What Song the Sirens Sang

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "What Song The Sirens Sang", the third entry in the "Gideon Sable" series.
Gideon Sable and Annie Anybody are back for another adventure. After being blackmailed into taking over Old Harry's Place (after Harry's sudden retirement), Gideon and Annie go on a spree to re-stock the shelves, and one of the items the obtain is a stone that purports to hold the song of the sirens (what almost killed Odysseus and did lay waste to his crew). And then - it's stolen. But they want it back; especially when they discover the supposed thief is Sally Switch-It who recently married The Damned, one of Gideon's crew and is supposed to be on her honeymoon in Paris.
What ensues is what we've come to expect from the Gideon Sable adventures - mayhem, bloodshed, double-crosse, triple-crosses and talking mirrors (not one, but two!) with agendas of their own.
And we're introduced to a new character - exotic dancer by day, werewolf all the time.
The new crew work together to foil 'Coldheart" and rescue Sally, meeting along the way more bizarre and entertaining characters.
What I like most of all about Mr. Green's "Gideon Sable" series is that he continues to invent interesting characters. I have read his previous series: The Nightside featuring John Taylor, the Secret Histories featuring Eddie Drood aka Shaman Bond and the series featuring Ishmael Jones. All of these characters share some of the same qualities, but all are different.
Highly recommended, but reading the previous two books for context would not be a bad thing (and very entertaining).

So the thing is- I like Simon R Green books. I know they can be formulaic but it's a formula he absolutely *owns* at this point so I'm okay with that. This one is no exception. Is it the best entry in the Gideon Sable catalog? Maybe not but it is a solid entry. I like Gideon Sable and his "crew" and this time around Gideon will be adding to the group but.... is he also being betrayed? Well, obviously but the real question is: by who (this time)?

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to access this title in exchange for an honest review.

This third novel in the series follows the same formula and is a fun joyride. Gideon and Annie have been robbed of a magical item and one of their group have been kidnapped. Time to get the group together and set things to rights. This book is full of amusing banter, outlandish actions, crazy characters and general mayhem.

We’re at the third book in this series, and I am unsure what to say about it. The thing about this author is you always know what you’re getting when you read a book in one of his series: they are all pretty much similar, mostly in a good way. This has Annie and Gideon on the hunt for a member of their team who has been kidnapped. Of course, nothing is quite what it seems, and they encounter many twists and turns in their quest to hunt her down. While this book isn’t “new” in any way, it is full of snappy and quick dialogue, interesting adventures, and the journey is fun even if all the books are similar. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

What Song the Sirens Sang by Simon R. Green. Another Gideon story of impossible thievery, daring do's and anti-hero work that fascinates and captures the mind of the readers.

This was a new author for me . I never read anything from this author before but for the most part I really liked this book. I thought the whole story was amazing. I honestly didn’t want this book to end. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with on the next book they write. I usually judge a book from the cover because for me it shows if it’s going to be interesting or not and I loved the book.

Way back in 1994 I was a reviewer for a Dutch SF and Fantasy magazine. I was part of a team; every six weeks we gathered to talk about the next issue. The nicest part of those gatherings was going through the pile of books for review publishers sent us. One day I ended up with a book with a horrible cover and a horrible blurb. That book was Deathstalker by Simon R Green.
I ended up buying the whole series and reading them at least twice and I've read a number of other books by this author too.
And I just love it!
It's space opera, it's funny, it is sometimes absolutely ridiculous and it's full of plot twists that I wouldn't like to read in a thriller. But here it works. Sometimes it's as if he sits down and starts writing, going along with what his mind comes up with.

In What Song the Sirens Sang we meet Gideon Sable again and also a lot of characters from the previous books in this series. Green introduces some new characters en weaves an intricate story around a rock, a mirror and a damsel in distress... Readers who have read other books in this series or any other series by Green will see a repetition in plot, characters and setting, but who cares? Once you start reading you will be immersed in the strange, strange worlds of Simon Green. His books are wildly entertaining and What Song the Sirens Sang is no exception.

"The tables are turned on legendary master thief Gideon Sable when a priceless magical artifact is stolen from him, in this fast-paced supernatural heist thriller.

You can find everything you've ever dreamed of in the strange, old magical shop known as Old Harry's Place. The problem is, not all dreams are kind.

Gideon Sable - legendary master thief, conman and well-dressed rogue - and his partner in crime Annie Anybody don't want to be shopkeepers, but when the enigmatic Harry decides to retire, he blackmails the pair into taking the store on.

Before the grand reopening can happen, however, a menacing stranger arrives - with a rare and deadly item for them to appraise. A small piece of rock, with an unnerving aura, which 'Smith' claims contains the last echoes of the legendary sirens' song. Before they can find out more, however, Smith vanishes...leaving only the stone.

Some valuables are more trouble than they're worth. But before Gideon and Annie can work out if they've been set up, the stone is stolen from its impregnable hiding place. How? And why? Gideon only knows one thing for certain: no one steals from him and gets away with it...

What Song the Sirens Sang is the third supernatural heist thriller featuring master conman Gideon Sable from British SFF veteran and New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green, following The Best Thing You Can Steal and A Matter of Death and Life."

I love supernatural heists!

Master thief and unscrupulous rogue Gideon Sable is back with his partner in crime Annie Anybody (who can dress up to be anybody she wants to be). They’ve been left Old Harry’s magical shop and are in the process of organising (stealing) stock for it when a magical stone, securely locked in an impregnable box is stolen from them. Meanwhile, one of Gideon’s crew, Switch It Sally, has disappeared while on her honeymoon in Paris and Gideon assembles a team to go and retrieve her and the stone.

This third book in the Gideon Sable series is starting to feel a bit formulaic – first find something Gideon needs to steal, second assemble a crew with a range of unique magical powers and third conquer major hurdles with clever solutions (and Lex Talon, the Dammed) to retrieve the object. Nevertheless, it is still a wildly fun ride exuding humour, snappy dialog and imagination, but I think a new twist of the formula might be required if the series is to continue to be popular. 3.5 stars.

“Gideon Sable isn’t my name. I stole it. The original Gideon Sable was a legendary master thief, who specialized in stealing the kind of things that others couldn’t. .. I steal from the rich and keep it, to teach them a lesson. And to make it clear that no one messes with me and mine.”

My thanks to Severn House for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘What Song the Sirens Sang’ by Simon R. Green.

This is Book 3 in Green’s urban fantasy series featuring thief and conman, Gideon Sable. While background is provided for new readers, the books are well worth reading in order.

The book opens with Gideon and his partner-in-crime, Annie Anybody, in the midst of an elaborate heist. They are undertaking it in order to restock Old Harry’s Place. While neither had wanted to become shopkeepers, the enigmatic Harry, keen to retire, had been rather ‘persuasive’. When he disappeared he took the entire contents of the shop with him, hence the need for the heist. 

Soon the shop’s grand reopening is at hand. However, a menacing stranger arrives with a rare and deadly item for appraisal. He claims that the small piece of rock contains the last echoes of the legendary sirens' song. Yet before Gideon and Annie are able to work out what is going on, the stone is stolen from its impregnable hiding place.

The theft is unacceptable and clearly bad for business, prompting Gideon, Annie, and available members of their crew into action to recover it. An otherworldly tracker, Polly Perkins, joins the team and Sidney, a wise-cracking talking mirror, lends invaluable assistance.

With ‘What Song the Sirens Sang’ Green has again produced a fast paced supernatural caper packed with horror, humour, twists and turns, as well as fabulously weird characters, settings, and situations.

Great fun!

“What Song the Sirens Sang” is another installment of this highly entertaining franchise from Simon R. Green. If you’ve read other books by the author, you’ll know what’s in store. Is it formulaic? Yes. Is it an entertaining read? Also yes. What we have here is another heist with Gideon Sable and the crew. High speed. Highly entertaining. And overall, worth a Saturday afternoon with a cuppa. If I have one complaint, it is that these books always seem so short!

What Song the Sirens Sang is the third Gideon Sable supernatural heist novel. Although it could be enjoyed on its own, I recommend reading all of the books in order. Gideon’s world is filled with magic, madcap characters, mythological monsters, and mystical devices, and the story is told in his breezy style. If you can suspend disbelief and accept the fantastical as commonplace, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable ride, filled with laugh out loud moments.

The story offers plenty of mystery and suspense and some fun surprises, but the best part is watching all of these quirky characters interacting with each other and causing chaos. I hope someone is planning to turn these books into movies.

I highly recommend this book and the entire series for fans of humorous urban fantasy and supernatural heists. Note that the book contains occasional swearing and lots of violence.

Thanks to Severn House for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley, which I volunteered to review.

This series is highly entertaining and I usually read them in max two settings as I can't stop reading. This is not my favorite instalment but it's a lot of fun.
Gideon, Annie, The Damned are back working to together and some new and fascinating characters are added to the mix.
I like how the author developed strong and fleshed out female characters but also some comic ones likes Yogi the bear and Sidney the mirror.
There's a lot of world building and there's not a moment of bore.
Fast paced and action packed, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Gideon Sable is always the man with the plan, even if that plan and the identity that goes with it used to belong to someone else. Gideon will need to put all of his talents as rogue, thief, and con man to use in order to steal back a one-of-a-kind artifact from a thief. Gideon thinks he holds all the cards in this game, only to discover that he’s been played by an old friend. Trapped in a triple-crossing heist, Gideon’s going to have to lie, cheat, and connive his way into getting all his friends out in one piece—while making sure that all his enemies pay.
VERDICT The latest in Green’s “Gideon Sable” series (after A Matter of Death and Life) features a crew of criminals with hearts of gold and one of the snarkiest antiheroes to ever front an urban fantasy series, turning the murder and mayhem up to 11 while telling a story where disaster is always just on the other side of the door. Readers will be fondly reminded of the TV series Leverage, where the good guys are bad guys.

Simon R. Green has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read his Nightside series. When that series ended, I found his Ismael Jones stories and now Gideon Sable to be excellent successors.

Gideon Sable is a sneak thief and con artist. But not your run-of-the-mill sticky fingered second story man.....let's just say that Gideon steals things that aren't really classified as steal-able. He steals supernatural items. Things that shouldn't exist. Collectibles that are magical and dangerous. But not by himself. His friend, Annie Anybody, helps him out. A criminal duo of the most interesting kind -- a man who can steal anything and a woman who can be anybody.

If anybody can pull off a supernatural heist series, it's Simon R. Green. He's in his best element in this series. And I love every single new story that comes about about Gideon and Annie. This time Gideon is the victim. He's tasked with appraising a very dangerous magical item, but before he gets the job done the item is stolen from him. Pissed is not a strong enough term for how angry Gideon is when he discovers the theft. He's livid -- and looking for the person that dared to steal from him.

Great story! Simon R. Green never lets me down! I'm definitely going to keep reading this series as long as the stories keep coming out! Ishmael Jones, too! Any reader who enjoys urban fantasy with supernatural/paranormal tones will love both these series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Severn House. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Gideon Sable is a master thief. As a matter of fact, he even stole his identity. His significant other is Annie Anybody, who can turn into anyone she wishes. Gideon and Annie have been gifted with Old Harry's Place...only problem is Old Harry disappeared with all the merchandise. So, Gideon and Annie must steal a magical horde of items to entice the discerning collector. A disguised man shows up at their door with a piece of rock from the island where the Sirens sang, demolishing all ships that passed by. But, when that artifact is stolen, Gideon and Annie must find it because one simply cannot steal items from the owners. They travel through the Lower Road between Heaven and Hell and arrive at a warehouse located in a separate dimension of reality and then fight to get back the rock. Another entertaining read from Simon R. Green.

I really love these stories and the quirky characters. Gideon and his gang take us on another fun and magical ride. Highly recommend.

This paranormal heist adventure can be read as a standalone, as Green ensures his readers aren’t left floundering – but in order to be fully invested in the characters, I’d advise that you read the two previous before diving into this one. I’m a solid fan of this author, because despite writing a rather dark world full of bloodshed and violence, there is always a humorous quirkiness to the tone that ensures that said darkness never becomes overwhelming or too bleak. And given that a great deal of SFF is on the darker side, I’ve found Green’s lighter touch immensely attractive over the years.

His tendency to humour doesn’t prevent Green from delivering yet another twisty, action-packed adventure where our plucky protagonists are flung (literally, courtesy of a magical mirror) into a highly dangerous situation. I am very fond of Gideon and Annie Anybody, so once more found the pages turning more or less by themselves as they find themselves confronted by a satisfyingly obnoxious antagonist, who has the capability to do them real harm. The denouement brings the adventure to a pleasing close – although I’m not sure that ‘happily ever after’ is on the cards for everyone in Gideon’s team. There is a new addition to the gang who I think is going to wreak havoc to their rather fragile dynamic – and I’m waiting for the next book in this entertaining series to see if I’m right! Highly recommended for fans of paranormal heist adventures that don’t take themselves so seriously that you give up the will to live halfway through. While I obtained an arc of What Song the Sirens Sang from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

Annie Anybody and the man known as Gideon Sable are back, having inherited Old Harry's Place with its magical paraphernalia, and maybe a few problems to solve.

The Gideon Sable series is funny, melodramatic, and full of plot twists that only Gideon Sable seems to be able to predict. I'm enjoying it immensely and look forward to more in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Simon Green has Gideon Sable search for the siren's song in What Song the Sirens Sang. Gideon, master thief, and his partner, Annie Anybody, buy a rock which houses the siren's song. Then it is stolen Nothing is what it seems. Friends are foes. Gideon is tracking the missing object with a misfit crew. What could go wrong?

What Song the Sirens Sang is the newest high octane adventure in the Gideon Sable series by Simon R. Green. Released 4th Oct 2022 by Severn House, it's 223 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. 

There are genres and, frankly, formulae, which enthusiastic readers grab and devour no matter what. On the other hand, it's comforting to know precisely what you've signed up for before opening the covers. For fans of the series, this is a worthy addition. For readers who are previously unfamiliar with the series, the mysteries, adventures, and resolutions are mostly self-contained in each volume. They're all delightful and the author is competent and prolific. 

Gideon and his crew are on the trail of a stolen artifact, reputed to contain the Siren's Song which wrought so much trouble for Odysseus and the boys in his band. Adventures ensue. There's a lot of snarky humor, action, and more action. 

Four stars. For the few fans of Butcher, Hearne, Kadrey, et. al. who don't already have this series on their radar, go get it. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.