowing locate Taylor when he attempts to use his gift, which allows those who can detect his ability to home in on him. It's revealed that the Harrowing are actually Taylor's friends and former allies and clients, sent back in time from one potential future where Taylor is primarily responsible for the death of all life on Earth, with the intent of questioning and executing him.
After Just Another Judgement Day, Green has only three more books planned, which will bring an end to the series.
Setting
The series is focused on John Taylor, a private investigatorPrivate investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
based in the fictional Nightside, a dark, hidden netherworld of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in which the supernatural and science fiction super-technology co-exist. Dark, cynical, and humorous, the books offer an adventure into the Nightside, where classic pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
PI
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
novels blend with fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
.
The novels also contain references to various folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and iconic world literature.
The series itself takes place in a fictional inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
known as the Nightside. The Nightside experiences perpetual night ("it's always 3am"). The Nightside itself is contained within London, yet is significantly larger than London itself. Though access to the Nightside is hidden, it does experience a steady stream of tourists from the "normal world".
The series' protagonist John Taylor describes the Nightside as "a place where dreams come true and nightmares come alive. Where one can buy anything, often at the price of your soul... or someone else's. Where the music never stops and the fun never ends". Numerous seemingly impossible services or goods are available such as albums from alternative time-lines (e.g. a live Mama Cass concert from 2003), a business where customers pay to be possessed for a brief period of time "just for the kick of it," and a drug called Revert which causes users to temporarily devolve into a biological ancestor (e.g. a Neanderthal).
A recurring feature in the Nightside is the appearance of "timeslips", locations where the Nightside collides with another part of space and/or time, and sometimes with a completely separate, alternate timeline as well. A number of characters identified within the series are "refugees" displaced by timeslips. The appearance of timeslips is generally, though not always, unpredictable and unplanned.
The Nightside is overseen by The Authorities, a committee whose members are largely unknown which makes rules, policy, and decisions concerning what is allowed to happen within the realm. The Authorities' decisions are enforced by their Agent (or "The Man"), who among other equipment and abilities is given The Voice, a way of issuing vocal commands which no human can refuse. At the beginning of the first book this position is held by Walker.
Main characters in the series
John TaylorThe main character of the series, John possesses the ability to locate anything with a supernatural ability he refers to as his "private eye". This allows him several secondary abilities, such as unloading enemy weapons at a distance or removing cavity fillings, or disrupting magical forces and wards by finding and removing the lynch-pins that hold them together. Taylor is the son of Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
, who first created the Nightside. Lilith herself has stated that her history is a parable and not literal truth. This fact has made Taylor a primary target for many powerful forces e.g. the Harrowing, who wish to aid or kill Taylor depending on their opinion of his mother.
Suzie Shooter aka Shotgun Suzie aka Dear God It's Her Run!
The Nightside's most dangerous bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
, named for her trademark pump-action shotgun. Known for bringing back her bounties dead because, as she always puts it, "it takes less paperwork". Later in the series, she reveals to John that her older brother rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d her and made her pregnant when she was a teenager, forcing her to have an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. After she murdered her brother, she disappeared into the Nightside. Later in the series she and Taylor become lovers. Introduced in the book as "Suzie Shooter, also known as Shotgun Suzie and Oh Christ its her, RUN!!!"
Razor Eddie, Punk God of the Straight Razor
A former gang member turned homeless vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
, he is known for prowling the streets and killing bad guys with his trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
straight razor
Straight razor
A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors.Although straight razors were once the principal method of manual shaving, they have been largely overshadowed by the safety razor, incorporating a disposable blade...
. In later books, he apparently went to the Street of the Gods and became a deity. Razor Eddie is also mentioned in another of Green's series', Hawk and Fisher, as a well known street fighter
Street fighting
Street fighting is a colloquial term used to denote unsanctioned, illegal in some countries, hand-to-hand fighting in public places, between individuals or groups of people....
, turned vigilante from the Street of the Gods. Eddie's pearl-handled straight razor is purportedly the only thing that can end his immortality.
Walker
The public face of the "Authorities". First name Henry. Was a good friend of John's father. Most of Taylor's cases in the Nightside are due to him. He is known for using 'The Voice', allegedly given to him by the Authorities, which forces people to do as he wants, although there are a few members of the Nightside that can defy or outright ignore his 'Voice'.
Alex Morrisey
The current owner of Strangefellows, an irritable young man always dressed in black. Taylor goes to him for information and meets clients at the bar. His sour behaviour has something to do with the fact that Merlin Satanspawn, his direct ancestor, put a curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
on the bar so that he can only leave if another member of his family takes his place—and apparently he's the last of the Morrisey family. Has something of a grudging friendship with Taylor.
Dead Boy
Once a young man who was brutally murdered outside a Nightside club, he came back as a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
to avenge his own death. He is stuck in the Nightside, so in the meantime he does good deeds, often getting in the line of fire because he can't die; but then he can't heal, either, and so he is largely held together by staples and duct tape.
Merlin Satanspawn
The Merlin of Arthurian legend is buried underneath Alex's bar, Strangefellows, and sometimes appears in public by possessing Alex Morrisey, an act which Alex finds quite traumatic. Merlin has had his heart ripped out and wants John to find out where it is and get it back to him so he can regain his former strength and glory. Later in the series, it is revealed that it is Taylor himself who is responsible for Merlin losing his heart. Taylor knows the current whereabouts of Merlin's heart but is keeping it a secret, fearing what would happen to the world if Merlin regained his former power.
The Harrowing
A collection of faceless assassins that possess anaesthetic-filled hypodermic needles for fingers, the Harrowing have been attempting to kill John since he was a child. Unstoppable by normal means and nearly indestructible. Taylor has managed to either avoid them or escape from them when assisted by powerful forces. The Harrowing locate Taylor when he attempts to use his gift, which allows those who can detect his ability to home in on him. It's revealed that the Harrowing are actually Taylor's friends and former allies and clients, sent back in time from one potential future where Taylor is primarily responsible for the death of all life on Earth, with the intent of questioning and executing him.
US only
- Something from the Nightside (New York, Ace 2003), ISBN 0-441-01065-2
- Agents of Light and Darkness (New York, Ace 2003), ISBN 0-441-01113-6
- Nightingale's Lament (New York Ace 2004), ISBN 0-441-01163-2
- Hex and the City (New York Ace 2005), ISBN 0-441-01261-2
- Paths not Taken (New York Ace September 2005), ISBN 0-441-01319-8
- Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth (Ace February 28, 2006), ISBN 0-441-01387-2
- Hell to Pay (Ace December 27, 2006), ISBN 0-441-01460-7
- The Unnatural Inquirer (Ace January 2, 2008), ISBN 0-441-01558-1
- Just Another Judgement Day (Ace January 6, 2009), ISBN 0-441-01674-7
- The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (Ace January 5, 2010), ISBN 0-441-01816-5
- A Hard Day's Knight (Ace January 4, 2011), ISBN 0-441-01970-6
- The Bride Wore Black Leather (Ace January 3, 2012), ISBN 1-937-00713-8
UK only
- Into the Nightside (Nightside Omnibus 1) (Solaris Books, 2008), ISBN 1-844-16642-2 :A collection of the first and second Nightside novels.
- Haunting the Nightside (Nightside Omnibus 2) (Solaris Books September 1, 2008), ISBN 1-844-16638-4 :A collection of the third and fourth Nightside novels.
- The Dark Heart of the Nightside (Solaris Books October 6, 2008), ISBN 1-844-16635-X :A collection of the fifth and sixth Nightside novels.
- Damned if you Do in the Nightside (Nightside Omnibus 4) (Solaris Books, 2009), :A collection of the seventh and eighth Nightside novels.
- Just Another Judgement Day in the Nightside (Nightside Omnibus 5) (Solaris Books, 2010), :A collection of the ninth and tenth Nightside novels.
Short fiction
- "The Nightside, Needless to Say" in Powers of Detection (Ace, October 2004), ISBN 0-441-01197-7 :An anthology of twelve paranormal detective stories. The Nightside story features Larry Oblivion.
- "Razor Eddie’s Big Night Out" in Cemetery Dance #55, (Cemetery Dance, 2006):A short story starring Razor Eddie.
- "Lucy at Christmastime" in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Ace Hardcover, October 7, 2008), ISBN 0-441-01633-2 : An anthology about Werewolves at Christmastime. The Nightside story features Leo Morn from Drinking Midnight Wine.
- "Appetite for Murder" in Unusual Suspects (Ace Trade December 2, 2008), ISBN 0-441-01637-5. The Nightside story features Ms. Fate.
- "The Difference a Day Makes" in Mean StreetsMean Streets (novel)Mean Streets is a 2009 anthology of four urban fantasy stories written by science fiction and fantasy authors featuring protagonists from their series.1) "The Warrior" featuring Harry Dresden from the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher...
(Roc January 5, 2010), ISBN 0-451-46306-4 : An anthology of assorted novellas tied to existing crime/fantasy series. A Nightside novella features John Taylor and Dead Boy. - Some of These Cons Go Way Back in Cemetery Dance #60 (Cemetery Dance, 2009)
- Hungry Hearts in Down These Strange Streets, an anthology edited by George R. R. Martin centering on urban fantasy detectives.