Books Read in October, 2023
The start of a new month. Thus, as is my standard usage of my blog space at or near the beginning of the month, I present the listing of my October, 2023 reads.
*****
Books Read in October, 2023
Swords in the Mist by Fritz Leiber (r)
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
June, 2023 Reader's Digest
A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw
The Bookshop (RPG; Scenario) (r)
Maybe There: The Lost Stories From Space: 1999 by David Hirsch & Robert E. Wood
Lollipop, Lollipop (RPG; Scenario)
Why Was He Born So Beautiful? (RPG; Scenario)
Bloodhounds of Bermondsey (RPG; Scenario)
Fairycakes (RPG; Scenario)
The October Country by Ray Bradbury (r)
Rivers of London: Body Work (Graphic Novel)
Hawkshaw (RPG; Scenario)
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Certifiable (RPG; Scenario)
Speed Demons! (RPG; Scenario)
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch (Novella)
Skyborne (RPG; Scenario)
Stolen Heritage (RPG; Scenario)
The Funhouse Bodies (RPG; Scenario)
Fiery Vengeance (RPG; Scenario)
*****
And that was my reading for October, 2023. This was a pretty good month of reading in terms of both the quality of the material read and the number of books read. I read a lot of Rivers of London related stuff this past month, including a novel, a novella, a graphic novel and 12 case files/adventures for the game based on the books. The other reading for the month was pretty varied in subject and style, and quite enjoyable overall. The real limit on what I read this past month was due more to the bad shoulder/arm/back, aggravated by the being hit/swiped by a car back in September, that is still limiting the weight of books that I can lift and hold, among other things. However, like I continue to reiterate, it's all about the quality of the books, not the quantity, and that definitely applied (for the most part) to October's reads. Regardless, my bookcases are still stacked with a pretty large To Read Queue (TRQ). The books I enjoyed the most were:
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of an immense world. This book welcomes us into a previously unfathomable dimension - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth's magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and humans that wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile's scaly face is as sensitive as a lover's fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries which lie unsolved. In An Immense World, author and acclaimed science journalist Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. Because in order to understand our world, we don't need to travel to other places; we need to see through other eyes.
As part of my reading choices, I also enjoy reading books about various sciences and how things work and the like. When I encountered this book on Amazon as part of a search for books on the various senses, I decided that I has to buy this book and add it to my reference library. And I'm very glad I did! Ed Yong is an author and science journalist and takes the reader on a tour of the senses and how they have developed and are used in the animal kingdom. Author Yong opens the book with some thoughts on his approach to the book. The basic premise is to avoid comparisons and "ranking," which makes sense in the context of the book for many reasons. There are very widely differing habitats and difficulties in designing experiments in which one doesn't have much of an understanding of the senses that one is trying to test. Toss in the difficulties of trying to decide just what senses there actually are and how to define them, and the reader can get some feeling for the complexities being tackled in this book. There is a lovely quote from Proust here that fits the book totally: "...not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes...". That said, I do think the book fails somewhat in terms of the comparisons element. I think this was to be expected, however, as it would be virtually impossible to write a book about the senses within a species without referring to the senses that are predominant in another species. I'll add here that this was a non-factor to me. The journey that this book takes the reader on is one that is fascinating, but can be somewhat overwhelming. This is largely because there is a large amount of information to process in this book, and the fact that it's not a subject that I knew all that much about. This is not meant to be a criticism of the book, however, merely to express the idea that the book is written to be very accessible for a subject that is so complex. It's very difficult for me to express myself here about any favourite topics, as there were just...so many. Highlights include: The sheer sensitivity of some animal senses; that owls have asymmetric ears that are accurate to within 2 degrees; that otters and seals can track the "wake" left by fish from 200 yards away; that birds hear bird song very differently from humans and that the song varies in ways humans simply cannot hear; that turtles have in-built location senses that are remarkable... Just so much of interest and fascination here.... The final chapter concerns the way that humans disrupt animal senses in some, quite dramatic, ways. The chapter was quite brief, seemed somewhat out of sync with the rest of the book, but was to my mind a subject that could have had a lot more space devoted to it. This is one of those books that I think demands not to be rushed through. An overarching element of the book is that in most cases, human sense are relatively poor. Somewhat related to this is the fact that, certainly in the past, humans have attempted to judge animals senses by what we think they might be like. As this book shows, this is simply so far off the mark in so many cases as to emphasize how little humans know and understand about this world we inhabit and abuse. A truly insightful book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in animal senses and their diversity. But it is a book that one has to be patient with.
A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw
When all is lost, look to the stars.
Vega has lived in the valley her whole life - forbidden by her mother to leave the safety of its borders because of the unknown threats waiting for her in the wilds beyond. But when Vega sees an omen in the sky - one she cannot ignore - she is forced to leave the protective boundaries of the valley. Yet the outside world is much more terrfying than Vega could ever have imagined. People are gravely sick - they lose their eyesight and their hearing, just before they lose their lives. But Vega has a secret: she is the Last Astronomer - a title carried from generation to generation - and she is the only one who understands the knowledge of the stars. Knowledge that could hold the key to a cure. So when locals spot the tattoo on Vega's neck in the shape of a constellation - the mark of an Astronomer - chaos erupts. Fearing for her life, Vega is rescued by a girl named Cricket who leads her to Noah, a boy marked by his own mysterious tattoos. On the run from the men hunting her, Vega sets out across the plains with Cricket and Noah, in search of a fabled cure kept secret by the astronomers. But as the line between friends and protectors begins to blur, Vega must decide whether to safeguard the sacred knowledge of the astronomers... or if she will risk everything to try to save them all.
I have never read any of Shea Ernshaw's books before picking this one up, but after reading A Wilderness of Stars, I will definitely be ordering her earlier works to read! I don't know whether this book is the first in a series or whether it's a stand alone novel, but it definitely should be the former. There are a lot of different things to love about this book. Primary for me, Shea Ernshaw's biggest strength when it comes to her writing is the setting, which is both atmospheric and rich in detail. While the environment of the story is just as descriptive and important as the characters, it is paid equally loving in detail and in some elements being more important than others. The world around Vega, Noah and Cricket comes to life in the book, and given it is shown through the eyes of Vega, a relative newcomer to the world as she was raised, isolated and alone in a valley by her mother, the reader has a constant sense of discovery about this world; the author discovers this world seemingly, rather than builds it, and the reader is taken along for the ride. While the world may be Earth some time in our future, a world that is dying in many different ways, there are surprises as the novel nears its climax that will have readers guessing in this regard but there is a slow build-up to what is basically approaching doom, with bits of backstory and hope-for-the-future thrown in, that makes for an ending that is anything but predictable. The constellations of the world that Vega was taught about occupy a central place in the book. Andromeda and Orion are real constellations, and Rigel is a real star and it really is a blue-white supergiant. These are constellations and stars visible from Earth. This is a first hint about where A Wilderness of Stars takes place and who the characters are. Indeed, the author's approach to world building was what first caught my attention in this book. The reader doesn't know where the book is set. There are people and deserts and horses, but right from the beginning there are hints that we are not on Earth in 2022 as we know it. The reader can't be sure whether it's a fantasy world, a post-apocalyptic Earth, a different planet, or a parallel world. There is mystery here. The central character and she who is the viewpoint character of the novel is Vega. The story begins with the death of Vega's mother. Vega's mother dies of a mysterious wasting disease that is killing everyone on Vega's world. Vega's mother is a secret scholar called the Astronomer, and with her death, that title falls to Vega. Vega sees a sign in the sky that means she must leave her safe home. A dangerous journey follows. I'll not talk spoilers here, but know that Shea Ernshaw is not a safe author. No one gets plot armor - bad things can happen even to the characters the reader knows and loves. Eventually Vega's journey comes to an end. The mystery of what Vega's world is gets revealed. That said, the primary characters that surround Vega in Noah and Cricket are both very nicely detailed. Vega's innocence about the world around her and her naivete about other people (somewhat influenced by her mother, of course) makes Noah and Cricket come across in a fashion that the reader might not really believe. Their actions in the world around Vega make sense to the outside observer (the reader), but Vega's belief and then concern they might betray her is brought to life well by the author, and Vega learns some hard lessons in the world outside her safe and insulated valley. The three characters all have secrets that may cost them the day, and I was glad that Ernshaw allowed the secrets to come out in the story gradually, rather than revealing all early on. If I was disappointed by anything in terms of the characterisations in the book it was that I wsih there had been a bit more development and background about some of the side characters. There were some major events that transpired and involved them, but it was hard to really feel all that much for them as there was no...connection...to them. The only real issue I had with the book was Vega's tattoos and the need to cover them. She decides to leave her hair down and move about carefully so that her hair doesn't expose her tattoo(s). I couldn't help but wonder why didn't use a scarf or other piece of clothing to cover it/them properly. Vega believes her life is in danger, and she’s trusting her hair not to move? That seemed a little strange to me. Perhaps if she had explained that she couldn’t wear a scarf without calling more attention to herself or arousing suspicion, that would have made more sense. She was in several dangerous situations where she depends only on her hair, so I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Overall, I really enjoyed A Wilderness of Stars and felt that the prose were very good, the author using language to convey a lot of interesting ideas and concepts and themes in the novel. Vega is a breath of fresh air as a character, and she has a steep learning curve as she goes about trying to fulfill her quest. One plot element that constantly shows up in young adult novels raised its head here, somewhat to the detriment of the story I thought, but didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the novel. I really hope this is not the last we see of Vega, as she's quite the engaging character. I highly recommend this book.
Maybe There - The Lost Stories From Space: 1999 by David Hirsch & Robert E. Wood
Strap into your Moon Ship and prepare for a trip to an alternate universe!
Gathered here for the first time are the original stories written in the early days of production on the internationally acclaimed television series Space: 1999. Uncover the differences between Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's original story "Zero G", George Bellak's first draft of "The Void Ahead" and Christopher Penfold's uncredited shooting script "Turning Point". Each of these tales show the evolution of the pilot episode with scenes and characters that never made it to the screen. Wonder at a tale that was NEVER filmed where the Alpha People, desperate to migrate to a new home, instigate a conflict between two alien races. Also included are Christopher Penfold's original storylines for "Guardian of Piri" and "Dragon's Domain", an adaption of Keith Miles's early draft for "All That Glisters" from the second season, and read how Art Wallace (Dark Shadows) originally envisioned the episode that became "Matter of Life and Death". Discover how Space: 1999 might have been had they gone 'Maybe There?'
As a long-time fan of the Space: 1999 tv series, it has only been within the last few years that I've started reading books detailing the history of and various elements about the tv show. When I saw that there was a book about some of the earliest versions of scripts and the like for the series, I was quite excited and pleased at the thought and decided to pick this volume up to get an idea about what some of those early versions of scripts were like. To say that my reaction to this volume is mixed is an understatement, to say the least. Gathered in this volume for the first time are the original stories written in the early days of production on the Space: 1999 series. First up, is the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson original tale "Zero G", which is a rather uninspiring, not character driven story that doesn't really present the series in a good light, with totally different characters and feels like a half-baked story idea that should never have been written. Very atypical of the Andersons's writing and storytelling abilities. This is followed by George Bellak's "The Void Ahead", a first draft of the first story that is much closer to the broadcast first episode "Breakaway". It focuses primarily on establishing the series format and a large cast that was meant to be recurring, but is still not the polished story that one might expect. Then there is "Turning Point", the final script version that was re-written (uncredited) by Christopher Penfold. This version is much closer to the final version of "Breakaway" that aired, but would still go through some major refinements. Each of these three stories show the evolution of the pilot episode with scenes and characters that never made it to the screen. This is followed by "Siren Planet", a first draft by Art Wallace, which evolved into the story "A Matter of Life and Death". This version of the story has a lot of the elements that would be found in the televised episode, though there are quite a few name changes, and Koenig's encounter with his father was skipped, something that would have allowed Martin Landau to add another dimension to tbe character of John Koenig. This is followed by David Weir's first draft of "The Black Sun", much of which survived to the final version of the story. Weir had obviously wanted the focus to be on Victor Bergman, but the script evolved a bit beyond that, as it really didn't work with the character being a moody introvert. Still, it's an interesting take on the episode. Next up is Irving Gaynor Neiman's working draft of "A Breath of Death", a story that thankfully did not get filmed or make it to air. Alpha is treated as a place that is a pressure cooker of tension and hostility, and the Alphans are much more willing to bend their morality in the search for a new home - to the point where they instigate a conflict between two alien races! Thank goodness Christopher Penfold put a more harmonious Alpha and group of characters in place for the series! The next story is "Nobody's Perfect", the final storyline version by Christopher Penfold of what became "The Guardian of Piri". This is almost an outline rendered in story form, and is much more straight forward than the final version of the tale. "Web" is the original story treatment by Christopher Penfold of what became "Dragon's Domain". Interestingly, the spider-like creature and the eggs that hatch on sensing prey and the spear-like tongue of the creature that parallels what came later in the Alien movie. And Penfold said later that he envisioned this story originally as Alan Carter's background. Finally, the book closes with the adaptation of Keith Miles's early draft for the second season story "All That Glisters". This early draft of the story features duplicates of Tony and Dave, but these were eliminated as a walking "dead man" was thought to be more dramatic. This version of the story has no real characterisation, and the science of the story is a bit iffy, to say the least. Not a great story, even in the final aired product, but it's interesting to see the evolution of the tale. What disappointed me about this book was that authors David Hirsch and Robert E. Wood have interpreted and adapted the early scripts from Seasons 1 (and 2) into fictional stories that read as such, rather than scripts. The authors provide various reasons for the conversion from script to fiction pieces, but to be honest, I would have preferred to read this set of stories in script form rather than narrative form. The final section of the book contains an Evolution of Names bit, that shows how the names of characters and places evolved over the course of these early scripts/novelisations, so at least that was useful while reading the book. And the book is not helped by the shoddy typesetting. To be honest, I was underwhelmed by this book. In this reader's opinion, this book is one mainly for Anderson and Space: 1999 hard core fans. So buy and read this at your own discretion.
The October Country by Ray Bradbury (r)
Ray Bradbury's second short story collection, with its chilling encounters with funhouse mirrors, parasitic accident-watchers, and strange poker chips intact. Both sides of Bradbury's vaunted childhood nostalgia are also on display, in the celebratory "Uncle Einar," and haunting "The Lake," the latter a fine elegy to childhood loss. This edition features a new introduction by Bradbury, an invaluable essay on writing, wherein the author tells of his "Theater of Morning Voices," and, by inference, encourages the reader to listen to the same murmurings in oneself. And has any writer anywhere ever made such good use of exclamation marks!? (The book is illustrated by Joe Mugnaini.)
Ray Bradbury's second short story collection is back in print, and I'm really glad that it is! This is one of the books that I lost in my sewage flood in the basement several years ago, and I was glad that it had been reprinted, with its chilling encounters with funhouse mirrors, parasitic accident watchers, and strange poker chips intact.
Eschewing any connection to science fiction, this group of purely (dark) fantasy tales resounds with Bradbury's fascination with and brilliant creativity in the realms of the occult, the macabre and the dark. Bradbury begins the book with this explanation: "The October Country ... that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilight linger, and midnights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal bins, closets, attics and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain." Just brilliant. This collection of tales is often held up as the closest Bradbury ever came to writing a horror anthology, and while not every story here is a dark one, there's no shortage of nightmares here. These are some of Bradbury's best stories, told with imagination and his deft, descriptive virtuoso-like use of the language. It's a poetic prose, matched well with the theme of October. From the odd "The Dwarf" to the creepy "The Jar" to the psychologically unsettling "The Cistern", Bradbury has woven a spider's web of fiction made for cool days under a cloudy sky, with the autumn smells of campfires and frost. Some of my favourites among the nineteen macabre and...Octoberesque...tales here include: "Skeleton," in which a man becomes horrifying aware of the bones within his body and becomes convinced that they're trying to take over his life; "The Man Upstairs", in which a young boy becomes convinced that the lodger living upstairs is a vampire, and has a particularly nasty ending; "The Small Assassin," about post-partum depression taken to a whole new level, with a possibly murderous infant, and a story that has one of the nastiest last lines I remember from fiction; "The Jar", a creepy and psychologically unsettling story that ends with a touch of outright horror; "The Crowd", in which a motor vehicle accident survivor notices some strange things about a crowd that surrounds him and goes on a quest for discovery that does not end well; "The Emissary", about a young boy confined to his room because of sickness, who experiences the world entirely through his roaming dog and the visitors he brings home - a story that opens with wonder and heart, slowly turns to heartbreak, and then becomes terrifying; and two stories embedded with the Bradbury rich sense of humour, in "There Was an Old Woman" about the elderly woman who refuses to die and the ridiculous satire of trend followers in "The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse". Finally, there is "Homecoming", which tells the story of a family of monsters - vampires, ghosts, and more - coming together for a family reunion, all told from the perspective of the one "normal" child in the family. It's sweet, heartbreaking, and ends on an optimistic and heartfelt note that made me smile. This is a collection of tales that show off the sheer imagination and heart that Ray Bradbury was known for, but also spotlights his dark sense of humour and his taste for the macabre. It is a must read for fans of Bradbury, but any visitor will enjoy this trip to the October Country as well during this perfect month to (re-)read it. Highly recommended.
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of PC Peter Grant or the Folly, even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the flats of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But Lady Tyburn's daughter was there and Peter owes Lady Ty a favour. Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the houses and dangerous, arcane items are bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we're talking about. He's been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week...
The sixth book in the Rivers of London or Peter Grant series. I'll start once more with the caveat that the reader should really read the first five novels, Rivers of London (Midnight Riot in the US), starting the series off, before reading this one - the book largely assumes that the reader is familiar with the characters and at least some of the previous events. I'll say here that The Hanging Tree is one of my favourite books in the series to this point because it does something few multi-volume popular series do: instead of following the usual self-contained criminal case with minimal character development, the book actually picks up the scattered plot threads from the previous episodes and brings everything and everybody together in a spectacular battle against the shadowy arch-enemy of Peter and Nightingale: the Faceless Man is no longer faceless, and Lesley May returns, ready to muddle the waters with her swinging allegiances. This sixth novel relies so much on previous events and character story arcs, and so I would not recommend starting the series here, but going back and reading the series in chronological order. This novel sees Peter Grant back in London and thus DCI Nightingale and the Folly come back into play in this one. The Hanging Tree was the Tyburn gallows which stood where Marble Arch stands today. Oxford Street was the last trip of the condemned. Some things don't change. The place has a bloody and haunted legacy, and now blood has returned to the empty Mayfair mansions of the world's super-rich. And blood mixed with magic is a job for Peter Grant. In Foxglove Summer, Peter was vacationing in rural Herefordshire and smooching with his hot goddess girlfriend while also solving the disappearance of two girls in the rural countryside. He's still smooching with Beverley but they are now in his London flat when Peter gets a midnight call from the girl's aunt, Lady Tyburn, cashing in some past favours and asking PC Grant to cover up naughty activities of her teenage daughter. Torn between duty and nepotism (you don't want to anger a river goddess), Peter joins the investigation into the death of a rich socialite girl at an illicit party in the number one high-rise in London. It looks like the girl and her jet-set friends broke into one of the empty apartments for a drug and alcohol party, a party that turned lethal when the black market drugs turned out to be too strong. The investigation soon gains a magical double angle when members of the group show signs of magic residue and when the drug money apparently came from trying to sell a priceless book: a unique compendium of spells penned by none other than Isaac Newton, the founder of the Folly and of its various affiliates and competitors. Unfortunately, Peter exceeds his quota of damaged real-estate in this sixth book by unleashing magical havoc inside malls, high-rise luxury apartments and million-dollar mansions in Mayfair or Hampstead Heath. I would expect that Peter's promotion is off for the foreseeable future. Of course, if it were anybody else they would be long gone from the Met, but Peter is the only understudy of the only surviving magician in England, his boss Nightingale. The plot in this book zips along at a nice pace, though there is still those moments of boring research and interviews with various individuals along the way and the frantic chases and spellcasting episodes that I've come to love in these novels. To make matters worse, there is more than one agency trying to get their hands on the valuable tome: a feminist coven of unlicensed magical practitioners that felt excluded by the all-male Victorian Folly; an off-the-records CIA splinter cell; Lady Tyburn and the other god-like river avatars; the Faceless Man and his cronies (including Lesley May); and of course, Nightingale and his sole apprentice. The key to the case may be in the hands of a shifty creature, half-human, half-fox with the appropriate name of Monsieur Reynard. And of course, the book's title may be another clue, since it refers to a gruesome London landmark that has become in recent years a meeting place for the Demi-Monde. I found the plot twisty and enjoyable, notably the hints that the author is not interested in prolonging the central mystery indefinitely and that he can deftly combine boring stakeout, interview and database searching with flashy spellcasting. The real reason I look forward to these books is the personality of narrator Peter Grant. Just a wonderful character, with a developing personality caught between the real world and the magical realities around him. When he's not catching criminals or learning new spells, Peter likes to regale his readers with funny tidbits of information about history, urban planning, architecture, the British police system, social cohesion, trans-atlantic differences and all things pertaining to English weather. This novel also bring PC Sahra Guleed, his new partner, into a prominent role, as she seems to be an interesting character in her own right. She is a practicing Muslim and keeper of its religious codes, keeping halal and wearing a hijab with her uniform and plain clothes. She and Peter share the inside joke "practical and modest" in reference to some alternative head coverings she has used in the line of duty. She has referred to herself jokingly as a "Muslim ninja", but there is a lot more to Sahra than we've seen so far. I hope. I do like the notion of "Hijabs, Guleed once told me, were like T-shirts - you could choose ones that uniquely expressed your personality." Author Ben Aaronovitch also introduces a fascinating new character in the form of Lady Helena Linden-Limmer, witch or sorceress depending on her mood, photographed back in the sixties by society snapper David Bailey, and whose powers were handed down from mother/aunt to daughter/niece by Caroline of Ansbach - famously brighter than her husband, the future George II, who kept company with Walpole and Leibnitz, also Phillip Boucherett a former protégé of Isaac Newton. Overall, The Hanging Tree is a superb novel that on rethinking has a bit of a convoluted plot, brings some of the major plot threads of the series to a head, but is just a plain fun read. I highly recommend this book, and the whole series to this point of course!
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
There's something going bump on the Metropolitan Line and Sergeant Jaget Kumar knows exactly who to call. It's PC Peter Grant's specialty... Only things are more than just going 'bump'. Traumatised travellers have been reporting strange encounters on their morning commute, with strangely dressed people trying to deliver an urgent message. Stranger still, despite calling the police themselves, within a few minutes the commuters have already forgotten the encounter - making the follow-up interviews rather difficult. So with a little help from Abigail and Toby the ghost hunting dog, Peter and Jaget are heading out on a ghost hunting expedition. Because finding the ghost and deciphering their urgent message might just be a matter of life and death.
The seventh book in the Rivers of London or Peter Grant series, but actually the first novella in the series. This book is set chronologically between Foxglove Summer and The Hanging Tree, this little book is meant to be a fun episode on the side. While the other six novels don't really need to be read to enjoy this one, there are events and characters mentioned in passing that really make the reading of the earlier works an almost necessity. Just my take on it. London is a city with a long history, and is also home to lots of ghosts. Many of them even ride the London Underground each day along with, and unbeknownst to, the thousands of living Londoners on their work commute, but rarely do these spectral passengers make any trouble. So when the police start receiving a number of reports about frightening, aggressive and disturbing ghost sightings on the Metropolitan Line, the situation is worrying enough to get PC Peter Grant and his boss, Inspector Nightingale, on the job. After enlisting the help of Peter's aspiring magician cousin Abigail and Jaget Kumar of the British Transport Police, the four of them take to the trains in order to try and get to the bottom of this ghostly mystery. While it might help to be familiar with the series before starting The Furthest Station, it is absolutely not required and this novella can be enjoyed just fine as a standalone book. In fact, the story actually features little to no mention of the overarching plotlines in the main series, so the reader should not expect to see anything about Lesley May or the Faceless Man, and even Beverley Brook and the other aspects of the genius loci play only a small role here. This book reads like a compressed version of a normal Peter Grant adventure, without all the side dramas and extra flavours that usually flesh out the urban fantasy series. For those readers who want to see Peter and Nightingale get back to some good old-fashioned sleuthing, this compact mystery tale contains an irresistible case with all the ingredients to keep the reader on the edge of their seats. Likewise, The Furthest Station is also perfect for someone who just wants to dip their toes into the world before deciding to take the plunge into the novels. The novella has everything that most fans of the series love in spades, including the sharp witticism, rich history and world building, and of course the diverse and charming characters. With the cast being reduced in number for this shorter installment, the reader doesn't get to meet as many of the usual contacts to whom Peter goes for advice or consulting, but do get a couple of new faces as well as larger roles for characters who deserve more attention. Abigail (Kamara) for one is a treasure, and I certainly hope her position as the Folly's summer intern isn't going to be a one-off because I would love to see her play a bigger part in this series; given the discussion between Peter and Nightingale in the final chapter, something tells me there’s a good chance this will happen. Speaking of which, fans of Nightingale are also in for a treat. I've always bemoaned the fact we hardly ever get to see Peter's governor in action, even though author Aaronovitch is always teasing his immense magical power. Well, this time out, Nightingale gets involved with a lot of the police work, and also gives us many reasons to be in awe of his practitioner's skills. Overall, The Furthest Station is a marvellous book, a nice break from the usual routine of the series so far, and a nice story that is standalone as well as being substantial (no pun intended) and fun, that will appeal to both the veterans of the Rivers of London series and newcomers alike. An excellent novella, and one that I highly recommend to all lovers of urban fantasy and Ben Aaronovitch's series thus far.
Overall, I managed to read 7 novels, 12 RPG and RPG products, 1 magazine, 0 comics, and 1 graphic novel in October. This brings the year total in 2023 to a set of numbers that look like this: 63 books, 18 RPGs and RPG products, 17 magazines, 34 comics, and 1 graphic novels.
Anyway, thoughts and comments are always welcome. :)
*****
Books Read in October, 2023
Swords in the Mist by Fritz Leiber (r)
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
June, 2023 Reader's Digest
A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw
The Bookshop (RPG; Scenario) (r)
Maybe There: The Lost Stories From Space: 1999 by David Hirsch & Robert E. Wood
Lollipop, Lollipop (RPG; Scenario)
Why Was He Born So Beautiful? (RPG; Scenario)
Bloodhounds of Bermondsey (RPG; Scenario)
Fairycakes (RPG; Scenario)
The October Country by Ray Bradbury (r)
Rivers of London: Body Work (Graphic Novel)
Hawkshaw (RPG; Scenario)
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Certifiable (RPG; Scenario)
Speed Demons! (RPG; Scenario)
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch (Novella)
Skyborne (RPG; Scenario)
Stolen Heritage (RPG; Scenario)
The Funhouse Bodies (RPG; Scenario)
Fiery Vengeance (RPG; Scenario)
*****
And that was my reading for October, 2023. This was a pretty good month of reading in terms of both the quality of the material read and the number of books read. I read a lot of Rivers of London related stuff this past month, including a novel, a novella, a graphic novel and 12 case files/adventures for the game based on the books. The other reading for the month was pretty varied in subject and style, and quite enjoyable overall. The real limit on what I read this past month was due more to the bad shoulder/arm/back, aggravated by the being hit/swiped by a car back in September, that is still limiting the weight of books that I can lift and hold, among other things. However, like I continue to reiterate, it's all about the quality of the books, not the quantity, and that definitely applied (for the most part) to October's reads. Regardless, my bookcases are still stacked with a pretty large To Read Queue (TRQ). The books I enjoyed the most were:
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of an immense world. This book welcomes us into a previously unfathomable dimension - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth's magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and humans that wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile's scaly face is as sensitive as a lover's fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries which lie unsolved. In An Immense World, author and acclaimed science journalist Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. Because in order to understand our world, we don't need to travel to other places; we need to see through other eyes.
As part of my reading choices, I also enjoy reading books about various sciences and how things work and the like. When I encountered this book on Amazon as part of a search for books on the various senses, I decided that I has to buy this book and add it to my reference library. And I'm very glad I did! Ed Yong is an author and science journalist and takes the reader on a tour of the senses and how they have developed and are used in the animal kingdom. Author Yong opens the book with some thoughts on his approach to the book. The basic premise is to avoid comparisons and "ranking," which makes sense in the context of the book for many reasons. There are very widely differing habitats and difficulties in designing experiments in which one doesn't have much of an understanding of the senses that one is trying to test. Toss in the difficulties of trying to decide just what senses there actually are and how to define them, and the reader can get some feeling for the complexities being tackled in this book. There is a lovely quote from Proust here that fits the book totally: "...not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes...". That said, I do think the book fails somewhat in terms of the comparisons element. I think this was to be expected, however, as it would be virtually impossible to write a book about the senses within a species without referring to the senses that are predominant in another species. I'll add here that this was a non-factor to me. The journey that this book takes the reader on is one that is fascinating, but can be somewhat overwhelming. This is largely because there is a large amount of information to process in this book, and the fact that it's not a subject that I knew all that much about. This is not meant to be a criticism of the book, however, merely to express the idea that the book is written to be very accessible for a subject that is so complex. It's very difficult for me to express myself here about any favourite topics, as there were just...so many. Highlights include: The sheer sensitivity of some animal senses; that owls have asymmetric ears that are accurate to within 2 degrees; that otters and seals can track the "wake" left by fish from 200 yards away; that birds hear bird song very differently from humans and that the song varies in ways humans simply cannot hear; that turtles have in-built location senses that are remarkable... Just so much of interest and fascination here.... The final chapter concerns the way that humans disrupt animal senses in some, quite dramatic, ways. The chapter was quite brief, seemed somewhat out of sync with the rest of the book, but was to my mind a subject that could have had a lot more space devoted to it. This is one of those books that I think demands not to be rushed through. An overarching element of the book is that in most cases, human sense are relatively poor. Somewhat related to this is the fact that, certainly in the past, humans have attempted to judge animals senses by what we think they might be like. As this book shows, this is simply so far off the mark in so many cases as to emphasize how little humans know and understand about this world we inhabit and abuse. A truly insightful book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in animal senses and their diversity. But it is a book that one has to be patient with.
A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw
When all is lost, look to the stars.
Vega has lived in the valley her whole life - forbidden by her mother to leave the safety of its borders because of the unknown threats waiting for her in the wilds beyond. But when Vega sees an omen in the sky - one she cannot ignore - she is forced to leave the protective boundaries of the valley. Yet the outside world is much more terrfying than Vega could ever have imagined. People are gravely sick - they lose their eyesight and their hearing, just before they lose their lives. But Vega has a secret: she is the Last Astronomer - a title carried from generation to generation - and she is the only one who understands the knowledge of the stars. Knowledge that could hold the key to a cure. So when locals spot the tattoo on Vega's neck in the shape of a constellation - the mark of an Astronomer - chaos erupts. Fearing for her life, Vega is rescued by a girl named Cricket who leads her to Noah, a boy marked by his own mysterious tattoos. On the run from the men hunting her, Vega sets out across the plains with Cricket and Noah, in search of a fabled cure kept secret by the astronomers. But as the line between friends and protectors begins to blur, Vega must decide whether to safeguard the sacred knowledge of the astronomers... or if she will risk everything to try to save them all.
I have never read any of Shea Ernshaw's books before picking this one up, but after reading A Wilderness of Stars, I will definitely be ordering her earlier works to read! I don't know whether this book is the first in a series or whether it's a stand alone novel, but it definitely should be the former. There are a lot of different things to love about this book. Primary for me, Shea Ernshaw's biggest strength when it comes to her writing is the setting, which is both atmospheric and rich in detail. While the environment of the story is just as descriptive and important as the characters, it is paid equally loving in detail and in some elements being more important than others. The world around Vega, Noah and Cricket comes to life in the book, and given it is shown through the eyes of Vega, a relative newcomer to the world as she was raised, isolated and alone in a valley by her mother, the reader has a constant sense of discovery about this world; the author discovers this world seemingly, rather than builds it, and the reader is taken along for the ride. While the world may be Earth some time in our future, a world that is dying in many different ways, there are surprises as the novel nears its climax that will have readers guessing in this regard but there is a slow build-up to what is basically approaching doom, with bits of backstory and hope-for-the-future thrown in, that makes for an ending that is anything but predictable. The constellations of the world that Vega was taught about occupy a central place in the book. Andromeda and Orion are real constellations, and Rigel is a real star and it really is a blue-white supergiant. These are constellations and stars visible from Earth. This is a first hint about where A Wilderness of Stars takes place and who the characters are. Indeed, the author's approach to world building was what first caught my attention in this book. The reader doesn't know where the book is set. There are people and deserts and horses, but right from the beginning there are hints that we are not on Earth in 2022 as we know it. The reader can't be sure whether it's a fantasy world, a post-apocalyptic Earth, a different planet, or a parallel world. There is mystery here. The central character and she who is the viewpoint character of the novel is Vega. The story begins with the death of Vega's mother. Vega's mother dies of a mysterious wasting disease that is killing everyone on Vega's world. Vega's mother is a secret scholar called the Astronomer, and with her death, that title falls to Vega. Vega sees a sign in the sky that means she must leave her safe home. A dangerous journey follows. I'll not talk spoilers here, but know that Shea Ernshaw is not a safe author. No one gets plot armor - bad things can happen even to the characters the reader knows and loves. Eventually Vega's journey comes to an end. The mystery of what Vega's world is gets revealed. That said, the primary characters that surround Vega in Noah and Cricket are both very nicely detailed. Vega's innocence about the world around her and her naivete about other people (somewhat influenced by her mother, of course) makes Noah and Cricket come across in a fashion that the reader might not really believe. Their actions in the world around Vega make sense to the outside observer (the reader), but Vega's belief and then concern they might betray her is brought to life well by the author, and Vega learns some hard lessons in the world outside her safe and insulated valley. The three characters all have secrets that may cost them the day, and I was glad that Ernshaw allowed the secrets to come out in the story gradually, rather than revealing all early on. If I was disappointed by anything in terms of the characterisations in the book it was that I wsih there had been a bit more development and background about some of the side characters. There were some major events that transpired and involved them, but it was hard to really feel all that much for them as there was no...connection...to them. The only real issue I had with the book was Vega's tattoos and the need to cover them. She decides to leave her hair down and move about carefully so that her hair doesn't expose her tattoo(s). I couldn't help but wonder why didn't use a scarf or other piece of clothing to cover it/them properly. Vega believes her life is in danger, and she’s trusting her hair not to move? That seemed a little strange to me. Perhaps if she had explained that she couldn’t wear a scarf without calling more attention to herself or arousing suspicion, that would have made more sense. She was in several dangerous situations where she depends only on her hair, so I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Overall, I really enjoyed A Wilderness of Stars and felt that the prose were very good, the author using language to convey a lot of interesting ideas and concepts and themes in the novel. Vega is a breath of fresh air as a character, and she has a steep learning curve as she goes about trying to fulfill her quest. One plot element that constantly shows up in young adult novels raised its head here, somewhat to the detriment of the story I thought, but didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the novel. I really hope this is not the last we see of Vega, as she's quite the engaging character. I highly recommend this book.
Maybe There - The Lost Stories From Space: 1999 by David Hirsch & Robert E. Wood
Strap into your Moon Ship and prepare for a trip to an alternate universe!
Gathered here for the first time are the original stories written in the early days of production on the internationally acclaimed television series Space: 1999. Uncover the differences between Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's original story "Zero G", George Bellak's first draft of "The Void Ahead" and Christopher Penfold's uncredited shooting script "Turning Point". Each of these tales show the evolution of the pilot episode with scenes and characters that never made it to the screen. Wonder at a tale that was NEVER filmed where the Alpha People, desperate to migrate to a new home, instigate a conflict between two alien races. Also included are Christopher Penfold's original storylines for "Guardian of Piri" and "Dragon's Domain", an adaption of Keith Miles's early draft for "All That Glisters" from the second season, and read how Art Wallace (Dark Shadows) originally envisioned the episode that became "Matter of Life and Death". Discover how Space: 1999 might have been had they gone 'Maybe There?'
As a long-time fan of the Space: 1999 tv series, it has only been within the last few years that I've started reading books detailing the history of and various elements about the tv show. When I saw that there was a book about some of the earliest versions of scripts and the like for the series, I was quite excited and pleased at the thought and decided to pick this volume up to get an idea about what some of those early versions of scripts were like. To say that my reaction to this volume is mixed is an understatement, to say the least. Gathered in this volume for the first time are the original stories written in the early days of production on the Space: 1999 series. First up, is the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson original tale "Zero G", which is a rather uninspiring, not character driven story that doesn't really present the series in a good light, with totally different characters and feels like a half-baked story idea that should never have been written. Very atypical of the Andersons's writing and storytelling abilities. This is followed by George Bellak's "The Void Ahead", a first draft of the first story that is much closer to the broadcast first episode "Breakaway". It focuses primarily on establishing the series format and a large cast that was meant to be recurring, but is still not the polished story that one might expect. Then there is "Turning Point", the final script version that was re-written (uncredited) by Christopher Penfold. This version is much closer to the final version of "Breakaway" that aired, but would still go through some major refinements. Each of these three stories show the evolution of the pilot episode with scenes and characters that never made it to the screen. This is followed by "Siren Planet", a first draft by Art Wallace, which evolved into the story "A Matter of Life and Death". This version of the story has a lot of the elements that would be found in the televised episode, though there are quite a few name changes, and Koenig's encounter with his father was skipped, something that would have allowed Martin Landau to add another dimension to tbe character of John Koenig. This is followed by David Weir's first draft of "The Black Sun", much of which survived to the final version of the story. Weir had obviously wanted the focus to be on Victor Bergman, but the script evolved a bit beyond that, as it really didn't work with the character being a moody introvert. Still, it's an interesting take on the episode. Next up is Irving Gaynor Neiman's working draft of "A Breath of Death", a story that thankfully did not get filmed or make it to air. Alpha is treated as a place that is a pressure cooker of tension and hostility, and the Alphans are much more willing to bend their morality in the search for a new home - to the point where they instigate a conflict between two alien races! Thank goodness Christopher Penfold put a more harmonious Alpha and group of characters in place for the series! The next story is "Nobody's Perfect", the final storyline version by Christopher Penfold of what became "The Guardian of Piri". This is almost an outline rendered in story form, and is much more straight forward than the final version of the tale. "Web" is the original story treatment by Christopher Penfold of what became "Dragon's Domain". Interestingly, the spider-like creature and the eggs that hatch on sensing prey and the spear-like tongue of the creature that parallels what came later in the Alien movie. And Penfold said later that he envisioned this story originally as Alan Carter's background. Finally, the book closes with the adaptation of Keith Miles's early draft for the second season story "All That Glisters". This early draft of the story features duplicates of Tony and Dave, but these were eliminated as a walking "dead man" was thought to be more dramatic. This version of the story has no real characterisation, and the science of the story is a bit iffy, to say the least. Not a great story, even in the final aired product, but it's interesting to see the evolution of the tale. What disappointed me about this book was that authors David Hirsch and Robert E. Wood have interpreted and adapted the early scripts from Seasons 1 (and 2) into fictional stories that read as such, rather than scripts. The authors provide various reasons for the conversion from script to fiction pieces, but to be honest, I would have preferred to read this set of stories in script form rather than narrative form. The final section of the book contains an Evolution of Names bit, that shows how the names of characters and places evolved over the course of these early scripts/novelisations, so at least that was useful while reading the book. And the book is not helped by the shoddy typesetting. To be honest, I was underwhelmed by this book. In this reader's opinion, this book is one mainly for Anderson and Space: 1999 hard core fans. So buy and read this at your own discretion.
The October Country by Ray Bradbury (r)
Ray Bradbury's second short story collection, with its chilling encounters with funhouse mirrors, parasitic accident-watchers, and strange poker chips intact. Both sides of Bradbury's vaunted childhood nostalgia are also on display, in the celebratory "Uncle Einar," and haunting "The Lake," the latter a fine elegy to childhood loss. This edition features a new introduction by Bradbury, an invaluable essay on writing, wherein the author tells of his "Theater of Morning Voices," and, by inference, encourages the reader to listen to the same murmurings in oneself. And has any writer anywhere ever made such good use of exclamation marks!? (The book is illustrated by Joe Mugnaini.)
Ray Bradbury's second short story collection is back in print, and I'm really glad that it is! This is one of the books that I lost in my sewage flood in the basement several years ago, and I was glad that it had been reprinted, with its chilling encounters with funhouse mirrors, parasitic accident watchers, and strange poker chips intact.
Eschewing any connection to science fiction, this group of purely (dark) fantasy tales resounds with Bradbury's fascination with and brilliant creativity in the realms of the occult, the macabre and the dark. Bradbury begins the book with this explanation: "The October Country ... that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilight linger, and midnights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal bins, closets, attics and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain." Just brilliant. This collection of tales is often held up as the closest Bradbury ever came to writing a horror anthology, and while not every story here is a dark one, there's no shortage of nightmares here. These are some of Bradbury's best stories, told with imagination and his deft, descriptive virtuoso-like use of the language. It's a poetic prose, matched well with the theme of October. From the odd "The Dwarf" to the creepy "The Jar" to the psychologically unsettling "The Cistern", Bradbury has woven a spider's web of fiction made for cool days under a cloudy sky, with the autumn smells of campfires and frost. Some of my favourites among the nineteen macabre and...Octoberesque...tales here include: "Skeleton," in which a man becomes horrifying aware of the bones within his body and becomes convinced that they're trying to take over his life; "The Man Upstairs", in which a young boy becomes convinced that the lodger living upstairs is a vampire, and has a particularly nasty ending; "The Small Assassin," about post-partum depression taken to a whole new level, with a possibly murderous infant, and a story that has one of the nastiest last lines I remember from fiction; "The Jar", a creepy and psychologically unsettling story that ends with a touch of outright horror; "The Crowd", in which a motor vehicle accident survivor notices some strange things about a crowd that surrounds him and goes on a quest for discovery that does not end well; "The Emissary", about a young boy confined to his room because of sickness, who experiences the world entirely through his roaming dog and the visitors he brings home - a story that opens with wonder and heart, slowly turns to heartbreak, and then becomes terrifying; and two stories embedded with the Bradbury rich sense of humour, in "There Was an Old Woman" about the elderly woman who refuses to die and the ridiculous satire of trend followers in "The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse". Finally, there is "Homecoming", which tells the story of a family of monsters - vampires, ghosts, and more - coming together for a family reunion, all told from the perspective of the one "normal" child in the family. It's sweet, heartbreaking, and ends on an optimistic and heartfelt note that made me smile. This is a collection of tales that show off the sheer imagination and heart that Ray Bradbury was known for, but also spotlights his dark sense of humour and his taste for the macabre. It is a must read for fans of Bradbury, but any visitor will enjoy this trip to the October Country as well during this perfect month to (re-)read it. Highly recommended.
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of PC Peter Grant or the Folly, even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the flats of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But Lady Tyburn's daughter was there and Peter owes Lady Ty a favour. Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the houses and dangerous, arcane items are bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we're talking about. He's been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week...
The sixth book in the Rivers of London or Peter Grant series. I'll start once more with the caveat that the reader should really read the first five novels, Rivers of London (Midnight Riot in the US), starting the series off, before reading this one - the book largely assumes that the reader is familiar with the characters and at least some of the previous events. I'll say here that The Hanging Tree is one of my favourite books in the series to this point because it does something few multi-volume popular series do: instead of following the usual self-contained criminal case with minimal character development, the book actually picks up the scattered plot threads from the previous episodes and brings everything and everybody together in a spectacular battle against the shadowy arch-enemy of Peter and Nightingale: the Faceless Man is no longer faceless, and Lesley May returns, ready to muddle the waters with her swinging allegiances. This sixth novel relies so much on previous events and character story arcs, and so I would not recommend starting the series here, but going back and reading the series in chronological order. This novel sees Peter Grant back in London and thus DCI Nightingale and the Folly come back into play in this one. The Hanging Tree was the Tyburn gallows which stood where Marble Arch stands today. Oxford Street was the last trip of the condemned. Some things don't change. The place has a bloody and haunted legacy, and now blood has returned to the empty Mayfair mansions of the world's super-rich. And blood mixed with magic is a job for Peter Grant. In Foxglove Summer, Peter was vacationing in rural Herefordshire and smooching with his hot goddess girlfriend while also solving the disappearance of two girls in the rural countryside. He's still smooching with Beverley but they are now in his London flat when Peter gets a midnight call from the girl's aunt, Lady Tyburn, cashing in some past favours and asking PC Grant to cover up naughty activities of her teenage daughter. Torn between duty and nepotism (you don't want to anger a river goddess), Peter joins the investigation into the death of a rich socialite girl at an illicit party in the number one high-rise in London. It looks like the girl and her jet-set friends broke into one of the empty apartments for a drug and alcohol party, a party that turned lethal when the black market drugs turned out to be too strong. The investigation soon gains a magical double angle when members of the group show signs of magic residue and when the drug money apparently came from trying to sell a priceless book: a unique compendium of spells penned by none other than Isaac Newton, the founder of the Folly and of its various affiliates and competitors. Unfortunately, Peter exceeds his quota of damaged real-estate in this sixth book by unleashing magical havoc inside malls, high-rise luxury apartments and million-dollar mansions in Mayfair or Hampstead Heath. I would expect that Peter's promotion is off for the foreseeable future. Of course, if it were anybody else they would be long gone from the Met, but Peter is the only understudy of the only surviving magician in England, his boss Nightingale. The plot in this book zips along at a nice pace, though there is still those moments of boring research and interviews with various individuals along the way and the frantic chases and spellcasting episodes that I've come to love in these novels. To make matters worse, there is more than one agency trying to get their hands on the valuable tome: a feminist coven of unlicensed magical practitioners that felt excluded by the all-male Victorian Folly; an off-the-records CIA splinter cell; Lady Tyburn and the other god-like river avatars; the Faceless Man and his cronies (including Lesley May); and of course, Nightingale and his sole apprentice. The key to the case may be in the hands of a shifty creature, half-human, half-fox with the appropriate name of Monsieur Reynard. And of course, the book's title may be another clue, since it refers to a gruesome London landmark that has become in recent years a meeting place for the Demi-Monde. I found the plot twisty and enjoyable, notably the hints that the author is not interested in prolonging the central mystery indefinitely and that he can deftly combine boring stakeout, interview and database searching with flashy spellcasting. The real reason I look forward to these books is the personality of narrator Peter Grant. Just a wonderful character, with a developing personality caught between the real world and the magical realities around him. When he's not catching criminals or learning new spells, Peter likes to regale his readers with funny tidbits of information about history, urban planning, architecture, the British police system, social cohesion, trans-atlantic differences and all things pertaining to English weather. This novel also bring PC Sahra Guleed, his new partner, into a prominent role, as she seems to be an interesting character in her own right. She is a practicing Muslim and keeper of its religious codes, keeping halal and wearing a hijab with her uniform and plain clothes. She and Peter share the inside joke "practical and modest" in reference to some alternative head coverings she has used in the line of duty. She has referred to herself jokingly as a "Muslim ninja", but there is a lot more to Sahra than we've seen so far. I hope. I do like the notion of "Hijabs, Guleed once told me, were like T-shirts - you could choose ones that uniquely expressed your personality." Author Ben Aaronovitch also introduces a fascinating new character in the form of Lady Helena Linden-Limmer, witch or sorceress depending on her mood, photographed back in the sixties by society snapper David Bailey, and whose powers were handed down from mother/aunt to daughter/niece by Caroline of Ansbach - famously brighter than her husband, the future George II, who kept company with Walpole and Leibnitz, also Phillip Boucherett a former protégé of Isaac Newton. Overall, The Hanging Tree is a superb novel that on rethinking has a bit of a convoluted plot, brings some of the major plot threads of the series to a head, but is just a plain fun read. I highly recommend this book, and the whole series to this point of course!
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
There's something going bump on the Metropolitan Line and Sergeant Jaget Kumar knows exactly who to call. It's PC Peter Grant's specialty... Only things are more than just going 'bump'. Traumatised travellers have been reporting strange encounters on their morning commute, with strangely dressed people trying to deliver an urgent message. Stranger still, despite calling the police themselves, within a few minutes the commuters have already forgotten the encounter - making the follow-up interviews rather difficult. So with a little help from Abigail and Toby the ghost hunting dog, Peter and Jaget are heading out on a ghost hunting expedition. Because finding the ghost and deciphering their urgent message might just be a matter of life and death.
The seventh book in the Rivers of London or Peter Grant series, but actually the first novella in the series. This book is set chronologically between Foxglove Summer and The Hanging Tree, this little book is meant to be a fun episode on the side. While the other six novels don't really need to be read to enjoy this one, there are events and characters mentioned in passing that really make the reading of the earlier works an almost necessity. Just my take on it. London is a city with a long history, and is also home to lots of ghosts. Many of them even ride the London Underground each day along with, and unbeknownst to, the thousands of living Londoners on their work commute, but rarely do these spectral passengers make any trouble. So when the police start receiving a number of reports about frightening, aggressive and disturbing ghost sightings on the Metropolitan Line, the situation is worrying enough to get PC Peter Grant and his boss, Inspector Nightingale, on the job. After enlisting the help of Peter's aspiring magician cousin Abigail and Jaget Kumar of the British Transport Police, the four of them take to the trains in order to try and get to the bottom of this ghostly mystery. While it might help to be familiar with the series before starting The Furthest Station, it is absolutely not required and this novella can be enjoyed just fine as a standalone book. In fact, the story actually features little to no mention of the overarching plotlines in the main series, so the reader should not expect to see anything about Lesley May or the Faceless Man, and even Beverley Brook and the other aspects of the genius loci play only a small role here. This book reads like a compressed version of a normal Peter Grant adventure, without all the side dramas and extra flavours that usually flesh out the urban fantasy series. For those readers who want to see Peter and Nightingale get back to some good old-fashioned sleuthing, this compact mystery tale contains an irresistible case with all the ingredients to keep the reader on the edge of their seats. Likewise, The Furthest Station is also perfect for someone who just wants to dip their toes into the world before deciding to take the plunge into the novels. The novella has everything that most fans of the series love in spades, including the sharp witticism, rich history and world building, and of course the diverse and charming characters. With the cast being reduced in number for this shorter installment, the reader doesn't get to meet as many of the usual contacts to whom Peter goes for advice or consulting, but do get a couple of new faces as well as larger roles for characters who deserve more attention. Abigail (Kamara) for one is a treasure, and I certainly hope her position as the Folly's summer intern isn't going to be a one-off because I would love to see her play a bigger part in this series; given the discussion between Peter and Nightingale in the final chapter, something tells me there’s a good chance this will happen. Speaking of which, fans of Nightingale are also in for a treat. I've always bemoaned the fact we hardly ever get to see Peter's governor in action, even though author Aaronovitch is always teasing his immense magical power. Well, this time out, Nightingale gets involved with a lot of the police work, and also gives us many reasons to be in awe of his practitioner's skills. Overall, The Furthest Station is a marvellous book, a nice break from the usual routine of the series so far, and a nice story that is standalone as well as being substantial (no pun intended) and fun, that will appeal to both the veterans of the Rivers of London series and newcomers alike. An excellent novella, and one that I highly recommend to all lovers of urban fantasy and Ben Aaronovitch's series thus far.
Overall, I managed to read 7 novels, 12 RPG and RPG products, 1 magazine, 0 comics, and 1 graphic novel in October. This brings the year total in 2023 to a set of numbers that look like this: 63 books, 18 RPGs and RPG products, 17 magazines, 34 comics, and 1 graphic novels.
Anyway, thoughts and comments are always welcome. :)