8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yay! More Walker please!, June 2, 2009
I really like Simon R. Green's books and have since Blue Moon Rising. They are just a whole lot of fun with great bigger than life villains and heroes. Nothing by halves.
In this one, Edwin Drood gets invited to take part in a competition against 5 other spies held by a master spy who is offering his lifetime of secrets for the prize. While Molly isn't in it much, that's made up for by Walker from Nightside. John Taylor's nemesis and occasional ally Walker. He's a major character in this book with a lot more development. I was just absolutely tickled and thrilled about that.
Like all of Green's book, the evil is eviler and the powers are weird and the descriptions are just great. This one though is a bit more serious than most of his others but still packaged in gadgets and magic and lots of adventure that makes it all very fun reading.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Secret Histories Mysteries, July 12, 2009
Simon R. Green is on fire this year. Following on the heels of the excellent Just Another Judgement Day, Green delivers another fine novel with his latest entry in the Secret Histories series. The Spy Who Haunted Me is now my pick as the best book in the Shaman Bond chronicles.
It was a much needed and welcomed bounce back after last year when I really felt both Daemons Are Forever and The Unnatural Inquirer were subpar Green novels. But this year he has reinvigorated both the Nightside and Secret Histories with more investment for the heroes. Both novels last year had the usual Green mixture of fresh ideas and tons of imaginative fantasy elements, but it always felt like both Eddie Drood and John Taylor were going through the motions. This year their adventures have been more personal and both characters seem more entrenched in the action than before.
I mention the Nightside so much because, for the first time, the Drood Universe crosses over with the Nightside. It has been hard to deny that they were similar stories, John and Eddie have a lot in common and much of the action takes place in a world that (up to now) could have been the same, and now is obviously shown to be the same world. Daemons Are Forever had a crossover with Deathstalker, so it seemed inevitable for there to be a Nightside crossover as well. It is done very well, and the crossover character is one you always want more of in the Nightside books!
Another thing that I thought made this book an improvement over the last, is it felt more like the original premise of the series: that of a Fantasy James Bond. I loved The Man With The Golden Torque because it had a lot of nods to Bond and though it eventually took on a decidedly more Simon Green style, it maintained that mimicry to an extent throughout. I really felt like Daemons Are Forever just abandoned it altogether, Eddie was running the family instead of being an agent, and it felt more like a typical Nightside book than the first. The Spy Who Haunted Me really marks a return to the style of the first book, with more Shaman Bond, more agent action, and even a premise and a villain that would not be out of place in Fleming's world.
It is a pretty basic setup: 6 of the best Agents from around the world are to compete for a chance to claim The Independent Agent's treasure cache of stolen secrets. The catch? Even though they are forced to work as a team, in the end there can be only One! Only one agent will be allowed to walk away with the prize, and their life.
Shaman Bond aka Eddie Drood is, of course, among the candidates, as well as a familiar face from previous books, and as mentioned, a character from the Nightside. They are tasked with uncovering five great world mysteries, things even the Drood Family and CIA do not have the answers to. The mysteries are all interesting in their own right, and very fun given the Green treatment.
In all I would say that The Spy Who Haunted Me is a lightning quick thrill ride through the mind of Simon R Green: Filled to the brim with his typical mixture of humor, crazy imaginative monsters, myths, and [...] heroes.
389 pages HC 4.5 out of 5 stars
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a fun read. Warning- Spoilers ahead., May 14, 2009
The plot of the book goes as follows: a legendary agent- the Independent Agent, is about to die and issues a challenge to 6 of the best agents to solve 5 puzzles, with the winner taking first prize- all his secrets.
I liked this book because not only does the author have his usual super imaginative situations, there's something a little different- a proper crossover with his Nightside series. It gave an insight into Eddie Drood's contemporaries, like MI 13 and the CIA. It also revealed that the Drood's have a treaty with the Nightside (or perhaps an understanding would be more accurate), and the unflappable and enigmatic Walker has suffered a rather personal loss of his own after his encounter with Lilith (see Nightside series).
It's clear that Mr Green is enjoying himself and now has enough books out there that he can mix and match characters when he wants. My goodness, could there possibly be a showdown between Eddie Drood and John Taylor in the future? It's unlikely, given the treaty, but I can always hope!
Go ahead and treat yourself to a good fun read.
In case you havent already, start from book 1. It'll make more sense that way.
Thanks for reading and enjoy the book!
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