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Rivers of London
- Rivers of London, Book 1
- Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
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Rivers of London
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Editor reviews
An enthralling and at times hilarious crime thriller audiobook, book 1 of the unabridged Rivers of London: PC Peter Grant written by Ben Aaronovitch is brilliantly narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Listeners are taken into the depths of London’s hidden world of vampires, spirits, gods and goddesses of the mighty Thames. Join the impossibly funny PC Peter Grant as he leaves his policing life behind to become an apprentice to the last wizard of England, and listen intently as they embark on a battle against London’s sinister vampire underworld. Available from Audible now.
Summary
My name is Peter Grant, and until January, I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.
Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in 50 years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden...and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious, vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.
The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying.
Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
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What listeners say about Rivers of London
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ann G.
- 13-10-16
Excellently narrated
I have read all the Rivers books and hearing the first so brilliantly narrated was a joy. If well done, as this was, can enhance the story. I have already got the second book and will be listening to them all.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- tiggyscootercar
- 16-05-17
nice surprise
Very good, the narrator really brings this book to life more I think than if I had read it. The story in a fee places was a little confusing but at least you can rewind and listen again. The writing made me chuckle in a few places which was a nice surprise. looking forward to the next book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 14-05-17
A funny, warm and engrossing novel
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is great as the narrator of Rivers of London. The story of how a young constable ends up in the Met's secret magic department is funny and backed up by quality research. I learned plenty about my home city from this series. The river spirits of the Thames are joy to meet.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Kurt Farrar
- 07-04-13
An excellent start from the Doctor Who writer
I bought this book after reading that the author had written a few Doctor Who episodes. It's an excellent start to the series, almost an adult version of Harry Potter. What makes this story even better as an audio book is the excellent narrator who does an excellent job of telling the story and doing the accents.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- nethack47
- 13-04-13
Fantastic book with modern magic in London
Ben Aaronovitch has written a fantastic story which is both engaging and entertaining while still being extremely accurate. This is just the first of 3 (soon 4) books about Detective Grant of the Met who's journey into magic in modern day London is impossible to put down once you've started on it.
Not only is this a great book, but the naration is better than just about every other audiobook out there. Perfect choice on all accounts.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bex
- 02-07-17
Very enjoyable listen!
I really enjoyed listening to this story. I'm a bit late to the party but after being highly recommended, I thought I would give it a go. It was very well narrated, I couldn't stop listening! It is totally my kind of story, action, magic, and a brilliant cast of characters. Definitely one that should be on your list if you are into fantasy book, not too 'high fantasy' though so a brilliant book to ease you into the genre.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stu
- 15-09-17
brilliant
Takes a while to get used to the narrator but give it half an hour and you'll realise he is absolutely perfect for the part. Also it's an excellent story
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christine
- 10-06-14
Rivers who would have thought it!
Would you consider the audio edition of Rivers of London to be better than the print version?
Yes- adds character to the written word
Who was your favorite character and why?
Enjoyed the whole book
Would you listen to another book narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith?
Yes
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Can do either
Any additional comments?
Just a wonderful experience -thank you
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Niall
- 30-05-14
Awesome London urban fantasy
If it wasn't for poor Leslie, this might have got 5 stars, but you'll have to read the book if you want that story.
Basically, this is the tale of a young, mixed-race constable in the Metropolitan Police who discovers that he has a talent for magic and ends up investigating supernatural problems in London. The setting is believable: it's a hidden magic setting, but it's quite apparent that more people know what's really going on, especially among the police, than it first appears. Either the author has police experience or he did good research; the cops in the books seem remarkably well drawn, though I thought I detected one error (which could be my own reading being wrong).
Plotwise, this story mingles a pair of tracks regarding the (embodied) spirits of the rivers of London, hence the title, who seem to be having a few disputes, and some rather violent murders which appear to have no natural reason for happening. The resolution is satisfying... mostly.
The humour level is great, the suspense is well done. Aaronovitch appears to like the kind of humour I do, always a plus. I laughed aloud at times, which is embarrassing when you're listening to an audiobook. There are still many things to uncover in the setting and I suspect I'll be looking up some more of these books.
I listened to the Audible version, so a note on the reader: excellent. Just that: excellent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kristin
- 29-11-16
Excellent story!
I just tried this genre out, as am usually more of a "classic crime" person. But I just fell for this series! Crime meets Magic in a modern London. And it is written so excellent that you feel part of the story.
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