This one was good but it really felt like a middle book of a trilogy, which in a way it was because it is the cont. of the mom story from the last book. It still felt like I need to get from point A to point C, so here is a little B to tide you over. ( )

Paths Not Taken is book five in Simon R. Green's Nightside urban fantasy series. I'd already read book four, Hex and the City, and book six, Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth. If you enjoy time travel adventures, this one has more than mere timeslips.

NOTES:

Chapter 1:

a. We see the office that Cathy has obtained for John. The artificial intelligence staff would intimidate me.

b. See book two, Agents of Light and Darkness for when John tracked down the Unholy Grail. John admitting that he started the angel war that occurred in that book is amusing because he keeps claiming it wasn't his fault in the book I'm currently reading, number eight, The Unnatural Inquirer.

c. See book one, Something From the Nightside, for when and how John rescued his teen aged secretary.

d. The mention of the Authorities and their time tunnel in the 1960s made me chuckle, because there was a TV show called 'The Time Tunnel' that ran from September 1966 to April 1967.

e. The Nightside relies on paper because it can't be hacked.

f. John has made a will, Julian Advent witnessed it, and we learn its terms. John also talks about his mother.
g. Eamonn Mitchell wants to hire John to protect him.

Chapter 2:

a. Eamonn is a nice, normal London businessman with a beloved wife (Andrea) and children (Erica and Ronald). He does not belong in the Nightside. He found himself there when he got off at his normal train stop. Razor Eddie (as John deduced from Eamonn's description), helped the client find John's office.

b. We learn what the security at John's office is like.

c. Eamonn 20 and Eamonn 30 came armed with magic objects normally not used outside of the Faerie Court. Cathy gets hit and becomes different for a bit.
Mentions: Spice Girls, Twisted Sister, and St. Michael

Chapter 3:

a. Persons in Strangefellows when John and Eamonn 40 get there: a vampire, a woman named Mary, two Sisters of the Holy Order of Saint Strontium, a cyborg, Ms. Fate (the transvestite detective), Tommy Oblivion, one of Baron Frankenstein's creations.

b. Count Video was skinned alive in book two.

c. A ghost and a demon are affected by the magic Eamonns 50 and 60 sling about.

d. Eamonn 40 works for the Widow's Mite Investment Corporation. He explains what they do.

Chapter 4:

a. Tommy Oblivion deals with the giant living statues at the front door to the Nightside branch of the Widows' Mite Investment Corporation, while John deals with the armed security guards.

b. Interesting things happen in the branch director's office.

c. Count Video is still alive.
Mention: 'A Christmas Carol'

Chapter 5:

a. Glowing creatures emerge from the sewer to say something to John. The title they give him is daunting.

b. There are interesting items from alternate timelines for sale on the street, not all of which I recognized Beware the Borealis Accelerator! Ditto the jet pack.

c. The Shadow Men appear.

d.

Mentions: 'Casablanca,' Ronald Regan, Boris Karloff, Joan Crawford, Hearts in Atlanta, the March Hare's watch (indirectly), the Cheshire cat (indirectly), the small model of the time machine from the 1960 film 'The Time Machine' (indirectly), a philosopher's stone,

Chapter 6:
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Chapter 7:
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Chapter 8:
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Chapter 9:
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Chapter 10:
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Chapter 11:
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Epilogue: ( )

This is a good addition to the Nightside series. I am always impressed with Green's ability to play on words and fiddle with history just a bit. I'm not too sure how I feel about this series become more of a mythology series than a Taylor solving the most recent mystery series. I feel now that it becomes imperative that each book be read in order and that I understand what's happening with all the characters because I might miss something in future books.

Marc Vietor is a wonderful narrator and I hope to listen to more of his work in the future. If you want some good, easy fantasy books to listen to during your commute or while working around the house, I'd recommend the Nightside series. ( )

Hmmmmm. The book was ok...I suppose. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first four books in the series. John Taylor is getting really annoying. And everything is too slick and works out too conveniently. ( )

Ugh, I am so sick of the Lilith arc. ( )