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Rivers of London (novel)

Rivers of London (Midnight Riot in the US) is the first novel in the Rivers of London series by English author Ben Aaronovitch.[1] The novel was released on 10 January 2011 through Gollancz and was well received by critics, earning a Galaxy National Book Awards nomination for Aaronovitch in the New Writer of the Year award.[2][3] The author Ben Aaronovitch has subsequently written nine books in the Peter Grant Series, plus accompanying novellas, short stories, comics and graphic novels. [4]

Author

English

1st in series

10 January 2011 (2011-01-10)

Print (hardback and paperback), e-book

392 pp

Moon Over Soho
(2011) 

Plot[edit]

The novel centres on the adventures of Peter Grant, a young officer in the Metropolitan Police; who, following an unexpected encounter with a ghost, is recruited into the small branch of the Met that deals with magic and the supernatural.


Peter Grant, having become the first English apprentice wizard in over seventy years, must immediately deal with two different but ultimately related cases. In one he must find what is possessing ordinary people and turning them into vicious killers, and in the second he must broker a peace between the two warring gods of the River Thames and their respective families.[5]

Police Constable Lesley May; an officer in the Metropolitan Police who, having completed her mandatory probationary period, is expected to go far.

Police Constable Peter Grant; an officer in the Metropolitan Police who, having completed his mandatory probationary period, is expected to do paperwork.

Inspector Neblett; Peter and Lesley's shift commander and line manager at Police Station.

Charing Cross

Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale; head of the Folly and the last officially sanctioned English Wizard.

Dr Abdul Haqq Walid; world-renowned and cryptopathologist, a "gingery" Scot who converted to Islam.

gastroenterologist

Detective Chief Inspector Alexander Seawoll; The SIO (Senior Investigation Officer) of the MIT (Murder Investigation Team) assigned to investigate the death of William Skirmish.

Detective Sergeant Miriam Stephanopoulos; DCI Seawoll's case manager.

Augusta Coopertown; Danish living in Hampstead.

expatriate

Brandon Coopertown; her husband.

Molly; The Folly's domestic helper, of unknown species.

Mama Thames; Goddess of the .

River Thames

Beverley Brook; "daughter" of Mama Thames and goddess of a in South London.

small river

Frank Caffrey; LFB () Fire Investigator, ex-para and a key "associate" of the Folly.

London Fire Brigade

Father Thames; aka "The Old Man of the River" God of the River Thames or at least the bits above .

Teddington Lock

Oxley; one of the "sons" of Father Thames and his chief negotiator.

Anna Maria de Burgh Coppinger; aka Isis, wife of Oxley.

Cecilia Tyburn Thames; aka Lady Ty, another "daughter" of Mama Thames and goddess of the .

River Tyburn

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Folsom; a highly placed ally of Lady Ty.

Fleet; another "daughter" of Mama Thames goddess of the .

River Fleet

Lea; the most senior "daughter" of Mama Thames and goddess of the . It's strongly implied that she pre-dates Mama Thames but as a tributary of the Thames has accepted her authority.

River Lea

Brent; a nursery age "daughter" of Mama Thames and goddess of the .

River Brent

Ash; a "son" of Father Thames and god of the .

River Ash

Richard "Lord" Grant; Peter's father, a jazz musician and heroin addict.

; the founder of Modern Magic (in addition to his more widely known scientific achievements).

Isaac Newton

Henry Pyke; vengeful actor, formerly of The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden

revenant

Reception[edit]

The novel was well received, with reviewers citing Aaronovitch's juxtaposition of the magical and the mundane and his storytelling prowess as the novel's main attractors.[9][10]


Writing for The Morning Star Mat Coward stated, of Aaronovitch himself, "he can really write, with a light touch to his humour and characters that really stand out." and followed this with "This novel is a pure delight and I can't wait for the next in the series."[9] Fellow writer Sam Downing praised the novel's humour and characters and found it "one of those 'Aww, I’m at the office already? I wanna keep reading nooooow'-style books."[10] The novel was also well reviewed by Saxon Bullock of SFX who awarded it five out of five stars and stated the novel was "Witty, imaginative and gripping, Rivers of London is a great example of how it's not always about having an astoundingly new idea.", praising Aaronovitch's knowledge of London and his fresh and "clever" approach.[5] Rivers of London was also well reviewed by Fantasy Book Review, with reviewer Joshua Hill stating "Ben Aaronovitch has written a book that never left me disappointed in the choices he made as author, nor in the choices of his characters," referring partly to the characters subdued reaction to the supernatural, which is uncommon in this genre. He further states that "All in all, you have to read this book. Whether you like good writing, good fantasy or urban fantasy, good characters, or simply a breath-taking story set in a breath-taking world, this book is for you."[11]


The novel did not, however, receive universal praise. Writing for SF Reviews, Thomas Wagner awarded the novel three out of a possible five stars, stating that "the more frenzied and harrowing the action becomes, the more it feels exhausting and excessive rather than thrilling." and citing the novel's inconsistent tone as another detractor. Tempering this, however, he does describe the novel's plot as "surprising and imaginative" and the novel as a whole "highly energized".[12] In a review for Londonist, Matt Brown found the plot to be unbelievable, stating that "Emotion is almost entirely absent." and quipping "If you’re looking for a deep novel, this is more trickling Walbrook than mighty Thames." He does, however, also praise the book's "pace, ingenuity and creativity".[13]


The unabridged audio recording of the novel, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, was well received and was shortlisted for the Crimefest Award 2012.[14]

Foreign editions[edit]

As well as the American edition, Rivers of London has been translated into 14 languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Hungarian, Portuguese, Japanese and Czech.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]