Rivers of London

You might start reading 'Rivers of London' with the expectation that it is a standard police procedural novel, but you'd be wrong. It makes it clear in the first chapter that things are not quite what they seem.

Rivers of London is a fantasy police procedural novel set in London. The main character is a young Police officer, Peter Grant. At the opening of the story he is finishing his probationary period in the Metropolitan Police. Whilst guarding a particularly gruesome murder scene, he is approached by a suspicious figure who turns out to be a ghost. Following procedure he listens to what the ghost has to say and jots it down in his notebook. From here he draws the attention of the enigmatic Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, the head and only member of a clandestine department of the Metropolitan Police, only known as 'The Folly'.

To put it bluntly 'The Folly' is a department of the police that deals with magic. It operates in secret and works with those in the population that use magic. The Folly itself is considered by many to be a relic of a bygone age as it was spawned sometime between the 17th and 19th Centurys, out of the movements that created organisations akin to the Royal Society. The Folly's purpose was magic and was formed after the codification of magical principals by no other but Sir Isaac Newton.

However due to a disaster during world war two, the Folly declined leaving Nightingale the only officially practising wizard in England. It is here Peter Grant enters the story. He becomes the first apprentice wizard in many years. But as the murder case seems to become more and more sinister, it becomes obvious that these murders are not the work of any man, but the work of a malevolent spirit.

Will Peter Grant ever solve the case, defeat the spirit, complete the paperwork, placate the Gods of the River Thames and teach Nightingale about the Internet? Well four out of five isn't bad.

Rivers of London is an engaging read by author Ben Aaronovitch. It is frequently humorous by exploiting clashes between different characters. Some of the clashes occur because one knows more than another or one is a modern cop and the other is a relic of a bygone era. But a small warning, many of the crime scenes are described in somewhat gruesome detail. Do not read if you have a sensitive stomach. My favourite aspect of this book is the magic system. Unlike so many magic systems in fantasy tales, this system has a scientific element. In the books it was codified by Sir Isaac Newton, who developed it by using scientific methodology to explore the uses and create basic spells, known as forma. More complex spells are achieved by mixing forma with others that modify the effects.

Rivers of London was released to public acclaim in 2011 and has so far spawned 4 sequels and a comic book series. It is available in both book and audiobook formats. The audiobook, narrated by Kobna Holdbrook Smith has won an award and is an extremely pleasurable listen.




Ben Aaronovitch's Blog
Rivers of London Amazon.com: Rivers of London book
Rivers of London Audible.com: Rivers of London audiobook

Gollancz, 2011, Rivers of London Book Cover, image, House of Blog, viewed 3 November 2015, < http://houseofblog.co.uk/2014/01/14/world-book-night-2014/rivers-of-london-ben-aaronovitch/ >.
Reynold, W 2014, The chase through Bloomsbury, image, Temporarily Significant (blog), viewed 3 November 2015, < https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPd7csVYBCQQ8jTiZ4Z7R7BoJjSx3wHnjHeYbQvk7JOb2d1ehxl0OjIhfqZp5iuqv6KfOWggrx6wWfX-V2t7pwsKyJNEot8fOqtPdPhMQNtc9sZAvDTNF47YSwJhBIWpoBUhj_0RFBgxI5/s1600/The+Chase+Through+Bloomsbury+02.jpg >.