Broken Homes: PC Peter Grant, Book 4Audiobook review by Paul Fiander
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Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Length: 10 hrs and 1 min Series: Peter Grant, Book 4 Publisher: Orion Publishing Group |
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Why Should I Listen to Broken Homes?
Ben Aaronovitch hit some sort of Alchemy when he decided to give the Metropolitan Police a Magical Branch. His mix of police procedural and magical shenanigans have created a hugely rich playground in which he can cast his spells on the unsuspecting reader as well as those desperate to for more tales of The Folly. His accomplice in the Audiobooks is Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and together they have contrived a way to steal hours of your life with a mix of delight and amazement at what the Rivers of London have in store. Finally Peter comes south of the river for an extended period as he takes on the nightmare that is Elephant and Castle. Though it is not just the iconic Pink shopping centre that is causing him a distraction instead he has to deal with a mysterious architect with a flair for the unusual. This of course is on top of his need to manage the magical community of the greatest city on Earth (personal thought). Ben Aaronovitch creates the spellbinding script that is brought to life by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith in the continuing story of Rivers of London. |
Review
Although it may not seem it London actually does extend south of the River Thames. It may not have the prestige of the other side or even have the amount of Tube stations but nonetheless it is an important part of the story of the city. Peter Grant has ventured south on a few occasions so far in the series though the greater amount of his time has been spent on the north side of the Thames. Now Broken Homes is in no terms exclusively set in the South but the greater part of the story does revolve around the Elephant and Castle an area of London I know rather well. Despite this knowledge I was led into believing the central building of the story was real. This was because I was sure I had heard the name elsewhere and oddly I had.
Ben Aaronovitch has so far proven himself to be an extremely skilled writer, his characters are fleshed out and his crime stories are full of mystery. It is however his geographical descriptions that are showing themselves up in this book. He seamlessly weaves real locations with those of his imagination; this gives him the ability to craft locations that fit in with his stories. This has happened before in Whispers Under Ground most notably but the creation of Sky Garden Tower was a bold move. However by casually dropping the name of the construction into an earlier story he sowed the seed of my vague recognition of the estate requiring a Google search to make sure I was not going crazy. Settings are important especially when you are playing with a known commodity like a real city anything to farfetched would feel out of place and so break the story that thankfully is not the case in the Rivers of London series.
Although each book essentially is a new crime to solve in this case the murder of a council worker there are a few threads that are showing themselves up in the series. Firstly is Nightingale’s tutelage of Peter and Lesley, their training in the magical arts as well as the languages need to decipher the skill is an ever present throughout the books. It is interesting in the Audiobook format to hear Kobna Holdbrook-Smith tackle each language and add the required accent. This is something reading the book I would struggle with but highlights what a skilled narrator can really add to the experience. Next up is the Faceless Man he is not fully present in the story but instead casts a shadow over the Folly that the team are fighting hard against. This leads them to try a variety of ideas to attempt to force the arch planner into a mistake, the question is will he fall for their ideas?
As the series has gone on we have been given more of an insight into Aaronovitch’s idea of magic, the central tenants are proving to be quite strict. This is one of the most important parts of the fantasy world that things need rules, the reader needs to believe the writer is playing fair and not just making up things as they go along. There must be a temptation to add in powers to get yourself out of sticky situations however if a Mcguffin is spotted by the reader it can destroy the relationship the writer has taken previous chapters and/or books to create. One of the masterstrokes in this area was the addition of the over cautious Doctor Whalid. Even when he is absent from the tale his spirit is recounted by Peter whenever something a little tricky is encountered. The use of a medical/scientific explanation works well by the use of the word theory or in other words working assumption. It avoids bold claims that can be seen as silly but also shows Peter’s desire to understand the world he now finds himself in.
Broken Homes shows that this is a series in full flow the twists keep coming and we learn new things seemingly in every chapter. The dynamic duo of Ben and Kobna are perfectly suited and the Audiobook experience really is the best way to consume the tales of Rivers of London.
Ben Aaronovitch has so far proven himself to be an extremely skilled writer, his characters are fleshed out and his crime stories are full of mystery. It is however his geographical descriptions that are showing themselves up in this book. He seamlessly weaves real locations with those of his imagination; this gives him the ability to craft locations that fit in with his stories. This has happened before in Whispers Under Ground most notably but the creation of Sky Garden Tower was a bold move. However by casually dropping the name of the construction into an earlier story he sowed the seed of my vague recognition of the estate requiring a Google search to make sure I was not going crazy. Settings are important especially when you are playing with a known commodity like a real city anything to farfetched would feel out of place and so break the story that thankfully is not the case in the Rivers of London series.
Although each book essentially is a new crime to solve in this case the murder of a council worker there are a few threads that are showing themselves up in the series. Firstly is Nightingale’s tutelage of Peter and Lesley, their training in the magical arts as well as the languages need to decipher the skill is an ever present throughout the books. It is interesting in the Audiobook format to hear Kobna Holdbrook-Smith tackle each language and add the required accent. This is something reading the book I would struggle with but highlights what a skilled narrator can really add to the experience. Next up is the Faceless Man he is not fully present in the story but instead casts a shadow over the Folly that the team are fighting hard against. This leads them to try a variety of ideas to attempt to force the arch planner into a mistake, the question is will he fall for their ideas?
As the series has gone on we have been given more of an insight into Aaronovitch’s idea of magic, the central tenants are proving to be quite strict. This is one of the most important parts of the fantasy world that things need rules, the reader needs to believe the writer is playing fair and not just making up things as they go along. There must be a temptation to add in powers to get yourself out of sticky situations however if a Mcguffin is spotted by the reader it can destroy the relationship the writer has taken previous chapters and/or books to create. One of the masterstrokes in this area was the addition of the over cautious Doctor Whalid. Even when he is absent from the tale his spirit is recounted by Peter whenever something a little tricky is encountered. The use of a medical/scientific explanation works well by the use of the word theory or in other words working assumption. It avoids bold claims that can be seen as silly but also shows Peter’s desire to understand the world he now finds himself in.
Broken Homes shows that this is a series in full flow the twists keep coming and we learn new things seemingly in every chapter. The dynamic duo of Ben and Kobna are perfectly suited and the Audiobook experience really is the best way to consume the tales of Rivers of London.
Review copy and Cover Image courtesy of Publisher
