A review by thecosymoose
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

First published in 2020, I first read this when it came out. Aaronovitch is one of my must-read authors, and I always pre-order his novels. And after reading it, I didn't get it. I'd been so immersed in the previous books, but with some big storylines resolved in Lies Sleeping, False Value felt quite jarring. With narrative timelines being shuffled, I felt really wrong-footed, and it took a while to really get into. The second read was when everything started to sit better, and reading it again last week, it all felt horribly prescient, with the main storyline being that of a sinister tech-bro building an AI, and on a quest for power. Definitely worth the re-read, and the hardback copy cover still glows in the dark after nearly 5 years.