Simon Green

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For other uses, see Simon Green (disambiguation).
Simon Green

Occupation Novelist
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy

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.

Contents

[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] Drinking Midnight Wine

Toby Dexter, a bored 33-year-old clerk at Gandalf's bookshop in Bradford-on-Avon, becomes an unlikely hero when he follows a mysterious woman named Gayle through a doorway she creates by pointing at a wall. Toby suddenly finds himself in Mysterie, a fantasy world of gods and devils that coexists with Veritie, our mundane world. Gayle is preoccupied by a power struggle between Good and Evil, with the latter being represented by the Serpent in the Sun. Gayle explains that Toby is a "focal point" who will ultimately decide "the fates of people and the world".

[edit] The Twilight of the Empire series

{Prelude to The Deathstalker series }

  • Mistworld. New York, Ace, Sep 1992; London, Gollancz, Nov 1992.
  • Ghostworld. New York, Ace, Mar 1993; London, Gollancz, Sep 1993.
  • Hellworld. New York, Ace, Sep 1993; revised, London, Gollancz, Dec 1995.
  • Twilight of the Empire (omnibus; contains Mistworld, Ghostworld, Hellworld). New York, Penguin/Roc, Aug 1997; as Deathstalker Prelude (with revised version of Hellworld), London, Gollancz/Vista, Nov 1998.

[edit] The Deathstalker series

Main article: Deathstalker (series)
  • 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 Hawk and Fisher series

  • Hawk & Fisher. New York, Ace, Sep 1990; as No Haven for the Guilty, London, Headline, Aug 1990.
  • Hawk & Fisher: Winner Takes All. New York, Ace, Jan 1991; as Devil Take the Hindmost, London, Headline, Feb 1991.
  • Hawk & Fisher: The God Killer. New York, Ace, Jun 1991; London, Headline, Sep 1991.
  • Hawk & Fisher: Wolf in the Fold. New York, Ace, Sep 1991; as Vengeance for a Lonely Man, London, Headline, Mar 1992.
  • Hawk & Fisher: Guard Against Dishonor. New York, Ace, Dec 1991; as Guard Against Dishonour, London, Headline, Jun 1992.
  • Hawk & Fisher: The Bones of Haven. New York, Ace, Mar 1992; as Two Kings in Haven, London, Headline, Oct 1992.
  • Swords of Haven: The Adventures of Hawk & Fisher (omnibus; Hawk & Fisher, Winner Takes All, The God Killer). New York, Penguin/Roc, Jul 1999; as Haven of Lost Souls (omnibus; contains No Haven for the Guilty, Devil Take the Hindmost, The God Killer), London, Orion/Millennium, Nov 1999.
  • Guards of Haven (omnibus; contains Wolf in the Fold, Guard Against Dishonor, The Bones of Haven). New York, Penguin/Roc, Nov 1999; as Fear and Loathing in Haven (omnibus; contains Vengeance for a Lonely Man, Guard Against Dishonour, Two Kings in Haven), London, Millennium, Apr 2000.

[edit] The Forest Kingdom series

  • Blue Moon Rising. New York, Penguin/Roc, May 1991; London, Gollancz, Sep 1991.
  • Blood and Honour. London, Gollancz, Jun 1992; as Blood and Honor, New York, Penguin/Roc, May 1993.
  • Down Among the Dead Men. London, Gollancz, Sep 1993; New York, Penguin/Roc, Dec 1993.
  • 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 Secret History series

  • The Man with the Golden Torc (UK: May 17th, 2007, US: June 5th, 2007)
  • Daemons are Forever (US June 3rd, 2008)
  • The Spy who Haunted Me (Expected August 2009)

You know what? It's all true. Everything that ever scared you, from conspiracy theories to monsters under the bed to ghosties & ghoulies & long-leggity beasties. The only reason they haven't taken over the world yet is because my family has always been there to stand in their way. We guard the door, keeping you safe from the big bad wolf, and you never even know our names. Of course, there's a price to be paid. By us, and by you. The username's Bond. Shaman Bond. Licensed to kick supernatural arse. And Bond - real name Eddie Drood - comes from one of the oldest families in England, a family that has been protecting Humanity from the forces of darkness for more centuries than anyone can even remember. And Eddie Drood loved his job - until the day it all blew up in his face ... Secret Histories is a mix of James Bond and Blade, a fast-paced roller-coaster ride through the dark side.

Eddie Drood alias Shaman Bond is an agent of the Drood family, a family that has guarded the normal world from the forces and powers of evil for generations with a combination of super science and magic, not the least being their wonderous golden armor that protects each member from head to toe. Or so Eddie thought until he was betrayed by his family, declared rogue, and had to ally with the very beings he had sworn to destroy. As he learns the truth about the origins of his family's armor and who actually runs the world, he must stop them, while surviving the various enemies within the family and out.

[edit] The Nightside series

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 strength to the series.

Several characters from the Nightside are in other novels: Bruin Bear & Goat are both in the Deathstalker series and Shadows Fall; Razor Eddie and The Street of the Gods are in The Forest Kingdom series. This is on purpose, both as an Easter Egg and to link the series together, either 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 April 2007, the author stated that a deal for film rights to the series had been signed on the Simon R. Green fan site (http://www.bluemoonrising.nl/news.html).

[edit] External links