Simon Green
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simon Richard Green, born 1955 in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.
His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.
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[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Shadows Fall
First written in 1995, Shadows Fall is a novel discussing a small town at the back of beyond where legends go to die. Referred by Simon R. Green as one of his best works it was referenced in the fourth and sixth books of the Nightside Novels and was republished last year.
[edit] The Deathstalker series
- Mistworld (New York, Ace 1992).
- Ghostworld (New York, Ace 1993).
- Hellworld (New York, Ace 1993)
- Deathstalker (London, Gollancz 1995).
- Deathstalker Rebellion (London, Vista 1996).
- Deathstalker War (London, Gollancz/Vista 1997).
- Deathstalker Honour (London, Gollancz/Vista 1998).
- Deathstalker Destiny (London, Orion/Millennium 1999).
- Deathstalker Legacy (2003)
- Deathstalker Return (New York Roc 2004). ISBN 0-451-42821-8
- Deathstalker Coda (2005)
[edit] The Forest Kingdom books, loosely linked by their setting
- Hawk & Fisher (New York, Ace 1990)
- Blue Moon Rising (New York, Penguin/Roc 1991).
- Devil Take the Hindmost (London, Headline, 1991).
- The God Killer (London, Headline 1991).
- Vengeance for a Lonely Man (London, Headline, 1992).
- Guard Against Dishonour (London, Headline 1992).
- Two Kings in Haven (London, Headline, 1992).
- Blood and Honour (London, Gollancz 1992).
- Down Among the Dead Men (London, Gollancz 1993).
- Swords of Haven(US)/Haven of Lost Souls(UK) (Gollancz, 1999)
- Guards of Haven(US)/Fear and Loathing in Haven(UK) (Roc, 1999)
- Beyond the Blue Moon (2000). ISBN 0-575-07045-5
'Blue Moon Rising': the story of Prince Rupert of the Forest Kingdom and Princess Julia of Hillsdown. Originally, Julia was intended to marry Rupert's brother, but was sacrificed to a dragon instead. The dragon neglected to eat her, and instead kept her around until Rupert came by to rescue him from her. Having made a mess of the heroic quest Rupert was supposed to fulfill, they then proceed to get caught in a war and eventually leave to escape their reputations.
'Blood and Honour': an actor is caught up in murderous court politics and sorcery when he is asked to impersonate a Prince.
'Down Among the Dead Men': Duncan MacNeil, still carrying the scars the Blue Moon left on him body and soul, along with his team of Rangers (the witch, Constance; Giles Dancer, Bladesmaster; and Jessica Flint, swordswoman), go to investigate trouble at a border fort that has fallen out of communication with the Court. The trouble is much bigger and older than they expect.
The "Hawk and Fisher" books (inc. Beyond the Blue Moon): Hawk and Fisher are a husband and wife team on the City Guard, an order which functions rather like our modern police force in a fantasy world of mixed Medieval, Renaissance and Industrial Revolution stylings. They live in the port city of Haven, a city-state so corrupt that they can justly make the claim of being the only Guards who have never taken a bribe or looked the other direction. Hawk has dark hair, a scarred face and only one eye, frequently described as 'tall, dark and no longer handsome'. He wields an axe, easier on his lack of depth perception. Isobel Fisher is his wife, a tall woman with a long blond braid who is frequently described as 'handsome rather than beautiful', and deadly with a sword. They deal with everything from pick-pockets to wide-scale destructive magic.
'Swords of Haven'(US)/'Haven of Lost Souls' (UK) is an omnibus of the books 'No Haven for the Guilty', 'Devil Take the Hindmost' and 'The God Killer'. 'Guards of Haven'(US)/'Fear and Loathing in Haven'(UK) is an omnibus of the books 'Wolf in the Fold', 'Guard against Dishonour' and 'The Bones of Haven'.
Hawk and Fisher came to Haven having escaped their pasts as Prince Rupert of the Forest Kingdom and Princess Julia of Hillsdown. Years later, Hawk and Fisher returned to the Forest Kingdom in disguise, and again saved the day. (The events of 'Beyond the Blue Moon'.)
[edit] The Nightside
- Something from the Nightside (New York, Ace 2003), ISBN 0-441-01065-2
- Agents of Light and Darkness (New York, Ace 2003), ISBN 0-441-01113-6
- Nightingale's Lament (New York Ace 2004), ISBN 0-441-01163-2
- Hex and the City (New York Ace 2005), ISBN 0-441-01261-2
- Paths not Taken (New York Ace September 2005), ISBN 0-441-01319-8
- Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth (Ace February 28, 2006), ISBN 0-441-01387-2
- A Walk on the Nightside (Ace September 5, 2006), ISBN 0-441-01448-8 (A collection of the first three Nightside novels.)
- Hell to Pay (Ace December 27, 2006), ISBN 0-441-01460-7
- The One and Only Unnatural Inquirer (not yet published)
Related short stories have been published:
- The Nightside, Needless to say (October 2004), Powers Of Detection
- Razor Eddie’s Big Night Out (July 2006), Cemetery Dance #55
- Some of These Cons go Way Back (not yet published), Cemetery Dance
- An Appetite for Murder (not yet published), Powers Of Detection II
The Nightside series features the saga of John Taylor, a private detective. He is from a magical creation called "The Nightside", hidden deep in the tainted core of London's heart where it is always 3 A.M. People (and other things) come from all kinds of worlds (including fictional ones) and times to indulge in the secret and often perverse pleasures they can never pursue in their own worlds; and anything and everything is possible - the sight of a fallen angel burning eternally in a blood-sealed circle qualifies as a mundane sight. Native Nightsiders often possess a gift of some sort - often a deadly one.
John Taylor is a 'finder.' If you pay him enough he can find anything. At the time of the series opening, Taylor has refused to enter The Nightside for the past five years, fearful of a heritage that has made him one of the most feared and hunted men in a place where everyone has a price and an agenda. John has a reputation of being a hard and dangerous man among the denizens of The Nightside.
Taylor's gift can be deadly, and he is soon given the opportunity to prove that five years away have not lessened his powers. The secret of Taylor's childhood and mysterious destiny are fleshed out as the story progresses, but the one thing Taylor has been unable to find is the meaning and significance obviously attached to his life - although he's pretty sure it has something to do with his non-human mother who disappeared after he was born. Some unknown but very powerful someone (or something) has been trying to kill him ever since he was a kid, and the blank-faced, pseudo-beings called The Harrowing soon appear to claim their long-stalked prey and continue to appear through out the series. The very future of the Nightside is tied to John's search for the meaning to his existence.
Combining the strength of film noir with utterly outrageous fantasy characters lends true stength to the series.
Several characters from the Nightside tie in to either the Deathstalker series (Bruin Bear and Goat) or into The Forest Kingdom series (Razor Eddie, the Street of the Gods). This may either be on purpose, to link the worlds in a sequential order (Forest, Nightside, Deathstalker) or to suggest that they all exist parallel to each other.
The books break down into sections, the first three are stand alone novels, linked by the mystery of John Taylor's mother and numerous smaller details. The next three are linked much more closely, dealing with his search for her and the consequences of finding out who (and what) she is. The books after that return to the stand-alone plot of the first three.
Eventually, the identity of John Taylor's mother is revealed to be Lilith, the first wife of Adam, who created the Nightside as a personal kingdom; a place void of good, evil, and consequences, and a place where all residents exist solely to worship her. Her original rule of the Nightside ended when her own children banded together and cast her out. She was able to return through the misdeeds and ill intentions of John's father, Charles Taylor, Henry Walker, and Mark Robinson. The latter two would go on to become Voice of the Authorities and the Collector, respectively.
In December 2006, the author stated that a deal for film rights to the series was in the works on the Simon R. Green tribute site (http://www.bluemoonrising.nl/news.html).
