Simon R Green (Whose name, for some reason always makes me think of I.R. Baboon) is the writer of the Deathstalker and Shaman Bond book series which are notable for their over-the-top action and rat-tat-tat pacing. Into the Nightside follows pretty much the same model as these other books although it is, ostensibly, set in a mirror of our own London, the eponymous ‘Nightside’ of the title. This book collects the first two stories of The Nightside ‘Something From the Nightside’ and ‘Agents of Light’.

The best paranormal private investigators have been brought together in a single volume—and cases don’t come any harder than this.

This book offers something a little different from the several Urban Fantasy anthologies that have hit the shelves over the last couple of years (Blood Lite and Many Bloody Returns for example). Instead of a collection of short stories by a bunch of different authors, this book has four novellas. The novella allows the authors a chance to develop the plot a bit more and occasionally drop a few more twists and turns into the mystery.

Simon R Green is the author of the Deathstalker books, a rollicking romp of space opera insanity that makes a good pulpy read and keeps you enjoyably engaged all the way through. This book, the first in a Shaman Bond series is set in the present day, sort of, amongst a madness of the occult and conspiracy theories and within the greatest conspiracy theory of all. This book was the launch of the new series which continues in the obvious vein with Deamons are Forever. I wonder if we’ll also see Doctor Om, Chandraball and On Her Majesty’s Occult Service before the series is out…

Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough