The Bride Wore Black Leather (NIGHTSIDE) [Kindle Edition]

Simon R. Green (Author)

Book Description

In the secret heart of London, under the cover of endless darkness, the Nightside caters to anyone with any unusual itch that needs to be scratched. But enter at your own risk. The party animals who live here may be as inhuman as their appetites...

My name is John Taylor. The Nightside is my home. I didn't plan it that way. In fact, I once tried to get away. But I came back. And now it seems I'm settling down, with a full-time job (in addition to my work as a very private eye) as Walker-the new Voice of the Authorities in the Nightside-and a wedding in the offing.

I'm marrying the love of my life, Suzie Shooter, the Nightside's most fearsome bounty-hunter. But nothing comes easy here. Not life. Not death. And for certain, not happily-ever-after. Before I can say "I do," I have one more case to solve as a private eye-and my first assignment as Walker.

Both jobs would be a lot easier to accomplish if I weren't on the run, from friends and enemies alike. And if my bride-to-be weren't out to collect the bounty on my head...

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Green’s superlative twelfth Nightside novel ratchets up the stakes for series protagonist John Taylor in an intricate and action-filled plot that seamlessly blends crime and the supernatural…The pace never flags and the sardonic Chandleresque narration is perfectly suited to the Nightside’s fantastical mean streets.”—Publishers Weekly

“There is still the classic Green breakneck pacing, the quirky character twists, the joys of name-drop references (to his other books and pop-culture icons alike), but they’re accompanied by a wonderful narrative sense of melancholy, as if Green hates parting with John as much as we do.”—Tulsa Book Review (online edition)

“Simon R. Green walks us through his most thoroughly developed setting and its vast assortment of strange, devious, and downright weird characters…The Nightside may be shuttered for now, but Green never forsakes his darlings for long; readers may expect to see John Taylor, Shotgun Suzie or other denizens of the Nightside infiltrate his other works in the future. At the very least, they’ve been given a proper sendoff. Recommended.”—SF Revu (online edition)

“The Bride Wore Black Leather has everything I expect from a Nightside book. Taylor is the Sam Spade for the twenty-first century, willing to stare down an angel, a demon or a god. Nightside has the meanest of the mean streets, and John Taylor is right at home there. Sunnyside? Not bloody likely.”—Fantasy Literature (online edition)

About the Author

Simon R. Green is a New York Times bestselling author.

Product Details

• File Size: 450 KB
• Print Length: 316 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1937007138
• Publisher: Ace (January 3, 2012)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005ERITNO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,584 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Finish to a Great Series January 3, 2012

By Books31

Format:Hardcover

Say one thing for Simon R. Green, say he writes a darn fun book.

Say another thing for him, say he has done a fantastic job ending his extraordinary Nightside series.

This is the last Nightside book in the series. It is witty, full of fun and creative villains and weapons, and jam packed with action. Readers will be shocked to see John Taylor go head to head with old friends and enemies (no I can't tell you who otherwise there would be no surprise in the book.) These action scenes are riveting and will captivate readers as John fights for his life in some of the most riveting battles in the series.

Green brings all of his tricks to the fold, as readers are reintroduced to characters from the entire length of the series. We see the Oblivian brothers, Alex, Cathy, Shotgun Suzie, Dead Boy, Razor Eddie, the Griffins, Julian Advent, Old Father Time, and dozens of other characters from the previous books in the series.

Of course while many of these characters do not play substantial roles (it would be to hard to incorporate all of them substantially in the story) they are still fun to read about. Green does a great job wrapping up the series. There's more action than the last 3 books combined, there are unexpected twists surprises in the plot, and Green ends with a satisfying ending that will leave readers of the Nightside series happy (if not still a little sad to see it end).

That said, Green is famous for interweaving the characters from his other series into his current work (especially in recent years). Because of this it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit to find we're able to catch a glimpse or two of John and Suzie somewhere in Green's upcoming books.... So fan's do not despair, the Nightside is not over, it's just settled on a nice happy place to rest until Green reintroduces readers to dabblings of it in his future works.

All in all a great ending to a great series. Read more ›

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "The Nightside may be a spiritual cesspit, but it's our spiritual cesspit." (SPOILERS) January 4, 2012

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

John Taylor's personal life has completely changed... but the Nightside really hasn't. And Simon R. Green gives us a rather bittersweet farewell to the Nightside series in "The Bride Wore Black," the final installment of his bestselling urban fantasy series -- one last detective story, wrapped up in the creepy, surreal atmosphere of London's dark side.

John Taylor is now the Walker, Suzie is pregnant, and they're about to be married. His new life doesn't really allow him to be a private eye, so he asks Cathy to find him one last case before he retires from PI work. His last case: find an immortality elixir stolen from the Anonymous Gentleman. But while he's prowling around the Ball of Forever, the King of Skin is murdered with a magical weapon.

But the night isn't over. A self-righteous hippie god left over from the 1960s is trying to make the sun rise over the Nightside, and the Authorities are determined to stop it. With the help of Julien Advent, John must find the Sun King and somehow stop him -- but when the Sun King turns the entire Nightside against John Taylor, he finds that saving the world might just get him killed this time.

There's a bittersweet quality to "The Bride Wore Black Leather" -- not only is the series ending, but a good chunk of the plot is devoted to John leaving his old life behind. And as he winds down the series, Green brings back a lot of favorite characters (Dead Boy, Razor Eddie, Cathy, the Bride of Frankenstein, Alex, Julien Advent and even a familiar dead face) and homages everything from X-Men to J.R.R. Tolkien.

And Green takes us on one last tour of the Nightside, with all the bizarre people (the Very Righteous Sisters of the Holy Druids), dangerous powers and wild places (The H. P.... Lovecraft Memorial Library) he can dream up. And he still dreams up plenty of fun, snappy dialogue ("I don't think I'll leave the coat on its own. I haven't fed it recently"), as well as Lovecraftian horrors that could give you nightmares.

But the story twists in a darker direction after the stop by the hospice, when he shows the uglier side of the hippy-dippy Sun King, and John is forced to do something truly terrible. It all builds up to a final clash that is definitely one of Green's best pieces of writing.

John Taylor still occasionally name drops himself (which is a bit annoying). But for the most part he simply discovers that he can still hit rock bottom -- he learns the hard way that being the Walker and/or John Taylor may not be enough to protect him when he needs it most. It's not quite the most epic conflict we've seen in the Nightside, but it's a decent finale.

It's a little sad to say goodbye to all the weird, wild, disgusting stuff going on in the Nightside, but "The Bride Wore Black Leather" is a pretty enjoyable, satisfying farewell. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars couldnt put it down January 3, 2012

By A. Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I noticed I had this book on my kindle at 930 last night. I stayed up till 2am last night, then finished this morning instead of going on my run. Whoops...

Well the world is in trouble again and only one person can save it, again... John Taylor (formerly) PI.

And what an excellent job he does. There are serveral sort of mini cases this time around which keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are more twists and turns this time around too. While I do wonder how many times Mr Taylor will have to save everybody if you can get passed that fictional conceit once you start reading you wont be able to put it down.

Everytime I read a Carnacki book, (or try to) I worry that Mr Greens writing is starting to lose its polish. But other than a few long, clunky descriptive paragraphs, I'm happy to report that this is not the case. Hes back to form.

For those of you suffering from Nightside fatigue, I'm not sure this book will introduce anything new to the equation for you to enjoy, but it is better than a few of the books around the middle of the series. It also includes a lot more references to his other contemporary works, ie Droods and Mr Carnacki and the London Knights... (heres hoping he writes about that.)

Without giving too much away, this story follows his last case as a PI, his killing of a dear friend, the return of a living god from the 60's, sun in the nightside, the fight we've all been waiting for with the Punk god of the straight razor and a wedding.

As a final thought, its interesting the book was titled the bride wore black, since Suzie is absent from all but the last chapter of the book; but regardless I enjoyed it. Although the issue of why the moon is so large is still left unanswered...

More About the Author

Simon Green is the author of the bestselling DEATHSTALKER cycle, the New York Times bestseller ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, and many other novels. He lives in Bradford-upon-Avon in Wiltshire.