It took me a bit longer than I had anticipated but I have finished reading the last couple Rivers of London entries. Well, a novella and a novel; not sure if there's been a comic or short story lately.
Finishing The Masquerades of Spring was slightly bittersweet as my wife and I were supposed to see Ben Aaronovitch at a promotional event for it back in 2024. But she unceremoniously cancelled our trip to the UK and I was unable to get a refund on my ticket to the event. I hope Mr. Aaronovitch put my $15 or whatever it was to good use.
A novella, it is told from the point of view of one Augustus Berrycloth-Young, a British ex-pat residing in New York City during the 1920s who is more than a bit of a dandy. His libertine lifestyle is interrupted when Nightingale shows up seeking help investigating a saxophone with seemingly supernatural powers.
It's a fun trek through the demimonde of 1920s New York. Since Augustus is gay and his lover is black, the story deals with homophobia and racism, though I don't feel that it ever got preachy.
Stone & Sky is a full-length novel and features Peter Grant on summer holiday in Scotland - the Aberdeen area. He's there with his significant other, Beverley Brook, their twins, and his parents to boot. Also enjoying the sights is Nightingale and his latest novice, Abigail Kamara.
Things are going alright with Peter having to keep the twins out of trouble and helping his dad's jazz band with their gigs. Then he gets dragged into an investigation of a murder by the local constabulary where it is discovered that the victim has gills.
Peter's sleuthing yields that the local fae - think selkie, kelpie - have become entangled with a large energy company looking to milk the North Sea oil taps dry.
Another fun entry in the Rivers of London series. Nightingale has a minor role and, in a twist, the narrative is split between accounts by Peter and Abigail. Peter juggles obligations family and Folly while Abigail strikes out on her own, largely. Of course she has the snarky fox Indigo to accompany her. In pursuit of a panther of unknown origins, Abigail encounters Ione and develops a Sapphic fondness for her and learns that there is more to Ione that meets the eye.
I loved the Scottish dialogue and hearing that accent in my mind.
At one point I encountered this text:
After my trip to Birmingham last year, I read this knowing where the Black Country is and what a Brummie is. Travel really does broaden the mind. A little Londoner prejudice on the part of Aaronovitch? Ha!
Two very fun tales. It was really nice to get caught up in the series. I shall have to see if any new Rivers of London comics have been published in the last few years.
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