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A review by lesserjoke
Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon R. Green
3.0
I’m rereading this urban fantasy series that I loved when I was younger, and while it isn’t quite living up to my memories, this second novel is a vast improvement over the first. The worldbuilding offers a steady stream of clever invention, and its Raymond-Chandler-meets-Welcome-to-Night-Vale vibe leads to plenty of weird pulpy action.
The tone can be pretty irreverent — in this book, detective John Taylor is tasked with tracking down the “Unholy Grail” that Judas drank from at the Last Supper, while angels from both Heaven and Hell tear apart the Nightside trying to find it first — but if you can get on board with that sort of premise, the ensuing adventure is a lot of fun. By the time this story ends we’ve even gotten some decent character growth, and the Nightside is starting to feel like a distinct setting and not just a generic pastiche. In other words, I’m remembering why I liked these books in the first place.
[Trigger warning for some bloody violence and discussion of rape by a family member and subsequent abortion. Readers wishing to avoid such matters should probably give the whole series a miss.]
The tone can be pretty irreverent — in this book, detective John Taylor is tasked with tracking down the “Unholy Grail” that Judas drank from at the Last Supper, while angels from both Heaven and Hell tear apart the Nightside trying to find it first — but if you can get on board with that sort of premise, the ensuing adventure is a lot of fun. By the time this story ends we’ve even gotten some decent character growth, and the Nightside is starting to feel like a distinct setting and not just a generic pastiche. In other words, I’m remembering why I liked these books in the first place.
[Trigger warning for some bloody violence and discussion of rape by a family member and subsequent abortion. Readers wishing to avoid such matters should probably give the whole series a miss.]