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

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%.

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.

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.

A narrator with a thousand believable accents.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how the world of magic and inner London policing were very realistically entwined, and how Harry Potter films still exist.

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

The narrator is stunning, equally at home with English and Scottish accents from every social milieu and is one of very few male narrators I have come across who could do a believable female chav!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I listened to this book and its two sequels on a road trip through headphones and my family were amused by my frequent guffaws and snorts of delight.

Any additional comments?

This is a great series with gritty realism in its descriptions of inner city policing, while successfully introducing a believable fantasy worls, apparently on our very doorsteps! Highly recommended.

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).

I can't decide...

I simply can't decide if I like it. I finished the audiobook in 1 day, and the story did hold my attention, but I found myself frustrated quite often.

I found the finale a little lackluster and I didn't like the constant sexual undertone whenever the MC talked to women. Especially when there was a sexual undertone when he was with a much younger woman.

I don't feel like it was a waste of a credit, but I have no plans to buy the next installment.

Wonderful urban fantasy

I don't really know if this qualifies as 'urban fantasy' as such. It is a fantasy in an urban setting, but the tone is light and engaging, not dark and mysterious. I prefer light and engaging, and this delivers. I love the main character protagonist and most of the minor or secondary characters too. I found this funny, smart, imaginative and really interesting.
the voice narration is good too. Really, a winner and strongly recommended.

Just a great story, really clever.

Where does Rivers of London rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is my favourite so far.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Peter Grant of course but the description of Father Thames was just fantastic.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Absolutely wonderful.

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

YES

Not Harry Potter, but...

This book was a very pleasant surprise. The story is good, the narrator is excellent. The premise is a little old, but to be honest do any of us get sick of wizards and other "spirits of the night"?

The story as told was utterly believable and had a good dose of humor. It doesn't take itself too seriously and I actually cared about the characters.

Not even close to the Alex Verus

Yeah, Alex Verus is the only book I can compare this one with and it is a far cry. 6 hours left to finish it but I can’t make myself to do it.
Boring and unimaginative to my taste. But again, I have already read and listened to a bunch of urban fantasy books (like 30+) and this one definitely at the bottom and if you are just started reading books of this genre then you might like it, maybe

brilliant original story great narrator

This is the first book that I felt compelled to share my thoughts on and I would like to thank all previous reviewers for encouraging me to listen to this book.
I will endeavour to post reviews in future as I now realise how much I use them once I have listened to the sample.
I agree with other reviewers who enjoyed this book. The story was cleverly written and humerous and the combination of the story and the brilliant narration makes it come to life, particularly with the narrators interpretation of the characters. The storyline has been well described by others so I have nothing to add to that but just wanted to say that if the storyline appeals to you give this a listen.

I note that there is another book by the same author and narrator so will not feel too down now that I have come to the end.

Please continue with this author if he writes more, in what I hope will be a series,and please ensure that Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrates them, he is a great narrator and hopefully his skills will be used in other authors books, perhaps modern thrillers.

Rivers of London

Fantastic listen - the best new author I have come across in a long time. I just wish you would hurry up and put his next book on audio - I couldn't wait so bought and read the hardback version - and that he will keep writing more of them. Fascinating for his detailed account of modern and historical London, blended with lighthearted spookiness and magic, and a convincing idea of how the Met would deal with magic, not only from the villains, but with the wizard in their ranks.

Surprisingly addictive

I listened to the first few sentences of this book and nearly turned it off, but so glad I did not! A fantasy/crime/historical novel, I was never bored and amazed at the level of research the author has put into this book. At no time did I have to cringe and reach for the off switch because something was just too ridiculous to believe. THe reader was also very good- after the first 5 minutes of getting used to his reading style. In the end, it was obvious he was the right choice for the job, narrating it easily and using excellent accents and voices in just the right places. All in all, a very enjoyable listen!

THATS THE WAY TO DO IT !!

One of those rare examples of something that lives up to the hype , Im not going to spoil it but this book is a fantastic read from start to finish . I can imagine a T.V series in the offing eventually ( ironically the lead role the Narrator would be perfect for ) ......

Plenty of humour and sarcasm , but serious when it needs to be.

The `Villain` was also perfectly thought out .

I urge anyone to take a plunge and buy this ......

Fantasy thriller with attitude !

A fantasy thriller with bags of attitude, it?s very funny, imaginative and absorbing ? almost addictive. Totally refreshing in its detail, perspective and writing style. The story line of a believable supernatural underworld in London is based on a mixture of magic, police procedurals and human relationships. This looks like a start to a very promising series, I really am looking forward to the next book.

The Best 'Read' I've Heard For A Long Time

Having listened to the first few minutes of this book I was a bit put off by Kobna's reading style but stayed with it and boy, how glad I am that I did! His narration is absolutley perfect and he carries you along with this tale as if it's his own. The story is quirky, imaginative, very funny and visual. I loved the mix of police protocol with whimsical wizardry, brilliant.

Not my cup of tea (I'm not even sure that was tea)

I realize I'm in the minority here, but this book isn’t working for me. At first I thought it was the reader as, like others, I was at first put off by his reading style, but later I learned to accept it or at least ignore it. Then I came to a scene set inside a cinema and the sheer amount of inane details in the straight up banal description finally made me delete the book (incidentally, the cinema scene ends with “that’s three hours of my life I’ll never get back”). It’s not that the reader pauses frequently to catch his breath, sigh or have a drink of water off-mic, it’s the text. The text is awful. The British comedian Stewart Lee once mocked Dan Brown as a man who writes sentences such as “The famous man looked at the red cup”, had the author of Rivers of London written the same sentence, it would probably have been "applying my trained coppers eye behind my newly purchased wayfarer sunglasses, which I purchased online, from sunglasshut for 80 hard-earned British Pound Sterling, using a station-anchored personal computer terminal in the lobby of the Cromwell police station, I fixed my gaze upon the man, five-foot-seven in height and with a weight above the average Londoner, this man, known for his work of historical fiction of a fantastic or supernatural bent, and observed how he, wearing a brown leather coat one or two sizes too small for a man of his heft, suspiciously eyed the red goblet in an unusual manner only recognised by a copper."

My review may seem harsh in the light of the other reviews, proving that many people do enjoy the book, it’s just that I didn’t. The book seems completely unedited. Thank God for audible’s return policy.

Fantastic listen

Have to review this, never felt the need before, but this has to be one of the most enjoyable books I have listened to in eons! Was a little put off at first, always wary of the 'bandwagon jumpers' with latest fantasy novels, can be a bit boring, but this was just fantastic. Gritty, great thriller plot and superbly narrated. If you are fan of any of the genres, be it fantasy, sci-fi, mystery or thriller, I don't think you will be dissapointed. Please hurry up and put next book on audible!

Put this to top of your wishlist!

Put this to the top of your wishlist, or better still, download it and listen! Many books I've listened to take a bit of "getting into", but this one draws you in within minutes! Didn't know what to expect, but the very high rating and reviews let me to be curious enough to "give it a go".

Always 'hunting' for good books, and this certainly is. Mixing detective story (which I don't normall listen to) with some magic. It's a great combination and the characters are well thought out. The narration is superb, great fit with the book! So, can't recommend enough, you'll be downloading Book 2 before you know it!

It started so well. I enjoyed the end BUT...

I took a punt on this and the reviews made me believe it was going to be fantastic. The opening was and I thought I was in for a real treat. Sadly it started to fall a part a bit with some rather lame "magic" training and all seemed a little pointless.

The main story is actually rather good and clever so I am not sorry I read/listened to this. But I don't think I will read any more in the trilogy.