Comments | selenak: Ben Aaronovitch: Rivers of London (Book Review)

selenak

Ben Aaronovitch: Rivers of London (Book Review)

Jul 30, 2015 17:32

I'd heard good rumours about it for years, but this week I finally managed to read Ben Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London", the first volume of what I take is an ongoing saga.

Previously I had known Ben Aaronovitch as a Doctor Who scriptwriter - he's responsible for Remembrance of the Daleks and Battlefield, both Seventh Doctor and Ace adventures ( Read more... )

rivers of london, ben aaronovitch, book review, dr. who

Comments 10

ffutures July 30 2015, 16:07:23 UTC

They're great fun - I think the first is the best, but they're all pretty good.

selenak July 31 2015, 06:09:17 UTC

Good to know!

ffutures July 31 2015, 10:41:31 UTC

Forgot to say that Ben Aaronovitch was one of the guests at a very small SF convention a couple of years ago and I remember asking him if he was going to bring in the London canals, which have their own occasionally weird history (e.g. the bridge that was blown up by an exploding barge full of gunpowder in the 19th century and rebuilt with all of its supports the wrong way round - they know this because they have tow rope marks on both sides.) And it was pretty clear that he knew that story and was already planning to use it if he could think of a way, so he obviously isn't short of ideas for more stories.

m_nivalis July 30 2015, 18:03:36 UTC

If you get the chance to listen to the audiobooks, do so. They are really good!

selenak July 31 2015, 06:09:39 UTC

I'll look out for them!

kathyh July 30 2015, 21:10:05 UTC

It's a very enjoyable series and has an amazing sense of place. There are indeed many rivers flowing into the Thames. Beverley Brook meets the Thames at Putney as we discovered on a walk a couple of years ago.

I second the recommendation for the audiobooks.

selenak July 31 2015, 06:10:17 UTC

So noted. Will look for the audiobooks henceforth!

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selenak July 31 2015, 06:10:51 UTC

No, I haven't, and haven't heard of it, either, so thank you for the rec!

rose_griffes August 1 2015, 17:03:42 UTC

I tried the first one with a bit of trepidation, because I've recently stumbled across several things that fans (plural, the great fannish masses) had loved that I found boring or annoying... but I really like them. I've read all five, and am re-reading the fourth one right now, to see if I can spot the clues to [a spoilery thing that happens near the end].

I think the third and fourth books are particularly strong in terms of plot - the general mystery and their solutions. But I do like all of them, and the gradually richer world the characters inhabit.

selenak August 1 2015, 17:26:03 UTC

That's very good to know, and I'm even more looking forward to the rest of the series!