A spinoff! Peter Grant is referenced, somewhat enviously, but not seen in this novella about the German magical bureaucracy, which isn’t supposed to exist post-WWII but does anyway. Many of the spirits are dead, or deeply embittered (or probably both), because of Nazi crimes, but our guy is just trying to do a job, which happens to be investigating some rather odd wine-related deaths. I wanted more about what exactly the Nazis did but I understand that doesn't fit with the deeply bureaucratic structure of magic regulation as Aaronovitch has set it up.

The Rivers of London world expands with this short novella focused on the experiences of Tobias Winter, Germany's answer to Peter Grant. It's not clear if the novella is a standalone, an attempt to introduce characters that Peter & Co will interact with later, or the first salvo in a new series of a related expanded universe. I enjoyed the work but found myself missing Peter (Tobias is either less compelling or perhaps less familiar) and sometimes a bit frustrated with the Winter & Sommers development line which, for my tastes, ran rather too similar to the development of Grant and May albeit with a rather happier ending (perhaps Aaronvitch is going for a what if/if only vibe?). That being said the mystery was great and the peek into Germany's (and France's!) magic worlds was intriguing, so if Aaronvitch's next book was a full Winter & Sommers novel, I would be 100% all in.

ARC via NetGalley

An expansion of the Rivers of London universe that I didn't know I wanted/needed until now. Honestly, this is one of the best contemporary fantasy series out there and I love the sort of parallel lines Mr. Aaronovitch brings to Tobias Winter's apprenticeship and the general German approach to magic, Nightingale, and fairy/magic creature societies. The mystery, per usual, is tight and virtually plot-hole proof and we get an idea of how magic is affecting the larger world, or, more specifically, the EU. If there's a small nitpick here it's that Tobias isn't super realized, he sounds a bit too much like Peter Grant in some places, while Vanessa Sommer reads as a much fuller, clearer, and more complex character, so I'd like to propose a protagonist switch? All in all, a fun, fun, fun read and a good gateway drug for anyone who wants to dabble in these books. A super strong recommend!

I haven't read this series for some years, so I thought I'd see if I could pick this up a it was billed as standalone. Definitely worth the effort! Now I have to go back and read the books I missed! I hope we see more of these characters in the future.

Lou Jacobs's Reviews > The October Man

The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
The October Man (Rivers of London, #7.5)
by Ben Aaronovitch (Goodreads Author)
M 50x66
Lou Jacobs's review Mar 14, 2019 · edit
really liked it

"Life is too short to drink bad wine" .. a quote attributed to noted German writer and statesman, Johan Wolfang von Goethe. This directly ties in with the theme and narrative of Aaronovich's next urban magical mystery. Although the scene is Trier, the oldest city in Germany, this short novel will provide a nice fix for lovers of "The Rivers of London" series. The quote can be taken quite literally or as related to our story. .... a group of middle age men caught in mid-life crisis with virtually dead end jobs and insignificant personal relationships decide to better themselves and form a "Good Wine Drinking Club" with scheduled meetings associated with not only drinking but enjoying the local arts. Somewhat magically their lives are all improved. However, a man is found murdered near a vineyard and his body is completely enveloped by a grey fungus ... "noble rot", which is known to be used in the wine industry to turn out a batch of marvelous sweet wine. The man has been asphyxiated with his airway completely blocked by the infestation of the fungus.
Even the local authorities know they are out of their element and summon the aid of the Abeilung KDA - the branch of the German police handling supernatural cases. Tobias Winter, one of only two sanctioned practitioners of Magic in Germany, is summoned to investigate the murder. When he arrives he finds himself partnered with local police official, Vanessa Sommer. In the course of their investigation a frequent guffaw results when they introduce themselves as Sommer & Winter.
Their investigation quickly provides a direct link of the murder to the Good Wine Drinking Club members. Multiple twists in the narrative uncover the nature of the secret magical history of the city and it's inhabitants dating back to Roman times ... especially implicated are the Straker family, involved in the wine making industry for multiple generations. Naturally , Tobias uncovers evidence of magical Vestigium and utilizes the local River Spirits to progress his investigation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Subterrean Press for providing an ARC of this delightful romp in exchange for an honest review. @SubPress

A delicious entry in the Rivers of London series, this novella introduces readers to the German equivalent of Nightingale, Grant, and the Folly denizens. Tobias Winter, one of Germany's only two practitioners, is paired with Vanessa Sommer to investigate the supernatural death of first one man, and later several, near a vineyard struggling to make a comeback. Readers get to learn about German magic traditions, werewolves, river goddesses of Germany, noble rot, and more. It's a fantastic treat for fans of this series and can be an introduction to the series for newcomers.

Another enjoyable romp with magical, mythical bad guys and river goddesses! Only this time the story takes place in Germany with new characters. Interestingly the London practitioners, Nightingale and Peter Grant, are mentioned as peers/ possible rivals across the channel. Looks like Aaronovitch is setting up an international network of practitioners for future novels. I missed Peter and Beverly but overall enjoyed the new novella and look forward to the next chapter.

In The October Man, Ben Aaronovitch introduces Germany's answer to Peter Grant in the person of Tobias Winter. Winter is called to Trier to investigate a possible "infraction" where he teams up with Vanessa Sommer to find out why a body was covered with fungus just down the hill from a vineyard. Magic is definitely in play as the case comes down to a few hundred year old desire for revenge/love with the personification of a German river on the part of a dead magician. A very interesting new part of the "Rivers" universe has just opened up! Read and enjoy!

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this volume!

Had the chance to read an ARC copy of this and I enjoyed it! This was not about Peter Grant, so it was a nice detour to see what their German counterparts were going.

I agree with a previous reviewer that the flow was a little disjointed; I had a small problem connecting the story everyone it jumped, but I enjoyed the story!

I look forward to more on Tobi Winter and Vanessa Sommer; and hopefully a look at the French too!

So this was pretty cool. Instead of following Peter or Nightingale (why???) we follow another magic practitioner named Tobias Winter. Tobias is the equivalent to our Peter Grant in England, only Tobias operates in Germany. Tobias is working on a case that seems to involve wine, ghosts, and magic.

Tobias's family seemed very interesting and I wanted to know more about his dad, mother, and the family's history with policing. I did love the introduction of Vanessa and how she finds out about magic being real and that Tobias can do it. We even have a goddess in this one (seriously this series is lousy with goddesses, everyone is one it seems).

I liked the narration though Tobias at times can sound a bit like Peter in my opinion.

"There are bad things in the world, and most of them aren't my job. But, of the things that are my responsibility, revenants are the worse.

"Momentum is critical when dealing with practitioners. Magic takes concentration, even for malevolent spirits of the dead. For a successful capture you have to pile the pressure on, and never them them catch their balance."

The flow was not that great though which is the main reason why I gave this four stars. The book stops and starts throughout. Usually in a Peter Grant story his voice is so forceful through the whole thing I don't notice the laggy bits as much. Or I probably do and it doesn't bother me as much.

The book setting changing to Germany was a good idea. I honestly don't know much about German forklore/magic/spirits/etc. so it was pretty cool that this book revolved around that. I honestly didn't get a few words that were used though and felt a little bit confused here and there. Not often, but a little. There is also some discussion of the Nazis and Hitler and Hitler not being a revenant.

I really got a kick out of the ending with Tobias and Vanessa finding out about the fact that there were more magic users out there in places like London (Peter and Nightingale), the French reopened something called The Academy, and now we know of Germany and the Abteilung KDA - the Department for Complex and Unspecific Matters.