New Taiwanese Covers for Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series!


The first four books in Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed, internationally best-selling Rivers of London series (倫敦探案系列) have been given new covers in Taiwan! Originally published between 2016-17, by Marco Polo (馬可孛羅文化事業), read on for some more details for each novel as well as the stunning new covers.

RIVERS OF LONDON, the first in the series, is published in Taiwan as 倫敦河惡靈騷動, and is translated by Zheng Yuxin (鄭郁欣). The new cover is above, and here’s the synopsis…

寒冷週二的凌晨時分,柯芬園聖保羅教堂的西門廊前躺著一具沒有頭的屍體。就要結束實習工作、接下來將分派到倫敦警察廳所屬轄區警局的菜鳥彼得.葛蘭特,基於職責在案發現場盤問了一名衣著老派過時的矮小男子,沒想到對方竟一五一十細細陳述了案發經過,其內容可信度非常高,只不過彼得恐怕沒辦法將這段證詞呈報給調查小組──

誰會相信一個平凡人光揮舞一根球棒就能將被害者的頭敲飛?誰又能接受提供證詞的這位老先生,是個死了足足一百二十年、站在光線下整個人變透明的鬼魂?

不過彼得相信,對現代警察來說,「看得見不存在的事物」是個不可或缺的重要技能,沒想到納丁格爾督察長不但願意接受這聽起來像胡謅的說法,還將彼得納入警察廳內最神祕的特殊犯罪部,聯手調查這樁超自然色彩濃厚的謀殺案。

在這個魔法捲土重來、惡靈騷動再起的時刻,暴力與叛亂已在古老的倫敦城內甦醒,想要解決一連串的詭譎怪案,還得有點福爾摩斯的腦袋與哈利波特的能力才行…

The second novel in the series, MOON OVER SOHO, is published in Taiwan as 蘇活月爵士魅影, and is also translated by Zheng Yuxin.

蘇活區,倫敦夜晚最熱鬧的地方,同時也是爵士樂發展的中心。在那裡,你可以找到歷史悠久且風格各異的酒吧和俱樂部,樂手們全都嚮往登上此處的表演舞臺,演奏最道地動聽的音樂。

一具被判定為自然死亡的屍體上,彼得.葛蘭特聽見了經典爵士樂曲的魔法殘跡,經調查後發現,過去一段時間大倫敦地區每年至少有三名爵士音樂家在演出後二十四小時內死亡,很可能是有某個術士或鬼魂、精靈之類的存在,正有計畫地殺害倫敦的爵士樂人──幾天後,再次傳來某個長號手暴斃的噩耗。

棘手的死亡事件不只一樁,就在魔法爵士殺手再度犯案的當晚,一名中年男子陰莖遭割裂、失血過多死在俱樂部裡,英國最後一位巫師警官納丁格爾告訴彼得,這是「陰牙」造成的傷口,很可能是某種超自然生物所為。

這下子彼得可頭大了,一個以爵士樂手為目標的魔法殺手,與一個擁有傷人利齒的超自然生物,該從哪個方向展開調查才好?首先,彼得必須找尋爵士樂專家的幫助,而他心底已經有了最佳人選……

悠揚輕柔的爵士樂聲響起,為流連倫敦街頭的人們帶來多少歡愉,

曲終人散的某個闇暗角落,躺著一具被魔法奪走性命的沉默軀體。

誰能同時扮演福爾摩斯與哈利波特的角色?只有菜鳥警察彼得.葛蘭特!

Translated by Han Yichen (韓宜辰) and Lin Zhaoling (林詔伶), WHISPERS UNDERGROUND is published as 地底城魔法暗湧 in Taiwan.

二次世界大戰後,英國的巫師所剩無幾,魔法逐漸式微、光明隨之遠離,除了納丁格爾與他唯一認可的學徒彼得.葛蘭特之外,再沒有人使用和練習魔法。然而,黑魔法師無臉男的出現,徹底打破了納丁格爾的認知,原來自一九五○年代起,就有巫師在牛津大學祕密教授魔法,更有學員加入黑暗勢力,製造出邪惡的超自然生物,讓倫敦陷入危機。

找出黑魔法師的真實身分,成為菜鳥警察彼得的當務之急,一樁發生在倫敦地鐵站的命案,卻令彼得不得不分心轉向追查,因為殺害死者的凶器,竟是一塊殘留魔法的陶器碎片。同時,命案死者的敏感身分,也招來了美國FBI派探員跨海介入調查。

死者是否又是一名非法學習法術的巫師?沾有魔法殘跡的陶器從何而來?被要求加入凶案調查小組的彼得,不但得全力追查凶器來源與凶手,還不能讓FBI發現任何「不尋常」的異狀。一方面諜對諜作戰,一方面向河神、半妖等超自然生物打聽情報,彼得這才驚異地發現,在倫敦紛亂複雜的地下鐵深處,很可能潛藏了一座不為人知的神祕之城……

And last, but by no means least, the fourth novel in the series, BROKEN HOMES, is published in Taiwan as 天空塔黑巫再現. Lin Zhaoling also translated this novel.

地底城事件結束後,納丁格爾與他的學徒彼得.葛蘭特體認到,黑魔法師無臉男的勢力已經擴張到他們難以察覺的深處,無論這位黑魔法師真正的目的為何,徹查所有的小鱷魚名單、找出無臉男的真實身分,絕對是當務之急。因此,即便是一樁看似簡單的交通意外,也不能錯過任何線索。

彼得的直覺沒錯,小鱷魚成員的交通意外演變為一件毀屍滅跡的凶殺案;不久之後,竟有第二名可疑的小鱷魚成員在地鐵站內跳軌自殺。一具屍體或許只是意外,但兩具屍體就不可能只是巧合,而且一定與無臉男有關。

為了化被動為主動,彼得決定設下誘餌引無臉男出現,沒想到出現的卻是令他們意想不到的另一個熟面孔,死去的伍德維爾.詹托的看護——凡倫卡,來自俄羅斯的魔法學徒,危險度極高的暗夜女巫。

現在,倫敦有兩名出手凶狠的非法巫師逍遙法外了。最令人擔心的是,暗夜女巫是否與黑魔法師相互聯手?小鱷魚的命案又是何人所為?此時,彼得追查到一本遭竊的德國魔法書,屬於瘋狂建築師艾瑞克.史騰堡所有,更進一步發現這些喪命的死者,都與史騰堡所蓋的空中花園大樓有關……

高掛空中的冠冕,點亮城市的火炬,

魔法與工業的結合,是不切實際的空想,還是真實存在的世紀之作?

The Rivers of London series is published in the UK by Gollancz; in North America by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas); in Germany by DTV; and widely elsewhere in translation.

The ninth novel in the series, the Sunday Times #1 AMONGST OUR WEAPONS, was published this month by Orion Books (UK), DAW Books (North America), and DTV (Germany).

BROKEN HOMES out now in Taiwan!


The fourth novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s best-selling Peter Grant series, BROKEN HOMES is out now in Taiwan! Published by 馬可孛羅文化事業 as 天空塔 黑巫再現. Here’s the synopsis…

地底城事件結束後,納丁格爾與他的學徒彼得.葛蘭特體認到,黑魔法師無臉男的勢力已經擴張到他們難以察覺的深處,無論這位黑魔法師真正的目的為何,徹查所有的小鱷魚名單、找出無臉男的真實身分,絕對是當務之急。因此,即便是一樁看似簡單的交通意外,也不能錯過任何線索。

彼得的直覺沒錯,小鱷魚成員的交通意外演變為一件毀屍滅跡的凶殺案;不久之後,竟有第二名可疑的小鱷魚成員在地鐵站內跳軌自殺。一具屍體或許只是意外,但兩具屍體就不可能只是巧合,而且一定與無臉男有關。

為了化被動為主動,彼得決定設下誘餌引無臉男出現,沒想到出現的卻是令他們意想不到的另一個熟面孔,死去的伍德維爾.詹托的看護──凡倫卡,來自俄羅斯的魔法學徒,危險度極高的暗夜女巫。

現在,倫敦有兩名出手凶狠的非法巫師逍遙法外了。最令人擔心的是,暗夜女巫是否與黑魔法師相互聯手?小鱷魚的命案又是何人所為?此時,彼得追查到一本遭竊的德國魔法書,屬於瘋狂建築師艾瑞克.史騰堡所有,更進一步發現這些喪命的死者,都與史騰堡所蓋的空中花園大樓有關…

高掛空中的冠冕,點亮城市的火炬,魔法與工業的結合,是不切實際的空想,還是真實存在的世紀之作?

The first three novels in the series have also been published in Taiwan: RIVERS OF LONDON (倫敦河 惡靈騷動), MOON OVER SOHO (蘇活月 爵士魅影) and WHISPERS UNDERGROUND (地底城 魔法暗湧).

The series is published by Gollancz in the UK, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). Here’s the English-language synopsis for BROKEN HOMES

A mutilated body in Crawley. Another killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil – an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man? Or just a common garden serial killer?

Before PC Peter Grant can get his head round the case, a town planner going under a tube train and a stolen grimoire are adding to his case-load.

So far so London.

But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on an housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans and inhabited by the truly desperate.

Is there a connection?

And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River?

WHISPERS UNDERGROUND next month in Taiwan!


The third novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s best-selling, critically-acclaimed Peter Grant series is due out in Taiwan next month! WHISPERS UNDERGROUND is due to be published as 地底城 魔法暗湧 by 馬可孛羅文化事業.

The publisher has also released RIVERS OF LONDON (倫敦河 惡靈騷動) and MOON OVER SOHO (蘇活月 爵士魅影) in Taiwan.

The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6), as well as widely in translation. Here is the English-language synopsis for WHISPERS UNDERGROUND

Ben Aaronovitch’s MOON OVER SOHO out now in Taiwan!


aaronovitch-pg2-moonoversohotwn

Ben Aaronovitch‘s MOON OVER SOHO, the second Peter Grant novel, is out now in Taiwan! Published by 馬可孛羅文化事業 as 蘇活月爵士魅影, here’s the synopsis…

蘇活區,倫敦夜晚最熱鬧的地方,同時也是爵士樂發展的中心。在那裡,你可以找到歷史悠久且風格各異的酒吧和俱樂部,樂手們全都嚮往登上此處的表演舞臺,演奏最道地動聽的音樂。

一具被判定為自然死亡的屍體上,彼得·葛蘭特聽見了經典爵士樂曲的魔法殘跡,經調查後發現,過去一段時間大倫敦地區每年至少有三名爵士音樂家在演出後二十四小時內死亡,很可能是有某個術士或鬼魂、精靈之類的存在,正有計畫地殺害倫敦的爵士樂人──幾天後,再次傳來某個長號手暴斃的噩耗。

棘手的死亡事件不只一樁,就在魔法爵士殺手再度犯案的當晚,一名中年男子陰莖遭割裂、失血過多死在俱樂部裡,英國最後一位巫師警官納丁格爾告訴彼得,這是「陰牙」造成的傷口,很可能是某種超自然生物所為。

這下子彼得可頭大了,一個以爵士樂手為目標的魔法殺手,與一個擁有傷人利齒的超自然生物,該從哪個方向展開調查才好?首先,彼得必須找尋爵士樂專家的幫助,而他心底已經有了最佳人選…

馬可孛羅文化事業 also published RIVERS OF LONDON, as 倫敦河惡靈騷動.

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MOON OVER SOHO is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey Books, and has been published widely in translation. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

I was my dad’s vinyl-wallah: I changed his records while he lounged around drinking tea, and that’s how I know my Argo from my Tempo. And it’s why, when Dr Walid called me to the morgue to listen to a corpse, I recognised the tune it was playing. Something violently supernatural had happened to the victim, strong enough to leave its imprint like a wax cylinder recording. Cyrus Wilkinson, part-time jazz saxophonist and full-time accountant, had apparently dropped dead of a heart attack just after finishing a gig in a Soho jazz club. He wasn’t the first.

No one was going to let me exhume corpses to see if they were playing my tune, so it was back to old-fashioned legwork, starting in Soho, the heart of the scene. I didn’t trust the lovely Simone, Cyrus’ ex-lover, professional jazz kitten and as inviting as a Rubens’ portrait, but I needed her help: there were monsters stalking Soho, creatures feeding off that special gift that separates the great musician from someone who can raise a decent tune. What they take is beauty. What they leave behind is sickness, failure and broken lives.

And as I hunted them, my investigation got tangled up in another story: a brilliant trumpet player, Richard ‘Lord’ Grant — my father — who managed to destroy his own career, twice. That’s the thing about policing: most of the time you’re doing it to maintain public order. Occasionally you’re doing it for justice. And maybe once in a career, you’re doing it for revenge.

aaronovitch-pg2-moonoversoho-todate

‘Enormous storytelling gusto… exhilarating and emotionally affecting…’ SF Reviews

‘The excitement and entertainment hasn’t stopped in the slightest…  this book once again blew my mind, and kept me reading well into the late night/early morning. You needn’t pick up RIVERS OF LONDON, Aaronovitch’s first in this series, but you’d regret it by the time you got to the end of MOON OVER SOHO and found out how good it was.’ Fantasy Book Review

‘As funny as it is fantastic… [The plot] hops along happily to a toe-tapping time signature, with a sweet solo here and an awesome cacophony of noise there… vast amounts of fun…’ Speculative Scotsman

MOON OVER SOHO is a gripping continuation of RIVER OF LONDON’s well executed blend of police-procedural and fantasy with a good splash of horror thrown in. This is urban fantasy done with a loving attention to detail and enlivened by an ever present wit making this series a must-read for anyone who likes their fantasy with a strong edge of realism.’ SF Book Reviews

‘A fantastic follow-up to MIDNIGHT RIOT. Aaronovitch does a great job of bringing even minor characters to life. One of Grant’s fellow cops, Leslie, plays a minor role throughout the story – but her involvement is an emotional cornerstone that brings a surprisingly bittersweet element into play… MOON OVER SOHO is an excellent addition to the paranormal police genre.’ Examiner

MOON OVER SOHO is very good. Ben Aaronovitch continues the successful formula of RIVERS OF LONDON in bringing to the surface the endearing minutae of a city that he clearly adores. He also demonstrates the “real world” problems of a ritual magician trying to have some sort of ‘normal’ life… Grant continues to observe his world(s) in a detached way – a narrative voice that lends itself well to dry humor (and fits less neatly with the book’s few over-the-top action scenes). Mr. Aaronovitch is, in short, writing the best contemporary occult detective series on the shelf today, and that’s by a substantial margin.’ Pornokitsch