The main character seems unfazed to learn the truth about ghosts and vampires and water spirits. The mechanics of magic are intriguing - we only get a taster in this book (sequels on the way), but a regular reference to the laws of thermodynamics underpins the unbelievable with a plausible if pseudo-scientific framework.īelievability is also its flaw. The 'rivers' of the title refers to a set of saucy water nymphs whose names follow those of London's watercourses - Fleet, Ty, Beverley Brook, et al. The rest of the book bounces around two cases - keeping the peace between various river deities (including Old Father Thames), and tracking down a malign spirit whose hobbies include magically cracking open people's faces until they look like Mr Punch.ĭerivative though much of this may sound (especially to Christopher Fowler devotees), some excellent world-creating is at play here.

Grant becomes a novitiate, under the tutelage of enigmatic Detective Inspector Thomas Nightingale, and soon picks up an incantation or two. It featured a return of fan-favorite the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) and a scene-stealing performance by Emmy winner Jean Marsh ( The Changeling, Willow) as Morgaine, the priestess of Arthurian legend.Following a ghostly encounter in Covent Garden, junior plod Peter Grant discovers that the Met have a secret unit dedicated to magic and the supernatural. Battlefield (1989) offered an ambitious and complex drama centered on King Arthur mythology.

Related: Sherlock: Benedict Cumberbatch's Best Moments in the BBC SeriesĪaronovitch responded with two of the most well-regarded serials of the 1963-89 era. New script editor Andrew Cartmel brought in fresh blood, commissioning scripts from a number of up-and-coming writers, of whom Aaronovitch was one. Aaronovitch was a key figure in the adventures of the Doctor, not during the more recent David Tennant or Matt Smith eras, but in the 1980s, during the tenure of Seventh Doctor - and soon-to-be star of the remake of The Munsters - Sylvester McCoy.Īfter multiple misfires during the run of Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, as well as an eighteen-month hiatus at the behest of the Doctor Who-hating BBC executive Michael Grade, by the time McCoy took over the reins in 1987, audience figures had slumped.

If you're a Doctor Who fan, there's a good chance that the name of Rivers of London's creator, Ben Aaronovitch, rings a bell.

Rivers of london books