Rivers of London

Rivers of London, Ben Aaronovitch – 2011

As befits a police novel, I must begin with a confession: Rivers of London was not what I had originally intended to be my first Yuletide post; indeed I'd hoped to go with Joe Hill's NOS4A2, which is at least a horror novel set at Christmas, or even a re-read of Pratchett's Hogfather, which is to Christmas what Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October is to Halloween. However, as it took me much longer than expected to get through Canavan's Thief's Magic, along with all the normal festive mayhem, here we are, with the first title in Ben Aarononvitch's Rivers of London series.

There are some genres that just fit together extremely well, and combining detective/police procedural with elements of fantasy and horror goes back almost as far as the genres themselves. Indeed, given that Edgar Allen Poe is not only one of the great writers of horror and the uncanny, but also single-handedly created the modern detective story, they may be said to be inextricably tied together. Even after they had begun to part ways with the rise of the Victorian amateur sleuth, the most famous tale of the most famous detective in the world pitted Sherlock Holmes against an apparently spectral beast in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Today, with work from such varied writers as Jim Butcher, Laurell K. Hamilton and Derek Landy there are vast numbers of supernatural-crime novels out there, with only the occasional one, such as China Meiville’s The City and The City, bringing anything startling new to the table. That said, as SFX's review of Aaronovitch's début ovelpoints out 'it’s not always about having an astoundingly new idea'1 often it is enough for a novel to be well written and fun to read. 

Probationary PC Peter Grant is about to be assigned to a division as a full member of the London MET, when, guarding a crime scene after a particularly vicious murder, he encounters and interviews an unusual witness to the killing; a ghost. Though his constant sparring-flirting partner, PC Lesley May – clearly destined for great things in the police service, unlike Peter – thinks he should just wave it off as a hallucination, he returns to the scene, and meets instead DCI Thomas Nightingale. The next morning, as he prepares to be assigned to a soul-crushing admin role, Peter instead finds himself transferred to the Folly, the now two-man division headed by Nightingale, that deals with magical and supernatural crimes in London. As well as starting to learn magic, Peter’s first duties include brokering a peace between Mama and Father Thames, the Gods of the River. Meanwhile, however, the seemingly random violent assaults and killings continue, and each one makes clearer the supernatural nature of the events, particularly when the perpetrators’ faces begin to twist, growing hooked noses and pointed chins, and they scream, as they bludgeon their victims to death, ‘That’s the way to do it!’.

There are some excellent elements to Rivers of London, not least of which is Aaronovitch's superb characterisation of our narrator/protagonist Peter Grant. It would have been easy to make him a stereotypical Watsonian figure, constantly awed and baffled by Nightingale, and indeed, it is clearly shown early in the novel that Grant is far from an excellent policeman. However, we quickly learn Grant's strengths, his patience, determination and empathy, and, as we learn more about Grant's African heritage and his drug-addicted father, we discover how charming a narrator he is; wry and cynical while never losing his warmth. Indeed, all of the characters are wonderfully sketched; Nightingale is stiff and awkward, whilst also possessing old-world gentlemanly polish, the non-magical police are allowed to be competent professionals rather than Lestrade-esque* stereotypes and Lesley May delivers line after line that manages to be both caustic and affectionate. The presentation of the Gods of the River, Mama and Father Thames, is fascinating, as is the explanation for how they came to be and the extent to which they are actually divine. Aaronovitch's depiction of Mama Thames as an impossibly attractive, erotic African woman sometimes verges on exoticism, but is balanced so well by Grant's reflections on his childhood and his very down-to-earth, ordinary African mother that this is avoided.

Elsewhere, there are some great touches. The flirting between Grant and Lesley May is excellently written, as are the interactions between Grant and Beverly Brook, one of Mama Thames' daughters/tributaries, with whom Grant has an intense, mutual attraction. These moments are handled very carefully, as Aaronovitch allows us access to Grant's thoughts as he checks the young woman out, without making him seem predatory or pervy, helped considerably by her reciprocation. Aaronovitch also skilfully establishes the rules of his fantastical world, and when Grant and therefore the reader are kept in the dark as to what they may be, we are left in no doubt that, no matter how mysterious and hidden they are, there are rules governing the magic. This of course is essential for fantasy, in order to avoid the 'it's magic: we don't have to explain it'2 trope. It is also to Aarnovitch's credit that he does not spend a long time with Grant in denial; once Grant experiences the supernatural he accepts it quickly and the plot does not grind to a halt while he struggles with his newfound knowledge. Most of all, however, what comes bursting through the text is Aaronovitch's deep love for, and fascination with, the city of London, and his enthusiasm is so infectious that it made me want to jump on a train, head for the centre and start walking around the capital.

Indeed, my only slight criticism comes with our villain. If the end of the above summary didn't give it away, the central antagonist is finally revealed to be Mr Punch, the embodiment of anarchy, violence and mayhem. Aaronivitch is not the only writer to tap into the eerie, nasty quality of Punch and Judy, and my issue, although it's difficult to see how it could be altered, is that perhaps he doesn't dig quite deeply enough into the bottomless creepy potential of the puppet.

Rivers of London is not a book that will change the genre, and is all the better for it. It is a fun, violent, charming book that charges through its 400 odd pages at lightning speed and leaves you desperate for the next in the series in the hope that it will be half such a cracking read. That's the way to do it, all right!


Happy Holidays, all!


*Yes, I know in the original stories Lestrade is actually a pretty good policeman, but he's the most famous of the 'even WATSON'S cleverer than him' trope.

Link to Orion books where the novel can be bought: https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/Authors/Ben+Aaronovitch.page?AuthorName=Ben+Aaronovitch

1http://www.gamesradar.com/rivers-of-london-by-ben-aaronovitch-e28093-book-review/



2http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/OneMoreDay – check 'A Wizard Did It'….