The Masqueraders of Spring, by Ben Aaronovitch

[=Tamar]

The Masqueraders of Spring, by Ben Aaronovitch (2024) was unexpectedly amusing. I had given up on the series quite a few books ago as they were spiraling down into a direction I don't enjoy. This one was loaned to me by a friend who said it was different, and it was. It's a fairly light-hearted tale set in the 1920s, written in a decent copy of the style of P.G.Wodehouse, except for a few more serious elements (after all, it is an Aaronovitch book). Recommended.

 

[Molokov]

It was definitely a deviation, but I've liked everything in Rivers of London so far (including the comics, which are great!). Stone and Sky came out recently, which is a full length novel, set back in the modern day, with Peter and Abigail both being first person narrators.

I think since the end of the Faceless Man arc (which was about book 7 or 8, I want to say), everything has been pretty much standalone, with the occasional novella thrown in (The October Man, Winter's Gifts, What Abigail Did That Summer, and Masquerades of Spring) plus comics; There's not really been any sort of "big overarching plot" in the novels themselves. I thought something may have been introduced in "Amongst Our Weapons", but there was no follow up to that in "Stone and Sky", so perhaps it will remain in the background for a while longer.

 

[Quatermass]

Sorry, is this book part of the Rivers of London series? Is it a prequel, or what? Forgive my ignorance, but I haven't read the series since the first one, and honestly, I prefer Aaronovitch's Doctor Who novels...

 

[=Tamar]

Yes, it is part of the Rivers of London series, BUT it is a prequel and in my opinion it qualifies as a spinoff at the moment. I stopped reading the main series but a friend recommended this one after hearing me complain about the way the series got more depressing.

 

[Quatermass]

Fair enough. I stopped reading Charles Stross' Laundry series because of how depressing it was getting, and I daresay the same will happen if George RR Martin actually releases the next A Song of Ice and Fire book (honestly, it happened while I was reading his Wild Cards books...well, edited by him and contributed, but still). And I heard similar things about the web serial Worm and its sequel, Ward. And that's just the books I can name off the top of my head...

In any case, I might consider reading this at a later date. I have very vague memories of reading the original book in this series (if I recall correctly, it was about the embodiment of Mr Punch causing trouble?), so maybe I need a refresher.

That being said, paranormal crime stories tend not to interest me as much. I tried getting into the Dresden Files, and it didn't quite do it for me.