Rosy's scrawled book recommendation: The Nightside series by Simon R Green

The Nightside series
Simon R Green

Books 

Something from the Nightside
Agents of Light and Darkness
Nightingale's Lament
Hex and the City
Paths not Taken
Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth
Hell to Pay
The Unnatural Inquirer
Just Another Judgement Day
The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny
A Hard Day's Knight
The Bride Wore Black Leather

(Plus some short stories)

Blurb for Something from the Nightside

John Taylor is not a private detective per se, but he has a knack for finding lost things. That's why he's been hired to descend into the Nightside, an otherworldly realm in the center of London where fantasy and reality share renting space and the sun never shines.


Publishers
ACE (US)
Solaris Books (UK)

Rosy's scrawlings on The Nightside series
This is one of my favourite kick back on a Friday night series. Plus any other night, of course, but you get what I mean instantly when I say Friday night. This is B-rated monster heaven for many a reader or even avid movie watcher written with style and kept short and snappy. My saying B-rated might make you think the writing isn't up to par or the subject matter lacks a certain something in morals or life lessons but you'd be wrong, although you could ignore all that if you like and just focus on the monster mayhem. The B-rating is entirely due to the monster movie parallel that pairs it with greats like Evil Dead: one of the ultimate Friday night movies.
In this series you'll find all the best and some new creatures, beings, monsters and gods and their relationships within the under-London/alternate-London/alternate-world or dimension called The Nightside are anything but friendly. Schemes are spun for power on a day-to-day basis, deals are done for survival and everyone is on the run from some other monster, which includes the most powerful of The Nightside. The one who inspires such fear in most, as well as a hefty dose of hatred and disdain amongst other things, is John Taylor. He's an odd pick for a monster of monsters considering he's mostly human, mostly reasonable and on the run himself. Still, he manages to play the role of the monster's monster rather well. His ability is truly fearsome, when he chooses to use it.
Within The Nightside series almost everyone has an ability that sets the apart and few are human anymore, if they ever were. But the general inhabitants of The Nightside aren't those that John Taylor tends to play with. Instead he deals with the god of the razor blade, post-apocalyptic monsters from the far future, the adventuring hero of heroes, the god of skin and other such worrying creatures. Not to mention a rather warped version of Merlin, a son of the devil. John Taylor is mostly unwanted and unwelcome so in order to deal with any at all threats are slung and some followed through on. Blood and gore flows, darkness is held back (just), and the worst mother of all time is sent packing (John hopes).
The Nightside series, as you can probably now tell, is a Friday night B-rated horror comedy movie writ large. And, like Terry Pratchett's light fantasy comedy works, there's much wisdom and insight to be found if you choose to pay attention. Best of all though, this series is fun, quick to read, engaging and well-rounded. The Nightside may be a contained domain but its presence and impact bleed out not just into the world beyond but into your mind as you're reading. It is a dark fairyland for the morbid and playful to enjoy.

I'd recommend this series to: those interested in quick paced dark fantasy, dark comedy and monster stories. Also, anyone who typically watches movies and TV shows rather than reading books will find this a great way to crack into the world of books.

Rosy's scrawled book recommendation: Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia

Monster Hunter International
Larry Correia

Blurb
Five days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a fourteenth story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer. 
It turns out that monsters are real.  All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows.  Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry.  On the other side are the people who kill monsters for a living.  Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business.     
And now Owen is their newest recruit.  It’s actually a pretty sweet gig, except for one little problem.  An ancient entity known as the Cursed One has returned to settle a centuries old vendetta.  Should the Cursed One succeed, it means the end of the world, and MHI is the only thing standing in his way.  With the clock ticking towards Armageddon, Owen finds himself trapped between legions of undead minions, belligerent federal agents, a cryptic ghost who has taken up residence inside his head, and the cursed family of the woman he loves.
Business is good.
Welcome to Monster Hunter International. 

Publisher
Baen

ISBN
9781439132852

Rosy's scrawlings on Monster Hunter International
Just a quick note before I dive into the book raving: I love the cover art by Alan Pollack. I kept going back to look at it while reading.
This book is longer than most printed nowadays, most publishers tending to limit pages as publication is then cheaper, and for a dark fantasy focused on the mass murder of various monsters it is a long story. But by no means is the story tedious because of the length, although you may get a little frustrated at having to wait for some of the answers. Alternatively, you may get a little annoyed and want to slap Owen for being so clueless. That's all just part of the charm of this ultra-violent story though. From one minute to the next you're engaged and hooked on either finding out what's going on or being smug over at least knowing you know more than Owen does. In the meantime, you also get to enjoy the big man Owen getting his arse kicked left, right and centre despite his being more armed than your average soldier.
At one point a particularly powerful and nasty vampire asks "Just how many guns do you have?" (not verbatim, I believe) and there's no more relevant question that can be asked. To be perfectly honest, I lost track myself but then I'm not really into guns, vaguely knowledgeable about guns or even interested in getting much of a clue at this point in life. You point, you stroke the trigger, you watch the kickback, protect your ears if you can and try to hit the side of the barn. That's about it for me. And in Monster Hunter International I found myself bombarded with gun tech talk and geekdom beyond my comprehension. It was impressive to say the least. I have run across one other series that has become increasingly focused on weapons details but even then it wasn't to this degree. From my standpoint of mostly ignorant though, I have to say that reading the details in this book compared to the other series was far more enjoyable as in this book there's a sort of game feel. Funnily enough, or not, there is now a game to match and I wasn't surprised at all to find this out as throughout the book I kept thinking "this would make a really good blast-em-up game like Doom or some such".
At the risk of suddenly sounding like a granny I'll say this: Owen is a lovely man, aside from his gun fetish and touch of ultra-violence. He is, as mentioned above, a little dense at times and a little prone to rushing in like a fool but he's constantly wanting only the best for those he cares for, putting his foot in his mouth or at least mumbling and stuttering shyly, blushing and being uncommonly awkward for a hero when it comes to all things romantic. It is actually quite nice to read about such a character, particularly when he's an otherwise capable action hero who routinely finds himself in particularly nasty situations. Julie, his love, is far more cutting, ruthless and adept when it comes to matters of the heart, let alone shooting, monster eradication and practically everything else. To see the pair balanced this way is quite nice, as it reveals Owen's golden heart which would otherwise be hidden under the brutal violence he deals out and it highlights Julie's bravery and skills in a manner that isn't belittled by circumstances or alternate views. There is no compromise in the writing of either character or in their rounding out and the play between them is both interesting to follow and heartening. All while blood is flying endless.
If that's not enough, there's a mystery to be unravelled, forces of evil to be battled against, an item that can stop or control time that mustn't be used and a ghost rattling about in Owen's head. And that's all after Owen fights a slavering, killer werewolf who happens to be his boss, snaps its neck and throws it out a 14th storey window. Monster Hunter International is addictive and enjoyable throughout and will likely keep you up at night as you try to find some gap in the bloodshed where you could possible shut the book and go to sleep. Yes, you may end up dreaming of killing monsters...

I'd recommend this book to: gun nuts or general gun enthusiasts, dark fantasy lovers and those interested in reading books containing a wide range of new and classic monsters. I'd say it would appeal to men more than women if I didn't know that women also enjoy a hefty dose of violence. They just need to know where to find it. Women will also enjoy Owen's awkwardness when approaching Julie. So I'd say there's something in this book for everyone.

Rosy's scrawled book recommendation: Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

Sandman Slim
Richard Kadrey

Blurb
Supernatural fantasy has a new antihero
Life sucks, and then you die. Or, if you're James Stark, you spend eleven years in Hell as a hitman before finally escaping, only to land back in the hell-on-earth that is Los Angeles.
Now Stark's back, and ready for revenge. And absolution, and maybe even love. But when his first stop saddles him with an abusive talking head, Stark discovers that the road to absolution and revenge is much longer than you'd expect, and both Heaven and Hell have their own ideas for his future.
Resurrection sucks. Saving the world is worse.


Publisher 
HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN
9780061714306

Rosy's scrawlings on Sandman Slim
Richard Kadrey is a new author for me, even though he's written a few books by now. This means that although he's got some history and proof of talent there I still instinctively judge the first work I read as though it were any first work. For me, what matters is more a meeting of minds and a creation of scenes and coherent story telling than anything like typos or writing style. I have to be able to get into the swing of things, as it were. And Richard Kadrey looks to be another author I'll be following because as soon as I finished Sandman Slim I immediately went online and bought the rest of the series now available from the Book Depository UK (an awesome place to buy books). Job done, as far as advertising through your work goes.
James Stark, Stark, Jimmy or Sandman Slim as he comes to be know, is a man bent on personal vengeance that just happens to coincide with saving the world in various ways. When others try to convince him to be more caring of the fate of others he steadfastly only cares about seeing the blood of his enemies and betrayers on his hands. He's rude, crude, frequently beaten down, powerful but unable to act on it, ignorant by choice most of the time and far too worldly in the ways of Hell and Lucifer. He's a character you greatly enjoy reading about as all sanctimonious do-gooding for the sake of others is tossed out the window for some deep-seated personal concern.
Also, I have to say that you'll likely greatly enjoy the depiction of Lucifer. He's a quiet one, a thinker and planner with a huge capacity for violence he has yet to act on. He's also a great fan of movies and collects whatever good movies he can get his hands on.
Like all good urban fantasies there's plenty of darkness, swarms of new and old monsters, a magic system to be used and abused and a city/world under siege from the forces of evil. What makes this story stand out though, is that there's a character in the middle of it all who just doesn't care, a lot of slapstick moments written with a touch of horror and a light hearted approach to the end of the world. Sandman Slim is an urban fantasy that leaves you smiling rather than frowning or puzzling over the nasty things in life. And for that it is well worth a read and I'd also suggest it as a Friday night in read.

I'd recommend this book to: lovers of urban fantasy that includes trips into other dimensions or mythological places, lovers of action and antiheroes as well as lovers of stories inclusive of magic. Otherwise, anyone who is into fantasy.

Rosy's scrawled book recommendation: Dante Valentine series by Lilith Saintcrow

Dante Valentine series
Lilith Saintcrow

Individual Books
Working for the Devil
Dead Man Rising
The Devil's Right Hand
Saint City Sinners
To Hell and Back

Blurb

Necromancer. Bounty hunter. Killer.
Dante Valentine has been all three in her life. But in the beginning, she was a Necromancer for hire. And while she was choosy about her jobs, there were just some she couldn't turn down. Like when the Devil showed up at the door and offered her a deal. Her life - in exchange for the capture and elimination of a renegade demon. But how do you kill something that can't die?

Publisher
Orbit

ISBN
978-0316101967

Rosy's scrawlings on the Dante Valentine series
For this recommendation I'm doing something rather odd for a reviewer/recommender or whatever you'd like to call me at this stage. And that is: I'm going to recommend, deeply recommend, you read a series that I will never pick up again even if you hold a gun to my head. The reason for my avoidance of ever reading this series again has absolutely nothing to do with the author's skills and the quality of the books. Not a thing. Instead, the reason for my avoiding it is entirely because the series is too good and forces me to remember things I'd much rather not, thank you very much. This means though, that for me this series is a tad more horrific than it is likely to be to you (unless you have similar memories and emotions floating about - see warning). It also means that the series is exceptional and a must read.
While I'm at the intro bit, I'd like to share a personal grumble I have every time I see this series on the shelves. For some reason, completely incomprehensible to me, this series is often shelved under romance or to be precise, paranormal romance. Why? Who on earth thinks this story is romantic? Read it and tell me I'm wrong. I bet there are very, very few of you who'll see Dante and Japhrimel's relationship as vaguely romantic. It has to be one of the most dysfunctional and horrific relationships I've ever read of and all it leaves me with is a deep feeling of gratitude that such a relationship never happened to me. I honestly don't know whether I could have stood it. Dante definitely can't.
So, to me and probably many of you once you've given it a whirl, this book is horror. The relationship is quite like those of the quarrelling husband and wife going to the isolated cabin in the woods. Nothing works well and the distrust and violence escalates. It screams horror from beginning to end, with only a vague glimpse of possibility at their initial meeting. One that's immediately squashed by circumstances called life and Lucifer. And things, as expected of a horror story, quickly spiral out of control in a rather irrevocable way. Perspectives are changes, life values smashed, trust ruined, blood spilled, suicidal behaviour frequent, control lost, battles around every corner, personalities shattered, minds destroyed and so on and so forth. It is a never-ending flow into darkness for Dante and you see it all from her perspective. What happens to your mind when you're tortured by Lucifer? Well, read and find out what's likely to happen. Can you trust an intelligent and powerful being that isn't human? I'd say it would be pretty difficult at the best of times and these aren't the best. The story is dark and becomes increasingly hollow, which is the exact opposite of a romance where things start out bleak and love blooms so the world becomes colourful.
So I recommend this series to you because this is some powerful horror and well worth reading.
All this leaves me with a quandary. I have been collecting the Jill Kismet series as Lilith Saintcrow's work is outstanding. But I've also avoided picking up any further works of hers and actually reading them as I'm in a once burned, twice shy situation. So, if you're reading this and you're read the Dante Valentine and the Jill Kismet series, can you answer me this? Does Jill have the same sort of fate as Dante and do I have good reason to be wary?

I'd recommend this to: Anyone at the right reading level but those who love horror in particular. I'd also go the extra mile of convincing the romantically wary that this book is incorrectly shelved most of the time, as it is by no means a romance of any sort, and should be shelved as straight, god-awful (meaning great) horror.

I'd warn: people who've lost a lot and have felt that their life was very out of control. This isn't a don't read it warning but rather a be prepared one. I wasn't. It was a tad awful to have the memories of certain times in my life scratched open again.

Rosy's scrawled book recommendation: Dark Time by Dakota Banks

Dark Time

Dakota Banks

Blurb

Three hundred years ago, she sold her soul to a demon. Now she wants it back.
For centuries, the woman calling herself Maliha Crayne has lived a second life - as an assassin for the malevolent creature who owns her soul. A haunted killer with the blood of countless victims on her hands, she has finally discovered a way to nullify the demonic pact that chains her: If she saves a life for every one she has taken, she will be free.
But if she fails, her punishments will be unspeakable, unendurable . . . and neverending.

Publisher

Harper Voyager

ISBN

978-0062049988

Rosy's scrawlings on Dark Time

I picked up Dark Time when it first came out mainly because the cover, while portraying a woman wearing leather, didn't portray the main character as "sexy and she knows it" while the blurb on the back had nothing to do with such things. Upfront honesty in a book cover is always appreciated, plus the accurate portrayal of the mood of a book. So for those reasons I picked up this book while it was still the only Dakota Banks book printed.

The first thing I'd like to point out about the story is that it truly shouldn't be read only by women. Yes, the main character is a woman but this isn't a dreamy, waffly romance that will get most men's back up about how high the expectations of them are or how nonsensical the love is. Instead, what you get is a hefty dose of dark, bloody and intriguing along with a pretty original concept of how a person must gain redemption/freedom and just what the costs are. There is no standard sexy demon with black wings or even scaly demon and nor is there a look into the heavenly side of things. What you get instead is a demon that's almost intangible and undefinable, a past filled with human jealousy, greed and rage and a future that looks to be short and rather uncomfortable.

Otherwise, there's a mystery for Maliha to solve, people's lives to save and a clock that's ticking away. There's plenty of weaponry and strategies and one of the most horrible scenes I've read in a while. I won't say what it is but I will say it wasn't horrible due to shock value or gore but rather the level of cruelty and disregard given to one character. Let's just say the scene has since been stuck in my mind. The mood also remains intense throughout and it along with the ticking clock (as it were - if I say too much I'll just be spoiling your fun) compels you to read on.

I'm pretty sure that this book will exceed your expectations for a first publication. The writing style is smooth and the atmosphere created tense and dark. There isn't any section you could point to and say it could have been left out and there's plenty of complexity in the plot and character motivations. The characters, while mostly on the cynical and dark side of things are believable within the bounds of dark fantasy/horror. And there's nary a gushing heroine in sight. All in all, it reads as though it isn't Dakota Banks' first publication.

And I have to add again, the cover for this one is really well done.

I'd recommend this book to: anyone interested in gritty dark fantasy or horror and anyone interested in an intense read. I'd like to also recommend Dark Time those men out there looking to read books with serious female leads that aren't entirely romance driven and can fight with the best of them.

Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Blame! by Nihei Tsutomu

Blame!
Nihei Tsutomu

Blurb

Killy is a man of few words. He wanders, seemingly endlessly, through a lonely, gargantuan labyrinth of concrete and steel, fighting off cyborgs and other futuristic nightmares, searching only for something called Net Terminal Genes. And he has a very powerful gun, which he uses without hesitation whenever anything resembling danger rears its ugly head.
Who is this quiet, violent, determined man and what are these Genes he seeks? The small communities he finds tucked into the crevices of this towering, dystopic ruin hardly give him leads on his treasure, driving him to find larger enclaves of civilization where people can reveal more about the world he lives in and the quarry he seeks.

Alternative Names

ブレム！

网络迷宫

Status

Completed

Reading Instructions

Chapters 1-19: Read from left to right
Chapters 20-66: Read from right to left

Sites for reading online (free)

Manga Fox, Manga Anime

Rosy's scrawlings on Blame!

Brilliant. Love it, love it, love it.

Okay, that says about all you need to know but I'll write some more.

Within Blame! you'll find a dystopian nightmare that seems to stretch on endlessly and without reason. The world is its own and seems completely disconnected from ours except by a few similarities and IT based or science based ideas. You will likely need to dust off your physics knowledge as you go but if you don't have much of that to start with then just enjoy the play of hard science-fiction. There's little that will get in your way if you don't understand as most of the time you'll feel a little like you're scrabbling for answers just with the plot. This is actually one of the best aspects about Blame! and, in fact, most stories I've truly loved. That the reader is kept guessing and intrigued by the unexpected is a sign that the story is new and quite unique, as far as unique goes in this world.

What life there is isn't really life as we know it. The beings of the world are constantly being built or constructed, blown to pieces and patched up again, backed up and remade or just rebooted endlessly without explanation. There are even some who heal wounds generally fatal even to their own kind and go on to fight another battle. Characters change forms and even bodies with ease although they don't always like it. Rarely are there those who stay dead without being beheaded and or exploded by a gravitational gun.

The violence is extreme and long lasting although the gore and horror impact is limited so you get the same sort of viewing pleasure with this as you do with zombie stories. The violence has a different meaning due to the different set of rules you need to comprehend it by. All in all, I'd say that there's something hypnotic about the artistically stilled violence that only sometimes flows and blooms.

As to the characters, their base motivations aren't always explained but you do become familiar with them as you read on. Reading Blame! is almost like watching a silent movie in this respect. You have to watch the action and interpret the meaning just as much as pay attention to the odd explanation that comes your way.

The art is very dark and scratched in, mirroring the jagged and stark landscape, characters and events. Light is used sparingly throughout and because of this it is as harsh as the darkness. Add to that, Killy is more often than not dwarfed by the landscape and the creatures he encounters, making the entire text a tad disturbing spatially. The art is truly beautiful but not in the way you'd expect beautiful art to be. It is entrancing and pulls you along, making up for the lack of speech and hidden plot lines until all becomes clear. Why it pulls you along is a need to find out what the next space is, what is to be discovered by the characters and what sort of cyborg, human or silicon life Killy will encounter next.

I'd recommend this manga to: anyone who likes dystopian literature, cyborgs, IT or tech, The Matrix and all things dark and violent. It is very male in style but females will love the story too, as long as they match the above description.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.