Full of all the usual wry wit and madness that is so much a part of the Peter Grant books, this novella is a fast read that, I suspect, could have been worked up into a full-length book if Ben Aaronovitch had had notion to do so. Having only made it as far as part-way through the third book in the series, I was breaking all the rules in reading #5.7 now. Consequently there were a few things that I just had to accept, which I assume I'd have already known about if I'd read in sequence. I was a little sorry to see less fleshing-out of characters than in the novels, but that's inevitable, really, given how much shorter this book is.

I will confess that despite my convictions that audiobooks aren't my thing, I am completely hooked on the audiobooks of this series, and I missed Kobna's narration. If an audio version is released in future (please! please!) I will be happy to "re-read".

Rivers of London novella involving ghosts on a mission and a newly born river who’s been adopted by normals. Didn’t seem to move the ball much.

"He knew I knew,” I said. “Yeah, but what did you know?” said DI Colombo. “Obviously something,” I said. “If only I knew what it was.”

Another brilliant story from the 'Rivers of London' series. This time we are back in the tunnels and trains of the London Underground, with PC Peter Grant and PC Jaget Kumar of the British Transport Police (last seen in Whispers Underground). There is a ghost insulting and assaulting passengers on the Metropolitan Line but when interviewed the passengers don't remember the assault, and they don't remember calling the police, or what happened to them.

Obviously the whole situation needs a Falcon Assessment.

So Peter is on the case and to him this is just another day in the office. He and Jaget go ghost hunting underground with the assistance of Abigail who is Peter's cousin and apprentice, and who has an uncanny ability to sniff out the supernatural and spot ghosts.

And so Peter is on the Underground again because obviously Londoners can't get away from it, but instead of ghost hunting on the lines and stations in the heart of London, he is off to the extremities of London. Infinity and beyond, which in underground terms is actually not London but Chesham the furthest station of the Metroplitan Line and hardly the life and vibe of the city.

I wouldn't have thought it possible for anyone to write an interesting story about Chesham but here it is.

And so people are seeing ghosts as they travel on the Metropolitan Line and as Peter gets involved more 'weird shit' happens because it always does when an officer from the Folly is involved.

This is an excellent novella for all Peter Grant fans. Having returned from his stint in the sticks (Foxglove Summer) it is great to have him back in the 'Big Smoke' where Londoners don't bat an eyelid at the weird stuff because that's just how we roll in the big city.

It continues this fabulous series with the usual entertaining magic, mystery, witty observations, Molly, Toby, Nightingale, Peter and the various divisions of the British Police force, and as usual everyone is investigating the things that shouldn't happen but do.

I have been listening my way through this series and this is actually the first time I am reading an ebook from the series. Thankfully the narration of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is etched in my memory and as I read this story I could hear his impeccable narration in my mind. In the same way PC Grant is very much a character who has come alive in my imagination and perhaps one day I might meet him on the streets of London or the underground, or maybe not because who wants to be around him when the weird stuff starts?

And then there are the rivers, foxes, ghosts and all the other stuff that make this series so addictive. Even though this is a novella the story here is a really good one and a nice follow up to Foxglove Summer.

I think these books should be compulsory reading for all Londoners and anyone who wants to move to London because the stories just capture the essence of London and what it means to be a Londoner.

Plus they are also just great books!

Copy provided by the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Everything you have come to expect from Aaronovitch! Fantastic!

What a magnificent, lighthearted novella it was! There are not always a lot of authors who can add to their stories and series as time goes on without spoiling them, but Ben Aaronovitch absolutely nailed it!
The Peter Grant series is one of my absolute favourite book series and no one writes magic, mysteries, and comedy for adults quite like Aaronovitch does. What a smashing book!

Thank you Subterranean Press for the opportunity to review this ARC

4.5 Stars

Chock full of all the things I love best about the Rivers of London series, this novella follows Peter Grant, acerbic critic of British architecture, Metropolitan Police Constable, and apprentice wizard, as he and practitioner wannabe Abigail, his cousin, investigate a series of peculiar, disintegrating ghost sightings along a particular train line. "Starling" Grant's charming persistence pays off, we meet a delightful, if a bit wild, baby River god, and arrive at Abigail's fulfillment of her end of the Latin bargain that Peter made with her a couple of books back. Yikes!

This was a very enjoyable read, though I missed Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's brilliant narration. We know what I'll be loading on my Audible app, come release date!

There is something about stories set between novels that are really nice. You know that no one is going to die since you have read further along in the series and know who is still living. This is a novella that has Peter tracking down ghost reports on the Tube with help from Jaget who now is now in charge of anything weird on the London Underground. The plus with this being a smaller story we do get more of Abigail and it really looks like in this story that as she grows up she will be working for the Folly as well.

The story is good and the nice thing is there isn’t a lot of actual magic in the story that hasn’t been seen before performed by anyone. What does seem to do the trick for this one is a nice combo of police legwork with the magic helping it out with the ghosts.

The Furthest Station was a fun and quick read! This story follows apprentice mage and police constable Peter Grant as he tries to find out why there has been a sudden increase in spectral incidents on the London Underground. The persons who have encountered the ghosts quickly lose all memory of their encounter, which adds to the intrigue of the mystery (and creates difficulties for Peter when he tries to gather witness testimony). The story features Peter's cousin Abigail very prominently, which I very much enjoyed! Readers who enjoy reading about the history of the Folly have a few things to look forward to as well.

While this book does not further the story of the Folly v. the Faceless Man (the novella takes place between Foxglove Summer and the Hanging Tree), it still features the same humor, random cultural references, and gumshoeing that Aaronovitch's readers love (myself included). The Furthest Station has all of the things that I love about the Rivers of London series, just in a smaller package. I would definitely recommend picking this book up!

@SubPress

I have only ever listened to the Peter Grant books so reading one was very different. I kept hearing the narrator's voice in my head and imagining how the accents would sound like for the characters. So I am pretty sure I will re-visit this one sometime on Audible. So why didn't I wait for the audio version? Well this is only a short story. Which is only something I realised when the length showed up on my Kindle. I actually thought this was the new full novel.

Slightly disappointed at the size I still couldn't wait to read this. The locations, the characters and the concept are just so unique, fantastic and addictive. The writing style is informative and hooks you but has a lovely amount of wit and fun to it. Very British and for me each book is like a little trip home.

This short story didn't feel as short as it was and actually started to feel like a full length novel. There was no rush or stress to be felt and everything was written at the normal steady pace. Nothing felt like it had been left out and there was enough new material to enjoy as well as some connections to other pieces of the series. All in all it was a nice story that took the edge off while waiting for the next installment.

Well worth checking out and I actually wouldn't mind reading more short stories in the series. This isn't something I usually say but I really enjoyed this one and feel like the author has a good handle on how to write a good novella. Maybe there are some short stories out there, I have to admit I never checked but I will be doing that now! I can't wait for more from this series it is definitely one of those ones that you can't and won't want to forget.

Ghosts on the Metropolitan Train Line? Assault on a commuter by a non-existent person? When the British Transport Police Underground Unit is called, the commuter does not recall the incident. Another commuter who was accosted expresses surprise and disbelief at police presence within ten minutes after he called the police. This calls for intervention by the Special Assessment Unit aka The Folly headed by Peter Grant and Detective Chief Inspector Nightingale with an assist from teenage volunteer, Abigail.

In total seven incidents, seemingly supernatural, were mentioned in police reports as having happened on the London Tube's Metropolitan Line. Abby compiles a list of train stops in question. Peter and Nightingale plan on boosting the intensity of ghosts by feeding them magic hoping they will appear as entities that talk and react. Using low-grade light called werelight, several ghosts are conjured up and try to impart information about a magical abduction before they vanish.

The team of Peter and Nightingale was greatly enhanced by Abby's diligence and determination. Mentoring Abigail in magic could assist her in becoming an equal member of The Folly in the future. This is my first foray into the Peter Grant series that mixes urban fantasy and police procedural techniques. "The Furthest Station" by Ben Aaronovitch was a nice place to start.

Thank you Subterranean Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Furthest Station".

I have intended to read the Peter Grant series for some time now & and greater motivation than this novella will not be needed.

I HAD SO MUCH FUN READING IT!

Ben Aaronovitch seriously knows how to mix mundane police investigation with magic and come up with something unique and very entertaining.

And I also owe him a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, which - as I read the book on the metro, albeit not in London, to get as authentic a reading experience as possible - caused some disturbance among fellow-travellers. Hopefully not as much as a possible ghost would/could.

The writing is clear and succinct interlaced with wry humour, the main characters are interesting and likeable. The story is intriguing throughout, with the show-rather-than-tell approach and not overburdened with unnecessary details.

It is clear that the author knows London like the back of his hand and the extensive info we are offered concerning Tube transport as well as the major congregation of ghosts in the area is not to be sneezed at. :)

Recommended to all who like police procedural dramas with a twist and don't mind MAGIC occupying the territory of the MUNDANE in a very British way: politely and discretely, while offering cups of tea, takeaways and numerous rides on the Metropolitan Line.

I just love love love this series and the wait between the installments is kind of killing me. So I was super pleased to at least have this novella to read to satisfy my need to spend more time in the wonderful world Ben Aaronovitch has created.

The case at the heart of this book is an increasing number of ghost sightings on the tube. People report seeing them, but soon after that forget to have ever seen them. The ghosts seem to have a message to deliver, but this proves difficult given that people keep forgetting what they were told within minutes.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this short book, I sped through it in two sittings and my only complaint is that it is so short and I now have to wait who knows how long until the next book comes out. At the same time, this shortness actually works in the book's favour as well - the case presented is a lot easier to follow and the author does not get lost in discussions about other things. It is a neat case that works great in showcasting Abigail as a character (I didn't remember liking her this much!). She is absolutely brilliant and her interaction with Peter is amazing. I love how Aaronovitch manages to built these believable relationships between people and how different every single relationship is to the others. Abigail and Peter behave in a way siblings do and I love that! I love their dynamic and how she challenges him all the while being so so similar to him.

I adore Peter a whole lot and he still is my favourite character in all the Urban Fantasy books I read recently. He is smart and funny and just enough of a geek to be adorable while at the same time getting better and better at his job without losing his inherent optimism. I cannot wait to see where the series goes next!

This is a novella of the Peter Grant series, it's number 5.7. I honestly never heard of this series until I got the E-ARC for this book and now I'm reading them all. This book was so funny, I loved Peter's dry sense of humor. I love the premise of ghost police in London. I'm not a big fan of the mystery genre but supernatural mysteries, like this one, are so fun to read.

It gave me the same feeling as reading Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series did. It's not that these are children's books by any means, there's an F-bomb every once in a while and it's a pretty adult concept, but the writing style felt similar, and the attitude towards ghosts and magic felt similar to me. And that's a great thing since I adore the Septimus Heap series.

The Folly is also a pretty interesting organization. Everything is very scientific. The ghosts are classified into categories, there's methods for testing theories, and yet it combines that science with classical education, learning Greek and Latin.

I jumped into this series with this novella so I didn't fully understand everything right off the bat but it's written so well, giving just enough information so that even if you're reading out of order you can grasp whats happening, but not overloading you with information either. I loved it enough to go back and read the whole series. I currently reading book 2, Moon Over Soho, and I highly recommend this series. 4 out of 5 stars!

This novella is being released June 30th, so you have plenty of time to go read the other books before this one comes out!

I received this book for free, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful side adventure in the Peter Grant universe. I found myself chuckling, highlighting as a went, enjoying Grant’s wry observations of the city and it’s denizens.

All the elements that make the series so remarkable, lovable and familiar are here: the humor, the sudden realization that Peter has gotten himself in over his head, references to destroyed landmarks, strange and remarkable Rivers, Molly’s sinister looming and her cooking experiments, Toby’s reluctance to obey, Peter’s inevitable distractions into research, notes on police procedure and interview techniques, commentary on casual racism, and further observations on Nightingale’s remarkable dress code and his failure to modernize.

“Normally these days we shunt files back and forth as email attachments, but the Folly prefers to do things the old-fashioned way. Just in case someone leaks our emails, and also because only one of us currently lives in the 21st century.”

Written as a novella, it’s a little more streamlined than the average Peter Grant book. Kumar, with his willingness to work with ‘weird bullocks’, has contacted Peter for assistance. There have been ghost sightings on the Metropolitan Line of the Tube train and passengers have been strangely unable to remember any details.

“Okay,” said Jaget after a pause. “That’s the second most freakiest thing you’ve ever shown me.”
I snapped off the werelight. “That was really odd,” I said.
“Yeah, even by your standards of odd that was odd,” said Jaget. “What next?”

As usual, the clever social commentary, self-depreciation and genuine curiosity had me chuckling, underlying a bit or two every few pages. I adore the way Aaronovitch is able to make me chuckle without resorting to absurdity, although there is that too. Although I kind of wish he’d stop referencing all the fabulous ‘ethnic’ places to eat, because I was hungrier than usual eating this one, especially when he snacked on crab with ginger and spring onions. But that provides a nice contrast to some more emotional moments, particularly one where Peter recognizes “it isn’t about your personal convictions. It’s about what the person standing on the edge needs.”

The story is remarkably well balanced with a minimum of digressions, so it may be even more palatable than the novels for some. Weaknesses were minor, with the most glaring being a quick wrap-up. I rather think Aaronovitch would just keep writing, but someone has to cut him off. At any rate, it’s not that bothersome. I just flipped back to the beginning and re-read it. Absolutely delicious although I’m not sure how it compares with the Chinese crab-ginger dish. Can’t wait to hear it read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.



Many, many thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for giving me an advance peek!

I loved this and would love more if these short stories! It's a case of ghosts mysteriously appearing to passengers on the Metropolitan line and Peter has to figure out why. It's a nice little self contained mystery. You don't need to be completely caught up with the series to know what is going on, but if you haven't read a couple of books, you're going to be lost.

Short story just to keep in touch with the people of the Folly and to see Abigail taking the place that was Leslie's. Ghosts, kidnapping (as usual) and undergrounds, the same ingredients for the new novella.

Una breve storia per non perdere di vista i nostri amici del Folly e per vedere l'evoluzione di Abigail che, a quanto sembra, prenderá il posto che era di Leslie. Fantasmi, rapimenti (come al solito) e metropolitane, gli ingradienti che conosciamo per una nuova storia.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the story and the plot, pace and characters were all spot on. It was just the right amount of mystery, paranormal and police procedural for me - 4 stars

Amazing, the only way it could have been better was if it were a full length novel!

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---

He asked if we were really ghost hunting, and I said we were.

“What, like officially?”

“Officially secret,” I said because discretion is supposed to be, if not our middle name, at least a nickname we occasionally answer to when we remember.


This novella hit the spot -- a short, but fully developed, adventure with our friends from the Rivers of London series -- full of action, a bit of snark, and seeing Peter in his element (and far out of it, too). Would I have preferred a full novel? Sure -- but if I can't have one, this is more than adequate.

Peter Grant, apprentice wizard and Police Constable, is investigating several reports of a ghost terrorizing people on the Underground during the morning commute. Naturally, even when interviewed immediately following a sighting the witness would only be able to remember details for a few moments before they forgot and/or rationalized them away. Which makes it pretty difficult to ask follow-up questions. As Peter continues to investigate, he ends up finding a very non-supernatural crime that he needs to deal with, even if he goes about it in a pretty supernatural way. While there's little in this series that I don't like, but Peter doing regular policework is one of my favorite parts.

Along for the ride (and looking for trouble) is his cousin, Abigail Jumara, acting as a summer intern for the Folly. Honestly, I barely remembered her when she shows up here -- but I eventually remembered her, and I was glad to see her back. I'm not necessarily sure that I need to see her all the time, but seeing more of her would definitely be pleasant.

In addition to the subplot about Abigail's future, there's a subplot revolving around another personification of a river -- not one of Mama Thames', either. I enjoyed it, and thought it fit in nicely with the rest of the novella, while giving us the requisite dose of a body of water.

There's not a lot to sink your teeth into here -- but the novella length doesn't leave you wanting more (like a short story would). It's good to see the Folly involved in smaller cases. Not just the serial killing, major magical threat, etc. kind of thing -- but the "smaller" stuff, too.

For any fan of the Folly/Peter Grant/Rivers of London series, this is one to get. It'd even make a pretty good introduction to the series for someone who hasn't yet discovered this fun UF series.


Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Subterranean Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both, I needed something like this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work -- I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.