“A Hard Day’s Knight”
By Simon R. Green
Publisher: Ace/Roc
Pages: 304
Price: $14.10
Release Date: January 4, 2011
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review copy received courtesy of Penguin Canada.

Plot Summary: John Taylor is a P.I. with a special talent for finding lost things in the dark and secret center of London known as the Nightside. He’s also the reluctant owner of a very special-and dangerous-weapon. Excalibur, the legendary sword. To find out why he was chosen to wield it, John must consult the Last Defenders of Camelot, a group of knights who dwell in a place that some find more frightening than the Nightside. London Proper. It’s been years since John’s been back-and there are good reasons for that.

The Review:
As with all the previous Nightside books, this one has a clever titles with a pun. Nice introduction that tells the reader what they need to know before reading the next book in the series; orients new readers well.

For those who haven’t read the series, John Taylor, the main character, is a supernatural private investigator/detective who works in an area of London called The Nightside, which is basically a parallel universe that exists alongside the real version of London. His power is the ability to find things, both lost and hidden. And of course, his trademark British wit. If you haven’t read the previous book, please skip this line: The previous book in the series saw John take out his on again/off again ally, Walker, and John became the de facto ruler of the Nightside. But his enemies are ever-present, and the list just keeps getting bigger.

In the newest volume, John has been sent a package in the mail: Excalibur, the famous sword once wielded by King Arthur. And the sword carries a great destiny with it. he has to talk to the London knights, descendants of the Knights of the Round Table, to find out what’s going on and why the sword was sent to him.

Before he can, he gets called by Julian Advent, a Victorian adventurer, who is a throwback to the original swashbuckler. Julian sends John on an important mission. He has to go on a dangerous case to prove that he’s worthy to rule the Nightside, because not everyone is convinced that he is.

The same delightfully sardonic humour of the previous novels is present, and Green presents it in a way that seems fresh and new. Green is another urban fantasy author who is skilled at integrating past events from earlier Nightside volumes into each subsequent novel, so even if you’ve never read the series, you’ll be able to follow along with this book (although to be fair, you should really start out at the very beginning, because Books 1 through 3 are golden).

John makes his way to the hidden headquarters of the London Knights, veiled by a magic barrier. Their castle might look medieval on the outside, but they’ve adapted to the twenty-first century with cable, broadband, and even plumbing. The author takes an interesting view on the Arthurian legend timeline. In the London Knights’ version of events, Arthur and Mordred killed each other and both armies and the Knights. But one knight survived and carried on his traditions, laying the foundation for the modern day London Knights. According to the knights, the Lady of the Lake, also called Gaea, is the whole world personified, and the bearer of Excalibur literally bears the weight of the world.

The novel is delightful in its homage to Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, with names like Castle Inconnu, and a French influence. But just as Camelot really did exist, another land did, and still does — a parallel universe called Sinister Albion, which is a dark flipside to Camelot. King Arthur’s evil counterpart, Artur, resides in Sinister Albion, as does everything else familiar to readers of Arthurian lore, including Merlin, who in this universe is a humungous glob of flesh with tattoos and a mean attitude. But who wouldn’t, given that he’s also the Antichrist?

The London Knights — and the Sinister Albion folk — are after King Arthur’s final place of rest. But another man, Jerusalem Stark, who is a defected London Knight, makes getting there considerably more complicated. He wants to kill Arthur when he finds him, and steal Excalibur.

And things would have been a bit too easy and neatly wrapped up if John continued to hold on to the legendary sword, so he loses it. The evil Artur wants the sword, as well, and if he gets it, the danger is that it’s not just a sword. It carries with it great potential to shape forthcoming events, and with it, Artur would be near impossible to kill. Also, Artur seems to think that Excalibur’s power is greater than Merlin’s and that if he wielded the sword, he could make Merlin bow to him once again rather than how it’s been for the past while, which is with Merlin essentially kicking Artur around. Fan favourites like Morgan La Fae and Queen Mab also make cameos, and other fae, as well, including Puck, Oberon, and Titania.

The novel features an exciting conclusion, and overall, it’s another delightful romp into the world of John Taylor that loyal fans will enjoy and that will inspire new readers to pick up the previous volumes.

Rating: 5/5