So for example, in Moon Over Soho, our hero is running after a suspect and then this completely irrelevant piece of information cuts abruptly into the narrative:

Many times those history lessons and asides happen right bang in the middle of an action scene. Plus, one of the downsides of so much interesting data and history being talked about by the narrator is that often they become cumbersome and info-dumpy. It is a book full of illogical developments (there is someone targeting Jazz players and Peter tells his father to go and join a Jazz band and start doing gigs!) and questionable character development (especially with regards to Leslie and how Peter just dismisses her questions about magic).

That said, I was extremely disappointed with Moon Over Soho (Gollancz (UK)/Del Rey (US), 2011, 288 pages). I love that his London is just like the London I know: full of people from all walks of life. I also love that Peter is a PoC and that the books address systemic and direct racism. Another wining aspect of these books is Peter’s funny and (occasionally) charming geeky voice and how he often dwells on the rules of being a copper as well as how he tries to understand the magic he does from a scientific approach. And because our narrator himself has a passion for architecture and history, that knowledge seeps into the narrative and is often very engaging and interesting. Peter Grant’s London is amazing and each book shows a different side of the city. In Urban Fantasy, the “Urban” part is obviously really important and often the city is as major a character as the protagonist. There are things that make the series distinctive: one of the reasons why I loved the first book so much was its incredible mixture of history and theatre as well as its great sense of location. It features an overarching plot with a Big Bad (the discovery of a “Dark Magician” who is causing havoc in London) and a Monster-of-the-Week per book.

In a very elementary way it is just like any UF I have ever read featuring an eager protagonist learning the ropes of a new reality (in this case, a young constable who is learning that there is an underground supernatural world and that he is a magician who needs to control his power). The Peter Grant series is a curious animal for me. After reading Moon Over Soho (didn’t like) and Whispers Under Ground (enjoyed), I realised that I had more thoughts about the series overall rather than each book. With the release of book 4 Broken Homes just around the corner I decided it was time to catch up. I read ( and loved) Rivers of London/Midnight Riot (Gollancz (UK)/Del Rey (US), 2011, 400 pages) the first book in Ben Aaronovitch’s UF series in early 2011 and have been meaning to carry on with the series ever since. WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES.

Ben aaronovitch books