False Value

Rivers of London, Book 8

By: Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

The eighth book of the best-selling Rivers of London urban fantasy series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London.

Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm. Rather than sit around, he takes a job with émigré Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner's brand new London start up - the Serious Cybernetics Company. Drawn into the orbit of Old Street's famous "silicon roundabout", Peter must learn how to blend in with people who are both civilians and geekier than he is.

Compared to his last job, Peter thinks it should be a doddle. But magic is not finished with Mama Grant's favourite son. Because Terrence Skinner has a secret hidden in the bowels of the SCC. A technology that stretches back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and forward to the future of artificial intelligence. A secret that is just as magical as it technological - and just as dangerous.

©2019 Ben Aaronovitch (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A low-income housing tower gone awry, an old enemy with a bone to pick...and a shocker of an ending - Broken Homes is a delight." (Charlaine Harris, number one New York Times best-selling author)

"The prose is witty, the plot clever, and the characters incredibly likeable." (Time Out)

"This series is a constant joy to read.... I’ve been looking forward all year to find out what happened next, and the book did not disappoint.” (Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library)

Ben + Kobna collaboration's > sum of words in book

after listening to their interview at the end of the book, it was as much as I'd hoped it would be in real life. They do work so well with one another and create out of what the other thougt but didntsay, and the story, charactets, and plot are all the richer for it! I really think it becomes bigger than the both of them and can't wait for the next one and have listened to each at least 3_|4 times. keep working on those American accents, you're getting better. Slowly, but you are getting better looking forward to see how they develop

Peter Grant at Full Stride

This series started strong and has only gotten stronger. A major subplot was tied up in Book 7, leaving many of us wondering how the story arc would continue to evolve. Aaronovitch faced a significant challenge shepherding beloved characters into the next phases of their lives, and I'm very pleased at the way he has risen to it. Peter Grant's cheeky Afro-Cockney persona remains, but the man is growing up and (to some extent) wising up.

Fans of Douglas Adams will be greatly amused by the many Hitchhiker's Guide references, some of them blatant, others more in the way of hidden easter eggs, occasionally even subtle and meta. Finally, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith cements his status as just about my favorite narrator ever. His talent for regional, ethnic, social, and generational peculiarities of British diction in all its diversity is unmatched. It's almost enough to make me sorry he appears to be enjoying some success in theater and film, which probably leaves him too busy to take on more audiobooks.

Love this series and narrator. Can’t wait for the next book!

I love this series. I love this narrator. He’s so talented. I’m sad that I have to wait for another book in the series lol

A joy!

Once again Ben Aaronovitch has written a book which is funny and fast paced. The characters continue to grow and their relationships feel real. Aaronovitch writes sparkling dialogue throughout. If I was left wanting anything I would ask for more foxes (and the accompanying cheese puffs, of course.)

waiting for the next book

I adore this series. Fast, fun and highly entertaining. Kobe Holdbook Smith is the best narrator.

they just keep getting better,

The stories are great fun and the performance is terrific! I'm enjoying the character growth.

Superb!

Great job again! Can't wait for the next book! I want to see what Ben does with some of the new characters!

False Value is the best yet.

As a fan of the Rivers of London series, I was already inclined toward loving it before even starting the book. The surprise for me was how funny it was. There is a wonderful homage to Douglas Adams/Hitch HIker's Guide in the plot which I loved. Most of our favorite characters are back. Peter Grant is in fine form and he and Beverly are expecting twins which I expect heralds mayhem in future books in the series. There are new villians to fear and new characters to freshen the series. As always, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith brings it all alive with his reading. As soon as I finished it, I went right back and listened a second time. I think it may be my favorite in the series so far. If you haven't read any of the series yet, I recommend you start at the beginning to get full listening pleasure.

A little chaotic

I love this series, but this one felt a little bit of a mess. There’s a section when you’re moving back and forth in time, uncued, which takes a while to sort out, and then there is an ungodly heap of names who appear only in this book, and not enough to keep track of — I swear, in the climactic scene, several names were invoked whose prior role in the book was completely lost to me, and I read the whole thing in 2-3 days! Maybe if I could have flipped back and forth to look them up, but honestly, if I need a cheat sheet to keep track of the characters, they’re not all earning their keep!

Best Yet

After reading the entire series, this is the best story yet. Well written, creative connections to past story lines, excellent plot, well developed new characters. The bummer is that I need to to wait patiently for the next book...