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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
- Keshnee
- 30-06-15
Definitely worth a listen!
I enjoyed this book immensely. It's fantasy with magic / magicians / wizards (like in Harry Potter), vampires (not of the sparkling variety), river gods / goddesses named after the rivers of London and a police department that's aware of and trained in magic, all running concurrently in modern day London.
I love fantasy stories based around London as I like the visual guide of knowing London, also the book has quite a bit of British slang, which gives it an authentic feel. It's a light read, but fast paced and the type of story that you just can't put down once you start. It's also very funny and ridiculous at times (but in a good way), definitely worth a read!
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 31-08-19
Excerlant story beautifully read
What a wonderful story, just the right amount of whimsy, humour, suspense to carry you on on a pleasurable journey. Read excellently, perfect timing and a wonderfully rich voice. Highly recommended
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kaz Whymark
- 26-04-20
KAZ 🥳 England 🏴
I liked the different characters in this book 📖 ‘ & the way that magic was mixed in 😊 The story was okay 👌🏾 but sadly the narrator spoke so fast 💨 that i had to keep going back to listen to parts of the book 📖 so i’d know what was going on There’s a lot of stuff about London which was interesting as well Good but not great 📖😊
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ACD
- 16-07-19
Enjoyed but not inclined to read the series
I enjoyed this as I found the story interesting, but with all 'magic books the rules are arbitrary. Will not read any more in the series but I enjoyed this as a one off.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Gen
- 25-07-12
Wonderful book
This was the first audiobook I downloaded and I love it. The narrator is perfect and manages to capture the different voices of the characters really well. My husband and I have had prolonged debates about who we picture for the different characters it is so evocative. I'll definitely be getting the other two books available as audiobooks.
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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
- Miss R. J. Cooper
- 07-06-17
fun
Great fun, a good story, engaging characters with a peppering of trivia and general knowledge.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liz
- 29-10-17
The performance isn't bad... just not for me
I bought this audio book ages ago and couldn't get into it. I'm now reading it as a paperbook and loving it. For me the performance got in the way of enjoying it.
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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
- 07-07-14
My new addiction!
What made the experience of listening to Rivers of London the most enjoyable?
The idea is exciting and original with fascinating, believably real characters and moments of genuine humor. The story progresses at a good pace that keeps you listening on the edge of your seat. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is just perfect for the role, he sounds exactly like I would expect Peter Grant (the main character) to sound like and puts a wealth of emotion into every line.
Have you listened to any of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s other performances? How does this one compare?
I havn't listened to any of his other performances (except for the other titles in this series) but would love to as I think he is fantastic
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, in fact I bought and listened to after buying the first book I waited very impatiently for pay day and bought the other three books in the series and listened to them all over four days. I was devastated when the last one finished and I realized I would have to wait 3 months for the next book to come out and goodness only knows how long until the audio version is released.
Any additional comments?
The whole series is fantastic and I am waiting on the edge of my seat for the next one
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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
- tired & cynical
- 17-11-17
Unusual & Original
The supernatural doesn’t interest me, however this series of books has really got me hooked. The subject may be a bit weird (and it is dealt with in a hugely original & unusual way) but the characters, particularly the main character, are three dimensional, real life, living breathing people. The reader is excellent, one of the best I’ve come across and I’ve listened to thousands of books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- UsefulThings
- 11-09-15
Great start to the series
A really fun read - humour , action , it has it all. A great set up for the series and introduction to some really interesting characters. Excellently narrated by Ben Aaronovitch.
If you like the Chronicles of St Marys you will also enjoy this.
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