“They set off down the dusty trail that led into the Forest, and so passed out of history and into legend. And wherever they went, and whatever they found, Rupert, Julia, the unicorn, and the dragon faced it all together. Heroes, all.” — Blue Moon Rising
With those words, acclaimed New York Times best-selling author Simon R. Green ended Blue Moon Rising. The Demon Prince had been banished, the threat of the Blue Moon ended, the long night over, and the Forest Land devastated but not defeated. His father dead and his older brother Harald on the throne, Rupert and his ladylove, the Princess Julia, saw no point in staying. With a sackful of jewels liberated from the Treasury, and their friends the dragon and the unicorn at their sides, they vanished from the Forest, leaving behind Arthur-like legends that they’d return someday when the need was greatest.
It’s fifteen years later, and again the Forest Land is thrown into chaos. King Harald is dead, the killer unknown. The Blue Moon is again on the rise, threatening to awake the Wild Magic and consume the world in chaos. Dangerous political factions clash in the court, and only two people have any chance of finding the King’s killer and once again saving the day. Rupert and Julia.
However, they no longer exist. In their place are Hawk and Isobel Fisher, partners, lovers, honest cops in a corrupt and dangerous city-state ironically named Haven. The best of the best, murder mysteries and world-saving are their specialty. But the better part of a decade spent in the worst part of a hellhole, fighting battles in a war they can’t win, has taken its toll. That’s why, when a messenger from the Forest Kingdom finds them and begs their help, they ultimately decide that it’s time to move on. Settling a few old scores in Haven in their usual manner, Hawk and Fisher (once Prince Rupert and Princess Julia) journey home to face the greatest challenge of their lives.
“In Haven there were glories and mysteries, mysteries and abominations, pleasures and depravities in all their forms. Heroes and villains and a whole lot of people just trying to get through the day. And – just sometimes – a few good men and women, honorable and true, doing their best to keep it all together, punish the guilty and protect the innocent; or at least try to keep the lid on. — Beyond the Blue Moon
Before they’re done, they’ll unravel the mystery of the Inverted Cathedral, defy a plot centuries in the making, solve a murder, and upset the status quo. Just another day’s work for them.
Beyond the Blue Moon unites Simon R. Green’s popular Hawk and Fisher series (reprinted recently as Swords of Haven and Guards of Haven) and Blue Moon Rising (long suspected, but never truly confirmed, to be a prequel to the other series). It serves as the cornerstone and linchpin to bring together all of the books in Green’s rough-and-tumble fantasy world, as it also manages to refer to characters and events which can be found in his other works, Down Among The Dead Men and Blood and Honor. More complex, more sophisticated, and with much higher stakes than the rest combined, this is the book that ties the knot and offers closure to a lot of threads.
Everyone’s back for this sequel, which can be read well enough on its own. (But why would you want to?) We learn the fates of some of the major characters from Blue Moon Rising, including the dragon, the unicorn, and the High Warlock. Exactly where Rupert and Julia went after leaving the Forest Kingdom and before coming to Haven is explained. Who’s related to whom, and in what manner, is also detailed, sometimes in surprising and unpredictable ways. And of course there’s the surprise return of a few characters, no matter how dead they used to be.
How can I put this bluntly? This is one of the best fantasy books I’ve read all year. Simon R. Green delivers a truly enjoyable and fulfilling sequel to a book which didn’t -need- one, and manages to make it clear that he’s just continuing the story he was telling all along. Fans of his won’t be disappointed in the least, as he covers old ground and breaks new ground. This is a Rupert and Julia novel, but even better, it’s a Hawk and Fisher novel as well. It’s the definitive cap to their career as Captains of the Guard in Haven (and if anyone’s surprised at how they burn their bridges, you don’t know them very well, do you?), and it’s also the grand farewell tour in many ways. I suspect that Green’s told all the stories he wants to in this particular universe at this particular juncture, and this is his way of wrapping it up and moving on.
Who can blame him? It’s hard to top the concepts and images of Beyond the Blue Moon. A castle, far bigger on the inside than the outside. Worlds within worlds. Treachery, manipulation, conspiracy, a locked room murder mystery, political intrigue. The Inverted Cathedral, which stretches as far down to Hell as it once did to Heaven, the source of all that’s evil and dark and nasty in the Forest Kingdom.
“That’s the legend talking,” said Hawk. His hand rose slowly to his face, as though the old scars were bothering him. “The reality was something different. You look at this clearing, and see only awe and wonder and the triumph of the light. We look at it and remember horror and pain and how close we came to losing everything. I saw my father betrayed by his oldest friend. I saw my Julia crippled, by a living horror older than humanity. I saw Death stare me in the face and grin. I called down the Rainbow, and it was bright and glorious and wonderful beyond belief, but in the end that’s not what I remember.”
“We remember the dark,” said Fisher. “We always will.”
— Beyond the Blue Moon
The characters are larger-than-life, and yet all too real. The Shaman, a hermit with a fire-and-brimstone political philosophy. Queen Felicity, Julia’s older sister. Allen Chance, the King’s Questor and his companion Chappie, a giant talking dog. Jericho Lament, the Walking Man … also known as the Wrath of God. The Magus, he of the predatory cloak and vast magical abilities. Lightfoot Moonfleet, last of the Faeries. Sir Robert Hawke, a hero-turned-politician. The Lady of the Lake, spirit of the Forest Land with an unusual tie to the royal family. Duke Alric, Julia’s manipulative, treacherous father. The Burning Man, custodian and prisoner of the Inverted Cathedral. All these and more inhabit the tapestry of the story, As well, all sorts of old and familiar faces appear for one last curtain call before closing the door on the Haven chapter of Hawk and Fisher’s lives.
It’s like the first time someone expounds the theory that Danger Man/Secret Agent and the Prisoner are about the same man. Theorize all you want, but when the truth is revealed, you sit back and go “ahhhh” with satisfaction. Green’s taken all the best elements of the nine(!) books that make up his fantasy setting, and thrown them all together to create the perfect blend.
Beyond the Blue Moon is epic in scope, with space opera-style characters possessed of evocative names and impeccable fighting abilities, the mad, over-the-top concepts that only the British (including certain mad Irishmen and scary Scotsmen) seem to be able to pull off correctly (if you don’t believe me, I dare you to put him in a room with noted comic book writers Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, and Warren Ellis, and see who or what comes out of the mix…), and enough bloody battle scenes to make Robert E. Howard rethink this whole Conan thing. In short, it’s epic fantasy with a grunge twist and a pulp flavor. My kind of meal.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I’m a fan of Simon Green, and I’ve read Blue Moon Rising to pieces. This, then, is the book I was most eagerly anticipating, and it doesn’t disappoint in the least. And since Roc’s been good enough to reprint the books leading up to this in some very handsome paperback editions, you have no excuse to not check it out.
Me? I’m looking forward to his next book. Now that he’s tackled epic fantasy, police procedurals, epic space opera, and Robin Hood (the novelisation to Prince of Thieves), he plans to try his hand at urban fantasy again.
You can find my previous write-up of Green’s works, as well as a brief description of Blue Moon Rising in my review column. Yes, I’m shameless. Enjoy.
“Try and get it right this time,” Hawk said finally. “I’d hate to have to come back and sort you out again.”
“Right,” said Fisher. “Being a legend’s bloody hard work.”
— Beyond the Blue Moon