Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Nov. 11th, 2011 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
My name is Peter Grant. Until January I was just another probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service, and to everyone else as the Filth. My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progressions Unit - We do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Lesley May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from a man who was dead, but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Chief Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England. And that, as they say, is where the story begins.
Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated. I’m dealing with nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddesses of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden – and that’s just routine. There’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.
The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying. Which, I don’t mind telling you, would involve a hell of a lot of paperwork.
Peter Grant’s a probationary policeman with poor career prospects (his boss wants to assign him to the Case Progressions Unit where he’ll shuffle paper instead of doing proper police work). But everything changes when he and fellow probationary officer, Lesley May, have to guard a murder scene in Covent Garden after a man is brutally beheaded. There Peter’s approached by Nicholas Wallpenny who claims to have witnessed everything. The problem is that Nicholas is dead and the statements of ghosts rarely stand up in court.
Peter’s experience brings him to the attention of Chief Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England, who takes on Peter as his apprentice. Now Peter has to master magic, navigate the internal police politics that go with being a wizard, negotiate a truce between the warring gods and goddesses of the Thames and catch an evil ghosts that possesses Londoners and forces them to commit horrifically violent crimes.
Ben Aaronovitch’s novel, the first in a series, is a delightful mix of fantasy and police procedural – think THE DRESDEN FILES meets THE BILL.
London’s central to why this book works so well. There’s a fantastic sense of place here, both in the descriptions and in the way Aaronovitch brings the Thames to life in the form of the warring Mother Thames and Father Thames, each representing different aspects of the river and each encroaching on the other’s territory. I really enjoyed the scenes where Peter visits their respective courts, especially those with the dangerous Mother Thames and her daughters, notably the bubbly Beverley.
The way Aaronovitch weaves in the police procedural elements feels convincing and he’s clearly put a lot of thought into how a magical division would slot in. You don’t learn a great deal about Nightingale, but I liked that and the fact that the magic underlies but doesn’t dominate the story. Peter’s essentially an ordinary bloke who never really lived up to his potential and his family background, notably the relationship between his drug addicted jazz musician father and black mother gives an interesting dynamic. Most heartening though was his relationship with Lesley, their friendship isn’t ruined by the fact he fancies her (and I loved the fact that she’s better at her job than he is).
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read with a great set up for the sequel and I can well understand its deserved success.
The Verdict:
Ben Aaronovitch has successfully mixed police procedural with urban fantasy in a wonderfully entertaining novel. I loved the way that London is characterised (sometimes literally) in all is multi-cultural glory, I loved the way that magic is a part of the story without overwhelming it and I loved the fact that the police elements all feel very believable. Peter Grant is a well drawn everyman and while he does fancy his friend, Lesley, it’s refreshing to see a friendship that isn’t dominated by that and how good it is to have a female character who’s genuinely good at her job. All in all, this book is well worth your time, effort and money.
My name is Peter Grant. Until January I was just another probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service, and to everyone else as the Filth. My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progressions Unit - We do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Lesley May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from a man who was dead, but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Chief Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England. And that, as they say, is where the story begins.
Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated. I’m dealing with nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddesses of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden – and that’s just routine. There’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.
The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying. Which, I don’t mind telling you, would involve a hell of a lot of paperwork.
Peter Grant’s a probationary policeman with poor career prospects (his boss wants to assign him to the Case Progressions Unit where he’ll shuffle paper instead of doing proper police work). But everything changes when he and fellow probationary officer, Lesley May, have to guard a murder scene in Covent Garden after a man is brutally beheaded. There Peter’s approached by Nicholas Wallpenny who claims to have witnessed everything. The problem is that Nicholas is dead and the statements of ghosts rarely stand up in court.
Peter’s experience brings him to the attention of Chief Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England, who takes on Peter as his apprentice. Now Peter has to master magic, navigate the internal police politics that go with being a wizard, negotiate a truce between the warring gods and goddesses of the Thames and catch an evil ghosts that possesses Londoners and forces them to commit horrifically violent crimes.
Ben Aaronovitch’s novel, the first in a series, is a delightful mix of fantasy and police procedural – think THE DRESDEN FILES meets THE BILL.
London’s central to why this book works so well. There’s a fantastic sense of place here, both in the descriptions and in the way Aaronovitch brings the Thames to life in the form of the warring Mother Thames and Father Thames, each representing different aspects of the river and each encroaching on the other’s territory. I really enjoyed the scenes where Peter visits their respective courts, especially those with the dangerous Mother Thames and her daughters, notably the bubbly Beverley.
The way Aaronovitch weaves in the police procedural elements feels convincing and he’s clearly put a lot of thought into how a magical division would slot in. You don’t learn a great deal about Nightingale, but I liked that and the fact that the magic underlies but doesn’t dominate the story. Peter’s essentially an ordinary bloke who never really lived up to his potential and his family background, notably the relationship between his drug addicted jazz musician father and black mother gives an interesting dynamic. Most heartening though was his relationship with Lesley, their friendship isn’t ruined by the fact he fancies her (and I loved the fact that she’s better at her job than he is).
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read with a great set up for the sequel and I can well understand its deserved success.
The Verdict:
Ben Aaronovitch has successfully mixed police procedural with urban fantasy in a wonderfully entertaining novel. I loved the way that London is characterised (sometimes literally) in all is multi-cultural glory, I loved the way that magic is a part of the story without overwhelming it and I loved the fact that the police elements all feel very believable. Peter Grant is a well drawn everyman and while he does fancy his friend, Lesley, it’s refreshing to see a friendship that isn’t dominated by that and how good it is to have a female character who’s genuinely good at her job. All in all, this book is well worth your time, effort and money.
