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Ben Aaronovitch’s FALEŠNÁ HODNOTA out now!

Posted on Thursday, September 30th, 2021

The Czech edition of FALSE VALUE is out now! The eighth novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed, best-selling Rivers of London/Peter Grant series, it is published in Czechia by Argo, as FALEŠNÁ HODNOTA. Here’s the synopsis…

Nové dobrodružství Petera Granta… a zároveň nový rozjezd! Jsme stále v Londýně, ale Peter už nepracuje u metropolitní policie. Po uzavření případu Muže bez tváře a dalších peripetiích se Peter usazuje, připravuje se na otcovskou roli a zároveň čelí poněkud nejisté budoucnosti. Nastupuje do soukromého sektoru, do IT firmy Terrence Skinnera, kde věci nejsou takové, jaké se zdají být. V rámci zaměstnání se musí naučit splynout s civilisty, kteří jsou ještě větší geekové než on, byť nadále zůstává v kontaktu se starými známými, jež ho provázeli při dřívějších vyšetřováních, ať operují v Rozmaru nebo třeba v Americe. A i zde má samozřejmě slovo magie. Pracoviště skrývá tajemství, technologii, která je sice high-tech a zkoumá možnosti umělé inteligence, ale má kořeny u Ady Lovelaceové a Charlese Babbage.

V pořadí osmý román série Řeky Londýna má všechno, na co jsme byli zvyklí z dřívějších částí – humor i svérázný pohled na svět – a také něco navíc: třeba to, že firma, kde teď Peter působí, nese silný otisk světa Stopařova průvodce po galaxii!

Argo has published all of the other previous novels in Ben’s series in Czechia, as well as a couple of his novellas and comic series (the latter co-authored with Andrew Cartmel).

FALSE VALUE is published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by DAW Books; it is also available in Germany, published by DTV (as EIN WEISSER SCHWAN IN TABERNACLE STREET). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm.

Leaving his old police life behind, he takes a job with Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner’s new London start up: the Serious Cybernetics Corporation.

Drawn into the orbit of Old Street’s famous ‘silicon roundabout’, Peter must learn how to blend in with people who are both civilians and geekier than he is. Compared to his last job, Peter thinks it should be a doddle.

But magic is not finished with the Met’s first trainee wizard in fifty years…

Because a secret is hiding somewhere in the building. A technology that stretches back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and forward to the future of artificial intelligence. A secret that is just as magical as it technological – and twice as dangerous.

Here are just a few of the reviews the novel has received so far…

‘Aaronovitch showcases a superlative blend of whimsy and grit in the eighth Rivers of London urban fantasy… The suspenseful mystery at the novel’s core is laced with humor and charm. Jim Butcher meets Douglas Adams in this winning series installment.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘… sees Peter taking on new responsibilities both at work and at home and there’s a definite shift in tone towards the stranger side of magic and the broader implications of what a resurgence of strangeness means to the world at large. Aaronovitch is clearly having a blast building on the world he’s already created… The main character is a delight as always… The tone is light, witty, and action packed as always. Cinematic where has to be and detective chic in other places. And, as always, the description of London is so solid and real that you can practically feel the familiar layer of grime the city has… As always, Ben Aaronovitch takes the reader on an unforgettable ride into the fantastic.’ — Starburst (9/10)

‘… my favorite current series… delightful, compulsive and fresh — with a love of multicultural London evident on every page, wonderfully diverse characters, magic, mystery, and mayhem. Once you start, you will literally not be able to put them down.’ — Lavie Tidhar in Washington Post

‘Wonderfully blending technology and magic… Aaronovitch creates a fantastic blend of real-world London, harbouring a secret magical underground, delicately interwoven with an alternative history that touches on the origins of computer programming and the work of Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage… a solid crime/detective novel that provides fans of the series with another entertaining adventure for Peter Grant complete with dark humour and explosive action.’ — SciFi Now

‘FALSE VALUE is a rousing episode in the Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series’ — Canberra Times

‘[A] great read… I enjoyed the new direction and dynamics introduced here. Big things are clearly coming for Peter Grant and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next book will take us.’ — Bibliosanctum

‘[A]nother unmissable instalment of the Rivers of London series’… FALSE VALUE is a welcome addition to the collection and long may they keep coming — Crime Review

‘Packed with treasures and little bits of history and illusion this latest adventure from Ben Aaronovitch sends Peter deep into the ‘silicon roundabout’… What I love about these stories is the way they are told. You could be listening directly to the author, no filters and straightforward dialogue by real people. Peter is great and Nightingale as the much older generation is the comforting hand on the shoulder…’ — SF Crowsnest

Lavie Tidhar’s JUDGE DEE AND THE POISONER OF MONTMARTRE is Out Now!

Posted on Thursday, September 23rd, 2021

There’s a new Judge Dee short story! Lavie Tidhar‘s JUDGE DEE AND THE POISONER OF MONTMARTRE is out now! Published on Tor.com and as an eBook, here’s the synopsis…

Judge Dee returns to solve a new case involving a Parisian party gone wrong. But this time? Everyone in attendance is a suspect, including the judge himself.

This is the third short story in the series, following JUDGE DEE AND THE LIMITS OF THE LAW and JUDGE DEE AND THE THREE DEATHS OF COUNT WERDENFELS (also published by Tor.com and as eBooks).

Check Out the Covers for MONDAY, MONDAY #4!

Posted on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021

Today, we have the three covers for Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel‘s MONDAY, MONDAY #4! The three covers are by Abigail Jill Harding (above), Vv Glass, and David Buisian (below). Due to be published by Titan Comics on October 6th, here’s the synopsis for this issue:

A werewolf is on the loose in London and will stop at nothing to avoid capture!

Titan Comics has published all of the Rivers of London comics to date.

The Rivers of London comics are set in the same world as Ben’s internationally-bestselling, acclaimed Peter Grant / Rivers of London series of novels and novellas — published in the UK by Gollancz; in North America by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas); it is also published widely in translation.

WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER Out Now in UK Paperback!

Posted on Thursday, September 16th, 2021

The paperback edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed novella WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER is out now in the UK! Published by Gollancz, it is set in the author’s best-selling Rivers of London world, and is the first to star Abigail Kamara. Here’s the synopsis…

Ghost hunter, fox whisperer, troublemaker.

It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake.

While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks chasing unicorns, Abigail is chasing her own mystery. Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged, the teens return home – unharmed but vague about where they’ve been.

Aided only by her new friend Simon, her knowledge that magic is real, and a posse of talking foxes that think they’re spies, Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly – why?

Here are just a few of the reviews the novella has received so far…

‘Aaronovitch’s trademark humor is the highlight of his ninth Rivers of London urban fantasy (after FALSE VALUE). Here, he focuses on London teenager Abigail Kamara, a supporting character in previous books who’s occasionally assisted apprentice wizard Peter Grant, a member of a supernatural branch of the Metropolitan Police… Kamara is an endearing protagonist who is more than capable of carrying future books. Series fans are sure to enjoy this.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER focuses of Abigail Kamara, Peter’s precocious teenage cousin who has caught the scent of magic and wants to know more, despite all the dangers. Abigail is intelligent, curious and very much the trouble-maker… Aaronovitch quickly finds a voice for Abigail; she’s smart and nerdy, brave and wise enough to stay alive, but really not very cautious. One of the novella’s gags come in form of various footnotes explaining her youthful turn of phrase, which is actually quite handy for the older reader. Oh, and it has the most charming map of Hampstead Heath we’ve seen in a long while, and it’s almost worth it just for that. This is a nice change of style and pace for fans of the series and a great introduction for those looking for a fun fantasy read.’ — Starburst (5* Review!)

‘Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London universe keeps sending new rivulets in unexpected directions… Abigail is smart and curious, a wonderful combination but one that also puts her in peril… Not only does Aaronovitch’s writing bring Abigail fully to life, it also builds a story that is worthy of her and delivers potent insights about being a teenage girl, which is doubly remarkable because it’s not a perspective you often see outside YA fiction…’ — Locus

‘I doubt I really need to recommend WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER to people who have read other parts of the series, but for those that have not, it is a great place to start, with an entertaining mix of humour, suspense, and a perfectly crafted world.’ — Independent

‘Tremendous fun from start to finish’ — Grimdark Magazine

‘A total joy to read – there are moments of darkness, especially in Abigail’s backstory, but it had me laughing out loud throughout’ — Track of Words

THE CANDY MAFIA Paperback Out Now!

Posted on Wednesday, September 8th, 2021

A new paperback edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed THE CANDY MAFIA is out now in North America! Published by Peachtree, here’s the synopsis…

Twelve-year-old private detective Nelle is swept up in a world of candy smuggling in this humorous middle grade mystery from World Fantasy Award-winner Lavie Tidhar!

Nelle Faulkner is a preteen private detective who solves cases from her mother’s garden shed. She also lives in a city where the mayor has prohibited candy and kid-led candy gangs are thriving.

So when notorious candy gangster Eddie de Menthe asks for her help finding a missing teddy bear, Nelle Faulkner is on the case. But when the teddy turns up, Eddie himself goes missing, and Nelle and her friends quickly find themselves swept up in a shady underworld of sweets smugglers, back alley deals, and storefront firebombs.

If Nelle has any hope of tracking down her missing client, she’ll first have to unmask the true faces behind the smuggling ring. Can she and her friends find a way to take the cake? Or will they come to a sticky end?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Bugsy Malone in this entertaining, action-packed mystery from World Fantasy Award-winning author Lavie Tidhar. With moody illustrations by Daniel Duncan, readers will be instantly pulled into the fun.

The novel is also available in the UK, published by Scholastic, and in a growing number of international editions as well.

If you’re interested in more CANDY-related content, Lavie has also made a mobile game, which you can find here!

Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘It won’t take a detective to spot Willie Wonka, as well as Sam Spade, hidden in the tongue-in-cheek caper’s literary DNA.’ ― Booklist, Starred Review

‘In his first book for younger readers, he creates perhaps his most chilling vision yet: a city where sweets are forbidden under a prohibition act… The tone is as hard-boiled as a cough drop. The jokes sizzle like Space Dust. CANDY is a treat, the kind of confection Roald Dahl and Raymond Chandler might have come up with after an all-night bonbon bender.’ — Financial Times

‘Noir tropes loom large in Tidhar’s fast-paced story, with a gutsy gumshoe, a hardboiled narrative voice (“I needed a job even worse than I needed a caramel fudge”), and enough action to keep young readers on their toes.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Due to the wonderfully fluent writing style, the pleasantly short chapters and the rousing plot, I devoured the book in record time. For girls and boys from the age of 10, who like to read exciting, funny, imaginative detective stories, “Secret Agent Candy” is just perfect. I really hope that this is a start of a series and we will soon be able to solve their second, tricky case together with Nelle… Exciting, funny, bizarre and just awesome!’ — Die Bücherwelt von CorniHolmes (Germany)

10th Anniversary Edition of Lavie Tidhar’s OSAMA is Out Now!

Posted on Thursday, September 2nd, 2021

In just two weeks, Head of Zeus are due to publish the 10th Anniversary edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s World Fantasy Award-winning novel, OSAMA! In addition to the striking new cover, this edition includes a new introduction and three short stories! Here’s the synopsis…

It’s a rainy day when the woman approaches Joe. He is a private detective and she is looking for someone, as these things often go. Her quarry is the obscure author of a series of pulp novels featuring one Osama bin Laden: Vigilante.

Joe’s quest will take him across the world in search of the writer. And every step of the way – from the backwaters of Laos to Paris and London – he is plagued, by assailants he cannot name, by questions he cannot hope to answer and by ghostly entities he cannot seem to shake.

Joe knows how the story should end, but even he is not ready for the truths he will find in New York and atop a quiet hill above Kabul, nor for the choice he will have to make there…

Here are just a few of the great reviews OSAMA has received since it was first published…

‘He is a political writer, an iconoclast and sometimes a provocateur … OSAMA is a remarkable and ambitious work.’ — China Mieville

‘… deserves to be widely read.’ — Adam Roberts

‘A provocative and fast moving tale that raises good questions not only about the heritage of Al Qaeda, but about the slippage between reality and sensational fiction that sometimes seems to define our own confused and contorted experience of the last couple of decades.’ — Gary K. Wolfe, Locus

‘A roller-coaster ride… [a] fabulous opium-soaked political thriller… pulls out all the stops.’ — Rolling Stone (Germany)

‘Moving seamlessly between intense realism and equally intense surrealism, OSAMA is a powerful and disturbing political fantasy by a talent who deserves the attention of all serious readers.’ — Strange Horizons

‘I would make this required reading.’ — SF Signal

‘OSAMA is written with both an obvious affection for genre fiction and a sense of wild-eyed disbelief at the insanity of a world where people fly planes into skyscrapers. 4.5/5 stars.’ — SFX

‘Offers perhaps the weirdest fictional take yet on Osama Bin Laden in this offbeat and enigmatic thriller.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘OSAMA is exceptional. Compelling, confrontational, and surprisingly moving, it is one of the best novels yet on terror in our times.’ — World Literature Today

Head of Zeus also publishes Tidhar’s acclaimed BY FORCE ALONE, the first novel in his Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet. The second novel in that series, THE HOOD, is due to be published October.

BY FORCE ALONE is also available in North America, published by Tor Books.

RIVERS OF LONDON: MONDAY, MONDAY #3 out now!

Posted on Wednesday, September 1st, 2021

The third issue in Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s RIVERS OF LONDON: MONDAY, MONDAY is out today! Published by Titan Comics, and with artwork by José Maria Beroy, the issue is available with three different covers. Here’s the synopsis…

A werewolf is on the loose in London and will stop at nothing to avoid capture!

An unmissable new era in the life of detective wizard, Peter Grant!

MONDAY, MONDAY is the ninth Rivers of London comic story-arc, all of which are published by Titan Comics in the UK and North America.

The comics are set in the same world as Ben’s Peter Grant/Rivers of London novels and novellas. Want to know how they all fit together, to get the true, complete series story? Check out this handy guide…

A MAN LIES DREAMING Audiobook Out Next Week!

Posted on Monday, August 23rd, 2021

Next week, W. F. Howes are due to publish the UK audiobook edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed, award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING! Narrated by Andrew Wincott, here’s the synopsis…

1939: Adolf Hitler, fallen from power, seeks refuge in a London engulfed in the throes of a very British Fascism. Now eking a miserable living as a down-at-heels private eye and calling himself Wolf, he has no choice but to take on the case of a glamorous Jewish heiress whose sister went missing. It’s a decision Wolf will very shortly regret. For in another time and place a man lies dreaming: Shomer, once a Yiddish pulp writer, who dreams lurid tales of revenge in the hell that is Auschwitz.

Prescient, darkly funny and wholly original, the award-winning A Man Lies Dreaming is a modern fable for our time.

The novel was recently re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus; it is available in North America, too, published by JABberwocky.

Here are just a few of the great reviews that A MAN LIES DREAMING has received…

‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one, and it treats the topic of genocide with a kind of energetic unseriousness… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar gets the outre tone just right: outrageous sex and violence related in a briskly workmanlike style. And Tidhar’s Hitler is a striking reimagination of that endlessly reimagined individual: twisted with hatred, doing good almost by accident… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… [OSAMA] won the World Fantasy award. I wouldn’t be surprised to see A MAN LIES DREAMING repeat that achievement… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and invented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘The best book I read last year is A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar, a form of fictional historiography based on a’ what if ‘principle. I love that, if it is done well and intelligently… It sounds ridiculous and it has certainly been written down with a great sense of irony, but at the same time it is so cleverly constructed and such a spectacular conclusion unfolds that you are going to take it all very seriously.’ — Sting (yes, that one) to Volksrant

‘A Chandler-esque mystery… a jarring tale of a grim, gray alternative world… Seldom will readers come across fantasy as well conceived and well written as this exceptional novel.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)

‘Set during the election of a demagogue who battens on the fears of an underemployed populace threatened by thousands of foreign-born refugees, A MAN LIES DREAMING feels disturbingly prescient. Tidhar holds up a mirror not just to Wolf, but to ourselves. In doing so, he reminds us that even — especially — under the most terrible of circumstances, stories are all we have. And in the right hands, they can be a formidable weapon.’ — Washington Post

Head of Zeus has also published Lavie’s OSAMA and BY FORCE ALONE, and are due to publish THE HOOD in October. Head of Zeus also publishes the Tidhar-edited THE BEST OF WORLD SF, VOLUME 1 anthology.

10th Anniversary Edition of Lavie Tidhar’s OSAMA out in Two Weeks!

Posted on Tuesday, August 17th, 2021

In just two weeks, Head of Zeus are due to publish the 10th Anniversary edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s World Fantasy Award-winning novel, OSAMA! In addition to the striking new cover, this edition includes a new introduction and three short stories! Here’s the synopsis…

It’s a rainy day when the woman approaches Joe. He is a private detective and she is looking for someone, as these things often go. Her quarry is the obscure author of a series of pulp novels featuring one Osama bin Laden: Vigilante.

Joe’s quest will take him across the world in search of the writer. And every step of the way – from the backwaters of Laos to Paris and London – he is plagued, by assailants he cannot name, by questions he cannot hope to answer and by ghostly entities he cannot seem to shake.

Joe knows how the story should end, but even he is not ready for the truths he will find in New York and atop a quiet hill above Kabul, nor for the choice he will have to make there…

Here are just a few of the great reviews OSAMA has received since it was first published…

‘He is a political writer, an iconoclast and sometimes a provocateur … OSAMA is a remarkable and ambitious work.’ — China Mieville

‘… deserves to be widely read.’ — Adam Roberts

‘A provocative and fast moving tale that raises good questions not only about the heritage of Al Qaeda, but about the slippage between reality and sensational fiction that sometimes seems to define our own confused and contorted experience of the last couple of decades.’ — Gary K. Wolfe, Locus

‘A roller-coaster ride… [a] fabulous opium-soaked political thriller… pulls out all the stops.’ — Rolling Stone (Germany)

‘Moving seamlessly between intense realism and equally intense surrealism, OSAMA is a powerful and disturbing political fantasy by a talent who deserves the attention of all serious readers.’ — Strange Horizons

‘I would make this required reading.’ — SF Signal

‘OSAMA is written with both an obvious affection for genre fiction and a sense of wild-eyed disbelief at the insanity of a world where people fly planes into skyscrapers. 4.5/5 stars.’ — SFX

‘Offers perhaps the weirdest fictional take yet on Osama Bin Laden in this offbeat and enigmatic thriller.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘OSAMA is exceptional. Compelling, confrontational, and surprisingly moving, it is one of the best novels yet on terror in our times.’ — World Literature Today

Head of Zeus also publishes Tidhar’s acclaimed BY FORCE ALONE, the first novel in his Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet. The second novel in that series, THE HOOD, is due to be published October.

BY FORCE ALONE is also available in North America, published by Tor Books.

Check out the Covers for MONDAY, MONDAY #3!

Posted on Monday, August 16th, 2021

Next month, Titan Comics are due to publish the third issue in Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s RIVERS OF LONDON: MONDAY, MONDAY! With artwork by José Maria Beroy, the issue is available with three different covers, here’s the synopsis…

A werewolf is on the loose in London and will stop at nothing to avoid capture!

An unmissable new era in the life of detective wizard, Peter Grant!

MONDAY, MONDAY is the ninth Rivers of London comic story-arc, all of which are published by Titan Comics in the UK and North America.

The comics are set in the same world as Ben’s Peter Grant/Rivers of London novels and novellas. Here’s a handy timeline, to help you read everything in order…

Out Now: The 10th Anniversary Edition of Ben Aaronovitch’s RIVERS OF LONDON!

Posted on Thursday, August 12th, 2021

Today, the 10th anniversary special edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON is out in the UK! Published by Gollancz, and the first in novel to feature Peter Grant, this new hardcover edition contains four new illustrations, a brand-new map, an illuminating introduction from the author, and stunning illustrated endpapers.

Here’s the synopsis…

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden… and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying…

Since its publication in 2011, Rivers of London has grown into an international phenomenon. Embark on your journey to a magical London with this special edition, the perfect escape from the real world to a place you’ll never forget.

Gollancz has published all of the novels and novellas in the series in the UK. The series has been published widely in translation, and has been a bestseller in multiple countries.

ICYMI: New Anniversary Edition of RIVERS OF LONDON on the way!

Posted on Friday, July 30th, 2021

In case you happened to miss the news earlier this week, Gollancz has announced a new, special tenth anniversary edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON! Due to be published on August 12th, in the UK, it’s the first novel in his acclaimed, best-selling Peter Grant series. Here’s the synopsis…

This 10th anniversary special edition contains four masterful illustrations, a brand-new map, an illuminating introduction from author Ben Aaronovitch and stunning illustrated endpapers.

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden… and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying.

Since its publication in 2011, Rivers of London has grown into an international phenomenon. Embark on your journey to a magical London with this special edition, the perfect escape from the real world to a place you’ll never forget.

The Peter Grant series has expanded to include eight novels, three novellas, a short story collection, and an ongoing comic series. RIVERS OF LONDON and the other books are available in a growing number of translated editions around the world. Here is a selection of its covers…

Finally, here’s a fancy reveal clip from the publisher…

Three Upcoming Events for Ben Aaronovitch!

Posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2021

Just a very quick post with three dates for your diaries. Over the next couple of week, Ben Aaronovitch will be taking part in three events to mark the tenth anniversary of RIVERS OF LONDON! The first novel in his best-selling, acclaimed Peter Grant series, here’s the synopsis (in case you’ve missed it somehow)…

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden… and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying.

The first event is in just two days (July 29th), as part of the Cymera Online Book Festival. Ben will be joined by fellow Gollancz author Adam Simcox to talk all things supernatural crime and mystery! Full details can be found here (where you can also buy tickets).

On August 5th, Ben will be hosted by Highgate Library for Books and Beyond, discussing RIVERS OF LONDON, the series, and the latest book WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER. Tickets and details here.

And last, but by no means least, on August 10th Chatham Library will host Ben for another discussion to mark the tenth anniversary of RIVERS OF LONDON. It’s a free event, and as the poster below recommends, give them a call to reserve your seat(s)!

RIVERS OF LONDON and the other books in the series are published in the UK by Gollancz. The first novel was published in North America as MIDNIGHT RIOT, and the series is published by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-), and Subterranean Press (novellas). The series has also been published widely in translations (see Ben’s page for more details).

Ben Aaronovitch’s FALEŠNÁ HODNOTA due out in September!

Posted on Friday, July 23rd, 2021

On September 30th, Argo are due to publish the Czech edition of FALSE VALUE, the eighth novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed, best-selling Rivers of London/Peter Grant series! Published as FALEŠNÁ HODNOTA, here’s the synopsis…

Nové dobrodružství Petera Granta… a zároveň nový rozjezd! Jsme stále v Londýně, ale Peter už nepracuje u metropolitní policie. Po uzavření případu Muže bez tváře a dalších peripetiích se Peter usazuje, připravuje se na otcovskou roli a zároveň čelí poněkud nejisté budoucnosti. Nastupuje do soukromého sektoru, do IT firmy Terrence Skinnera, kde věci nejsou takové, jaké se zdají být. V rámci zaměstnání se musí naučit splynout s civilisty, kteří jsou ještě větší geekové než on, byť nadále zůstává v kontaktu se starými známými, jež ho provázeli při dřívějších vyšetřováních, ať operují v Rozmaru nebo třeba v Americe. A i zde má samozřejmě slovo magie. Pracoviště skrývá tajemství, technologii, která je sice high-tech a zkoumá možnosti umělé inteligence, ale má kořeny u Ady Lovelaceové a Charlese Babbage.

V pořadí osmý román série Řeky Londýna má všechno, na co jsme byli zvyklí z dřívějších částí – humor i svérázný pohled na svět – a také něco navíc: třeba to, že firma, kde teď Peter působí, nese silný otisk světa Stopařova průvodce po galaxii!

Argo has published all of the other previous novels in Ben’s series in Czechia, as well as a couple of his novellas and comic series (the latter co-authored with Andrew Cartmel).

FALSE VALUE is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in North America by DAW Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm.

Leaving his old police life behind, he takes a job with Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner’s new London start up: the Serious Cybernetics Corporation.

Drawn into the orbit of Old Street’s famous ‘silicon roundabout’, Peter must learn how to blend in with people who are both civilians and geekier than he is. Compared to his last job, Peter thinks it should be a doddle.

But magic is not finished with the Met’s first trainee wizard in fifty years…

Because a secret is hiding somewhere in the building. A technology that stretches back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and forward to the future of artificial intelligence. A secret that is just as magical as it technological – and twice as dangerous.

FALSE VALUE has also been published in Germany, by DTV.