Tales from the Nightside

Nightside, Book 13

By: Simon R. Green

Narrated by: Dan Calley

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green returns to the "bizarre and gleefully dangerous backdrop" (Jim Butcher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files) of the Nightside with this landmark collection of short fiction.

Welcome to the Nightside. It's the secret heart of London, beating to its own rhythm, pumping lifeblood through the veins of its streets and alleys hidden in eternal darkness, where creatures of the night congregate, and where the sun is afraid to shine. It's the place to go if you're looking to indulge the darker side of your nature—and to hell with the consequences.

Tales from the Nightside presents ten macabre mysteries that shine a dim beam into the neighborhood's darkest corners to reveal things that should never come to light. Take a walk with such deadly and dangerous denizens of the Nightside as Razor Eddie, Dead Boy, and Larry Oblivion as they encounter things even more inhuman and inhumane than they are. And join John Taylor, the PI with a knack for finding lost things, as he confronts Sir Francis Varney, King of the Vampires.

There may be nothing to be afraid of in the dark, but there's plenty to be afraid of in the Nightside . . .

©2015 Simon R. Green (P)2022 Tantor

Great voice actor and reader. Absolutely aggrevated when trying to navigate the chapters

Please accurately title each chapter... I also don't understand why there is a "15 word minimum" When writing a review? *Duh*

Sooo good

Great story! Huge mystery, overwhelming odds, kick ass ending!! All the elements are present. Loved it from beginning to end.

Three cardinal sins of anthologies

In terms of substance, this is a great anthology of shorts and novellas from the Nightside.
Technically, it should be book 11.5, as there are a few characters here who die in book 12.
But, these can be enjoyed any time, even as a sampler for those looking for solid urban fantasy noir.
Half the run time of this anthology is taken up by two John Taylor novellas, with the other half taken up by short stories clocking in under an hour. I enjoyed the majority of stories, which is the best thing that can be said for an anthology.

Unfortunately, in terms of formatting, this anthology violates 2 of 3 cardinal sins, and perhaps even all 3:
⭕️ Sin 1 - using a different narrator than in the series. The original series narrator was Marc Vietor,
but this anthology and the series are ably narrated by Dan Calley, so I don’t consider this a problem.
❌ Sin 2 - no Table of Contents. The stories aren’t labeled. Which wouldn’t be quite as bad if there were ten chapters to match the ten books. But, there are 18 chapters for 10 stories, so you have to hop around the land mines if you are looking for the one you want to listen to again.
❌ Sin 3 - recycled offerings. There are at least three stories available in other Audible anthologies making this, potentially, a wasted purchase for some listeners.

Here’s the summary I wish Audible had provided:
1 / ch2 The Nightside, Needless To Say - Larry Oblivion’s origin story
2 / ch3 Razor Eddie’s Big Night Out - Razor Eddie’s origin story ⭐️
3 / ch4 Lucy at Christmastime - standalone - also in the 📙Wolfsbane and Mistletoe anthology ⭐️
4 / ch5 Appetite for Murder - standalone detective case ⭐️
5 / ch6-8 The Difference A Day Makes - a John Taylor investigation, also in the 📙Mean Streets anthology
6 / ch9 Some of These Cons Go Way Back - Harry Fabulous origin story ⭐️
7 / ch10 The Spirit of the Thing - a John Taylor investigation ⭐️
8 / ch11 The Hungry Heart - a John Taylor investigation
9 / ch 12 How Do You Feel? - Deadboy’s origin story, also in the 📙Hex Appeal anthology ⭐️
10 / ch13-18 The Big Game - a John Taylor investigation, plus Suzie Shooter, Deadboy, & Razor Eddie ⭐️