Peter Grant Series - Zeno Agency Ltd.

FOXGLOVE SUMMER Out Now in France

Posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2015

Ben Aaronovitch‘s fifth Peter Grant novel, FOXGLOVE SUMMER, is out now in France! Published by J’ai Lu as LES DISPARUES DE RUSHPOOL, here’s a (rather succinct) French synopsis…

Peter Grant et Beverley Brook enquêtent sur une affaire de disparition d’enfants que la police du Herefordshire ne parvient pas à résoudre.

The novel (whole series, actually) is published in the UK by Gollancz — paperback edition is due out on July 7th, 2015; it is published in the US by DAW Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

In the fifth of his bestselling series Ben Aaronovitch takes Peter Grant out of whatever comfort zone he might have found and takes him out of London – to a small village in Herefordshire where the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. But while you can take the London copper out of London you can’t take the London out of the copper.

Travelling west with Beverley Brook, Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what’s more all the shops are closed by 4pm …

We will have more news about the sixth novel in the series, THE HANGING TREE, hopefully soon. Here are the other French covers…

Ben Aaronovitch Thanks Booksellers

Posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2015

Best-selling author Ben Aaronovitch has decided to say thank you to the ‘unsung heroes of the book trade’, the booksellers. A former bookseller himself, the author will deliver 1,000 flagons of Weston’s Old Rosie cider to 384 book stores in the UK (independents and Waterstone’s branches) between June 8th-19th.

Ben is the author of the bestselling Peter Grant urban fantasy series, which is published in the UK by Gollancz. The gesture of thanks precedes the paperback release of FOXGLOVE SUMMER, the fifth novel in the series, on July 9th. Here’s the synopsis…

In the fifth of his bestselling series Ben Aaronovitch takes Peter Grant out of whatever comfort zone he might have found and takes him out of London – to a small village in Herefordshire where the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. But while you can take the London copper out of London you can’t take the London out of the copper.

Travelling west with Beverley Brook, Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what’s more all the shops are closed by 4pm …

The Peter Grant series currently includes RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. All of which are published in the UK by Gollancz. The series is published in the US by Del Rey (#1-3) and DAW Books (#4 onwards); it is also published in Germany by DTV, and France by J’ai Lu. It has been published widely in other markets/languages as well. RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK, a comic series set between books four and five, is due to start publishing from July (Titan Comics).

Cover: Ben Aaronovitch’s MOON OVER SOHO in Hungarian

Posted on Friday, June 5th, 2015

Today, we have the Hungarian cover for Ben Aaronovitch‘s MOON OVER SOHO (above). Published by Gabo as SOHO FELETT A HOLD, it is the second novel in Ben’s best-selling and critically-acclaimed Peter Grant urban fantasy crime series. Here’s the synopsis…

Peter Grant közrendőr hamar rájön, hogy a dzsessz-szaxofonos Cyrus Wilkinson nem szívroham áldozata lett. Valaki vagy valami a londoni Soho utcáit járja, és az a különleges képesség vonzza, amely elválasztja a nagy zenészeket az átlagosaktól…

And, in English (published by Gollancz)…

Peter Grant is not just a lowly Detective Constable, he’s also apprenticed to the last wizard in Britain: policing will never be the same again!

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.

The Peter Grant series currently includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. All of the novels are published in the UK by Gollancz, and Del Rey (books 1-3) and DAW Books (books four onwards) in the US. The series has been published widely in translation. In July, Titan Comics will publish the first issue in RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK, a mini-series set between books four and five.

New RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK Cover, Trailer and Preview

Posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2015

The release date for RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK #1 is nearly upon us (July 15th). BODY WORK is the highly-anticipated comic series set in the world of Ben Aaronovitch‘s best-selling Peter Grant series, due to be published by Titan Comics. The comics are also written by Ben Aaronovitch, in collaboration with Andrew Cartmel. and celebrate we have a few more things to share. First is the variant cover, above, based on a painting by Wayne Reynolds.

Here’s the synopsis…

Peter Grant is one of only two members of a very special branch of London’s Metropolitan Police. He is, in fact, pretty much a wizard and it’s his job to investigate those shadowy crimes that involve urban vampires, weird folk in the underground and, in this case, why cars are suddenly taking on lives of their own and killing innocent folk!

Last week, Entertainment Weekly shared a trailer for the series…

And, finally, Comic Book Resources was given an exclusive preview of the first issue, which you can check out here. Here’s just a taste…

For fans of the novel series, the comic is set between BROKEN HOMES (#4) and FOXGLOVE SUMMER (#5). The novels are published in the UK by Gollancz. The other books in the series are: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO and WHISPERS UNDERGROUND.

Justina Robson & Ben Aaronovitch at Bradford Literature Festival this weekend

Posted on Friday, May 15th, 2015

This weekend, Zeno clients Justina Robson and Ben Aaronovitch will be attending the Bradford Literature Festival. Both will have events on Sunday, 17 May.

Justina…

When: 10:30am-12:30pm
What: Masterclass – Fantasy Writing – ‘Science fiction and fantasy writing have never been more popular. Now you can learn the key components of this genre in a masterclass with successful author Justina Robson. In this practical masterclass, Justina will explain how the genre works and teach you how to create credible worlds, compelling plots and engaging characters.’
Tickets: £10.00
More Details

Ben…

When: 1:30pm-2:30pm
What: Ben will be in conversation with David Barnett at Bradford Waterstones, to discuss his latest Peter Grant novel, FOXGLOVE SUMMER.
Tickets: £6.00
More Details

Justina Robson is the author of, most recently, THE GLORIOUS ANGELS, published by Gollancz. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed Quantum Gravity sci-fi series (published by Gollancz in the UK and Pyr Books in the US), and a number of equally praise stand-alone novels.

Ben Aaronovitch is the author of the Sunday Times-bestselling Peter Grant urban fantasy series, which includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and has been published widely in translation.

Cityread London’s Final Week Events

Posted on Friday, April 24th, 2015

All good things must come to an end… And this, sadly, includes Cityread London. As we’re sure you’re all aware, this year’s title was Ben Aaronovitch‘s critically-acclaimed, best-selling RIVERS OF LONDON. Above and below you can see a few photos from the Covent Garden launch event (from the group’s Facebook page). Next week is the final week of official events, and here is Ben’s schedule…

Monday, April 27th

11.00-12.30pm — Croydon: Ashburton Library — Author talk

7.00pm — Lewisham: Manor House Library — Author talk

Tuesday, April 28th

3.15-4.30pm — Bexley: Bexleyheath Central Library — ‘Come and hear Ben Aaronovitch tell tales of the RIVERS OF LONDON… The first in a series of books featuring P.C. Grant, these magical and humorous stories are an unusual CSI meets urban fantasy style and Ben brings these characters to life and will also be signing books at the end of his talk.’

7.00-8.00pm — Bromley: Bromley Central Library — ‘Come and hear Ben tell us all about this story and the following three books in his series of crime / urban fantasy fiction.’ You can fin more details here.

7:00 — The Society Club — ‘Under the Underground: Comics and Urban Fantasy’: An extra event, in case you can’t attend Ben’s talk, above. Join Titan Comics editor Steve White (Rivers of London: Body Work), architect and comic book artist Alison Sampson, writer Dan Watters and comic book artist Caspar Wijngaard (Tortured Life) for a talk exploring London’s uniquely spooky underbelly and its relationship to the medium of graphic novels and comic books. Moderated by Joel Janiurek. More details, here.

Wednesday, April 29th

7.00-8.30pm — Redbridge: Wanstead Library — ‘Ben Aaronovitch will be visiting Wanstead Library as part of Cityread London. He will be speaking about his book and writing, and what inspired him, before signing copies of his books.’ You can find more details, here.

Thursday, April 30th

6.30-8.00pm — Islington: The Gallery — Author talk

Saturday, May 2nd

11:00am-4:30pm — Magical Rivers of London — An afternoon-long event featuring a number of experts and more, drawn together to discuss London’s waterways and magic. More details here.

Finished RIVERS OF LONDON and want more? You’re in luck: the next four novels in Ben’s Peter Grant series are also out now, published by Gollancz in the UK: MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER. The next novel in the series, THE HANGING TREE, is due to be published soon (more details to come).

[L-to-R: Gollancz Publicist Sophie Calder, Ben Aaronovitch and Zeno’s own John Berlyne]

FOXGLOVE SUMMER Shortlisted for 2015 CrimeFest Award!

Posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2015

We have some fantastic Ben Aaronovitch-related news this afternoon: the audiobook edition of FOXGLOVE SUMMER, narrated by the always-excellent Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, has been nominated for a 2015 CrimeFest Awards! Specifically, the novel has been nominated for the Audible Sounds of Crime Award, which ‘recognizes the best crime audiobook published in both print and audio in 2014. Courtesy of sponsor Audible UK.’

The audiobook edition of the novel is published by Orion Audio, and the print editions of the Peter Grant Series are published in the UK by Gollancz. Here’s the FOXGLOVE SUMMER synopsis…

The fifth of the Sunday Times Bestselling series sees PC Grant looking for missing children. And missing London.

In the fifth of his bestselling series Ben Aaronovitch takes Peter Grant out of whatever comfort zone he might have found and takes him out of London – to a small village in Herefordshire where the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. But while you can take the London copper out of London you can’t take the London out of the copper.

Travelling west with Beverley Brook Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what’s more all the shops are closed by 4pm…

The CrimeFest crime fiction convention will be held in Bristol, from May 14th to 17th. The winners will be announced at the CrimeFest Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday 16th May.

Many congratulations to Ben and Kobna!

Next Week’s RIVERS OF LONDON Cityread London Events

Posted on Friday, April 17th, 2015

Here are Ben Aaronovitch‘s events for next week, continuing the tremendously successful RIVERS OF LONDON Cityread London month-long celebrations…

April 20th

2:30-4:00pm — Kensington & Chelsea: Kensington Central Library — Ben will speak about RIVERS OF LONON, followed by a Q&A and book signing. You can book tickets for the event here.

6:30-8:00pm — Brent: Kilburn Library — Author talk

April 21st

6:00-7:30pm — Hounslow: Chiswick Library — Author talk

April 22nd

2:00-4:00pm — Hammersmith & Fulham: Hammersmith Library — Author talk

6:00-7:30pm — Westminster: Charing Cross Library — Author talk

April 23rd

2:30-4:30pm — Ealing Central Library — Author talk

7:30-8:30pm — Hillingdon: The Great Barn —‘Talking about his book Rivers of London, author Ben Aaronovitch will be interviewed by a local competition-winning student, scenes from his book will be acted out in a special Punch and Judy Show, and there will be opportunity for book signing. All this takes place in the beautiful Great Barn at Manor Farm in Ruislip. Tickets are free and can be booked in advance from any Hillingdon Library.’ More details here.

April 24th

11:15am-12:45pm — Harrow: Roxeth Library — Reading Group Session

6:00-8:00pm — Barnet: Chipping Barnet Library — ‘Ben will be talking about his books, answering questions and signing. Contact the library on 020 8359 4040 for more information. Entry is FREE but book your place early to avoid disappointment!’ More details here.

April 25th

4:00-5:00pm — Camden: Swiss Cottage Library Gallery — ‘Pictures from archive echoing themes of book and creative writing submissions displayed’ and Author talk

A city-wide celebration of reading, Cityread London’s 2015 title is Ben’s magnificent debut, RIVERS OF LONDON. You can find more details of Ben’s full schedule on his website. We mentioned in the past that there was a Cityreads London Goodreads group dedicated to RIVERS OF LONDON – so, if you’ve been enjoying the coverage, don’t live in London, and want to take part, that’s a great place to join in the fun.

The Peter Grant series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and so far includes RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER.

As a bonus, here’s a short video-clip from London Live about the Cityread event and RIVERS OF LONDON…

And another clip, this time an interview with Ben, from 1000 Londoners…

Ben Aaronovitch’s Cityread London Schedule for Next Week…

Posted on Friday, April 10th, 2015

Here are Ben Aaronovitch‘s events for next week’s continuing Cityreads London celebrations…

Monday, April 13th

1:00pm-6:00pm — Newham: The Gate Library — ‘Celebratory events… animation work shop, magic show/workshop, lost rivers interactive lecture, punch and Judy show/discussion and also a discussion by the police / scenes of crime investigators’

6:00pm — Newham: The Gate Library — Talk from Ben

Tuesday, April 14th

6:00-8:00pm — Hackney Central Library

Wednesday, April 15th

7:00-8:30pm — City of London: Barbican Library

Thursday, April 16th

1:00pm — Tower Hamlets: Idea Store

7:00pm — Enfield Town Library

Friday, April 17th

6:30-8:00pm — Havering: Hornchurch Library

Saturday, April 18th

2:30-4:00pm — Barking & Dagenham: Barking Learning Centre

Sunday, April 19th

2:00-4:00pm — Haringey: Hornsey Library

Cityreads London is a city-wide celebration of reading, and the 2015 title is Ben’s debut, RIVERS OF LONDON. Thus far, the events have been huge successes and great fun — certainly judging from reactions from across social media platforms. You can find more details of Ben’s schedule on his website.

We mentioned in the past that there was a Cityreads London Goodreads group dedicated to RIVERS OF LONDON. Below you’ll find Ben’s introductory video, which includes some comments on the novel and reading in general…

We mentioned last week that the Cityread launch was held at Covent Garden. The Londonist shot a bit of video at the event…

RIVERS OF LONDON and the other Peter Grant novels are published in the UK by Gollancz. So far, the series also includes MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER. As a bonus, here is a video clip Ben and Gollancz made for release of FOXGLOVE SUMMER…

Next Week’s RIVERS OF LONDON Cityread Events

Posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2015

The RIVERS OF LONDON Cityread London festivities continue, after a very strong and successful first week. Ben Aaronovitch has attended a number of venues for talks and readings, all of which have been very popular and great times have been had by all.

One event last week of particular note was a reading at London’s Mail Rail. At this event, Doc Brown read KING OF RATS, a brand new short story Ben wrote for the occasion. Below you’ll find a video clip of the event…

This is not Doc Brown’s first brush with the RIVERS OF LONDON world. He works with Ben’s nephew Mikis Michaelides, who produced this music video for RIVERS OF LONDON…

Here are Ben’s events for this second week of Cityread London (be sure to check your library’s websites for more/full details)…

April 7th
- 7-8:30pm – Sutton Library – Meet & Greet, Talk and Signing
April 8th
- 2-3:30pm – Kingston-upon-Thames, Surbiton Library
- 6:30 – Lambeth, Brixton Library
April 9th
- 7:00-8:30pm – Wandsworth, Balham Library Hall – Request attendees book in advance, due to limited space (free admission)
April 10th
- 6:30pm – Waltham Forest, Walthamstow Library – Refreshments, puppet show, talk and Q&A session
April 11th
- 2:30-4:00pm – Richmond, Twickenham Library
- 7:00pm – Merton, Wimbledon Library

You can find more details of Ben’s schedule on his website.

RIVERS OF LONDON and the other Peter Grant novels are published in the UK by Gollancz. They have been published widely in translation, also.

Cityreads London Starts Next Week!

Posted on Friday, March 27th, 2015

This year, Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON is the Cityreads London title! Throughout April 2015, Ben will be taking part in events, and libraries across the city will be holding readings and festivities of their own. You can find all the information about Ben’s and other events taking place around London on the Cityreads website, but to make things a bit easier for you, we’re going to post a list of events each Friday for the following week.

RIVERS OF LONDON is the first novel in the bestselling Peter Grant urban fantasy series, which is published in the UK by Gollancz. 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 voluable, 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 series also includes MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER. More books are planned for the series. (As ever, watch this space for more news!) The series has been published widely in translation.

The event officially kicks off in Covent Garden (see below), but there have already been a couple of events, and Ben’s Library Tour begins on Wednesday 1st.

Starting on Friday 3rd, the Westminster Reference Library begins holding a special “training” session for those who think they have what it takes to join Peter Grant in the Met’s top secret secret paranormal unit! This is a ticketed event, taking place every weekend, the price of which includes a special edition of the novel.

Below you can see Ben’s full Library Tour schedule for April…

UPDATE: If you can’t make any of the events in London, but still want to take part in the discussion, be sure to join the Goodreads Group dedicated to the RIVERS OF LONDON Cityread.

International Edition: Ben Aaronovitch’s MOON OVER SOHO in Russian!

Posted on Friday, January 23rd, 2015

MOON OVER SOHO, the second novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s Sunday Times-bestselling Peter Grant series is now available in Russian! Published by Фантастика Книжный Клуб as Луна над Сохо, it is out now. Фантастика Книжный Клуб also published a Russian edition of RIVERS OF LONDON (Реки Лондона, Бен Ааронович).

Here’s the English-language synopsis for MOON OVER SOHO…

Peter Grant is not just a lowly Detective Constable, he’s also apprenticed to the last wizard in Britain: policing will never be the same again!

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.

Published in the UK by Gollancz and in the US by Del Rey, MOON OVER SOHO has also been published in German (DTV), French (J’ai Lu), Japanese (Hayakawa), Portuguese and Polish.

If you are in London on Monday (January 26th), Blackwell’s will be hosting Ben Aaronovitch for an evening of SFF discussion. You can find details of that event here.

The Peter Grant series includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER, with more novels on the way! Here are the UK covers for the five available novels…

US Publication Day: FOXGLOVE SUMMER by Ben Aaronovitch

Posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2015

The wait is finally over for book lovers in North America: Ben Aaronovitch‘s much-anticipated FOXGLOVE SUMMER is published today by DAW Books! Published to great acclaim in the UK by Gollancz, in November of last year, many across the Atlantic have been clamouring to return to the bestselling Peter Grant series. Here’s the synopsis…

When two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London to check that nothing supernatural is involved.

It’s purely routine — Nightingale, Peter’s superior, thinks he’ll be done in less than a day. But Peter’s never been one to walk away from someone in trouble, so when nothing overtly magical turns up he volunteers his services to the local police, who need all the help they can get. But because the universe likes a joke as much as the next sadistic megalomaniac, Peter soon comes to realize that dark secrets underlie the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain’s most junior wizard after all.

Soon Peter’s in a vicious race against time, in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear…

Here’s a selection of the great reviews the novel has already received…

‘[Aaronovitch’s] ability to construct a fast, tense, readable police procedural (with magic) is inarguable. The combination—and frequently, the clash—of modern policing methods with magic and folklore remains a compelling juxtaposition, one that’s funny more often than not… Peter’s voice remains compelling. It’s one of the most appealing things about this series. In removing him from his usual stomping grounds to the countryside, Aaronovitch takes the opportunity to cast a minor side-eye at the white uniformity and unthinking assumptions of part of Britain: as a mixed-race lad from London, Peter sticks out in Leominster… It’s amusing. It’s diverting. It’s fun…’ — Tor.com

‘Ben Aaronovitch is in top form in this fifth Peter Grant novel, as his beloved police constable ventures into the wilds of the English countryside. As ever, the realistic police procedural details ground the plot, but the wonderful and unexpected fantasy world that lurks just below the surface of reality makes this tale the rousing success that it is. The tension is high from the opening of this unpredictable story, but the gravity of Grant’s newest case doesn’t keep his snarky humor or his wry insight from shining through, making this a book that new readers and fans alike will relish.’ — RT Book Reviews (January 2015 Top Pick)

‘This book is a great example of how a series and its main character can grow while still retaining everything that makes the previous novels so great. An extraordinary fun ride that’s not to be missed.’ — Bibliosanctum (5* Review)

‘FOXGLOVE SUMMER is a bold and exciting new beginning for Peter Grant and I can’t wait to find out where will Ben Aaronovitch take him next.’ — Upcoming4Me

The first three novels in the series – MIDNIGHT RIOT, MOON OVER SOHO and WHISPERS UNDERGROUND – were published in the US by Del Rey. BROKEN HOMES, the fourth novel, was also published by DAW Books. The whole series is published by Gollancz in the UK. The first four books have been published in Germany by DTV and in France by J’ai Lu.

Ben Aaronovitch’s DER BÖSE ORT is a Best of 2014!

Posted on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014

Ben Aaronovitch‘s DER BÖSE ORT (BROKEN HOMES) has won third prize in German reading community Lovely Reads’ Best Fantasy Books of 2014! This repeats Ben’s success last year, when EIN WISPERN UNTER BAKER STREET picked up a Leserpreis as well.

The fourth novel in Ben’s critically-acclaimed and best-selling Peter Grant series, DER BOSE ORT is published in Germany by DTV, who have also published the first three novels in the series. Here’s the German synopsis…

Seltsame Dinge geschehen im Skygarden Tower, einem berüchtigten Sozialwohnblock in Südlondon. Dinge, die eine magische Anziehungskraft auf Police Constable und Zauberlehrling Peter Grant ausüben. Zunächst geht es nur um ein gestohlenes altes Buch über Magie, das aus der Weißen Bibliothek zu Weimar stammt. Doch dann weitet sich der Fall rasant aus. Denn der Erbauer des Tower, Erik Stromberg, ein brillanter, wenngleich leicht gestörter Architekt, hatte sich einst in seiner Zeit am Bauhaus offenbar nicht nur mit modernem Design, sondern auch mit Magie befasst. Was erklären könnte, warum der Skygarden Tower einen unablässigen Strom von begabten Künstlern, Politikern, Drogendealern, Serienmördern und Irren hervorgebracht hat. Und warum der unheimliche gesichtslose Magier, den Peter noch in schlechtester Erinnerung hat, ein so eingehendes Interesse daran an den Tag legt.

And, for non-German speakers, here’s the English-language synopsis…

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 or 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?

The Peter Grant Series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in the US by Del Rey (#1-3) and DAW Books, and in France by J’ai Lu.

Speaking of the UK editions, we reported a little while ago that Cityreads London had selected RIVERS OF LONDON as their 2015 read. The new Cityreads 2015 website is up and running, complete with information about the event and book! Here’s what Ben had to say about RIVERS OF LONDON‘s selection: ‘As a native Londoner it’s hard to imagine a more exciting honour than having my book selected to be the London Cityread for 2015. Added to that is the sheer pleasure of working with and helping support the public libraries of London.’

Ben Aaronovitch’s FOXGLOVE SUMMER is Out Tomorrow!

Posted on Wednesday, November 12th, 2014

The wait is almost over! Ben Aaronovitch‘s FOXGLOVE SUMMER is officially published in the UK tomorrow by Gollancz! (It has already been available at a few signings this past week.) The highly-anticipated fifth novel in Ben’s Peter Grant series, a lot of people have been very eager to get their hands on it! Here’s the synopsis…

In the fifth of his bestselling series Ben Aaronovitch takes Peter Grant out of whatever comfort zone he might have found and takes him out of London – to a small village in Herefordshire where the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. But while you can take the London copper out of London you can’t take the London out of the copper.

Travelling west with Beverley Brook, Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what’s more all the shops are closed by 4pm…

We would also just like to mention again the great news that RIVERS OF LONDON, the first in the series, has been selected by Cityreads London for the April 2015 title! You can read more about that, here. All of the novels are published in the UK by Gollancz.

FOXGLOVE SUMMER is available in hardcover, eBook, and also unabridged audio – narrated by the very talented Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. The novel will be published in the US by DAW Books, on January 6th, 2015.

And, finally, Gollancz are running a limited special offer for people who pre-ordered FOXGLOVE SUMMER…