#ben aaronovich

[pargery]

"However long you may live, the world will never lose its ability to surprise you with its beauty."

--from Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

[darklingichor]

Midnight Riot or, Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich

I loved this one, but I have have absolutely not clue how to write about it.

So much *stuff* happens. I've written before about the world building first novel and the info dump story.

This is both of those things at once, yet not like them at all. While everything happens and keeps happening in rapid succession, it never feels long winded or overly descriptive.

Set (I think) in 2011 London, it opens with a murder.  Our story is told by Peter Grant, a police constable, who despite a desire to be a great cop, is a tad too easily distracted. But he has an endlessly sharp hyperbolic sense of observation that is both accuate and very funny.

Low officers in the precinct hierarchy, Peter and Leslie (whom Peter has a hopeless crush on) are sent to guard the perimeter of the murder scene. It's a miserable winter morning and Leslie does a coffee run. While waiting, and musing on the inside and outs of police work, Peter is approached by a ghost who saw the whole murder take place.

With the line "just because you've gone mad doesn't mean you should stop acting like a policeman" Peter simply questions the ghost.

The next day he finds out that the higher uos have decided that he's going to be a desk jocky rather than doing anything interesting and he decides to go ghost hunting.

From there, he discovers that there is a secret department of the police that deals with all things supernatural and magical, and that he is to be an apprentice to the only cop in that department.

What follows is a story with anything you can think of. Magic, nature gods manifest as humans, spirits, and there are even mentions of mermaids and vampires.

And through out it all, Peter keeps up a steady stream of commentary. I don't think two lines go by without some sort of wisecracking, and I LOVE it.

There are a bunch more books and short stories in this series, and I have at least part of my list for this year's birthday book haul!

[kattahj]

"Bock, Loupe and Stag" AKA Wolf, Ram and Hart? I see what you did there. :-)

[midnatt-heronweather]

So, Stolen Pictures (Simon Peggs company) optioned Rivers of London by Ben AAronovich in April, and i’ve just found out. and for some bizzare (not all that suprising) reason, my brain just went “Alfie should play Oxley or Ash” which i don’t disagree with. 

[nightingalesdarling]

Library project

I have been asked to do an art display for my local library at the same time as our town is having a book festival

I need some great poignant/hilarious short quotes from my favourite urban fantasy so if anyone has any suggestions for

Dresden files

Rivers of London

Alex Verus

Iron Druid Cheonicles

Please let me know

Edit: here they are

[travellingwiththedead]

I can finally read “The Furthest Station” and so far I am all happy about Abigail being the most competent thing on the planet, Peter being as adorable as ever and Nightingale talking about ghost baiting while he was at Hogwarts Casterbrook ^.^

[danbensen]

I've been wrestling recently with why I like some books and don't like others, which has led me to drinking thinking more deeply about what genre fiction delivers to its readers. 

 Emotional investment. That sense of what will happen to them next?? Also called "story" or "characterization." Common to all types of fiction, and even some non-fiction. If the reader cares about the protagonist, the book is Sweet. If not, it's Dry.

Factual accuracy. Important to science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction. If your book educates the reader, it is Full-bodied. If not, it's Light.

Internal consistency. The basis by which fantasy and science fiction are judged, also called "plausibility," "believably," or "good world-building." If your book thoroughly explores the ramifications of your conceit, it is Rich. If not, it's Fruity.

Real-world parallels. Also called "metaphor," "theme," or "being topical." Especially important in science fiction and fantasy. If this book really makes the reader think, it is  Balanced. If not, it's Bitter.

Excitement. Do interesting things happen in the book? Also called "plot," or "escapism value." Like alcohol in wine, it's what we're really hear for, even if we don't admit it. If your book entertains the reader, it is Sharp. If not, it's Round.

And there's writing style, which is like the packaging the wine comes in. Much as we hate to admit it, wine really does taste worse when it comes out a bag, and it's harder to enjoy a story when the author can't tell a comma from an apostrophe. If the author has an impressive turn of phrase, their book is Beautifully-presented. if not, it's Poorly-presented.

Let's try out this system on some of the books I've read (and enjoyed) recently:

Diaspora by Greg Egan: A rather dry book, but one of the most full-bodied I've ever read, and extremely rich. It's more balanced than a book about 30th-century simulated minds might appear, and decently sharp, presented competently if not not elegantly. 4/5 stars. It would have rated higher if he hadn't rushed the ending, which was so dry it seemed pointless.

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch: Very sweet, and full-bodied in its portrayal of the metropolitan police and its account of London history seen through architecture, reinforced by a rich magical system. It's a bit bitter, but only because Aaronovich doesn't have any particular political ax to grind, which I appreciate. The last book in the series was a round for my taste, but this one is as sharp as any, with plenty of explosions and car-hurling. Presentation is competent. 5/5 stars. I love Peter!

Babylon's Ashes by James S.A. Corey. The beginning of the series was dry, but now that I've gotten attached to the characters, I don't mind. It's a bit light, not dwelling very deeply on the technical aspects of anything, but at least it doesn't make up technobabble, and it's quite rich, especially with the economic ramifications of new technology. This book is quite political, but presents its argument well, and its balance is the main reason I love it. It's also one of the sharpest books in the series, with space-battles and civil unrest. Presentation is competent ( as you can see, I don't much care about presentation). 5/5 stars. It got me through some tough times. 

 And you can't see which books I hated unless you're my friend on facebook :) So what do you think? Does this system of classifying books help anyone? Can you suggest some pairings? What kind of book is the best accompany to a day at the beach, for example? A boring bus ride? Five minutes in bed before you fall asleep?   

[countzeroor]

Book Review: Rivers of London Novellas

I’m almost caught up on the Rivers of London books for reviews, so it’s time to talk about the Novellas. Books Covered (Affiliate Link): The October Man Winter’s Gifts What Abigail Did That Summer The Masquerades of Spring ‘Solecism’ by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. http://www.scottbuckley.com.au Please support my Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/countzeroorBuy me a coffee at…

Book Review: Rivers of London Novellas