Midnight Riot

Rivers of London, Book 1

By: Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Probationary constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny.

Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.

©2011 Ben Aaronvitch (P)2012 Tantor

Disc World Fans...This Way Please

This book is great…it’s Disc World great, it’s PG Wodehouse great, it’s Tom Sharpe great. It’s as British as Chicken Vindaloo or Soccer Violence. As an ex-Brit, raised in London now in SoCal this book hit me like the smell of damp overcoats on the underground or fresh fish and chips. If you are a follower of BBC America or PBS and have already found and enjoyed "Doctor Who", "Luther" or "Top Gear" I invite you to shout “Yipee” and jump in the deep end. This is a funny, gripping and fiercely entertaining romp through modern day London where the ghosts are as real as science, led by our reluctant hero; a junior policemen with unexpected magical powers. If Harry Potter had joined the London cops after Hogwarts this is what might have happened.
If you are an American, not quite so well versed in the parlance of London and its police force then you may be a little confused by the pervasive used of London and Police vernacular....but read this book anyway. It's brilliantly narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith whose accent is 100% authentic London street…and Kudos to the producers for not attempting to “RP” it up. Its basic premise is at once completely silly and absolutely sublime. The characters are authentic and in many cases hilarious.
It’s not often that I find myself gushing …but I simply have to in this case. To find a new, funny, authentic and creative voice in the often ghastly genre of urban magic is refreshing and encouraging. This book is everything the dreadful Stackhouse or True Blood books aren't. It’s funny and credible, without taking itself too seriously. I tried this book as a special offer from Audible which promotes the first book of series presumably with the aim of hooking me in… and it worked. I invite you to follow and enjoy this exercise in Britt-erati at its best.

Very-Big-City British Experience

The first time I listened to this book I was simply delighted with it all. The author is creative, entertaining, clever and knowledgeable about a wide diversity of history, cultures and technologies, AND that is all before you get to the wizards. The narrator stands firmly on his own skills. He demonstrates an expressive repertoire that includes men and women from across the British Isles and and parts of Africa, and I really can't imagine anybody else doing this book and its sequels any level of justice. Ben Aaronovitch may have created this world but Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is the genii locorum.

The second time I listened to this story (after listening to the next two volumes in the series) it became apparent to my essentially Midwestern American existence that this audio book is more than a London-based story read by a man with a fascinating and wide-ranging accent. Some books are just universal stories that adjust the words - "flat" instead of "apartment", "nick" instead of "steal", a cuppa, a rollup, the Tube. (I had to look up "skittles" because it was obvious we weren't discussing candy.) But this book goes much deeper.

This story is fundamentally English but not in the way I usually think of Agatha Christie or James Bond. It is based on the layout of the London Rivers and the timeline of the growth of London. It explores the layers of culture on several points of that line, and the people who inhabit those ephemeral intersections. In the modern time the of New Scotland Yard there is a traditional Traveler's camp, attending the Royal Opera House, a precariat Anglo-African homecoming, The answer to the mystery is related to the British Theater and I think that most Americans won't get it before we are led to the path in the middle of the narrative. I was helped in the who-dun-it category because I had recently listened to Christopher Fowler's "Bryant and May and the Memory of Blood" (also very British and interesting). So I knew as soon as they found the baby in the yard which direction this tragedy was headed. It was not a spoiler. The story was at the same time familiar and exotic, mesmerizing to listen to and happily surprising. It was so easy to co-mingle the archaic concepts of "thief takers" and the ritual formality of traditional education with jokes about a "secret branch of the Met", "The Ministry of Magic" and "cunning plans" because of the combined talents of the author and the narrator.

Two things I didn't like:

1) Leslie's voice was whiny. She is supposed to be the hardcore WPC and the interpretation of her voice was not suited to her role, however, due to circumstances in Leslie's life it changes in the upcoming books. The whine was perfect for Beverly!

2) The UK title for this book is "The Rivers of London" and there is a very nice cartoon on the front of the book depicting a map of a river (probably the Thames) rolling through London. It looks like a river of blood, but only when I thought about it a while. The US title is "Midnight Riot" and there is a picture/photo of a dark, brutish figure holding a gun and producing a werelight. The first time I saw the US cover, before I read the book, I thought the light was a flashlight (torch) and decided that the book with the gun-toting big scary guy shining a light in my eyes was too threatening and was going to be violent and not my type. I skipped it for several months but it kept coming up in my Audible recommendations so I finally read the description and reviews. I hate that Americans are stereotyped as gangsters, violent and coarse and that somebody thought that the book would sell better in the US with a gun on the cover. Metropolitan policemen, especially probationary constables, don't even carry guns unless they are in a special unit.The later books US books have the same unfortunate cover design although the titles do not change.

I recommend this book to:
-anybody who enjoys fantasy in a modern setting
-anybody who enjoys books with historical aspects
-anybody who enjoys police procedurals
-anybody who listens to an audio book for the operatic experience (that is what I call listening to the audio book just to hear the sounds, like listening to music)

I hope you enjoy this series as much as I have!

Growing on me but the narration needs improvement

Mixed emotions on this one. Story was okay but a bit odd. The characters are fantastic.

My major issue was with the narration. The actual reading was superb. I love Kobna's voice. But, and this is a major but, there were too many sniffling, swallowing, and mouth noises. It was totally distracting. The producers have to correct that or this series will be unlistenable.

England's deities in irreverent antics

Any additional comments?

I am skeptical of the entire werething-vampire-ghost-zombie-spiritofwhatever craze. After the past decade or so wizards have become ho-hum; too many insincere imitations going around. But I loved this book! Peter Grant is a great central character. He has some unusual talents, but is no superhero. He has plenty of failings and foibles and uncertainties. The supernatural certainly plays a huge part in this book, but it is treated with a combination of irreverence, comedy, and rationality that is refreshing. The history and mythology of London are integrated into the plot and give rise to some fascinating characters. The re-imagination of spirits general and particular is well-done and often quite funny. I will definitely listen to more books by this author. The narration was excellent and enhanced the story.

In some respects this book reminds me of the Bryant and May series; if you like Bryant and May, you might well enjoy this series too.

Great fun with perfect narrator casting

Any additional comments?

I loved this first entry into the Peter Grant/Rivers of London series. The book combines the best bits of police procedural, urban fantasy, and a touch of Harry Potter (well, at least of an adult learning about magic). I enjoy the way that Aaronovitch has integrated magic into the streets of London, that the magic has aspects of nature divinity (a la Shinto and the like), but that it is unseen to most people and much of the magic done by humans is largely subtle and practical (and takes practices). Our protagonist, Peter Grant, is engaging and funny, and the surrounding characters are interesting and leave the reader curious about their backstories (which I hope is included in one of the other five books already published in the series). A nice mix of action, discovery, detection, and humor. And Holdbrook-Smith is ideally cast as Grant, his voice brings the novel to life (and his accents are excellent; every character has a distinct sound). Recommended.

Fantastic Story and Fantastic Narrator

Would you listen to Midnight Riot again? Why?

Yes. The characters are very interesting, plus the narrator has done a magnificent job of telling this wonderful story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Peter Grant who is a new policeman in London. He is a daydreamer drawn to details regardless of what is happening around him.

Have you listened to any of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I'll look for them now.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it's unfortunately too long for one sitting

Any additional comments?

I bought the next two in the series already.
Great writer.

It's a good start

I can't imagine it's easy wrestling with how to logically explain magic and the supernatural forces of a modern setting while also being faithful to the lay-out of London geography, on top of a murder mystery to boot. Given the book and subsequent series has such a large following, I'm sure my attention must have missed this book's mark. maybe this is more popular with locals.

the Narrator's performance could use some chill. When the scene of characters eating in a lounge sounds just as tense as a riot the streets, one starts to loose touch with the mood.

it was a pleasant listen. although I'm hard pressed to delve deeper into the series at this rate.

wonderful story with an outstanding narration.

I enjoyed the story line all by itself but the voices, accents and dialogue of the narrator make this a top ten listen for me.

Decent urban fantasy debut

It's nice to find a competently written urban fantasy that isn't paranormal romance. Sorry, I have the wrong chromosomes to appreciate that kind of stuff.

We get a combination of wizard apprentice story combined with police procedural. It pretty much works. The main character has a well fleshed out personality and the supporting cast are good also. Plotting is a little uneven but competent. Street level London is wonderfully diverse and ethnic. So are some of the supernatural characters. Good job.

The narration is competent. The narrator does a mostly good job.His ethnic voices are the best part of his performance. He does tend to run his sentences in a predictable pattern with not a lot of inflection, ending on a lower note and somewhat drawing out the last syllable. It's a minor point but does draw my attention at times from the story to the narration. It's not enough to keep me from enjoying the audiobook.

I assume that this will be the first in a series. I hope so.

Fun and funny book

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's funny and brilliant. Although my logical left brain told me every premise in the book is beyond ridiculous, I found myself holding out my hand and thinking "lux!" Just in case, ya know, I might actually feel a small tingle.

Not a deep, thought-provoking story. Just fun and silly and completely captivating.