When pressed, I’ll tell people I don’t like fantasy. This claim is usually followed by a list of exceptions. I like Neil Gaiman. I like Harry Potter. I also like the Rivers of London-series by Ben Aaronovitch. The rest of the genre is, as they say, not my cup of tea. No offense to you fantasy lovers, but it just doesn’t do much for me. The suspension of disbelief required is, apparently, too big a leap. One of the reasons I do like these books, […]
Did anyone think to check the building for personifications of Roman Gods
Modern day London: home to a vibrant mix of cultures, faiths, and hipster coffee shops. And, in Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series, also home to gods and goddesses, the fae, ghosts of past London, and the terrifying spirit of Mr Punch from the Punch & Judy puppet show. Really it’s not surprising that the Met Police need their own magic division to cope with a city where any building could embody the spirit of a 2500 year old anglo-roman who got worshipped as a […]
Mindless fun
I think going into this book I was expecting something more like the Shades of Magic series, rather than the paranormal mystery novel that it was. I enjoyed it nevertheless and plan on reading the next book in the series when I can get my hands on it. Like any origin story, there’s a lot of set-up in this first book of the series. It was fun entering this version of London with a dark, fantastical side, but the actual plot was a bit light. […]
Class-war evil supernatural black fungus
I raced through Rivers of London: Black Mould when I brought it home from the library (pro tip: if a book is brand new and it’s not on the shelves but it’s definitely in the catalog, ask your librarian to check the back room! maybe it hasn’t even been shelved yet!), but honestly it didn’t make much more of an impact on me other than to keep moving the Rivers of London universe forward for me. Not that that isn’t of value, because of course […]