Category Archives: Fantasy

The Peter Grant Books

by Anna

Midnight Riot and Moon Over Soho
by Ben Aaronovitch

The cover of Midnight Riot, Ben Aaronovitch’s debut novel (he has previously written episodes of Doctor Who), has a praise blurb from Charlaine Harris. I get that Charlaine Harris is a popular bestseller, and I sincerely hope that her quote helped Aaronovitch sell more books, but it inspired in me similar outrage as Roger Ebert giving Nicholas Sparks my current favorite author burn:

“I resent the sacrilege Nicholas Sparks commits by even mentioning himself in the same sentence as Cormac McCarthy. I would not even allow him to say “Hello, bookstore? This is Nicholas Sparks. Could you send over the new Cormac McCarthy novel?” He should show respect by ordering anonymously.”

Now, I’m not daring to say that Ben Aaronovitch compares to Cormac McCarthy, but he is a significantly better author than Charlaine Harris.

The praise blurb on the back of the book says, “Midnight Riot is what would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the Fuzz.” (Diana Gabaldon) I would say rather it is like if The X Files was British and funny. I’m not entirely clear on what the difference between those two is, maybe that the magic elements are addressed in a practical, scientific manner.

Here’s the highest praise I can give a book: the protagonist, Peter Grant (“rookie cop and magical apprentice”) catches onto plot twists as quickly as I do as the reader. Pretty much as soon as I start to think, “hmm, that other character seems kind of suspicious,” Peter Grant thinks the same thing and acts on it. It is extremely satisfying as a reader.

The third book in the series, Whispers Under Ground, is due out in May 2012, and I can hardly wait!

A Night in the Lonesome October

by Anna

Cover Photo: A Night in the Lonesome OctoberOne of my comfort books, A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny, is an especially good read this month, of course, leading up to Halloween. I reread it just about every year. (This year I’m working through a Stephen King book in honor of Halloween; review pending, but so far it’s falling far short of this book).

A Night in the Lonesome October is actually all the nights in October; it is broken up into 31 short chapters, one for each day in October, and is narrated by a dog. The writing and structure of the book both make it read like a book for young readers, but the plot is full of intrigue and murders that may not necessarily be appropriate for all ages. The dog narrator belongs to Jack the Ripper, who is also the protagonist while still doing the sort of things Jack the Ripper would do (however, no prostitutes are harmed in the making of this story).

For me, it is the perfect combination of the whimsy of a children’s book applied to an adult plot, but it is such an unusual combination that I think it wouldn’t be every reader’s cup of tea. Additionally, if you really love Roger Zelazny’s other works, like the Princes of Amber series, you may not love this one. It is so unlike any of his other works that it feels like it is from a different Roger Zelazny. I myself read this book first, and was subsequently disappointed in all his other works, which are much more serious, convoluted, and adult (less narrating dogs, too).

As you may have noticed, I haven’t even touched on the plot of the book; I don’t want to give away even the most superficial plot points—just read it and have a happy Halloween!