Having read all of Simon R. Green's Nightside series and loving them, I was really curious when I read the opening blurb for Blue Moon Rising, and having read the book, I can honestly say it was not misleading. Simon Green writes with a dry wit and a sense of irony that is very refreshing and will have you grinning at the oddest things. I'm delighted to have finally read this book and embarked into the land and adventures of Prince Rupert and Princess Julia, and dismayed that I hadn't discovered them ages ago.

As a second son, sent off on a quest that would most probably kill him and end an uncomfortable succession problem, Prince Rupert sets off to slay a dragon and rescue a princess, never imagining that he would be rescuing the dragon from the princess, nor the fast friendships he would form with a multitude of unlikely denizens of the forest.

In his trek to find a dragon he is forced to cross through Darkwood, where demons and other terrors exist in the dark recesses untouched by anything other than evil. Finally finding the Dragon is a surprise of monumental proportions. Not only does the Dragon not have hoards of gold and jewels as the legends said, but the Princess is far from the damsel in distress, rather she is fleeing her own death sentence from her father for refusing to wed some prince. Together with the Dragon and Rupert's Unicorn, they will face down the evil of the Darkwood to return home to Forestland.

Home, however isn't now, nor ever really was, a warm friendly place for a second son, and Rupert's honor will allow nothing but to fulfill his quest , even though he knows his return will not be welcome. The welcome is even cooler that he expects when they arrive to find out the Darkwood is creeping forward at an alarming rate and once again Rupert is sent out on an impossible quest to find a banished Wizard to fight the evil dark.

The book is filled with wry humour, impossible adventures, amazing twists, fascinating creatures and a degree of honor and valor found in the depths of the human condition, where often valor is nothing more than necessity in the face of extreme need. Rupert has a valiant heart, a strong arm a propensity for doing as he see's fit and a deep and abiding love for those he calls friends. Julia is outspoken, stubborn, and is completely capable of turning any situation inside out. They are a remarkable pair but even their combined hearts and fighting skills may not be enough to save Forestland from the evil coming on the Blue Moon.

This is fantasy as its best and written with such dry wit just makes it all the more enjoyable. It's very easy to see why the Nightside series is such a darkly fun read and after reading this book, I am off to read Beyond the Blue Moon, the sequel to Blue Moon Rising and the beginning of the Hawk and Fisher series, and there is nothing I love more than a good series.

Synopsis
In those days there were heroes and villains, and darkness walked the earth. There were dragons to be slain, Princesses to be saved, and mighty deeds were accomplished by knights in shinning armor.

Many tales are told of that time, tales of steadfast bravery and derring-do.

This isn't one of them.