Rivers of London / Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London

aka Midnight Riot 
(Peter Grant # 1)
by Ben Aaronovitch

horror, young adult

copyright 2011
read in October 2014

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31jan24:

I've read this book several times. Each re-read had moved my opinion closer to... this book is horror.

I originally had it as fantasy. But... There is possession by an evil spirit. Several brutal murders. Absolutely awful damage to the possessed. (Yes, even worse than the damage to the victims of murder.

This is nasty. It is horror.

It is also police procedural, which is entertaining. Though the "humour" is more "insulting sarcasm".

I was looking for an enjoyable re-read, I am not enjoying, not enjoying the brutality.  I may stop reading... maybe not? ... There is enjoyment. But it's overlaid with unpleasant nastiness.

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Original review from oct 2014 is below. It reflects the difference between reading very quickly and re-reading more carefully:

oct 2014: rated 8/10: really quite good

I read the third (or possibly the fourth?) Peter Grant book. Enjoyed it so much that I wanted to read the first.

This first book of the Peter Grant series -- Rivers of London -- is well worth reading !

This is a "young adult" book. There are certain boxes that must be ticked, in order to appeal to the target audience of male teenagers. I describe some of these in my review of Blood Rites, by Jim Butcher.

The hero is young but adult. Skilled but learning. Being watched carefully and with suspicion by his elders and "betters". And there is lust but no sex (that happens in a later book).

Rivers of London ticks the same boxes as Blood Rites. But Rivers ticks them subtly. With far less of the over the top comic book imagery of Butcher's Harry Dresden books.

I enjoy them both. But to me, Peter Grant is better written. As a novel, that is... As a comic book with no pictures, Dresden could be the winner.

I also enjoy the setting... Peter Grant was born, grew up, lives and works in London. The city of London is an essential background to the stories. And I get the impression that Aaronovitch both knows and loves the city of London.

Yet this novel is not perfect.

The Rivers of London of the title are key characters in the story. (Confused ? It's a fantasy. Read the book.) The Rivers are key characters yet they are not essential to the main plot.

There is murder and mayhem in modern London. Policeman Peter Grant has to solve the crimes. He does this by following careful police procedures -- another enjoyable aspect of the book ! -- and by using his magical skills.

Meanwhile, he has to sort out a disagreement between Rivers.

There is a small overlap of characters but really, it is two separate plots. It's well explained but it's a bit of a distraction.

I expect my novels to give me one major plot, perhaps with a series of subplots. I'm happy with minor plots that add variety and interest to the story.

Yet Rivers offers two strong plots. And the one related to the title of the book is the lesser of the two.

It's a weakness in the novel. It does not distract from my reading enjoyment !

I enjoyed reading book three of this series. I looked for book one, and am glad that I did. Now I need to find a copy of book two...

And I hope that there is still a book four, either written or on the way !

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Problems ? Solved 

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03mar19: A re-read -- and I enjoyed this book as much as the first time. With one extra: The violence is rather nasty.

Did I miss the nastiness of the violence ? Was I in a more accepting -- of violence -- mood ? Whatever the reason, this time I am uncomfortable with the number of "innocent bystanders" who are killed or injured. And the way in which they are injured is... unpleasant.

Oh well. Nasty. Funny. Still very enjoyable.

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Blood Rites / Jim Butcher

Blood Rites
(Dresden Files # 6)
by Jim Butcher

young adult, fantasy, horror

copyright 2004
read in October 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I've said it before... in a Dresden Files review: you can't go back.

I read half of Butcher's books. Read a lot of other books. Then went back to Dresden... And found that my view of the books has completely changed.

Yes, Blood Rites is a lot of fun. Yes, I still like Harry Dresden. But I wonder how I managed to miss the ticking of all the boxes to deliberately appeal to horny teenage boys.

This book -- this series -- is young adult. Young, male, adult.

The hero is adult, but not a part of the establishment. Like any teenage boy he has the ability, he still needs to prove his worth. The elders won't allow him to do what he knows is right.

And he knows right from wrong. In fact... an actual weakness of this book... he spends several pages explaining to the reader just how right he is with his ethical standards.

The final tick for young adult appeal, is sex.

The hero is regularly distracted by thoughts of sex. He is surrounded by incredibly sexy women. There are knickers on display, and more. (Or should that be, less ? )

Yet succumbing to lust would be the first step on the slippery slope to hell... Or, in this book, on the slippery slope to becoming a slave to the vampires. So the hero resists.

It seems essential, in young adult books, that the hero wants sex, nearly gets sex, but remains chaste. (In a later book the hero actually says no, because it would be taking advantage of a young and vulnerable girl. Of legal age, but much younger than the hero.)

What we have, is a moral fable. With action, adventure and magic. Oh, and vampires, which is why I have added horror to the categories. When I read the first few Dresden stories I saw the action, adventure and magic. But I missed -- or ignored -- the moral fable.

So really, this book is just as good as all the others... Actually, no. In Blood Rites the young adult essentials are a bit heavy-handed. But it's still a lot of fun.

I still want to read the entire series.

But if I'd read this book first... and had seen the formulaic approach to attracting the target audience... I might not have read any more.

Perhaps six out of ten is a bit unfair. There's more nudity and more almost-sex than in the other books in the series. Balanced by more of the other young adult attractors... Either that, or I'm more aware of these aspects of the book.

Whatever the reason, this book is not as good as others in the series.

Still. There are a lot of good books in the series. Every author is entitled to an off day. It's still a clever and enjoyable book.

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Problems ? Solved