Ben Aaronovitch: Tales from the Folly

Hi everyone

Tales from the Folly is a collection of short stories set in the world of Rivers of London. I received my copy as a gift from my parents, and it even has Ben Aaronovitch’s signature!

"Return to the world of Rivers of London in this first short story collection from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, Ben Aaronovitch. Tales from the Folly is a carefully curated collection that gathers together previously published stories and brand new tales in the same place for the first time.
Each tale features a new introduction from the author, filled with insight and anecdote offering the reader a deeper exploration into this absorbing fictional world. This is a must read for any Rivers of London fan.
Join Peter, Nightingale, Abigail, Agent Reynolds and Tobias Winter for a series of perfectly portioned tales. Discover what’s haunting a lonely motorway service station, who still wanders the shelves of a popular London bookshop, and what exactly happened to the River Lugg…"

This collection of short stories was okay, but nothing special, to be honest.

In my opinion, short stories aren’t Aaronovitch’s strongest suit, and you can definitely tell these are his first attempts at the format. They lack the humor, flair, and atmosphere we’ve come to love and expect from his full-length Peter Grant novels. The setting is as wonderful as ever, the characters are lovely and the magic is great. But they don't shine in this collection.
The stories just cut off. They stop abruptly, and every time, I was left feeling like I was missing something. There’s no satisfying resolution or proper closure, just a sudden end that leaves you wanting more.

In short, Tales from the Folly is an enjoyable collection that adds extra background to some of the Rivers of London characters. But if you’re looking for the same depth, wit, and charm as the main series, you might find this a bit lacking. 

Have you read Tales from the Folly? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Ben Aaronovitch: The Masquerades of Spring

Hi everyone

The Masquerades of Spring is a prequel novella in the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch. It is set before Peter joins the Folly but the story does include Thomas Nightingale; a character we all know and love. However, I wouldn’t recommend starting the series with this book. The writing style is quite different from the rest of the series, and it might not give you the best first impression. 
I got my book from Bol.com.

"Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young - flaneur extraordinaire and Englishman abroad - as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps.
'Gussie' is not one to shun shut-eye himself, however. But his peaceful luxuriation is about to be rudely awakened by the arrival of an unexpected guest.
Enter his old friend Thomas Nightingale, who has braved the Atlantic passage pursuing the matter of a rather intriguing saxophone said to possess a strange power over those who play it.
This deeply inconvenient affair will rouse Gussie from his warm bed for the cold shores of Long Island - and down to the jazz clubs of Harlem where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows..."

This novella felt quite different from Aaronovitch’s usual writing style. It reminded me of P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster series, both in tone and in the character dynamics between Gussie and his valet. I enjoyed Gussie's clumsiness, his outlook on life, and his relationship with Nightingale and Lucien. And Nightingale is simply fantastic, whatever he does or says.

If you’re a fan of the Peter Grant series, this novella offers an interesting glimpse into the past, but it’s definitely a departure from the usual style (which I enjoy more). Still, it’s a fun, light read if you’re curious about Nightingale’s earlier adventures.

Happy reading!
Helena 

Ben Aaronovitch: Whispers Under Ground

Hi everyone

Whispers Under Ground is the third book in the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch.
I read my dad’s copy and it has 418 pages.
You can find all my reviews of the books in the series here.

                                *   SPOILERS   *

Aaronovitch’s writing flows nicely, is easy to read and very atmospheric. I like the many pop-culture references; they made the book very realistic, almost as if Peter is a friend with similar tastes in movies and books.

Lesley’s back! And I am very happy with that. She’s smart, witty and so very funny.
The romantic tension between Lesley and Peter is much lighter than before and I’m glad about that too; I like their relationship the way it is.
Peter is a very relatable character. He’s a wise-ass but he’s also scarred when he should be, he does some stupid things and he’s quick on the uptake. I like him a lot. And I love it that he’s mixed race. The stories about his family make me laugh so hard but while raising awareness. There’s a gay officer, a PC wearing a hijab, … Love that.
The new characters are great and I hope they’ll be back in the next books.

There’s not as much magic involved in the plot this time. I missed the magic lessons and Peter analyzing everything magical; those were some of my favorite scenes in the other books. But the lessons are going very slow now, and it feels as if he’s barely making progress.
The book is not as much focused on the magic as on the investigation. The actual police investigation is quite boring.
I loved the setting, the London Tube is fascinating but that’s about it for history and sightseeing in this story. We still get some info about London, but not as much as before.

There’s a lot going on so the chapters’ organization by the days of the week helped to keep up with everything. The book is really fast-paced and action-packed. And it’s so funny!

The Peter Grant series is by far not as dark as The Dresden Files, but is has its grim moments too.

I hope Aaronovitch will work with a publisher to make his own tour guide of London. That would be great.

So far, I like the big story-arc but our Faceless Man is a bit cartoonlike. I’m excited to see where this will go.

4 STARS

Happy reading!
Helena

Ben Aaronovitch: Moon over Soho

Hi

Moon over Soho is the second book in the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch.
I borrowed this book from my father and it has 373 pages.
You can find all my Peter Grant reviews here.

This was a really enjoyable, entertaining book. I had a lot of fun reading it.

The book left of right after the first one and I liked that a lot. I didn’t feel like I missed anything that happened to Peter in between two books.
Moon over Soho is very funny but it’s also darker than the previous one.
I love Peter’s approach to magic. He actually conducts scientific experiments to try and understand how magic works. Love that.

The plot itself was predictable though. I won’t go into details to avoid spoilers but it sure wasn’t a surprise twist in the end. And it’s too obviously a setup for the next book.
The two cases were interesting and different enough to make the book fun to read and it had me thinking along how they will be connected (because these things always are).
I like that there’s a true villain but he is too comic-booklike.

I enjoyed it and I’ll definitely read the third book but it didn’t blow me away.

4 STARS

Happy reading!
Helena

Ben Aaronovitch: Rivers of London

Hi

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch is a book I borrowed from my father. He is collecting the Peter Grant series and I wanted to try the first one of the series to see for myself why he likes it so much.
The copy I read has 392 pages.

“Meet DC Peter Grant. He will show you his city. But it's not the capital that you see as you make your way from tube to bus, from Elephant to Castle. It's a city that under its dark surface is packed full of crime. And of magic. A city that you never suspected…
Grant’s story starts when he tries to take a witness statement from a man who was already dead. And take him down a twisting, turning centuries' old mystery that reckons to set London on fire...”

                                *  SPOILERS  *

Rivers of London was a really enjoyable read.
At first I thought it would be very much alike The Dresden Files and it is, just not as much as I had thought.

The premise isn’t entirely original or new but the story gets different enough to make it interesting, entertaining and fun to read.
It starts a bit slow because we have to get to know the characters but it picks up and the story becomes very exciting and surprising.
By the end (when Nightingale is out) the book dragged it bit more. I liked the interaction, the teacher/student thing and the Old English Nightingale so I missed him a bit.

There’s lots of action, great worldbuilding with the magic lessons and the setting of the book in London is just perfect. Having been in London quite a few times, I felt like I could run with Peter and find my way to every spot he mentioned. That was so much fun to read.

The personifications of The Thames were a very nice and unique addition to the cast of characters. I liked the characters a lot. They are realistic; imperfect, flawed, and quite unique.
I particularly enjoyed reading about Peter’s views on being a copper and his own race.
Peter and Lesley question everything he (Peter) learns about magic and those scenes were very well executed; they weren’t giant, tedious infodumps.
I don’t really like his attitude towards women but that seems to be a recurring trope in novels of this kind (f.e. The Dresden Files)
The references to Blackadder, dr. Who, Tolkien, Harry Potter etc. made me smile a lot. 

4 STARS

Happy reading!
Helena