Books::Rivers of London

"What would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the Fuzz", it says on the cover. Sounds disappointing. I don't like Harry Potter books that much; in fact, I often wonder what makes me read them despite my opinion.
Rivers of London is quite good, though.




Because it's not Harry Potter, which I blame for total absence of logic and tiniest bit of thought given constructing of the magic world.
In Rivers of London, magic is woven into our world rather elegantly.

"‘[Sir Isaac Newton] was our founder, and the first man to systemise the practice of magic’.
‘I was taught that he invented modern science,’ I said.
‘He did both,’ said Nightingale. ‘That’s the nature of genius.’"

Perfectly simple, isn't it :)

So magic is real,’ I said. ‘Which makes you a … what?’
‘A wizard.’
‘Like Harry Potter?’
Nightingale sighed. ‘No,’ he said, ‘not like Harry Potter.’
‘In what way?’
‘I’m not a fictional character,’ said Nightingale.

Good. And I like the way Constable Peter Grant (the main character) at least tries to understand magic, and the general pseudo-scientific approach. Experiments, theories, Latin (yes, I wish I had Latin at school, too) and accurate descriptions of what exactly happens when someone magically changes their face (augh). Here Grant explains fitting magic into his world:

‘I thought you were a sceptic,’ said Lesley. ‘I thought you were scientific.’
...‘Okay,’ I said. ‘You know my dad used to play jazz?’...‘I once asked my dad’ – when he was sober – ‘how he knew what to play. And he said that when you get the right line, you just know because it’s perfect. You’ve found the line, and you just follow it.’
‘And that’s got the fuck to do with what?’
‘What Nightingale can do fits with the way I see the world. It’s the line, the right melody.’

That's the way I'd like to see magic.
Strange, though: in fantasy books it's always either magic or technic, and, while here we get both, they still cancel up each other. On the other hand, why not?..

The story is played out in the real London, and that's another pleasure. Gives some substance. But I won't compare it to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. Neverwhere is way better...

I think I'll read the sequels, though :-)

P.S. Mr Punch gives me the shivers now.