Just Another Judgement Day by Simon R. Green

[meganbmoore]

After the events of the last few books, the Nightside is in shambles and rebuilding itself, and Walker, the man who delivers smackdowns when people step out of line, has been busy helping to assemble new Authorities to run the place. In the middle of this, the Walking Man, the invincible human personification of God’s justice, has decided to cleanse the place of sinners. Since that’s pretty much the only kind of person in the Nightside, the new Authorities hire John Taylor to get rid of him before the entire place panics.

Like other Nightside novels, Just Another Judgement Day has a lot of action in a very short period of time. In this case, a single day. As is usual, a large part of the appeal is seeing what Simon R. Green’s imagination can come up with as he makes badass people be badass. Lately, I’ve noticed that he’s developed a penchant for older and middle-aged women who easily kick butt. We also have a crossover with the Shaman Bond books, reminding me that Simon R. Green is kind of like the psychotic long lost British sibling of Clamp and Kaori Yuki who is very devoted to his dark humor. There’s also a new character, Chandra Singh, who is an Indian monster hunter. He stands out because he’s rather nice and polite and earnest and heroic and devout. These are strange things in the Nightside. I’m concerned for him. Especially since he seems to have a slight crush on Suzie.

Somewhere in this book, there may have also been a lesbian vicar whose girlfriend was a demon. Green is the kind of writer where that kind of thing doesn’t stand out as much.

I’m not sure what I think about Suzie healing her demons “offscreen,” so to speak. On the one hand, it makes sense that only other abused children would be able to help her, and she and John can’t really be dragging around a couple dozen tortured children while they blow things up. On the other hand, it meant she was missing from a lot of the action. Then again, I also kind of think that maybe John has no business being a part of that, and since the series is told in first person, we can’t see what’s happening without him there.

I’m curious to see where things go with the new Authorities. I thought it was pretty obvious who they’d be as soon as Walker said there were new Authorites, it’s just a question of if they’ll be John’s allies or enemies in the long run. I admit, though, that I wasn’t expecting “John will be Walker’s replacement” to show up until the end of the series.

Like other books in the series, how successful it will be with the individual depends on how far darkly humorous fantasy noir devoted to being badass appeals.

Incidentally, can someone tell me if “onlie” is a proper U.K. spelling for “only”? It isn’t a spelling I recall seeing before,, but is used several times here. It’s only used to refer to one thing, but in the context of how we use “only,” so I’m wondering if it’s some sort of language thing or a reference to something, or was just part of the title to the one thing.

Comments

[southerndave.livejournal.com]

hmmm... if it's only used to refer to one thing, could it be part of the thing's name / trading name, or being used ironically? All I can think of as the reason for the spelling is someone trying to show faux mediaeval / Chaucerian English.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Deliberately having faux medieval/Chaucerian language actually fits well with the world.

[havocthecat]

He's earnest and heroic? Oh, then he's doomed. Everyone except the protagonists, I've noticed, are doomed to fall from heroic heights to secretly evil depths that are uncovered only by the noirish, good-hearted-yet-ultimately-pragmatic protagonists of of Green's books.

After reading a good two dozen or so of his books, including the Hawk & Fisher novels in original format, I've come to expect this from him. I hope to be disappointed, though.

ETA: I forgot to say, the lesbian vicar with the demon girlfriend? Yeah, given Green's morally ambiguous, incredibly situationally relevant moralityish universe? The demon might not even be (entirely) evil.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I largely read Green for the insanity and characters, and ignore his messages. Actually, I don't really think he has messages.

ETA: Oh, and he lives through the book, and doesn't really look like he'll be killed off immediately.

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

There exists a Nightside novel I haven't read! QUICK, IVY! To the Bookmobile!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Just came out last month.

[hidethetheft.livejournal.com]

I love Simon R. Green, he's one of my favorite authors. However, with this book I seem to get the feeling he's winding the Nightside down. Especially the bit with Walker, and Suzie facing her issues.

I was really excited when I found out about this one, and I was even more excited when Eddie showed up again. (God he's my favorite) - but I keep getting this feeling of closure, and this book seemed rushed. It might have been the short ammount of time the book covered, as you said a day, but it seemed really really rushed.

And in the new Shaman Bond book- you get another crossover. (not spoiling, I hope too much if you haven't read it so I won't say too much about it.) He really is the English version of CLAMP.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I'm not convinced Green can write without having a crossover with another of his series at this point. Is the third Shaman Bond book out already?

[hidethetheft.livejournal.com]

I don't believe so. I just got my hands on the second one. I wasn't too impressed with it. To me his Bond series is really wordy.