Rain, Money, and Missing Daughter

John Taylor, a down-on-his-luck private investigator, is visited late at night by Joanna Barrett, a wealthy, icy woman whose teenage daughter, Cathy, has gone missing. Joanna's desperation is palpable; she's tried the police and every reputable agency, but no one can find Cathy. The only clue: Cathy may have vanished into the Nightside, a secret, supernatural heart of London. Taylor, who has a reputation for finding anything, is reluctant—he's fled the Nightside for good reason. But Joanna's money and her insistence that she accompany him force his hand. Taylor's own past and the lure of the Nightside's mysteries begin to pull him back in.

Descent into the Nightside

Taylor and Joanna descend into the London Underground, following cryptic signs and rituals that open a hidden passage to the Nightside. The journey is surreal: the train is windowless, the passengers are otherworldly, and dangers lurk just outside. Taylor's reputation precedes him, and even the monstrous Brittle Sisters of the Hive recognize his name. Joanna is shaken by the strangeness, but Taylor's calm and his own conflicted nostalgia for the Nightside keep them moving forward.

Neon Streets, Shadowed Reputations

Emerging into the Nightside, Taylor and Joanna are overwhelmed by a city of perpetual night, neon, and impossible wonders. The streets teem with supernatural beings, and danger is everywhere. Taylor's name still carries weight—enough to scare off a gang of demons. Joanna is both fascinated and horrified, and Taylor explains the rules: there are no police, only Authorities, and his own gift for finding things is both a blessing and a curse, as it attracts the attention of old enemies.

Strangefellows: Secrets and Favors

Taylor leads Joanna to Strangefellows, the oldest bar in the world, a neutral ground for the Nightside's denizens. There, Taylor reconnects with Alex Morrisey, the bar's miserable owner, and Razor Eddie, a dangerous, haunted figure who owes Taylor a favor. After a violent encounter with a vengeful yuppie, Taylor learns from Eddie that Cathy may have passed through the Fortress, a haven for the paranoid and the hunted. The Nightside's web of secrets and debts grows ever more tangled.

The Harrowing's Embrace

Leaving Strangefellows, Taylor and Joanna are ambushed in an alley by the Harrowing—faceless, relentless assassins who have hunted Taylor since childhood. Trapped and terrified, Taylor's gift barely finds a hidden escape, but Joanna is paralyzed by fear. Taylor refuses to abandon her, even as the Harrowing close in. At the last moment, Razor Eddie intervenes, destroying the Harrowing in a display of terrifying power. The rescue is a double-edged sword: Eddie admits he set Taylor up to draw out the Harrowing, repaying an old debt.

Fortress of the Paranoid

Taylor and Joanna take a magical horse-drawn carriage to the Fortress, a stronghold for alien abductees and the desperate. Inside, they find chaos: Suzie Shooter, a notorious bounty hunter and Taylor's complicated ally, is in a standoff with the Fortress's defenders. After a tense negotiation, Taylor learns Cathy was here but left, drawn by a mysterious call to Blaiston Street—a place even the Nightside fears. Suzie joins the search, her presence both a comfort and a threat.

Timeslip: Future's End

On the way to Blaiston Street, Taylor, Joanna, and Suzie are caught in a Timeslip—a pocket of future devastation where London and the Nightside are dead, the sky is starless, and only insects remain. They find Razor Eddie, now immortal and tormented, trapped as a host for the insects' young. Eddie blames Taylor for the world's end, warning him never to seek his mother. Taylor, forced to mercy-kill Eddie, realizes the future is a warning, not a certainty. With Joanna's help, they escape the Timeslip, shaken but alive.

Insects and the Collector

In the ruined future, the trio encounters the Collector, a time-traveling hoarder who values the unique insects over human life. The insects, seeking new hosts, attack. Taylor's gift reveals the only way to free Eddie is to use his own razor, ending his suffering and dooming the insects. The Collector escapes, and Taylor and Joanna barely make it back to their own time, haunted by the possible consequences of Taylor's choices and the warning about his mother.

Ghosts, Cokes, and Confrontations

Needing respite, Taylor and Joanna visit the Hawk's Wind Bar & Grill, a ghostly sixties café where time stands still. Over real Cokes, they reflect on their traumas, their pasts, and the nature of hope in the Nightside. Walker, the enigmatic agent of the Authorities, arrives with a warning: people are disappearing on Blaiston Street, and Taylor has twelve hours to solve the mystery before Walker destroys the street. The stakes are raised, and Taylor is forced to confront his own motivations and the possibility of his mother's return.

Blaiston Street's Empty Heart

Blaiston Street is eerily deserted, its usual chaos replaced by silence and decay. Taylor's gift tracks Cathy to a nondescript house, but the house has no history, no presence—nothing his gift can sense. Joanna's urgency grows, and Suzie rejoins them. The trio enters the house, which is empty, sticky, and wrong. Upstairs, they find Cathy, emaciated and blissful, lying on the floor, her body merging with the wood. The house is alive, a predator that lures and consumes the lost.

The House That Eats

The house's true nature is revealed: it is an alien predator, feeding on the souls of the desperate. Cathy, like many before her, was drawn in by promises of love and belonging. Suzie urges Taylor to abandon Cathy, but he refuses. The house seals them in, its walls and ceiling becoming organic, dripping corrosive fluids. Taylor's gift is blocked, and Joanna's behavior grows increasingly erratic.

Masks, Betrayals, and Truth

As the house prepares to digest them, Taylor realizes Joanna is not who she seems. Cathy, in her delirium, reveals Joanna is not her mother. Joanna confesses: she is a construct, a Judas Goat created by Taylor's enemies—specifically the Harrowing—to lure him back to the Nightside and his doom. Joanna's mask melts away, and she is reabsorbed into the house, leaving Taylor devastated and betrayed.

Battle for the Soul

With Suzie's help, Taylor rallies. He uses his gift to find the heart of the house, entering a psychic battle in a grey, in-between place. There, he unites with Suzie, Cathy, and the souls of the house's victims—including the echo of Joanna—to attack the house's core. Their combined will destroys the predator, freeing the trapped souls and breaking the house's hold.

Escape and Aftermath

The house collapses, decaying and vanishing from the Nightside. Taylor, Suzie, and a frail but alive Cathy escape into the rain-soaked street. Walker and his agents arrive to clean up, but there is little left. Taylor is haunted by Joanna's memory and the knowledge that he was manipulated by his enemies, but he takes solace in having saved Cathy and destroyed the predator.

Walker's Bargain

Walker offers Taylor unofficial work, hinting at the ongoing threat of Taylor's mysterious mother. Taylor, wary but pragmatic, agrees to let Walker handle Cathy's return to the real world. Cathy, however, refuses to go back, choosing the Nightside over her old life. The balance of power in the Nightside remains uncertain, and Taylor's place in it is as precarious as ever.

Cathy's Choice

Cathy, traumatized but resolute, decides to stay in the Nightside, seeking purpose and agency she never found in her old life. She offers to work for Taylor, who is both amused and exasperated. Suzie, ever the cynic, laughs at the prospect. The Nightside, with all its dangers and possibilities, is now Cathy's home.

The Price of Dreams

Taylor reflects on the cost of his choices: the loss of Joanna, the warning about his mother, and the endless cycle of helping others while being unable to help himself. The Nightside is a place where dreams and nightmares are real, and Taylor's own future remains uncertain. Yet, he finds meaning in the act of saving others, even as he is haunted by what he cannot change.

Something from the Nightside

As the rain fades and the city's neon lights blaze on, Taylor sits with his allies, contemplating the Nightside's endless strangeness. The predator is gone, but new threats will always arise. Taylor's gift, his reputation, and his stubborn refusal to give up are all that stand between the lost and the darkness. In the Nightside, nothing is ever truly over.

Characters

John Taylor

John Taylor is a private investigator with a supernatural gift: he can find anything or anyone, but only in the Nightside. Scarred by a traumatic childhood, abandoned by a mother who may not be human, and hunted by faceless enemies, Taylor is both cynical and deeply moral. He is driven by a need to help others, perhaps as compensation for his own unresolved pain. Taylor's relationships are fraught—he keeps people at arm's length to protect them and himself. His journey in this story is one of reluctant return, forced to confront old fears, betrayals, and the possibility that his very existence is a threat to the world. Despite his self-loathing and doubts, Taylor's refusal to abandon his clients or his friends is his defining strength.

Joanna Barrett

Joanna Barrett appears as a wealthy, desperate mother, but is ultimately revealed to be a construct—a Judas Goat created by Taylor's enemies to lure him back to the Nightside. She is designed to be Taylor's perfect client: strong, vulnerable, and capable of breaking through his defenses. Joanna's arc is tragic; she begins to believe in her own humanity and develops genuine feelings for Taylor, only to be reabsorbed into the predatory house. Her existence raises questions about identity, free will, and the power of belief.

Cathy Barrett

Cathy is the missing teenager whose disappearance drives the plot. Initially portrayed as a rebellious, ungrateful daughter, she is revealed to be deeply lonely and searching for meaning. Drawn to the Nightside by the predatory house's call, Cathy is nearly consumed, both physically and spiritually. Her rescue is bittersweet—she is traumatized but chooses to remain in the Nightside, seeking agency and purpose. Cathy's journey mirrors Taylor's: both are searching for belonging in a world that offers only danger and ambiguity.

Suzie Shooter (Shotgun Suzie)

Suzie is a notorious bounty hunter, feared for her brutality and efficiency. She and Taylor share a complicated history—partnership, betrayal, and mutual respect. Suzie is emotionally closed off, using violence as both shield and weapon. Her loyalty to Taylor is unwavering, and she serves as both muscle and moral check. Suzie's presence highlights the Nightside's harshness and the necessity of hard choices.

Razor Eddie

Razor Eddie is a legendary figure in the Nightside, both feared and revered. Once a vicious killer, he now lives in penance, targeting only those who deserve it. Eddie's immortality becomes a curse in the Timeslip, where he is tormented for decades as a host for monstrous insects. His relationship with Taylor is one of mutual respect and shared trauma. Eddie's fate serves as a warning about the consequences of power and the dangers of seeking forbidden knowledge.

Walker

Walker is the Nightside's ultimate civil servant, representing the mysterious Authorities. He is charming, ruthless, and utterly pragmatic, willing to sacrifice anyone to maintain the status quo. Walker's relationship with Taylor is adversarial but respectful; he recognizes Taylor's value as a tool and a threat. Walker's presence underscores the Nightside's moral ambiguity and the dangers of unchecked power.

The Harrowing

The Harrowing are Taylor's oldest enemies—faceless, inhuman killers sent by unknown masters. They embody the trauma and paranoia that haunt Taylor's life. Their use of Joanna as a lure and their alliance with the predatory house reveal the depth of the conspiracy against Taylor. The Harrowing's presence is a constant reminder that in the Nightside, the past is never truly dead.

The Collector

The Collector is a time-traveling thief obsessed with acquiring unique items, regardless of the cost to others. He is both comic and chilling, valuing insects over human life and refusing to help Taylor and Joanna in the ruined future. The Collector represents the Nightside's capacity for selfishness and the dangers of unchecked obsession.

Alex Morrisey

Alex is the owner of Strangefellows, a bar that serves as a hub for the Nightside's denizens. Miserable, sarcastic, and bound to his family's legacy, Alex is both a source of information and a rare point of stability. His friendship with Taylor is based on mutual tolerance and shared history. Alex's presence grounds the story, providing a touchstone of normalcy amid the chaos.

The House

The house on Blaiston Street is the story's central antagonist—a shape-shifting, soul-eating predator that lures the lost and lonely with promises of love and belonging. It is both a literal and metaphorical monster, embodying the Nightside's dangers and the human need for connection. The house's defeat requires not just power, but the combined will and rage of its victims.

Plot Devices

The Nightside

The Nightside is both setting and character—a hidden, supernatural heart of London where anything is possible and nothing is safe. Its mutable reality allows for time travel, magic, and the coexistence of myth and modernity. The Nightside's rules are fluid, its dangers omnipresent, and its allure irresistible. It serves as a crucible for Taylor's journey, forcing him to confront his past, his enemies, and his own nature.

The Gift

Taylor's gift is both his greatest asset and his greatest vulnerability. It allows him to track people and objects across the Nightside, but using it attracts the attention of his enemies and exacts a personal toll. The gift is also a metaphor for Taylor's compulsion to seek truth, no matter the cost.

The Harrowing and Joanna's Betrayal

The Harrowing's pursuit of Taylor is a constant threat, foreshadowed by their early mention and culminating in Joanna's betrayal. Joanna's role as a construct designed to lure Taylor is a masterstroke of misdirection, playing on both his and the reader's expectations. The revelation recontextualizes the entire narrative, turning a rescue mission into a personal trap.

Timeslip and Alternate Futures

The Timeslip sequence serves as both a narrative detour and a thematic warning. By showing Taylor the consequences of his potential actions—specifically, the search for his mother—the story raises questions about fate, free will, and the cost of knowledge. The ruined future is a cautionary tale, not a prophecy, emphasizing the Nightside's fluidity.

The House as Monster

The house is both literal and symbolic—a predator that feeds on the vulnerable by offering false comfort. Its ability to create constructs like Joanna and to consume souls makes it a unique antagonist, one that can only be defeated by collective will and self-knowledge.

Authority and Moral Ambiguity

Walker's interventions highlight the Nightside's lack of clear morality. The Authorities maintain order through manipulation and violence, and their willingness to sacrifice individuals for the greater good forces Taylor to operate in the grey areas between heroism and survival.

Analysis

Something from the Nightside is a masterful blend of noir detective fiction and urban fantasy, using the supernatural as a lens to explore trauma, identity, and the search for meaning in a world that offers only ambiguity. Simon R. Green's Nightside is a place where the boundaries between good and evil, reality and illusion, are constantly shifting. The story's central mystery—the search for a missing girl—becomes a vehicle for examining the dangers of longing, the power of belief, and the cost of hope. Taylor's journey is both external and internal: he must navigate a city of monsters and miracles while confronting his own fears, regrets, and the possibility that he is himself a threat to the world. The betrayals he suffers, especially Joanna's, force him to question the nature of love and trust in a world built on deception. The Nightside's dangers are not just physical but existential, and survival requires not just strength but self-awareness and the willingness to accept loss. Ultimately, the novel suggests that even in the darkest places, the act of helping others—however imperfectly—is what gives life meaning. The Nightside endures, and so does Taylor, battered but unbroken, a beacon for the lost in a city that never sleeps.

Last updated: May 21, 2025