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A review by cecesloth
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
4.0
I love being proven wrong. Well, technically speaking I like being proven wrong if there's a positive outcome for me. Like I'm not going to be happy if I get a question incorrect at a quiz, but if at that quiz they bring out food that I think I won't like, and then I love it, well that's great!
My feelings towards fantasy are something I seem to have gotten wrong. I've always thought that I'm a sci-fi person because I prefer thought out concepts and realism and the depth that anywhere in time and space can offer. I've been saying for years that I hate fantasy because of flimsy "rules" for magic, and overreliance on European medieval aesthetics and general lack of space battles. Then I read A Song of Ice and Fire and loved the gritty realism, I played Breath of the Wild and adored the Japanese flair and now I've read Rivers of London and found that rioting Londoners are a great replacement for spaceships.
Actually I think I just hate Harry Potter. Fantasy is great! And I can't believe how much I like the Urban Fantasy on display in Rivers of London. I'll happily admit I was wrong! The cool rules of the magic system and the constant reference to real geography really won me over, as did the witty prose and diverse characters. Some of the male gaze stuff really drew me out of it at times, but it doesn't feel as problematic as from other male authors.
But yeah, I haven't been this excited about getting into a new series for a while. I actually want to move to London even though it's a disaster for trans people there. This is a great way to start exploring fantasy again! And goddamn do I love Mama Thames!
My feelings towards fantasy are something I seem to have gotten wrong. I've always thought that I'm a sci-fi person because I prefer thought out concepts and realism and the depth that anywhere in time and space can offer. I've been saying for years that I hate fantasy because of flimsy "rules" for magic, and overreliance on European medieval aesthetics and general lack of space battles. Then I read A Song of Ice and Fire and loved the gritty realism, I played Breath of the Wild and adored the Japanese flair and now I've read Rivers of London and found that rioting Londoners are a great replacement for spaceships.
Actually I think I just hate Harry Potter. Fantasy is great! And I can't believe how much I like the Urban Fantasy on display in Rivers of London. I'll happily admit I was wrong! The cool rules of the magic system and the constant reference to real geography really won me over, as did the witty prose and diverse characters. Some of the male gaze stuff really drew me out of it at times, but it doesn't feel as problematic as from other male authors.
But yeah, I haven't been this excited about getting into a new series for a while. I actually want to move to London even though it's a disaster for trans people there. This is a great way to start exploring fantasy again! And goddamn do I love Mama Thames!