Rivers of London

Rivers of London, Book 1

By: Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

My name is Peter Grant, and until January, I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression 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 Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in 50 years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden...and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious, vengeful spirit that takes ordinary 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.

Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

©2011 Ben Aaronovitch (P)2011 Orion Publishing Group Limited

History, magic, a drop of gore and lots of fun

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Surely everyone waits for the twist in the story and hopes to get that fuzzy warm feeling of satisfaction. I was a slight bit disappointed with the unfolding of that twist but that's only my opinion.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

A little bit of magic, a bit of history, a few drops of gore, a pinch of over-the-top and a few scratches of British humour, all in all I had fun listening to this book.

Do you think Rivers of London needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I've added the follow-up book to my wish-list already.

Any additional comments?

I congratulate Mr Holdbrook-Smith on his excellent performance, it was a pleasure listening to him. I especially loved Mama Thames.

Simply Brilliant

I came across this author and his work by accident,but now I have downloaded all three of the books of which this is the first. Brilliant combination of wit, history and fantasy concerning a subculture of magic underneath that of modern London. the characters from Nightingale through Peter Grant and the ever ominous Molly are wonderfully drawn. Equally crucially is the narrator Kobna Holdbrook-Smith whose narration gives depth and texture to the work. It is an excellent work of imagination suspend critical analysis and nitpicking and I am sure you will enjoy the work(s).

Interesting being.

A very promising beginning to a book series I'm looking forward to spending time with.

Last chapter lost me.

I loved this until the last chapter to which my responds was... "um, what? I have so many questions about story logic!"

Original, witty fantasy with deep roots in London

This book is a delight from start to finish (and it didn't take long to finish - I consumed the whole thing in two compulsion-driven days).

The book is deeply rooted in contemporary, multicultural, London, with a strong sense of place and of history that is polished and intensified through the lens of the tongue-in-cheek political correctness of the Metropolitan Police, and garlanded with figures from London myth who are at once as modern and as ancient as the city itself.

Wit is sprinkled like hotsauce throughout this books with references to contemporary fiction (Black Adder, Twilight, Harry Potter, Coronation Street), colourful similies, clever word play and a well-developed sense of the absurdity of daily life.

The mixed race background of the main character is used to draw out the multi-cultural nature of London and its long history of taking people from around the world and making them into Londoners within one generation.

The plot is driven by the main character's insatiable curiosity to know how things work (I'm easily distracted) and his need to do whatever is necessary to preserve the Queen's Peace (we're the ones who run towards the screams) and powered by magic and evil.

The book lays a glamour on a place I know well and turns it into somewhere I would like to know better.

It is, at heart, an optimistic, civilized, book, filled with chaos and compromise and unspoken agreements and recognition of subtle affiliations. Our hero does the right thing by being himself, taking care of his friends, showing pride but being respectful and muddling through until the job is done. I found the whole thing wonderfully British, or at least, how I would like being British to be.

I've already downloaded the next two in the series.

Get to know London & Magic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Listen to this now! Meet Peter Grant and modern London have a hidden side

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

the plot is clear enough, but the relationships between the main players makes this feel cohesive

What about Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s performance did you like?

Kobna Holbrook-Smith is a genius. I have sought out other books where he is the narrator. Great range and humour

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

I purposely limited my reading, didn't want to get to the end

Any additional comments?

Love the whole series

Delicious follt

What did you love best about Rivers of London?

Although not what I would normally expect from a fantasy novel in general, this book is a brilliant and deliciously different fantasy-folly. It introduces us to a young London copper who discovers he has magical powers. Shortly after this, the reader realises that he is by no means alone. The London police force is evidently riddled with wizards, and it’s just as well. They have a lot to contend with. London has become a boiling turmoil of incredible violence and bloodshed (what’s new?). From visiting the spirits of the Thames, we follow the quick eradication of a few errant vampires, discover a few lost rivers barely heard of since the medieval, and a whole lot more. The plot weaves, interweaves and generally confuses us with continuous unexpected twists and turns. This is intensely clever and, as far as my past reading is concerned, unique.
Above all, the humour is completely adorable. I confess that there were moments when the whimsy wais so unrelenting that I needed a rest to put my brain back into focus – but I am not complaining. I soon missed my fix and returned to the magical city.
The plot itself is actually nonsense but that doesn’t matter either. Though goodness knows if anyone not accustomed to life, habits, slang and the basic language of modern Londoners would actually understand half of it.
And so to Londoners and anyone else with a spirit of literary adventure, I strongly recommend this as a few days of complete enjoyment, endless smiles and frequent laughs out loud. Even the constant and outstanding brutality remains good humoured. Now – that’s clever!
I bought the audio edition and having listened to a great stream of other audio books, this is most definitely the first one where I have fallen in love with the narrator! Brilliantly read with just the right touches, accents and inferences. A perfect narration and beautifully apt for the book itself.
Quite a joy in all aspects.

Would you recommend Rivers of London to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, see my review. Pure unchallenging entertainment

So funny, scary and cheeky

I had read the book and loved it. but the reading fleshed out the characters, gave them a body, a voice, an accent. This is a really fun series. And at some moment a very ancient, evil spirit starts ranting against inmigrants, welfare, England going to the dogs because of poor people... some things never change. Delicious.

Incredible

It’s that gritty type of mystery I love mixed with the supernatural. It has that mix of thriller, detective and humour that Ben Aaronovich is amazing it writing.

Touch of the DWJs

Entertaining, British, DWJish

In tone, no, but many of the concepts in this story reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones. The details are just a touch too bloody for me to give this a five, but that probably says more about me than about the book. I did enjoy the story a lot, and have bought the sequel. I give full marks to the narrator who goes with apparent ease between Peter's accent (which sounds like the Jasmine Allen Estaters from "The Bill" to me), Dr Walid's Scottish and Nightingale's uppercrust Brit. He also makes a lovely job of the other accents Nigerian and whatever Oxley is... Irish? As far as I can tell,* he's pitch perfect. *I'm Australian, so my knowledge of accents isn't 100%.