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Hawk & Fisher #8
Once in a Blue Moon
Twice upon a time, Prince Rupert and Princess Julia saved the Forest Kingdom.
They have earned the right to live happily ever after.
But there’s a blue moon on the rise....
Hawk and Fisher, famous for their years of keeping the peace in Haven, are really quite happy being legends. They gave up the hero business when they decided they’d grown too old for it. Now they run the Hero Academy, training young hopefuls to be heroes.
Legends never die, but it seems they cannot retire, either. Hawk and Fisher’s adult children, Jack and Gillian, have been kidnapped. They were taken by the Demon Prince, an old enemy from the Forest Kingdom who challenges the couple to one final battle for their lives. But Hawk and Fisher believe there’s another motive behind the abductions, one connected to a case they worked in Haven many years ago—a case they refuse to discuss.
They have no choice but to return to the Forest Kingdom, to be Prince Rupert and Princess Julia one last time in one last story—of the kind of things that happen only once in a blue moon....
They have earned the right to live happily ever after.
But there’s a blue moon on the rise....
Hawk and Fisher, famous for their years of keeping the peace in Haven, are really quite happy being legends. They gave up the hero business when they decided they’d grown too old for it. Now they run the Hero Academy, training young hopefuls to be heroes.
Legends never die, but it seems they cannot retire, either. Hawk and Fisher’s adult children, Jack and Gillian, have been kidnapped. They were taken by the Demon Prince, an old enemy from the Forest Kingdom who challenges the couple to one final battle for their lives. But Hawk and Fisher believe there’s another motive behind the abductions, one connected to a case they worked in Haven many years ago—a case they refuse to discuss.
They have no choice but to return to the Forest Kingdom, to be Prince Rupert and Princess Julia one last time in one last story—of the kind of things that happen only once in a blue moon....
549 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2014
33 people are currently reading
885 people want to read
About the author
Simon R. Green
312 books3,207 followersSimon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.
His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
January 21, 2014
I want to preface this by saying I'm a Simon R. Green fan. I've read just about everything he's written, from the Nightside series to the Druids, to the Carnacki Institute books, the Deathstalker series to the Haven/Forest Kingdom books.
And if you have read any Green, then you know exactly what you're in for: excellent naming conventions and concepts, characters who talk exactly the same as one another and twisty plots that get only get resolved in the last 20 pages. It's pulpy, it's formula and most of the time it's fun.
Under normal circumstances, I like the formula too. But not this time. This time it didn't even feel like Green on autopilot, it felt like he was just... bored.
As much as I liked seeing Hawk and Fisher again, this felt like a superfluous sequel. Beyond the Blue Moon was a great send-off for Prince Rupert and Princess Julia, and after tying up all the loose ends in Haven, I wasn't left feeling as though there was anything missing. But hey, why not go back to the Demon Prince/Blue Moon/Darkwood well one more time?
Well, how about because it's not that good? The characters introduced were dull or non-descript, barely distinguishable from one another (especially the politicians). The romantic triangle between Catherine, Richard and Malcom is so undramatic and settled so off-handedly that you have to wonder why it was included in the first place. Interesting concepts and characters are introduced and then either abandoned without a word or resolved in the most anti-climactic way possible (Stalking Man, I'm looking at you... really, Hell just lets you up and walk away, in the middle of a pitched battle, with no consequences whatsoever?), there's no real feeling of stakes or consequences (hey, the Infernal Devices are the most evil and corrupting weapons known to man... good thing our heroes NEVER HAVE A PROBLEM USING THEM EVER because they're the main characters) and the Deus-ex-Machinas are so blatant that they might as well have held signs.
Oh, and there's a snafu in the book that's so huge I'm kind of amazed that Green's editor didn't catch it.
Also - and this is admittedly a minor, nit-picky complaint - the back copy lies. Nobody's been kidnapped and there's absolutely no connection to an unsolved case from their days in Haven. I spent the entire book waiting for that particular sub-plot to come around. Not so much.
Honestly, if this had been split into two books and the plot had been given more time to breathe instead of the usual last-chapter wrap-up, it could've been much more enjoyable. As it was, it was mostly a disappointment.
And if you have read any Green, then you know exactly what you're in for: excellent naming conventions and concepts, characters who talk exactly the same as one another and twisty plots that get only get resolved in the last 20 pages. It's pulpy, it's formula and most of the time it's fun.
Under normal circumstances, I like the formula too. But not this time. This time it didn't even feel like Green on autopilot, it felt like he was just... bored.
As much as I liked seeing Hawk and Fisher again, this felt like a superfluous sequel. Beyond the Blue Moon was a great send-off for Prince Rupert and Princess Julia, and after tying up all the loose ends in Haven, I wasn't left feeling as though there was anything missing. But hey, why not go back to the Demon Prince/Blue Moon/Darkwood well one more time?
Well, how about because it's not that good? The characters introduced were dull or non-descript, barely distinguishable from one another (especially the politicians). The romantic triangle between Catherine, Richard and Malcom is so undramatic and settled so off-handedly that you have to wonder why it was included in the first place. Interesting concepts and characters are introduced and then either abandoned without a word or resolved in the most anti-climactic way possible (Stalking Man, I'm looking at you... really, Hell just lets you up and walk away, in the middle of a pitched battle, with no consequences whatsoever?), there's no real feeling of stakes or consequences (hey, the Infernal Devices are the most evil and corrupting weapons known to man... good thing our heroes NEVER HAVE A PROBLEM USING THEM EVER because they're the main characters) and the Deus-ex-Machinas are so blatant that they might as well have held signs.
Oh, and there's a snafu in the book that's so huge I'm kind of amazed that Green's editor didn't catch it.
Also - and this is admittedly a minor, nit-picky complaint - the back copy lies. Nobody's been kidnapped and there's absolutely no connection to an unsolved case from their days in Haven. I spent the entire book waiting for that particular sub-plot to come around. Not so much.
Honestly, if this had been split into two books and the plot had been given more time to breathe instead of the usual last-chapter wrap-up, it could've been much more enjoyable. As it was, it was mostly a disappointment.
January 10, 2016
Blue Moon Rising, by Simon R Green, was the book that first got me into fantasy over twenty years ago. I remember enjoying some of his other fantasy works – Down Among the Dead Men, Blood and Honour, the Hawk and Fisher books. I read Beyond the Blue Moon when that one came out, and seem to remember thinking it was a good addition to the Forest Kingdom series. Then I heard that there was a third “Rupert and Julia” book in the set, with Once in a Blue Moon offering a final hurrah for the characters who first introduced me to fantasy fiction.
This one was... disappointing, and there’s a number of reasons for me saying so. Firstly, I’m not sure how much of a difference this would have made, but it’s not the book that’s advertised on its own back cover. The relevant section of the blurb reads as so:
Now, unless I missed it, there’s no kidnapping of Jack and Gillian, and no reference to an old Haven case. It’s like the blurb was written for the book that was meant to be published, but then the author took it in a different direction and no one thought to update the back cover. If this makes the book seem rushed, there are other areas within that give credence to the idea.
There are sections where the wrong characters are mentioned, in one scene it’s a bit like Gandalf and Sauron having a discussion at Orthanc and you read it thinking “surely that was meant to say Saruman there, not Sauron?”
There are also sections that are as good as duplicated, though I seem to recall finding something similar when reading one of the Hawk and Fisher omnibuses years ago, so maybe this is a genuine trait of the author. In Once in a Blue Moon, we are introduced to two creatures who act as avatars for opposing countries in conflict – the Green Man for the Forest Kingdom and the Red Heart for Redhart. These two are brought into the world in almost identical circumstances by opposite numbers from the two sides, it’s like the first to occur was simply copied and pasted later in the book with just the names and locations changed.
At least the Red Heart wasn’t just called the Red Man though. In Once in a Blue Moon we already have the Walking Man, the Stalking Man, the Burning Man and the aforementioned Green Man – and yes, there are passages where the Walking Man and the Stalking Man are both included, just to take the confusion levels up a notch.
Outside of these nitpickings, the writing style is, from what I remember, typical for Simon R Green, but here it doesn’t seem like that’s a positive. The first chapter is a good fifty pages and a large portion of it is just unnecessary filler. This chapter sets the scene, and sets Hawk and Fisher on their way from the Hero Academy and back to the Forest Kingdom (that’s the part the back cover blurb got right). Unfortunately, it’s mostly just made up of one liners and passages that are there just to say how awesome the Hero Academy is, or how unbeatable Hawk and Fisher are.
For this last part, there’s not a vast amount to back up the claim for those who haven’t previously experienced Hawk and Fisher, or their alter-egos Rupert and Julia. There’s a few little action sequences that are less than memorable, and there’s a section detailing how the two (plus both of their not-kidnapped offspring) go nonchalantly through a tournament of the greatest warriors and come out completely and unbelievably unscathed. Too much however relies on the reader being told that these are great warriors and the reader asking no questions.
In this sense, I would say Once in a Blue Moon is definitely not a book to pick up out of sequence. It’s not for those who haven’t read (and enjoyed) the rest of the Forest Kingdom series, and indeed probably its only redeeming feature is the closure it gives to some of the characters. There’s a satisfactory ending not just for Hawk and Fisher / Rupert and Julia, but also for some others first mentioned back in Blue Moon Rising. The best is the ending for one (or two, depending on how you look at it) newly introduced characters, even if it does come across as a little too coincidental, almost rushed in at the last to tie up a little loose end raised early in this book.
The story itself is ok but not great – the one advertised on the back cover might have been a better one but we’ll never know. New characters that are introduced are a bit one dimensional for the most part. Jack, Gillian and their children (also not kidnapped), Richard, Catherine and the Champion of Redhart all lack a little body. Probably the only new introduction with a bit more to him is the Sombre Warrior, but he is too underused and his most interesting part (his backstory) is brushed over far too quickly.
There’s romance in the book, but not very good romance. We start out by seeing a chapter largely devoted to explaining how deeply in love Catherine and the Champion are, a chapter where the biggest surprise is the failure to start it with “Once upon a time”, so sugar coated are the words within. Despite this, Catherine’s head is turned at practically the click of fingers and she’s suddenly and devotedly in love with a man she said she could and would never love. There’s no wooing, no great seduction, just a switch flicked and away we go. To reverse a popular meme, even Twilight must surely be a better love story than this (full disclosure: I have never read any of the Twilight books or seen any of the films, so perhaps there’s still hope for Once in a Blue Moon yet).
Overall, and especially when following Hawk and Fisher to the Forest Kingdom, there’s just too much swagger and not enough substance. It’s almost like the main characters (magical talking dog-slash-comedy-sidekick included) take a helicopter ride to convenient points in the story, pick up someone new and ride on to the next spot. It’s just all a little too convenient and not detailed enough.
This one was... disappointing, and there’s a number of reasons for me saying so. Firstly, I’m not sure how much of a difference this would have made, but it’s not the book that’s advertised on its own back cover. The relevant section of the blurb reads as so:
Hawk and Fisher’s adult children, Jack and Gillian, have been kidnapped. They were taken by the Demon Prince, an old enemy from the Forest Kingdom who challenges the couple to one final battle for their lives. But Hawk and Fisher believe there’s another motive behind the abductions, one connected to a case they worked in Haven many years ago—a case they refuse to discuss.
Now, unless I missed it, there’s no kidnapping of Jack and Gillian, and no reference to an old Haven case. It’s like the blurb was written for the book that was meant to be published, but then the author took it in a different direction and no one thought to update the back cover. If this makes the book seem rushed, there are other areas within that give credence to the idea.
There are sections where the wrong characters are mentioned, in one scene it’s a bit like Gandalf and Sauron having a discussion at Orthanc and you read it thinking “surely that was meant to say Saruman there, not Sauron?”
There are also sections that are as good as duplicated, though I seem to recall finding something similar when reading one of the Hawk and Fisher omnibuses years ago, so maybe this is a genuine trait of the author. In Once in a Blue Moon, we are introduced to two creatures who act as avatars for opposing countries in conflict – the Green Man for the Forest Kingdom and the Red Heart for Redhart. These two are brought into the world in almost identical circumstances by opposite numbers from the two sides, it’s like the first to occur was simply copied and pasted later in the book with just the names and locations changed.
At least the Red Heart wasn’t just called the Red Man though. In Once in a Blue Moon we already have the Walking Man, the Stalking Man, the Burning Man and the aforementioned Green Man – and yes, there are passages where the Walking Man and the Stalking Man are both included, just to take the confusion levels up a notch.
Outside of these nitpickings, the writing style is, from what I remember, typical for Simon R Green, but here it doesn’t seem like that’s a positive. The first chapter is a good fifty pages and a large portion of it is just unnecessary filler. This chapter sets the scene, and sets Hawk and Fisher on their way from the Hero Academy and back to the Forest Kingdom (that’s the part the back cover blurb got right). Unfortunately, it’s mostly just made up of one liners and passages that are there just to say how awesome the Hero Academy is, or how unbeatable Hawk and Fisher are.
For this last part, there’s not a vast amount to back up the claim for those who haven’t previously experienced Hawk and Fisher, or their alter-egos Rupert and Julia. There’s a few little action sequences that are less than memorable, and there’s a section detailing how the two (plus both of their not-kidnapped offspring) go nonchalantly through a tournament of the greatest warriors and come out completely and unbelievably unscathed. Too much however relies on the reader being told that these are great warriors and the reader asking no questions.
In this sense, I would say Once in a Blue Moon is definitely not a book to pick up out of sequence. It’s not for those who haven’t read (and enjoyed) the rest of the Forest Kingdom series, and indeed probably its only redeeming feature is the closure it gives to some of the characters. There’s a satisfactory ending not just for Hawk and Fisher / Rupert and Julia, but also for some others first mentioned back in Blue Moon Rising. The best is the ending for one (or two, depending on how you look at it) newly introduced characters, even if it does come across as a little too coincidental, almost rushed in at the last to tie up a little loose end raised early in this book.
The story itself is ok but not great – the one advertised on the back cover might have been a better one but we’ll never know. New characters that are introduced are a bit one dimensional for the most part. Jack, Gillian and their children (also not kidnapped), Richard, Catherine and the Champion of Redhart all lack a little body. Probably the only new introduction with a bit more to him is the Sombre Warrior, but he is too underused and his most interesting part (his backstory) is brushed over far too quickly.
There’s romance in the book, but not very good romance. We start out by seeing a chapter largely devoted to explaining how deeply in love Catherine and the Champion are, a chapter where the biggest surprise is the failure to start it with “Once upon a time”, so sugar coated are the words within. Despite this, Catherine’s head is turned at practically the click of fingers and she’s suddenly and devotedly in love with a man she said she could and would never love. There’s no wooing, no great seduction, just a switch flicked and away we go. To reverse a popular meme, even Twilight must surely be a better love story than this (full disclosure: I have never read any of the Twilight books or seen any of the films, so perhaps there’s still hope for Once in a Blue Moon yet).
Overall, and especially when following Hawk and Fisher to the Forest Kingdom, there’s just too much swagger and not enough substance. It’s almost like the main characters (magical talking dog-slash-comedy-sidekick included) take a helicopter ride to convenient points in the story, pick up someone new and ride on to the next spot. It’s just all a little too convenient and not detailed enough.
September 22, 2023
At first, this felt like an unnecessary epilogue/reunion to the official series. Having said that this was solidly written and filled with returning and new loveable characters all gathered together for one last adventurous romp.
January 13, 2014
I love Simon R Green! Blue Moon Rising was the first one of his I read, and I've been hooked since, always fast, fun, but poignant in places. If you haven't read any of the others in this series then go and start from the beginning, then you'll get all the little in jokes. Green also brings back one of my favourites in this book.
Hawk & Fisher retired and set up the Hero Academy (because running an inn would be too much like hard work) handing their names to each succesive pair of leaders, now a hundred years have passed and the Demon Prince is back, can they stop him one last time?
Hawk & Fisher retired and set up the Hero Academy (because running an inn would be too much like hard work) handing their names to each succesive pair of leaders, now a hundred years have passed and the Demon Prince is back, can they stop him one last time?
February 9, 2018
The first thing I’m going to say about this book is - Simon R. Green is the biggest troll in the whole history of creation. Seriously. I had so many problems with this book… and then the climax came and all those problems just flew out the window and once again, it was like when I was fifteen and reading Blue Moon Rising for the first time.
It took me unusually long to finish this book. That is because, and I quote one of my friends, “it was 500 pages long prologue followed by the most epic battle of all times”. I probably dramatised the quote because that’s what I do.
This book is full of Chekhov’s Guns and Chekhov’s Gunmen and all things Chekhov, some of them making an appearance for the first time since the first book (including the very last one - I screamed and threw the book across the whole room). And Green is clearly having way too much fun by writing annoying tropes and turning them on their head when you’re least expecting it. I was going to give this book three stars out of pure nostalgia. But those last twenty or so pages? Those deserve all the stars there are to give (so, five).
I’m so glad that I bought this book and that I finished it even though there were times I wanted to give up. Hawk and Fisher will be my forever favorite fantasy of this kind.
It took me unusually long to finish this book. That is because, and I quote one of my friends, “it was 500 pages long prologue followed by the most epic battle of all times”. I probably dramatised the quote because that’s what I do.
This book is full of Chekhov’s Guns and Chekhov’s Gunmen and all things Chekhov, some of them making an appearance for the first time since the first book (including the very last one - I screamed and threw the book across the whole room). And Green is clearly having way too much fun by writing annoying tropes and turning them on their head when you’re least expecting it. I was going to give this book three stars out of pure nostalgia. But those last twenty or so pages? Those deserve all the stars there are to give (so, five).
I’m so glad that I bought this book and that I finished it even though there were times I wanted to give up. Hawk and Fisher will be my forever favorite fantasy of this kind.
February 2, 2015
Well it's a Simon R. Green book all right. There's the usual often repeated phrases and descriptions and constant monologuing from the characters, which nowadays I find incredibly annoying to read.
But I could have put up with it, if the plot wasn't so dull. There's none of the horror with the weird places and creepy creatures that was present in the other Forest Kingdom books, it takes forever for the plot to go anywhere and there are way too many new characters to care about.
But I could have put up with it, if the plot wasn't so dull. There's none of the horror with the weird places and creepy creatures that was present in the other Forest Kingdom books, it takes forever for the plot to go anywhere and there are way too many new characters to care about.
August 12, 2022
Honestly. I think I prefer these books when Hawk and Fisher are being Hawk and Fisher rather than Rupert and Julia. This does everything that I dislike about Mr Green’s books: it is needlessly overrun with magic and magical creatures from a ridiculous hodgepodge of mythological and literary sources; the dialogue is as cheesy and faux-gritty as hell; the characters only ever speak in arch tones; and there’s so much plotting and double-crossing going on that it’s a wonder the whole story doesn’t topple under the weight of the implied “Ah, but I knew that you knew that I knew that you knew…”
Having said all that, there’s a real fondness for the characters in these pages and an understanding that what they have done has marked and changed them forever. The plot isn’t as complicated as it would like you to believe and everything ties up into a neat conclusion, almost as though this really is a farewell to the characters and setting. Because beneath all the grit and cynicism there’s a beating heart to this story that just loves to do the right thing without making a huge fuss or without any prospect of recognition, just because it’s the right thing. And if you’re like me and you’ve followed these characters throughout all their adventures over the last few decades, it’s nice to see that they get a really good farewell.
Green understands what stories need to have to keep us reading them and while he sometimes misses the mark, his aim is pretty true.
Having said all that, there’s a real fondness for the characters in these pages and an understanding that what they have done has marked and changed them forever. The plot isn’t as complicated as it would like you to believe and everything ties up into a neat conclusion, almost as though this really is a farewell to the characters and setting. Because beneath all the grit and cynicism there’s a beating heart to this story that just loves to do the right thing without making a huge fuss or without any prospect of recognition, just because it’s the right thing. And if you’re like me and you’ve followed these characters throughout all their adventures over the last few decades, it’s nice to see that they get a really good farewell.
Green understands what stories need to have to keep us reading them and while he sometimes misses the mark, his aim is pretty true.
May 26, 2023
Bit of a bittersweet finale this one, that wraps things up quite nicely I think, ending with a satisfying conclusion for Hawk and Fisher, but does suffer from some pacing issues.
Seemed quite a fast paced read, but seemed a lot of setting up, with some various set piece battles that didn't really advance the plot, more showed off the characters prowess, before finally getting to the climax that finished pretty quickly. Compared to the other novels (admittedly not having reread Blue Moon Rising for some time) - the other novels seem better paced, with build up but then a reasonable length conclusion, without feeling rushed - e.g. in Beyond the Blue Moon the whole inverted cathedral piece felt like part of the conclusion, or at least solid escalation from prior build up towards the final bit in Reverie, whereas this one seemed to skip an equivalent of inverted cathedral and skipped straight to the Reverie bit, making it feel a bit abrupt in the end.
But on flip side, we had many great characters we had got to know from various books in the series, with a couple of cameos I particularly liked, as well as a reasonable assortment of new characters as well, it is possible that the sheer number of the latter led to some of the pacing issues, having to introduce and flesh those characters out.
At the end felt a bit sad at how it all wrapped up, like I said was good finish, but very bittersweet.
Seemed quite a fast paced read, but seemed a lot of setting up, with some various set piece battles that didn't really advance the plot, more showed off the characters prowess, before finally getting to the climax that finished pretty quickly. Compared to the other novels (admittedly not having reread Blue Moon Rising for some time) - the other novels seem better paced, with build up but then a reasonable length conclusion, without feeling rushed - e.g. in Beyond the Blue Moon the whole inverted cathedral piece felt like part of the conclusion, or at least solid escalation from prior build up towards the final bit in Reverie, whereas this one seemed to skip an equivalent of inverted cathedral and skipped straight to the Reverie bit, making it feel a bit abrupt in the end.
But on flip side, we had many great characters we had got to know from various books in the series, with a couple of cameos I particularly liked, as well as a reasonable assortment of new characters as well, it is possible that the sheer number of the latter led to some of the pacing issues, having to introduce and flesh those characters out.
At the end felt a bit sad at how it all wrapped up, like I said was good finish, but very bittersweet.
February 4, 2017
I read and enjoyed the six Hawk & Fisher Haven books some years ago, and I enjoyed this one as well, though it's quite different from what I remember. The Haven books are relatively short, with fast-pacing and lots of action and clever, witty dialog. This one is quite captivating and well-written, but has a huge cast of characters, more conversation than fighting, and the plot unfolds quite slowly. It's more Princess Bride than Conan, or perhaps more Whispering Swarm than Dorian Hawkmoon. Years have passed, Hawk and Fisher have moved on to found the Hawk and Fisher school for heroes, where they play the role of people playing the role of Hawk and Fisher. They're also Rupert and Julia, royals from another realm with a huge family, all of whom they gather up and encounter in this adventure, which takes the time to detour through legend and tell all of the family's stories, too. (It gets a little complex, and one must pay attention.) Once I got used to it I quite enjoyed it, and now will look for the other Blue Moon books so I can get the whole Hawk and Fisher historical experience! I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
October 20, 2017
A lot (yes -- quite a lot) of characters to follow and keep straight. I have truly enjoyed the Hawk & Fisher series, but this one seemed to be more of an add on and not a true conclusion to the series. It introduced many characters with a very simple plot (fight eh Bad guys) that seemed to be secondary to the number of characters involved.
In my mind, there really was not much of a plot at all. I still enjoyed the characters and reading about Hawk & Fisher, but it was only an "okay" type of story for me. It takes some time to plod through all of the various characters that are introduced and their sub-plots.
I enjoyed it, but I also read through it quite fast, skimming through parts of the book just because I could. This book really doesn't add much to the chronicles of Hawk & Fisher, and seems to be an "add-on" if nothing else.
In my mind, there really was not much of a plot at all. I still enjoyed the characters and reading about Hawk & Fisher, but it was only an "okay" type of story for me. It takes some time to plod through all of the various characters that are introduced and their sub-plots.
I enjoyed it, but I also read through it quite fast, skimming through parts of the book just because I could. This book really doesn't add much to the chronicles of Hawk & Fisher, and seems to be an "add-on" if nothing else.
June 19, 2018
Having read all of the books in this series as well as the Hawk and Fisher books, I loved getting to go back to this world. It's been a lot of years since the first book, but everything came back easily as I read this one, original characters, swords with their own magic, and the Forest castle. The Forest Kingdom needs help as a war is brewing, not of their doing, and Hawk and Fisher are instinctively called home. Enjoyed reading about old friends as well as new, and children of the famous legends. It seems as if some reviewers wanted logic to prevail, but these books are about magic and characters who aren't your normal heros. Suspend logical thinking and "but it has to be this way beliefs" and you'll have a rollicking good time. The humor is there and the attitudes of the characters haven't changed much over the years. It was a fun read and good visit with old friends.
June 23, 2022
My local library had accidentally classified this as book 4 of the Forest Kingdom series instead of Once Again in a Blue Moon (easy to see how that came about) but since it stars Rupert and Julia anyway, I guess it doesn’t matter too much. I didn’t really feel I couldn’t catch up with all the implied previous adventures that I didn’t read about. Overall, it does its job as the finale to the Forest Kingdom series as well as being part of the Hawk&Fisher. But personally I'm not too keen on Rupert & Julia so I'm just happy that it concludes the Forest Kingdom series in a satisfactory way. And no, I don't think I will go back and read Once again in a blue moon.
September 5, 2023
The sweeping conclusion to a long-running series that I started ages ago. Lots of characters with multiple or hidden identities. Good vs. evil. Paranormal adventure. There were just a bit too many people, each with their own agendas and plots, for me to avoid liberal skimming.
Typos: anymore should be two words in the phrase "it won't be worth anymore than lead." Semicolon should have been used instead of a second comma in "It was marked out with white chalk lines on the floor, with guards standing by to enforce them, the guards were hardly ever needed."
Typos: anymore should be two words in the phrase "it won't be worth anymore than lead." Semicolon should have been used instead of a second comma in "It was marked out with white chalk lines on the floor, with guards standing by to enforce them, the guards were hardly ever needed."
July 24, 2021
Rupert and Julia aka Hawk and Fisher are happily running their School for Heroes when the Demon Prince announces that their grandchildren are in danger. The 30-something heroes meet up with their old friend the dragon, and go in search of someone to stomp. Their sexagenarian children also come to their aid, and we have a great family reunion. Very fun!
January 9, 2022
Excellent, nice conclusion to the series. Is it predictable? Yes. Is it tropey? Definitely! But it's also funny, fun, fast paced and exciting. At no point did I expect anyone important to die, but that didn't take away from the fact it felt like going back to visit old friends from earlier times and enjoy spending time with them.
August 20, 2017
Not a big fantasy reader but these books are great and the simplicity of the world and its names leaves plenty of time to enjoy the characters and situations they encounter. The droll british humour also makes the characters appealing .
November 19, 2018
Green umí lepší knížky. Vztahy mezi postavami mi přišly zbytečně složité a někdy až komické, děj možná příliš zdlouhavý. Knihu jsem od ostatních ze série četla poměrně s velkým, několikaletých, odstupem, tedy hodnocení může být poněkud zkreslené. Celá série o Jestřábovi a Rybářce mě neskutečně bavila, tento díl bych spíše přirovnala kvalitou k sérii o Droodech. Pohodové průměrné čtení, které neurazí, kdo má rád knížky od Greena, asi zklamán nebude.
July 24, 2018
A solid book by Green- manages to keep it from being cliche with humor and twists.
February 22, 2019
Thought I would get interested but there was too much "gotcha" stuff.
August 29, 2019
Tension was mediocre, but the characters and the humor and ohhh yes! I loved it anyway.
June 19, 2020
Nice enough, but way too long. Really requires the reader to have read at least the first book in the series. (Which I have read, twice, as well as the others before this one.)
February 18, 2022
Fantastic
Hawk and Fisher once again save the day in their witty and irreverent way. One truly hopes another book will one day be written
Hawk and Fisher once again save the day in their witty and irreverent way. One truly hopes another book will one day be written
October 10, 2022
Finally the end of the series with a lot of fan service to the previous books. It used content from the hawk and fisher series so might be a trifle complicated for people not familiar
February 11, 2023
This book was good but it took a while to get to the main action of the book. Overall, a good conclusion to the series.
5 stars - one of my favorite books
4 stars - really enjoyed it and would read again
3 stars - enjoyed reading it but would probably not read it again
2 stars - felt indifferent about the book
1 star - didn't like the book
5 stars - one of my favorite books
4 stars - really enjoyed it and would read again
3 stars - enjoyed reading it but would probably not read it again
2 stars - felt indifferent about the book
1 star - didn't like the book
December 17, 2014
Skip and read is the motto that I stuck to whilst reading the Hawk and Fisher series. You can skip entire paragraphs,pages and even hop right over some books in the series and still have a general idea why everyone's got their panties in a twist. Or whatever passed for panties in the dark ages.
Simon Green: the man to whom I would like to give a high five while simultaneously fighting the urge to poke his eyes out with a sharpened end of an infested toothpick. The one prequel (that I read) and five books (that I read) later, I am still deciding.
What I have decided is that the man is still human and not an inter-dimensional goblin as I had initially suspected, given the numerous cons in the book. Being an optimistically pessimistic person, I try to see the bright spot on the darker side of things, so let's start with the books' pros:
Pro Uno: Roland the Headless Axeman. Need I say more?
#Pro Dos: The main characters, Hawk and Fisher, were wonderful. To quote Ilona Andrews, they are badasses who can write books on how to be badder badasses. Except the still non existent book will have to be co-authored by Kate Daniels and Curran, of course. Back to the point, they are a law unto themselves and they will do what is right, damn everything that has the misfortune to get in their way even if the pesky obstacle happened to be their own lives.
#Pro Tres: Reading Hawk and Fisher's tongue in cheek humor which seems to be a family trait and sprouted by them on many occasions is like finding a curly fry in a bunch of straight-as-a-stick fries. Oh man. There were many times when I slapped my knee, laughed out loud and rolled on the floor. Ah, good times.
That's it.
Now comes the cons. It has so many,by the time I finish listing all of them, we'd have all died in the impending apocalypse. So I going to keep this short and bitter:
#Con Uno: The info dump. His books are a cesspit of uselessfacts descriptions about a particular room or a chamber that does absolutely jack shit toward the plot and does wonders tipping the sanity scale. There are literally paragraph upon paragraph of unnecessary details-just why?
Con Dos:The typos. Just the occasional misspellings here and there but for a nitpicking reader like me in such matters, it is kind of like an itch in a cast.
#Con Tres: The lack of sensible development of a proper romance. Now I am big on romance, so I will rant about this. Imagine how much more satisfying the eventual coupling would be if the author had waited. Insta-love is a big no-no. And every single freaking couple makes cow eyes at each other within two sentences, decides that the raging hormones are a result of luuurve within a paragraph and declares their everlasting love within a page.
#Con Cuatro: The complete lack of emotion on hearing the death of their daughter. I thought they had a heart made of stone not a complete lack of one. The heartless barbarians. What stumped me even more was that after hearing about his mother's death, Raven is all, "yo, dead mama, wish you seen the real me." Then he shrugs, like his mother's death is nothing, tries (and fails) to show feelings, gives it up as a bad job and skips away with his newly found best friend.
Despite its faults, and it had many, I still loved the books.
Simon Green: the man to whom I would like to give a high five while simultaneously fighting the urge to poke his eyes out with a sharpened end of an infested toothpick. The one prequel (that I read) and five books (that I read) later, I am still deciding.
What I have decided is that the man is still human and not an inter-dimensional goblin as I had initially suspected, given the numerous cons in the book. Being an optimistically pessimistic person, I try to see the bright spot on the darker side of things, so let's start with the books' pros:
Pro Uno: Roland the Headless Axeman. Need I say more?
#Pro Dos: The main characters, Hawk and Fisher, were wonderful. To quote Ilona Andrews, they are badasses who can write books on how to be badder badasses. Except the still non existent book will have to be co-authored by Kate Daniels and Curran, of course. Back to the point, they are a law unto themselves and they will do what is right, damn everything that has the misfortune to get in their way even if the pesky obstacle happened to be their own lives.
#Pro Tres: Reading Hawk and Fisher's tongue in cheek humor which seems to be a family trait and sprouted by them on many occasions is like finding a curly fry in a bunch of straight-as-a-stick fries. Oh man. There were many times when I slapped my knee, laughed out loud and rolled on the floor. Ah, good times.
That's it.
Now comes the cons. It has so many,by the time I finish listing all of them, we'd have all died in the impending apocalypse. So I going to keep this short and bitter:
#Con Uno: The info dump. His books are a cesspit of useless
Con Dos:The typos. Just the occasional misspellings here and there but for a nitpicking reader like me in such matters, it is kind of like an itch in a cast.
#Con Tres: The lack of sensible development of a proper romance. Now I am big on romance, so I will rant about this. Imagine how much more satisfying the eventual coupling would be if the author had waited. Insta-love is a big no-no. And every single freaking couple makes cow eyes at each other within two sentences, decides that the raging hormones are a result of luuurve within a paragraph and declares their everlasting love within a page.
#Con Cuatro: The complete lack of emotion on hearing the death of their daughter. I thought they had a heart made of stone not a complete lack of one. The heartless barbarians. What stumped me even more was that after hearing about his mother's death, Raven is all, "yo, dead mama, wish you seen the real me." Then he shrugs, like his mother's death is nothing, tries (and fails) to show feelings, gives it up as a bad job and skips away with his newly found best friend.
Despite its faults, and it had many, I still loved the books.
September 11, 2014
This is a read-in-progress for some time now, but I really only just started it two days ago. The reason for that is that my husband & I meant to read it aloud to one another, but the days got busy and we hardly saw each other, and my asthma is too severe for speaking out loud more than 20 minutes at a time.
This is also a review-in-progress. I just wanted to jot down a few notes whilst thinking of them:
-This is not a book for a newcomer to the Blue Moon Series to read. While all of the others up until this point could easily be thought of as stand-alones, with perhaps the exception of a portion of Beyond the Blue Moon, I believe that this one REQUIRES a thorough steeping in both Blue Moon and Hawk & Fisher tradition. In fact I wished aloud to Jeremy that I had boned up on my Redhart/Blood & Honor history, as that is heavily referenced at one point and I honestly couldn't recall much of the plot.
-SPOILER (why this is hiding): THE DRAGON IS BACK! THE DRAGON IS BACK! OH HAPPY DAY THE DRAGON IS BACK!
-As always with Green, he uses the same phrases over and over when he likes them. i.e., "Suddenly and violently and all over the place." "Grinned a nasty grin." etc. there are many others that are there, and used in every Greenian novel from these to Deathstalker to Secret Histories and back again. That's ok with me, though; I consider it part of his "voice."
-LOVING the thing with the moving forward in time but H & F don't age; I expected as much with them, after all they can't even take on a simple glamour spell because of the Wild Magic, and between that and the Rainbow I expected immortality, or at least the very slow aging. Same with Chappie.
-WISHING that there had been slightly better editing. Not removing of text, just simple continuity errors, like using Richard and Rupert interchangeably at two points during Richard's castle segment.
-LOVING the fact that John's personal quarters sealed themselves off during the interim. I've always suspected a much deeper personal history for John, what with love triangles and Harold's near-treason experience, and the diary smacks of promise, one I am hoping is fulfilled.
-SPOILER: Strongly suspect Jacqui is Jack's daughter Mercy. She just has so much of Isobel in her, how could she not be? I can't help but picture her as the cute little mechanic from Firefly though.**I was wrong in this, and I'm kind of sad about it. I liked her better than the actual Mercy.**
-SPOILER: Jack? Walking Man? OH MY GOD THAT IS PERFECT. That the offspring of Hawk & Fisher would be the Wrath of God is bloody perfect, after all they went through and seeing him in the Cathedral in Beyond. I haven't "met" Gillian yet but I suspect, given that she was foretold to be a woman warrior, that she will also be a badass.
That's it for now....so enjoying!
Going back ages later to mark this read...I enjoyed it as an addition to the series, but I think I'm ready for it to be done now, or at least ready for Hawk & Fisher to retire. I wouldn't mind seeing a spin-off series with their offspring though. Also, I downgraded the review after reading the whole thing from 5 to 3 stars. I liked it but there were a lot of glaring errors in the editing process. Also, the whole ending felt really rushed and a little...blah.
This is also a review-in-progress. I just wanted to jot down a few notes whilst thinking of them:
-This is not a book for a newcomer to the Blue Moon Series to read. While all of the others up until this point could easily be thought of as stand-alones, with perhaps the exception of a portion of Beyond the Blue Moon, I believe that this one REQUIRES a thorough steeping in both Blue Moon and Hawk & Fisher tradition. In fact I wished aloud to Jeremy that I had boned up on my Redhart/Blood & Honor history, as that is heavily referenced at one point and I honestly couldn't recall much of the plot.
-SPOILER (why this is hiding): THE DRAGON IS BACK! THE DRAGON IS BACK! OH HAPPY DAY THE DRAGON IS BACK!
-As always with Green, he uses the same phrases over and over when he likes them. i.e., "Suddenly and violently and all over the place." "Grinned a nasty grin." etc. there are many others that are there, and used in every Greenian novel from these to Deathstalker to Secret Histories and back again. That's ok with me, though; I consider it part of his "voice."
-LOVING the thing with the moving forward in time but H & F don't age; I expected as much with them, after all they can't even take on a simple glamour spell because of the Wild Magic, and between that and the Rainbow I expected immortality, or at least the very slow aging. Same with Chappie.
-WISHING that there had been slightly better editing. Not removing of text, just simple continuity errors, like using Richard and Rupert interchangeably at two points during Richard's castle segment.
-LOVING the fact that John's personal quarters sealed themselves off during the interim. I've always suspected a much deeper personal history for John, what with love triangles and Harold's near-treason experience, and the diary smacks of promise, one I am hoping is fulfilled.
-SPOILER: Strongly suspect Jacqui is Jack's daughter Mercy. She just has so much of Isobel in her, how could she not be? I can't help but picture her as the cute little mechanic from Firefly though.**I was wrong in this, and I'm kind of sad about it. I liked her better than the actual Mercy.**
-SPOILER: Jack? Walking Man? OH MY GOD THAT IS PERFECT. That the offspring of Hawk & Fisher would be the Wrath of God is bloody perfect, after all they went through and seeing him in the Cathedral in Beyond. I haven't "met" Gillian yet but I suspect, given that she was foretold to be a woman warrior, that she will also be a badass.
That's it for now....so enjoying!
Going back ages later to mark this read...I enjoyed it as an addition to the series, but I think I'm ready for it to be done now, or at least ready for Hawk & Fisher to retire. I wouldn't mind seeing a spin-off series with their offspring though. Also, I downgraded the review after reading the whole thing from 5 to 3 stars. I liked it but there were a lot of glaring errors in the editing process. Also, the whole ending felt really rushed and a little...blah.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2015
After more than 10 years, Simon R Green once again returns us to the Forest Kingdom, following the exploits of Hawk and Fisher, the only honest guards that once walked the streets of Haven. It's been nearly 100 years since the Demon War and when Hawk and Fisher banished the Demon Prince in the land of Reverie before disappearing into legend. Statues of Rupert and Julia decorate the Forest Castle, and people still live inspired by their deeds.
Nowadays two people bearing the infamous names of "Hawk" and "Fisher" run the legendary "Hawk and Fisher Memorial Academy", training would-be heroes to go out in the world and make it a better place. While auditions go on in the Millennium Oak for the new class of hopefuls, an arranged marriage between Princess Catherine of the Kingdom of Redhart and Prince Richard of the Forest Kingdom is put in motion to quell the battles on the borders that has gone on for years. But parties on both sides of the fence want the marriage to fail, and war is brewing.
To make matters worse, the Demon Prince has returned, now living inside of people, and is threatening the descendants of Hawk and Fisher. Will the two heroes from legend return to save the land one more time, or will it be torn apart in a war that so many don't want?
Simon R Green returns to the land of wild magic and the Darkwood one more time in "Once In a Blue Moon", a story that rekindles all the magic (figuratively and literally!) of the Forest Kingdom saga. It captures all the excitement of the previous books in a new tale that threatens to eclipse "Blue Moon Rising" as my favorite book in the series. Set further in the future since the last novel, we're introduced to all new characters, such as Leland Dusque "The Stalking Man", the Sombre Warrior and Roland the Headless Axeman, as well as the descendants of Hawk and Fisher, their children and grandchildren all playing significant roles in the story.
I highly recommend this book to fans of Simon R Green, and those who love fantasy and high adventure in general. Although no knowledge of previous books in the series is required to enjoy "Once In a Blue Moon", it helps to understand the backstory and meaning behind many of the characters and events. An exciting romp from page 1 onwards, I'm grateful that Simon R Green brought back the Forest Kingdom, and dearly hope he will do so again!
Nowadays two people bearing the infamous names of "Hawk" and "Fisher" run the legendary "Hawk and Fisher Memorial Academy", training would-be heroes to go out in the world and make it a better place. While auditions go on in the Millennium Oak for the new class of hopefuls, an arranged marriage between Princess Catherine of the Kingdom of Redhart and Prince Richard of the Forest Kingdom is put in motion to quell the battles on the borders that has gone on for years. But parties on both sides of the fence want the marriage to fail, and war is brewing.
To make matters worse, the Demon Prince has returned, now living inside of people, and is threatening the descendants of Hawk and Fisher. Will the two heroes from legend return to save the land one more time, or will it be torn apart in a war that so many don't want?
Simon R Green returns to the land of wild magic and the Darkwood one more time in "Once In a Blue Moon", a story that rekindles all the magic (figuratively and literally!) of the Forest Kingdom saga. It captures all the excitement of the previous books in a new tale that threatens to eclipse "Blue Moon Rising" as my favorite book in the series. Set further in the future since the last novel, we're introduced to all new characters, such as Leland Dusque "The Stalking Man", the Sombre Warrior and Roland the Headless Axeman, as well as the descendants of Hawk and Fisher, their children and grandchildren all playing significant roles in the story.
I highly recommend this book to fans of Simon R Green, and those who love fantasy and high adventure in general. Although no knowledge of previous books in the series is required to enjoy "Once In a Blue Moon", it helps to understand the backstory and meaning behind many of the characters and events. An exciting romp from page 1 onwards, I'm grateful that Simon R Green brought back the Forest Kingdom, and dearly hope he will do so again!
April 1, 2014
When I first picked up "Once in a Blue Moon" by Simon R. Green I wasn't aware it was part of a series. I also wasn't aware of how daunting the book would be to read. That being said once I finally got through it I was very glad I did. It is a very entertaining read. I was very impressed by Green's ability to explain things for a reader who hadn't read the backstory of the involved characters. While this is part of a series it is also a stand-alone book. That is not an easy thing to accomplish. The plot structure of the book was also intriguing to me. Each long chapter was devoted to a different set of characters who eventually came together and created a cohesive narrative.
My complaints concerning this book are minor in many ways but enough so that they distracted me from enjoying the novel. The descriptions were vivid and robust; however, the names of the characters were so simplistic and laughable. The Walking Man, The Broken Man, and at least two other The ____ Man. There were also two demons who were quite simply named the Green Demon and the Red Demon and surprise surprise they were green and red respectfully. The book is over five hundred pages long. In my mind Green could have been a little more imaginative with the names. The last thing that got on my nerves and nearly drove me to put down the book was the repeated use of the word 'said'. Go to google and type in 'alternatives to the word said' and you can pull up hundreds of other words. I didn't notice the repeated use of 'said' until about two hundred pages in. There was a section where there was a conversation and every line for about five or six sections of dialogue was "___" said____. Once I noticed it I couldn't unsee what I'd seen and as a result I grew irritated. I realize Green has a large body of work, which would assume he writes a lot so these two things are in many ways excusable. Still they just seemed lazy to me and stood in the way of my being able to fully immerse myself in the world of the novel.
My complaints concerning this book are minor in many ways but enough so that they distracted me from enjoying the novel. The descriptions were vivid and robust; however, the names of the characters were so simplistic and laughable. The Walking Man, The Broken Man, and at least two other The ____ Man. There were also two demons who were quite simply named the Green Demon and the Red Demon and surprise surprise they were green and red respectfully. The book is over five hundred pages long. In my mind Green could have been a little more imaginative with the names. The last thing that got on my nerves and nearly drove me to put down the book was the repeated use of the word 'said'. Go to google and type in 'alternatives to the word said' and you can pull up hundreds of other words. I didn't notice the repeated use of 'said' until about two hundred pages in. There was a section where there was a conversation and every line for about five or six sections of dialogue was "___" said____. Once I noticed it I couldn't unsee what I'd seen and as a result I grew irritated. I realize Green has a large body of work, which would assume he writes a lot so these two things are in many ways excusable. Still they just seemed lazy to me and stood in the way of my being able to fully immerse myself in the world of the novel.
May 25, 2014
Hawk and Fisher are legends--in fact, everyone thinks they're long dead. And the should be, if it weren't for the Wild Magic that changed them forever. They can't quite manage true retirement, so they set up the Hero Academy--training new heroes to win--fight dirty if necessary, so long as they fight well.
But the world hasn't forgotten them--especially their enemies. The Demon Prince, who they thought they had defeated, isn't as gone as they hoped. He comes to them, and warns them that he will kill their children if they don't come fight a final battle with him. His reasons for wanting them aren't clear, though--and likely to be ones they'll enjoy.
So Hawk and Fisher will have to return to the place where they were Rupert and Julia, and fight one more battle, to save the world from the Wild Magic of the blue moon and the Demon Prince.
A final story for our heroes, who've been nearly forgotten, but not quite. But they don't need their reputations--Hawk and Fisher are still dangerous fighters, willing to do whatever is necessary--no matter how ugly, bloody, or dangerous. Familiar characters, and new ones, woven together, new legends meeting old ones. Hawk and Fisher's children and grandchildren are interesting, too--growing into their ancestry. Recommended for Simon Green fans--not a good place to start the series.
But the world hasn't forgotten them--especially their enemies. The Demon Prince, who they thought they had defeated, isn't as gone as they hoped. He comes to them, and warns them that he will kill their children if they don't come fight a final battle with him. His reasons for wanting them aren't clear, though--and likely to be ones they'll enjoy.
So Hawk and Fisher will have to return to the place where they were Rupert and Julia, and fight one more battle, to save the world from the Wild Magic of the blue moon and the Demon Prince.
A final story for our heroes, who've been nearly forgotten, but not quite. But they don't need their reputations--Hawk and Fisher are still dangerous fighters, willing to do whatever is necessary--no matter how ugly, bloody, or dangerous. Familiar characters, and new ones, woven together, new legends meeting old ones. Hawk and Fisher's children and grandchildren are interesting, too--growing into their ancestry. Recommended for Simon Green fans--not a good place to start the series.
January 18, 2015
The early Forest Kingdom books hold a special place in my heart as some of the best fantasy stories I've read, and Simon Green is definitely among my favourite authors. That said, this is definitely not Simon Green at his best - it truly feels like he was bored when he wrote this.
There's far too many characters; it feels like they are just dropped into the book for the purpose of a meaningless twist later on. When there is just a couple of heroes - or even several that at least get more air time - you can start to identify with them. In this book they feel like chaff, not to mention being clones of each other with a few distinguishing details thrown in.
The repetition also started to get on my nerves: usually I love Green's writing style but the same phrases and descriptions kept cropping up repeatedly. When combined with the high character count this made it a real struggle to maintain interest and by the end I was fighting to keep reading.
There is also a rather large blooper towards the end of the story which was just the icing on the cake (and resulted in a further star lost from my rating).
Honestly, if he had lost interest in this series it was better left unmolested. I feel like I need to go and re-read the early books to shake my doubts. Sadly I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone else. Beyond the Blue Moon was a natural finishing point for this series.
There's far too many characters; it feels like they are just dropped into the book for the purpose of a meaningless twist later on. When there is just a couple of heroes - or even several that at least get more air time - you can start to identify with them. In this book they feel like chaff, not to mention being clones of each other with a few distinguishing details thrown in.
The repetition also started to get on my nerves: usually I love Green's writing style but the same phrases and descriptions kept cropping up repeatedly. When combined with the high character count this made it a real struggle to maintain interest and by the end I was fighting to keep reading.
There is also a rather large blooper towards the end of the story which was just the icing on the cake (and resulted in a further star lost from my rating).
Honestly, if he had lost interest in this series it was better left unmolested. I feel like I need to go and re-read the early books to shake my doubts. Sadly I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone else. Beyond the Blue Moon was a natural finishing point for this series.
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