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jnareb's review against another edition
Standalone book in the "Nightside" universe... but it mentions and hints at characters and items from other Simon R Green books: "Beyond Blue Moon" ("Blue Moon Rising" / "Hawk & Fisher"), "Deathstalker", "Secret History"... Nice, a bit short though.
mackle13's review against another edition
4.0
Anyone who's gotten this far into the series knows that the stories are a little predictable. Green tends to repeat himself, not just from book to book, but even within books. If I read the line "He's the wrath of God on earth" again, I think I was gonna scream. And every time he uses his Gift and "then it was the easiest thing in the world..." my eye twitches a little.
That said, after the last book, which I was rather disappointed in, this one has some fresh life and fun again. Yes, it is sort of a filler book, but I also think I can see the threads for where the next arc is coming from. It was also an opportunity to introduce us to the several new characters and creations - and, really, that is Green's shining light, I think.
Aside from some of the new characters, we also got glimpses of some old faves, like Julien Advent and, my ultimate fave, Razor Eddie (though I would've liked to see more of him.) And Walker's even human...
Mixed in with the fun, the frenetic violence, and the the wry wit and snarky commentary, there was even some depth in the guise of the question of morality - of the infinite shades of grey vs. black and white, and how you can, arguably, do something 'evil' for the benefit of 'the greater good'.
The only problem, as I said before, is it gets repetitive. John and The Walking Man have the same circular argument about morality about three times, at least, not even counting John's own circular thoughts on the topic.
**minor possible spoiler**
It was interesting to see how the story was resolved, without access to the damn Gift, but it was also sort of anti-climactic. To be honest I really thought the Walking Man was going to go to St. Jude's and be confronted with the truth from his god... I would've liked to see him fall apart as he realized that he was just another crazy man thinking god was talking to him - ah well, can't have everything.
That said, after the last book, which I was rather disappointed in, this one has some fresh life and fun again. Yes, it is sort of a filler book, but I also think I can see the threads for where the next arc is coming from. It was also an opportunity to introduce us to the several new characters and creations - and, really, that is Green's shining light, I think.
Aside from some of the new characters, we also got glimpses of some old faves, like Julien Advent and, my ultimate fave, Razor Eddie (though I would've liked to see more of him.) And Walker's even human...
Mixed in with the fun, the frenetic violence, and the the wry wit and snarky commentary, there was even some depth in the guise of the question of morality - of the infinite shades of grey vs. black and white, and how you can, arguably, do something 'evil' for the benefit of 'the greater good'.
The only problem, as I said before, is it gets repetitive. John and The Walking Man have the same circular argument about morality about three times, at least, not even counting John's own circular thoughts on the topic.
**minor possible spoiler**
It was interesting to see how the story was resolved, without access to the damn Gift, but it was also sort of anti-climactic. To be honest I really thought the Walking Man was going to go to St. Jude's and be confronted with the truth from his god... I would've liked to see him fall apart as he realized that he was just another crazy man thinking god was talking to him - ah well, can't have everything.
midnightgarden's review against another edition
3.0
Pulpy sci-fi/fantasy mash-ups are a weakness for me.
easolinas's review against another edition
4.0
Nobody can ignore it in today's society -- people who claim that they are fighting God's battles, and prove that they aren't by their own actions.
That's the central message of "Just Another Judgement Day," the ninth volume of Simon R. Green's Nightside series. And despite its flip title, this is one of the more philosophical and serious trips into the dark side of London -- lots of meditations on people who commit atrocities in God's name. And, fortunately, lots of vintage Nightside weirdness too.
First, John and Suzie are asked by the foppish Percy D'arcy to find out why his friends aren't aging. When they explore an elite clinic, they find a ghastly "Dorian Grey"-style setup run by a notorious mad genius -- Dr. Frankenstein.
Then the main story: Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the Nightside -- with the Authorities dead, a new ruling gang has been chosen. And unexpectedly, Walker wishes John Taylor to meet the new Authorities (most of whom don't like him), especially since the Walking Man -- "the wrath of God in the world of men" -- is coming to the Nightside. He is invincible, unstoppable, merciless and immune to sorcery and science alike.
And they want John to stop him somehow. Nice easy job, huh? Unfortunately John's talent is no use as the Walking Man cuts a bloody swathe through the Nightside, the Street of the Gods, and the decidedly guilty individuals there. John and the monster-killing Chandra set out to find the only ghastly weapon capable of stopping the Walking Man -- but even that may not be enough to save them.
"Just Another Judgement Day" has Simon R. Green's typical cocktail of Nightside insanity -- Druid terrorists, sex-reversed extradimensional copies of John and Susie, the Lovecraftian Church of the Unspeakable Abomination, and zombie detectives. It even has some cameos by familiar faces such as Razor Eddie, Jessica Sorrow, Walker, and the lovable Julian Advent.
But despite this weirdness, Green is unusually serious in this book -- there's less witty banter and more focus on the difference between God's will and those who use it as a justification for murder. About halfway through, Green's writing explodes into a spray of death, gunshots, pitched battles and the occasional deflated squid-monster deity. Not to mention the Speaking Gun (yes, again), which is as gross and malignant as ever.
Fortunately about halfway through Green realizes that this is getting a bit too grim, so he inserts some mildly gross comedy in the form of a traffic tunnel that eats cars ("I used my gift to find its gag reflex") and some fun religious pamphlets ("Join the Church of the Undecided. Or don't. See if we care. We're only printing these things as a tax dodge").
But fortunately things don't get too light, and Green keeps a steady hand on Taylor's quest against the Walking Man and Chandra's crisis of faith ("Few of them were in any way worthy of the God they claimed to worship"). And he manages to pull an intriguing turnabout in the penultimate chapter, when John unearths the one way to stop the Walking Man.
And this is a pretty deep book for Taylor, whose own beliefs have been a bit nebulous but who is clearly against random supernatural-vigilantism, which makes him a good foil for the quirky, morally upright Chandra ("I have to get a new agent") who develops a very personal spiritual reason to fight the Walking Man. Walker demonstrates his more human side with his fondness for Taylor, and "black leather Valkyrie" Susie makes some progress on her post-rape phobias.
"Just Another Judgement Day" is one of Simon R Green's less humorous urban fantasies, but it touches well on a timeless topic. And it has Lovecraftian monsters as well.
That's the central message of "Just Another Judgement Day," the ninth volume of Simon R. Green's Nightside series. And despite its flip title, this is one of the more philosophical and serious trips into the dark side of London -- lots of meditations on people who commit atrocities in God's name. And, fortunately, lots of vintage Nightside weirdness too.
First, John and Suzie are asked by the foppish Percy D'arcy to find out why his friends aren't aging. When they explore an elite clinic, they find a ghastly "Dorian Grey"-style setup run by a notorious mad genius -- Dr. Frankenstein.
Then the main story: Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the Nightside -- with the Authorities dead, a new ruling gang has been chosen. And unexpectedly, Walker wishes John Taylor to meet the new Authorities (most of whom don't like him), especially since the Walking Man -- "the wrath of God in the world of men" -- is coming to the Nightside. He is invincible, unstoppable, merciless and immune to sorcery and science alike.
And they want John to stop him somehow. Nice easy job, huh? Unfortunately John's talent is no use as the Walking Man cuts a bloody swathe through the Nightside, the Street of the Gods, and the decidedly guilty individuals there. John and the monster-killing Chandra set out to find the only ghastly weapon capable of stopping the Walking Man -- but even that may not be enough to save them.
"Just Another Judgement Day" has Simon R. Green's typical cocktail of Nightside insanity -- Druid terrorists, sex-reversed extradimensional copies of John and Susie, the Lovecraftian Church of the Unspeakable Abomination, and zombie detectives. It even has some cameos by familiar faces such as Razor Eddie, Jessica Sorrow, Walker, and the lovable Julian Advent.
But despite this weirdness, Green is unusually serious in this book -- there's less witty banter and more focus on the difference between God's will and those who use it as a justification for murder. About halfway through, Green's writing explodes into a spray of death, gunshots, pitched battles and the occasional deflated squid-monster deity. Not to mention the Speaking Gun (yes, again), which is as gross and malignant as ever.
Fortunately about halfway through Green realizes that this is getting a bit too grim, so he inserts some mildly gross comedy in the form of a traffic tunnel that eats cars ("I used my gift to find its gag reflex") and some fun religious pamphlets ("Join the Church of the Undecided. Or don't. See if we care. We're only printing these things as a tax dodge").
But fortunately things don't get too light, and Green keeps a steady hand on Taylor's quest against the Walking Man and Chandra's crisis of faith ("Few of them were in any way worthy of the God they claimed to worship"). And he manages to pull an intriguing turnabout in the penultimate chapter, when John unearths the one way to stop the Walking Man.
And this is a pretty deep book for Taylor, whose own beliefs have been a bit nebulous but who is clearly against random supernatural-vigilantism, which makes him a good foil for the quirky, morally upright Chandra ("I have to get a new agent") who develops a very personal spiritual reason to fight the Walking Man. Walker demonstrates his more human side with his fondness for Taylor, and "black leather Valkyrie" Susie makes some progress on her post-rape phobias.
"Just Another Judgement Day" is one of Simon R Green's less humorous urban fantasies, but it touches well on a timeless topic. And it has Lovecraftian monsters as well.
angelahayes's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars
I have had The Nightside Series on my TBR for YEARS! I finally got around to dusting them off and taking a walk on The Nightside. They are a somewhat gritty and darkish urban fantasy with paranormal and sci-fi elements- there is suspense, drama, and plenty of things that go bump in the night.
The series follow John Taylor, a Private Detective who has a reputation for ‘finding things that don’t want to be found”. So, what is The Nightside? It is a place (parallel/alternate reality) in London- but hidden to ‘normal’ Londoners; it is where you can find every imaginable paranormal/supernatural creature can be found, and much more. It’s "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 have enjoyed my trip to The Nightside- I found it to have a bit of a noir, steampunk, supernatural feel to it- which I enjoyed. The books are all very quick and easy reads- they didn’t ‘blow me away’, but they definitely entertained!
Thank you, Mr. Green!
I have had The Nightside Series on my TBR for YEARS! I finally got around to dusting them off and taking a walk on The Nightside. They are a somewhat gritty and darkish urban fantasy with paranormal and sci-fi elements- there is suspense, drama, and plenty of things that go bump in the night.
The series follow John Taylor, a Private Detective who has a reputation for ‘finding things that don’t want to be found”. So, what is The Nightside? It is a place (parallel/alternate reality) in London- but hidden to ‘normal’ Londoners; it is where you can find every imaginable paranormal/supernatural creature can be found, and much more. It’s "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 have enjoyed my trip to The Nightside- I found it to have a bit of a noir, steampunk, supernatural feel to it- which I enjoyed. The books are all very quick and easy reads- they didn’t ‘blow me away’, but they definitely entertained!
Thank you, Mr. Green!
lkeipp's review against another edition
5.0
Yes, I read it again, because I like it. And I didn't remember details. And I got it for Christmas.
Good books are worth re-reading.
Good books are worth re-reading.
wizardmacdonald's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
tsaniuk13's review against another edition
4.0
There's always a mini story before the story in Green's Nightside books and I forgot about that so when I started reading it, I thought oooh, I'm going to like this one. Then I realized it was just the mini story before the story.
In the end, this 9th installment of this series was probably my favorite so far. A little gruesome at times but I really liked the overall story.
Part of the problem for me is that I take too long in between reading Nightside books. Maybe, just maybe, I need to start reading them more often.
In the end, this 9th installment of this series was probably my favorite so far. A little gruesome at times but I really liked the overall story.
Part of the problem for me is that I take too long in between reading Nightside books. Maybe, just maybe, I need to start reading them more often.
hawkeyegonzalez's review
4.0
I liked this book a lot. The Walking Man is coming to the Nightside, and no one can stop him. It's a highly entertaining addition. I especially loved the confrontation between the Walking Man and Razor Eddie. It's awe-inducing to see these two gods duke it out. Highly recommended read.