Nightingale's Lament

By: Simon R. Green

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Taylor is the name. John Taylor....My card says I'm a detective, but what I really am is an expert on finding things. It's part of the Gift I was born with as a child of the Nightside - the hidden heart of London where it's always three a.m., where inhuman creatures and otherworldly gods walk side-by-side in the endless darkness of the soul.

"Assignment: Find out why the local diva called the Nightingale has cut herself off from her family and friends. I'm also wondering why her suicide-prone fans think she has a voice to die for. Literally...."

Listen to the entire Nightside series.

©2004 Simon R. Green (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"With dark humor and psychological horror [Green] rivals urban horror writers such as Jim Butcher and Christopher Golden; Laurell Hamilton fans should enjoy this series as well." ( Romantic Times)

Green Man Review's Review

I have now finished listening to all nine novels in the Nightside series -- a feat that took most of the last six months, as I treated them like radio series by listening to them while I was doing my morning walk along the streets of the city I live in. That's nearly seventy hours of really interesting storytelling. I envy those of you starting the series from the beginning as you have a lot of truly great listening ahead of you for fantasy, when well crafted, has the power to pull you out of this existence and transport you to new places; it's pure escapism at it's very best.

Cat Eldridge / Green Man Review

Now I've said it before, but I'll repeat it again -- all of these audioworks have great story, terrific narration, appropriately used music, and crack production, which is true of all the audiobooks that Audible does in house. Certainly I was really, really impressed at how well the narrator, Marc Vietor, does in creating a believable cast of characters who each have their own distinctive voice. Dead Boy is voiced as a weary, seen it all sort of zombie (or perhaps not, as Green doesn't say that he is such a creature; nor does Green say that he isn't). Dead Boy sounds different than John Taylor, and all of the other characters are also voiced in a manner that lets you know who is on stage.

Nightingale's Lament has everything I like in an urban fantasy -- an interesting and very cool protagonist, snappy dialogue, loads of violence, quite a bit gore, a smidgen of sex, weird characters, a bit of a mystery, and a pacing that never lets up. And for once, there's a reasonably happy ending for the client, a rare occurrence in the annals of John Taylor!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

GGreat

Another in the long series of John Taylor. For those of you that enjoy urban fantasies with very little romance and quick plot turns and twist this one is for you!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Green at his best.

Would you consider the audio edition of Nightingale's Lament to be better than the print version?

Nothing is like a real book. I do find it nice to have something good to listen to on trip.

Who was your favorite character and why?

John Taylor. He's John Taylor.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

If you can go though a Nightside book and not laugh, chances are your already died.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

best one yet!

this was the best book so far! had a good balance of the horror and comedy that I needed to get me through the night side. I enjoyed the twists and turns that the story put me through. with each book I feel like I know more about the night side, and the layers this book added makes it feel more and more like a real place.

Review was raised from 1 star to 2 stars

First let me say that my original ratings was 1 stars a crossed the board. But Audible blocked that review (I submitted it 3 times). I have raised the ratings to 2 stars so that Audible will post the review. I had not idea they they blocked bad reviews. No wonder reviews are so high on this site.

I did not like this book for one instance. After two attempts I only made it to Chapter 4.

Upon reflection it was because the author over describes every single scene. First there is an uninteresting short story to set the mode. It didn't do much for me. Then there was the taxi ride to Uptown where you are treated to 20-25 minutes of one line descriptions of the people of Uptown. Lines like, "The cops in Uptown are so crooked the people go to the crooks for protection" followed by, "The whores in Uptown will steal your wallet while leaving you dry" followed by "the clergy in Uptown preach to the wealthy and eat children". This goes on for 25 minutes. It was unbearable.

Every time a new scene is started you get this over dramatic and redundant descriptions. It get mind numbing.

I theorize that the book was too short and the publisher said to lengthen it. Add a stupid story in the front and add to all the descriptions throughout. At the end they had a book long enough to publish.

If I go back (I won't) and finish this book I will update this review.

If you like comic books, you'll love this series.

What did you love best about Nightingale's Lament?

This whole series of Night Sides tales is totally fantastic and unbelievable, but full of truth about the human condition.

What did you like best about this story?

The clichés are ridiculed even as they're expressed.

Have you listened to any of Marc Vietor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Marc Vietor has an amazing ability to portray a wide range of characters.

Any additional comments?

Good escape.

Great series

Simon has an amazing mind. The world of the Nightside is amazing. wish I could visit. :)

Just ok. Able to to stick with story by 3rd try.

This story was tough to follow. I had to start the story over twice. It wasn't till towards the end, that the story picked up and by then, truly, not by much. I kept with it though because I really like the narrator, I have the complete series and I really want to know who John Taylor's mother is and the full extent of their powers, abilities and purpose(s). Besides, that place called nightside is like a garden variety of paranormal soup filled with all types supernatural paranormal stuff.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Noir Urban Fantasy!

Imagination, mythology, a gritty P.I., and a wonderful narrator!
I highly recommend this series.

A little hokey, but entertaining.

This is the first book I've downloaded from this series, since the reviews for the first two weren't exceptionally positive. I thought it was worth a shot, though, because I really like urban fantasy. This book is entertaining and I liked the narration, but the actual writing is sloppy - The bad guys have a tendency to spill everything just before they take action so there is time for the main character/his allies to take action; the phrase "my third eye, my private eye" is repeated quite often. Additionally, the main character is very impressed with the "weirdness" of the Nightside and goes on and on about it, which seems a bit odd - What jaded native, as he is supposed to be, is so impressed with how "weird" a place is? Why wouldn't he take it in stride? All in all, I wouldn't recommend it, but it's fine as a time filler.

1 of 5 people found this review helpful

Weakest of the Nightside books so far.

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone who doesn't mind poor writing, weak characterisations and has a short attention span.

What was most disappointing about Simon R. Green’s story?

The plot. Predictable and at some points boring.

What didn’t you like about Marc Vietor’s performance?

At this point Marc Vietor hasn't nailed down the voices of characters other than the main protagonist. Vietor does get better in the later novels but at this stage he was working with shallow depictions of the characters.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

As always with Green's books there are some interesting and redeeming qualities, just not enough in this book to make me keep it. If you want an interesting and engaging listen then skip this (I wish I had) and go to the later Nightside novels.

Any additional comments?

By all means give it a go but I can't recommend it as either a good listen or interesting enough to spend a credit on it. When you look at other urban fiction out there, this particular book is low quality.

good read

a good book, well written, with interesting characters.

well read by Marc vietor, who does the voices of the characters well.

overall a good listen although a little short at just under 7 hours.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful