Rivers of London (Peter Grant, #1)

Posted on 08 December 2017 by Ben Aaronovitch

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. Free Read [ Rivers of London (Peter Grant, #1) ] Author [ Ben Aaronovitch ] – kino-fada.fr Great book Urban fantasy You should read it Why Here s why 1 It s witty 2 It s not clich 3 It s smart 4 It s set in London, and written by someone who obviously knows London 5 The main character has a great voice 5 The language is great See below 6 It hasn t been dumbed down for the American audience Well okay They did change the title in the US from Rivers of London to Midnight Riot That was a shame But they left a lot of good stuff in I don t think I ve ever Great book Urban fantasy You ...I enjoyed this book, so much that I didn t want to review it right away because I was still immersed in Peter Grant s London It s the urban fantasy take on the detective novel, a police procedural that gives a close up view of a modern London with undercurrents of magic and magical beings I love the tone of this book it s wry and humorous, but doesn t let the humor take over the scene It s one thing to be ready with a quick line, another entirely to go through one s entire life wisecracking, I enjoyed this book, so much that I didn t want to review it right away because I was still immersed in Peter Grant s London It s the urban fantasy take on the detective novel, a police procedural that gives a close up view of a modern London with undercurrents of magic and magical beings I love the tone of this book it s wry and humorous, but doesn t let the humor take over the scene It s one thing to be ready with a quick line, another entirely to go through one s entire life wisecracking, especially in times of great danger Aaronovitch walks that delicate line like a pro.Peter is a probationary constable who is about to be shifted into a paperwork division He and his co probationary officer and friend are guarding the perimeter of a murder scene when he sees a ghost Peter is a very likeable hero, wry, intelligent, loyal, aware of class and race issues around him, and while ... Rivers of London is a fun mix of so many things that I love in my pleasure reads the geekiness and the science, the dry British humor , and the magical mythical phantasmagorical stuff in a big city What s not to like My whole life, basically Really Examples Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, even some of China Mi ville s stuff Examples Harry Dresden books, China Mi ville, Neil Gaiman, even Sir Terry Carved above the lintel were the words SCIENTIA POTESTAS EST Science points east, I wo Rivers of London is a fun mix of so many things that I love in my pleasure reads the geekiness and the science , the dry British humor , and the magical mythical phantasmagorical stuff in a big city What s not to like My whole life, basically Really Examples Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, even some of China Mi ville s stuff Examples Harry Dresden books, China Mi ville, Neil Gaiman, even Sir Terry Carved above the lintel were the words SCIENTIA POTESTAS EST Science points east, I wondered Science is portentous, yes Science protes...Well, I m always looking for a great Urban fantasy book series, and this one is another one I ll be following with joy Very much in the style of Harry Dresden, and my other fave, the Alex Verus series This series is set in modern day London, and features a black male lead character, who s a cop, and finds himself drafted into the magical investigation unit arm of the police I love the sensibility of this book, it s incredibly dark at the same time, quippy The worldbuilding is very interestin Well, I m alway...city people be like first of all, i wasn t too keen on what happens to lesley, but i guess you can t make an omelette without ducks flung shoe anyway.this painfully white guy i used to know read this book too, and he said aaronovitch s handling of race annoyed him, because while there is awesomeness like various london water goddesses being nigerians, aaronovitch himself is not nigerian, and people who speak authoritatively about races not their own are typically embarrassing and distasteful.a city people be like first of all, i wasn t too keen on what happens t...I m giving this top marks for an UF for several reasons.1 Plain enjoyment This one should be obvious but it doesn t always work even with a lot of other titles I respect across the board I may love bits and pieces of them, but then you come across writing that is a breeze to fall into and enjoy throughout, and then you know you ve got a real winner on your hands That s this one 2 Geeky, rather a loser London Police Constable with a bit of a new magical talent, a heavy steeping of modern s I m giving this top marks for an UF for several reasons.1 Plain enjoyment This one should be obvious but it doesn ...Midnight Riot is the kind of book that people like me, absolute anglophile and devoted BBC lover, couldn t help but like The humor and the texture to the narrative in this book reads delightfully British, but in a fashion that suggests that England isn t just Jane Austen or Charles Dickens It s also Doctor Who, Blake s Seven, Being Human, Law and Order UK, and Luther It s upper crust and working class It s a mix of past and present Even deeper, it s the everyday lives of Britons, not all N Midnight Riot is the kind of book that people like me, absolute anglophile and devoted BBC lover, couldn t help but like The humor and the texture to the narrative in this book reads delightfully British, but in a fashion that suggests that England isn t just Jane Austen or Charles Dickens It s also Doctor Who, Blake s Seven, Being Human, Law and Order UK, and Luther It s upper crust and working class It s a mix of past and present Even deeper, it s the everyday lives of Britons, not all Northern European either It was so refreshing to have a hero who is mixed race, but seen as black by some and to others, ethnically uncertain He couldn t get on the tube without getting nervous looks from some people who had made up their mind what his place in their world was, without asking him about it On any given day, due to how much sun he gets, some might think he s African, or some might think he s Arab Peter is unselfconscious about his ethnicity, although very aware that...Peter Grant is a Probationary Constable, a term I wasn t familiar with until I began reading At the beginning the London of Peter Grant is a normal one The genre is not in Fantasy waters from the beginning But then Grant witnesses a ghost at a crime scene.The author reminds me of Ian Rankin when there is police procedure of the mudane type, and Jim Butcher when magic is involved I liked how imperfect ...Posted at Shelf InflictedI m a fan of Jim Butcher s Dresden Files series, even though I got tired and stopped reading after 9 After a while the stories became too repetitive and I didn t see any significant growth in Harry s character His smart ass comments that were amusing in the earlier books started getting annoying towards the end In the hopes I would find a fun read similar to the Dresden books, I picked up Midnight Riot It wasn t a bad book, but it wasn t a great one ei...Thoughts on the book my review.Thoughts on the audio version As many people have noted, Kobna Holbrook Smith is a fabulous reader Turns out he is an actor and director is well, with a long list of tv credits, which is kind of a bummer because I hope he continues to have time for the Peter Grant series.Holbrook Smith is clearly a talented voice actor who can understandably convey a range of London accents, from that of an 19th century itenerant to Nightingale s posh early 20th century to curre Thoughts on the book my review.Thoughts on the audio version As many people have noted, Kobna Holbrook Smith is a fabulous reader Turns out he is an actor and director is well, with a long list of tv credits, which is kind of a bummer because I hope he continues to have time for the Peter Grant series.Holbrook Smith is clearly a talented voice actor who can understandably convey a range of London accents, from that of an 19th century itenerant to Nightingale s posh early 20th century to current police vernacular I also found his Danish and Jamaican accents amusing Ever since an unfortunate experience with the Stephanie Plum audio, I m particularly impressed when actors are able to voice characters of the opposite sex without making it sound fake Holbrook Smith is able to give Leslie a decent voicing, ...

English
08 December 2017

Ben Aaronovitch