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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Third of the Nightside dark, getting darker with each story, urban fantasy series set underground in London, England.
My Take
There's a fun bit about phrenology and changing a man's personality by hitting him on the head with a hammer to get the right sort of bumps. Then a bit of ye olde world — makin' ya right grateful for the FDA — "something wriggling on a stick! … Food so fast it will be out your backside before you know it!"
Oh yeah, the Nightside is a trip and a half. As John Taylor says, "Nothing's ever what it seems…" which makes this a fascinating place to visit. If only to discover just how imaginative Green gets this time!
The Story
John Taylor starts off with a bang and a quickly-ending flash which will not endear him to Walker nor the rest of the Nightside should they ever find out. And, it opens a huge can of worms that leads John into partnership with Dead Boy. John helps Dead Boy put the powerful aliens back into their dimension and Dead Boy helps John find Sylvia Sin…a horror created by the Cavendishes and a terrifying preview of what could happen to Rossignol.
Too intrigued to stop, Dead Boy is determined to tag along…life is always exciting when you hang around with John Taylor.
The Characters
John Taylor is a force in the Darkside. More feared than loved, rumor is snaking throughout the Nightside that he is a king-in-waiting. The mere mention of his name is enough to send the bad guys scuttling for cover.
Charles Chabron hires John to check into the health of his daughter, Rossignol. She's signed on with a pair of deadly entrepreneurs to promote her singing career and has since cut off all contact with her family and friends. In addition, there are rumors that her singing is promoting suicides within her audience.
Rossignol Chabron is French and lives to sing. Gravitating to London to pursue her career, Rossignol found her way to the Nightside singing songs of joy and happiness…until the Cavendishes. Now her songs bring despair…and death.
Dead Boy was killed in a random mugging 30 years ago when he was 17. In his anger he made a deal to avenge his death…only it hasn't felt like a good deal for many a year. People call Dead Boy when the problem has gone way past survival. For Dead Boy can't die, he simply staples, duct tapes, or stitches his parts back together and continues to search for extremes, hoping to feel something.
Julien Advent is the Victorian Adventurer-hero trapped into the future who worked his way up to editor then owner of the Night Times — their slogan? All the news, dammit.
The Nightside is…
…the dark and corrupt city within the city of London. Where the sun never shines and where pleasure and horror are always on sale — for the right price. Not a nice place to visit or a nice place to live. Walker represents the Authorities which runs, owns, operates the Nightside. No one, and I mean no one wants to be on his bad side. Well, okay, except for JT…he practically lives for it.
Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish with, they thought, their deep, dark secret are heartily despised throughout the Nightside for their underhanded business dealings. And their employees deal John Taylor tremendous blows that, if they become known, will reverberate throughout their world, undermining everything John needs to stay alive.
Strangefellows is Alex's bar and John's home away from home where everyone drifts through at some point.
The Cover and Title
The cover is just plain scary with its black-clad torch singer amidst dozens of reaching, elongated, transparent hands.
The title, Nightingale's Lament, is truly accurate as Rossignol sings like a mourning nightingale.
My Take
There's a fun bit about phrenology and changing a man's personality by hitting him on the head with a hammer to get the right sort of bumps. Then a bit of ye olde world — makin' ya right grateful for the FDA — "something wriggling on a stick! … Food so fast it will be out your backside before you know it!"
Oh yeah, the Nightside is a trip and a half. As John Taylor says, "Nothing's ever what it seems…" which makes this a fascinating place to visit. If only to discover just how imaginative Green gets this time!
The Story
John Taylor starts off with a bang and a quickly-ending flash which will not endear him to Walker nor the rest of the Nightside should they ever find out. And, it opens a huge can of worms that leads John into partnership with Dead Boy. John helps Dead Boy put the powerful aliens back into their dimension and Dead Boy helps John find Sylvia Sin…a horror created by the Cavendishes and a terrifying preview of what could happen to Rossignol.
Too intrigued to stop, Dead Boy is determined to tag along…life is always exciting when you hang around with John Taylor.
The Characters
John Taylor is a force in the Darkside. More feared than loved, rumor is snaking throughout the Nightside that he is a king-in-waiting. The mere mention of his name is enough to send the bad guys scuttling for cover.
Charles Chabron hires John to check into the health of his daughter, Rossignol. She's signed on with a pair of deadly entrepreneurs to promote her singing career and has since cut off all contact with her family and friends. In addition, there are rumors that her singing is promoting suicides within her audience.
Rossignol Chabron is French and lives to sing. Gravitating to London to pursue her career, Rossignol found her way to the Nightside singing songs of joy and happiness…until the Cavendishes. Now her songs bring despair…and death.
Dead Boy was killed in a random mugging 30 years ago when he was 17. In his anger he made a deal to avenge his death…only it hasn't felt like a good deal for many a year. People call Dead Boy when the problem has gone way past survival. For Dead Boy can't die, he simply staples, duct tapes, or stitches his parts back together and continues to search for extremes, hoping to feel something.
Julien Advent is the Victorian Adventurer-hero trapped into the future who worked his way up to editor then owner of the Night Times — their slogan? All the news, dammit.
The Nightside is…
…the dark and corrupt city within the city of London. Where the sun never shines and where pleasure and horror are always on sale — for the right price. Not a nice place to visit or a nice place to live. Walker represents the Authorities which runs, owns, operates the Nightside. No one, and I mean no one wants to be on his bad side. Well, okay, except for JT…he practically lives for it.
Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish with, they thought, their deep, dark secret are heartily despised throughout the Nightside for their underhanded business dealings. And their employees deal John Taylor tremendous blows that, if they become known, will reverberate throughout their world, undermining everything John needs to stay alive.
Strangefellows is Alex's bar and John's home away from home where everyone drifts through at some point.
The Cover and Title
The cover is just plain scary with its black-clad torch singer amidst dozens of reaching, elongated, transparent hands.
The title, Nightingale's Lament, is truly accurate as Rossignol sings like a mourning nightingale.
styxx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Body horror, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
Standard complaint: Goodreads doesn't trust me to add editions anymore. I listened to this on Hoopla via an audiobook format, not a CD. And the narrator is Dan Calley.
I do enjoy reading/listening to books set in the Nightside. This is no exception. The mystery was okay, but it is the setting and characters that make the stories work. The descriptions that Green writes are exceptional. Then there is the fact that I absolutely love his way of naming characters.
This is fun!
I do enjoy reading/listening to books set in the Nightside. This is no exception. The mystery was okay, but it is the setting and characters that make the stories work. The descriptions that Green writes are exceptional. Then there is the fact that I absolutely love his way of naming characters.
This is fun!
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
While in hiding for causing blackouts all over the Nightside, John Taylor gets hired to find out why fans of a singer called the Nightingale are killing themselves. Taylor hooks up with Dead Boy, an undead youth eternally 17 years old and the trail takes them up against Mrs. and Mr. Cavendish, the Nightingale's managers. What sinister secret is at the heart of Nightingale's strange behavior, as well as that of her suicidal fans?
Simon Green is one sick bastard. I mean that in the best way possible. Who else could string beasts from the Outer Darkness, transvestites, sleep walking thugs, a shapeshifting prostitute, and the creepiest pair this side of Croup and Vandemar from Neverwhere? Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish were extremely unsettling in their behavior. The nod to Doc Savage in the form of Julian Advent, Victorian Adventurer was a nice touch. One of the things I enjoy about the Nightside books are all the easter eggs thrown in.
As always, the dark biting humor is present, as well as a generous spoonful of gore. The story was good although it wrapped up a little too nicely in the end. I am pleased at how quickly the overall plot progresses in the Nightside books as opposed to a certain other series I could name. I won't mention names but it rhymes with Darry Hresden.
Simon Green is one sick bastard. I mean that in the best way possible. Who else could string beasts from the Outer Darkness, transvestites, sleep walking thugs, a shapeshifting prostitute, and the creepiest pair this side of Croup and Vandemar from Neverwhere? Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish were extremely unsettling in their behavior. The nod to Doc Savage in the form of Julian Advent, Victorian Adventurer was a nice touch. One of the things I enjoy about the Nightside books are all the easter eggs thrown in.
As always, the dark biting humor is present, as well as a generous spoonful of gore. The story was good although it wrapped up a little too nicely in the end. I am pleased at how quickly the overall plot progresses in the Nightside books as opposed to a certain other series I could name. I won't mention names but it rhymes with Darry Hresden.
ckjaer88's review against another edition
4.0
Solid installment. And you can't help but love Dead Boy.
queenterribletimy's review against another edition
3.0
My review can be read on my blog as well: https://starlitbook.com/2018/04/03/nightingales-lament-by-simon-r-green/
Nightingale's Lament starts with John working on a case, helping out an old friend. As a result, he manages to bring down one of the biggest electricity provider in the Nightside, causing all kinds of trouble - this later in the book comes back to kick him in the ass every once in a while. To be honest, this first chapter - and the story contained in it - was my favorite part, and it would have deserved a whole story. Instead, John is being hired to find out if everything is fine with the up and coming star Rossignol, who lately didn't seemed to be herself, and there were rumors regarding fans committing suicide. John sets out to look into the bottom of it. As usual, he gets partners, and we get to know some new characters - Julian, the editor of the Night Times, Dead Boy who ends up playing a crucial role, and my favorite in this book, Otto, the hurricane page boy.
The biggest strength of this series is the world building, and that you can really never forsee what's to come (or most of the time anyway, this time one of the twists were pretty obvious to me). I also like the humor, however, compared to the first book, this book seems to lack it. Sadly. Or it might be I wasn't in the mood to appreciate it. I don't know.
And now the rant part of my review. I've read 3 books now out of 12, but I can't see the improvement in the writing (or editing for that matter). On the contrary. This series has the potential to be one of the best, but it fails to deliver, which pisses me off. Green throws around the phrase "in the Nightside" like it's a fucking confetti. I mean, yeah, by book 3 we know we are in the Nightside, thanks. You don't have to add itt every second page. The repetitiveness can be boring after a while, and John's constant whining about not knowing about her mom. I hope we'll learn something about her soon, or poor John will have mommy issues sooner or later (or he has already, come to think of it). I also can't understand why the characters have to call each others names in every conversation (altough I have to say, I like the names like Razor Eddie the Punk God or Shotgun Suzie). You know we readers aren't stupid, we've been reading for pages this scene, we know full well, that you are together. Meh. However, I'm starting to realise that this might be a british thing and pretty common in their everyday lives. Strange.
Anyway, I really, really, want to love this series, and I keep carry on hoping it gets better. But if this continues, I might have to reconsider reading the series and stop wasting my money on it (living in Budapest, library is not an option or second hand bookshops for that matter. I have to buy every book I read, which can be a gamble at times). So far Nightingale's Lament was my least favorite, despite music playing a part in it. The story felt off, I didn't find it interesting enough, and felt like it was just an excuse to show off different scenes and parts of the Nightside, throwing it all in one book and hoping something will come out of it. And again, one of the twists were too obvious. I find myself getting tired of books where the MC just wanders around, keeps getting injured or something just so we know he is not immortal. Then in the last 10% of the book suddenly everyone pops up, reveals some big secret then every problem gets solved in the blink of an eye. Is it me or this just really gets boring after a while? Also, these books are short, and I get that the story must be wrapped up, but felt a bit rushed to me. I hope the next book will bring back some of the humor of the first book, because that made me snort loudly, and if I have to deal with all the repetitiveness, then at least I'd like to have some fun too.
Nightingale's Lament starts with John working on a case, helping out an old friend. As a result, he manages to bring down one of the biggest electricity provider in the Nightside, causing all kinds of trouble - this later in the book comes back to kick him in the ass every once in a while. To be honest, this first chapter - and the story contained in it - was my favorite part, and it would have deserved a whole story. Instead, John is being hired to find out if everything is fine with the up and coming star Rossignol, who lately didn't seemed to be herself, and there were rumors regarding fans committing suicide. John sets out to look into the bottom of it. As usual, he gets partners, and we get to know some new characters - Julian, the editor of the Night Times, Dead Boy who ends up playing a crucial role, and my favorite in this book, Otto, the hurricane page boy.
The biggest strength of this series is the world building, and that you can really never forsee what's to come (or most of the time anyway, this time one of the twists were pretty obvious to me). I also like the humor, however, compared to the first book, this book seems to lack it. Sadly. Or it might be I wasn't in the mood to appreciate it. I don't know.
And now the rant part of my review. I've read 3 books now out of 12, but I can't see the improvement in the writing (or editing for that matter). On the contrary. This series has the potential to be one of the best, but it fails to deliver, which pisses me off. Green throws around the phrase "in the Nightside" like it's a fucking confetti. I mean, yeah, by book 3 we know we are in the Nightside, thanks. You don't have to add itt every second page. The repetitiveness can be boring after a while, and John's constant whining about not knowing about her mom. I hope we'll learn something about her soon, or poor John will have mommy issues sooner or later (or he has already, come to think of it). I also can't understand why the characters have to call each others names in every conversation (altough I have to say, I like the names like Razor Eddie the Punk God or Shotgun Suzie). You know we readers aren't stupid, we've been reading for pages this scene, we know full well, that you are together. Meh. However, I'm starting to realise that this might be a british thing and pretty common in their everyday lives. Strange.
Anyway, I really, really, want to love this series, and I keep carry on hoping it gets better. But if this continues, I might have to reconsider reading the series and stop wasting my money on it (living in Budapest, library is not an option or second hand bookshops for that matter. I have to buy every book I read, which can be a gamble at times). So far Nightingale's Lament was my least favorite, despite music playing a part in it. The story felt off, I didn't find it interesting enough, and felt like it was just an excuse to show off different scenes and parts of the Nightside, throwing it all in one book and hoping something will come out of it. And again, one of the twists were too obvious. I find myself getting tired of books where the MC just wanders around, keeps getting injured or something just so we know he is not immortal. Then in the last 10% of the book suddenly everyone pops up, reveals some big secret then every problem gets solved in the blink of an eye. Is it me or this just really gets boring after a while? Also, these books are short, and I get that the story must be wrapped up, but felt a bit rushed to me. I hope the next book will bring back some of the humor of the first book, because that made me snort loudly, and if I have to deal with all the repetitiveness, then at least I'd like to have some fun too.
gsatori's review against another edition
3.0
My second time through this book because... Because I couldn't remember it. But I loved it nonetheless.
What amazes me is Green's clever and witty world building and his wild assortment of all the wall characters.
What amazes me is Green's clever and witty world building and his wild assortment of all the wall characters.
hidekisohma's review against another edition
3.0
So I pretty much read this book in a day. And honestly, it...really wasn't as good as the 2nd one. However, that's not exactly this book's fault. The previous book set the stakes so high that dropping down to this level's was a bit of a head rush. The story was fine enough in itself with a good enough payoff, but once you go to the freaking unholy grail, helping a random singer girl out kinda feels weak by comparison.
Of course as usual, it reads really fast and is a fun adventure, and definitely worth the one day i spent reading it (217 pages in a pocket novel is crazy short).
Not great, but not bad. A nice distraction read. Probably won't remember all the details of this book for long as i'll probably forget, but overall, worth the short time i spent reading it. 3/5
Of course as usual, it reads really fast and is a fun adventure, and definitely worth the one day i spent reading it (217 pages in a pocket novel is crazy short).
Not great, but not bad. A nice distraction read. Probably won't remember all the details of this book for long as i'll probably forget, but overall, worth the short time i spent reading it. 3/5