Customer Reviews

Nightside City

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is more than a combination of thriller and "hard"SF. It is a true novel, a major piece of literary SF that should have received the Hugo or the Nebula or both. Unfortunately, the author is known as a creator of fantasy, so this gem has not received the attention it should have. It is a most readable work of art, never leaving a chance for a yawn. But it is also a complex work, which gives away more after a second or third reading.

A planet in terminal orbit, one side searing hot, the other frozen. On the fringe between the two stands Nightside city. In this erie cyberpunk tale, a detective rubs elbows with all sorts of low-lifes in a quest to determine whether Nightside city will soon see the light of day...and who's behind it. Masterfully presented with wonderful descriptions, great dialog, and visionary descriptions of future technology. Evans makes it all come alive.

I've been meaning to give Lawrence Watt-Evans a try for a long time. Last week the stars finally conjoined in such a way that I found myself with a copy of NIGHTSIDE CITY clenched between my fists.

One sleepless night later the novel had been devoured.

This book stands somewhere inbetween NEUROMANCER and SNOW CRASH, and deserves to be as well-known as both. Lawrence Watt-Evans crafts a riveting tale which is one-half cyberpunk and one-half detective noir, with strong dashes of hard SF sensibility, insightful characterization, and tight plotting thrown into the mix.

This book was not too bad, but far from great.
The plot is a catchy one, and makes you wonder so much "what's going to happen?" that it's hard not to read on. And that is also the reason why the ending leaves you shaking your head. Some may love the ending, but personaly, I wanted something more. I felt Lawrence Watt-Evans took the easy way out.

But what really got my goat was the "extras". I mean, the way he makes it look is that it's 3000 years in the future, while it is only a couple hundred. For all the improvements in technology and his supposed history, it becomes annoying. Also, the references to "old earth" are tacky and way overused. So much so that it frustrated me a few times, and I put the book down. But again, the "what's going to happen" was stronger then those annoyances.

If you are a sci-fi fan and a mystery fan all rolled into one, then this book you should read. Otherwise, you're not going to miss anything.

It's a detective story set in the future. With twists and turns and a decent plot. A good book.

While I liked Nightside City, Mr. Watt-Evans, it was disturbing. No self-respecting woman (and your character insists she's got some of that going for her) would use the methods she does to solve a case. A MAN would, but not a woman.
Reprint this and change your main character's gender and this makes much more sense. Otherwise, this reads like Nancy Drew's cross-dressing big brother is on the case. The character's relationship with the sibling is antiseptic and could use some softening--a woman would not leave without saying goodbye. And please, cut down on the explainations on the science of why the planet will eventually be in perpetual daylight because we got the premise by the end of the first chapter. If you do change this around a bit, you've got a winner. THEN everything makes sense. I liked this and could not wait to read the ending, so you've got a good thing started, now FINISH it!
Read my complete review in Illuminata, December 2004 issue at: http://tyrannosauruspress.com
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