Simon R Green (No Spoilers, Please)

[Mark CMG]

Please, tell me what you can, without spoilers, about the Simon R Green Hawk and Fisher stories. I'm looking to read some swords and sorcery that has been written more recently than my usual tastes (pre-80s) and I hear good things.

I have two of the omnibus paperbacks (Swords of Haven & Guards of Haven) on my shelf waiting the impetus.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I'm a huge fan of the Hawk and Fisher series. That doesn't mean I think it's flawless by any means, but I love it.

It's definitely light reading. Not deep, doesn't take itself overly seriously, not heavy. They're quick, fun reads. Actually very much like I can see an urban-based D&D game going, if the campaign avoids some of the higher-magic/wildest-creatures aspects of the game. You won't find any "great literature" here, but if you're just looking for a few hours of escapism, you could do far worse.

They do get a little--well, very--bloody at times. If gore bothers you, you might have a problem with some scenes.

And for the record, assuming you like these, you'll want to add his novels Blue Moon Rising and Beyond the Blue Moon (in that order) to your reading list. They're connected to the H&F books in ways that, as you requested no spoilers, I won't go into.

 

[Mouseferatu]

In fact, I need to replace my own copies of Guards of Haven and Beyond the Blue Moon, due to an unfortunate juxtiposition of those books (which were in a bag together, having recently been loaned out) and a stray "gift" from my cats' litterbox.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

I'll jump in and echo Mouseferatu's recommendations here. They're very enjoyable- if you're looking for deep characterization and journeys of discovery, you're not likely to find it here. What you will find is an incredibly realized, fleshed out, and explored urban fantasy setting, with interesting plotlines that can be freely adapted to an RPG setting.

Green is a great worldbuilder, but with the exception of his more recent Nightside books, he's not much for characterization. Actually, scratch that- he paints the broad strokes of characters well (giving them histories and backgrounds that are complex), but in execution, all of his characters end up sounding and acting the same- like violent thugs. Fortunately, it doesn't detract from his settings, and it actually kind of works in a dungeon-crawl adventurer mindset kind of way in the H&F books.

(Also, if you do use the settings and information for an urban campaign, Ari's Cityscape web enhancements would fit in perfectly.)

 

[Mark CMG]

Thanks! This is definitely looking like something to which I can throw some time between work and classes (going back to chase a degree). I appreciate the input.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I like Green a lot... and recognise that at times, he's a lousy writer

Nightside's even worse than Haven for the complete deus ex machina... I've lost count of the number of times a never-before-introduced character who cannot be killed appears, wreaks havoc, and then is conveniently stopped by the never-before-introduced character who can kill anyone.

There's one episode in a Haven book I tend to skip over, because it impels me to hurl the book across the room... where a character explains that supernatural creatures A, B, C, D, and E have been let loose, and the group proceeds to encounter supernatural creatures A, B, C, D, and E in order. It's dire.

And despite that, I enjoy the stories, and I like the setting, and I recognise that he's got a vivid and fertile imagination.

He just doesn't always translate his ideas into words elegantly, y'know?

takyris offers a short negative review, if you want one, but be warned that there are (labelled) spoilers for one of the stories in it.

-Hyp.

 

[takyris]

I read the first two books of the three-book omnibus, and didn't bother with the third.

There's much good, but the style just clunked in a lot of places for me (as others have noted). If you like the ideas more than you dislike the writing or the deus ex machinas, then you'll enjoy it, I think.

Since you've already got 'em on your shelf, I'd at least give the first one a shot.

EDIT: Or I could learn to read, and notice that 'Smurf just pointed you to my review, which does include spoilers, so be warned.

 

[Mark CMG]

Thanks for the additional insight.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

They were a fun read, much better than his other stuff, IMO. He definitely suffers from writerly ADD. He'll introduce something neat and then get bored and poof it's gone. China Mieville is the same way -- I don't know why critics (justifiably so) give Green crap and worship Perdido Street Station.