Rivers of London

A fun urban fantasy thats funny, smart, and -in more ways than one- magical. It reads like a comic book, colourful, dynamic, and full of memorable characters.

This novel really exemplifies my idea of Urban Fantasy as a British counterpart to South American Magical Realism wherein instead of the South American approach of “that's just how it is” when it comes to the fantastical, we see an approach more like “that's not right but also none of my business,” that is so delightfully British.

Told through the voice of Constable Peter Grant who finds himself plunged into the world of wizards and magic hidden in plain sight, it has that great, signature, British dry sense of humour that juggles the absurd and mundane fans of Hitchhikers Guide would not be strangers to.

Peter plays the straight man much like Arthur Dent does in HGTTG but in a refreshing way where he isn't fumbling, bullheaded, and infuriatingly in constant denial of his new reality. Instead we see a protagonist that is smart, capable, and endearing in a way you'd want most main characters to be. Kudos to the author in how his character was unfurled to the readers, he really is my favourite part of the book.

Credits also to the book's clean, straightforward storytelling, though not the most complicated of all stories it is filled with so many characters with their own interests and agendas. It was nice that I, queen of short attention spans and lack of focus, was able to keep track of everyone and not mix any of them up. It was a fun and satisfying read from beginning to end.

The only minor gripe I may have with the book is how Peter sometimes talks about women he finds attractive (it's a very boys books so some degree of it should be expected). Nevertheless, I don't think it really took away from the story, it may have even added some gross realism to Peter's character, nobody's perfect after all. He does get called out on it at one point by an angry river spirit which I do appreciate.

As Peter says in the book to the spirit of the London mob, they have to leave us wanting more. I think they succeeded in that aspect, at least with this reader.