False Value is the 8th book in the fantastic Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. In this latest instalment, Peter Grant has left the police force and gone to work as a security guard at a tech company where things are not as they seem.
Title: False Value
Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Series: Rivers of London #8
First Published: February 25, 2020 (February 20, 2020 in the UK)
Publisher: Gollancz / Berkeley Publishing Group / DAW
Categories: Urban Fantasy
Acquired: from the publisher via NetGalley
*** Thank you to the publisher, Berkeley Publishing Group / DAW, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm. Rather than sit around, he takes a job with émigré Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner’s brand new London start up – the Serious Cybernetics Company.
Drawn into the orbit of Old Street’s famous ‘silicon roundabout’, Peter must learn how to blend in with people who are both civilians and geekier than he is. Compared to his last job, Peter thinks it should be a doddle. But magic is not finished with Mama Grant’s favourite son.
Because Terrence Skinner has a secret hidden in the bowels of the SCC. A technology that stretches back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and forward to the future of artificial intelligence. A secret that is just as magical as it technological – and just as dangerous.
Warning: I’m a huge fan of the Rivers of London series
I must warn you – this is not going to be a fair review. I have been a HUGE fan of Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series since I stumbled across Book 1 (Rivers of London) many years ago.
So unless Aaronovitch wrote something super terrible I was pretty sure I would enjoy the story, which doesn’t make for a very unbiased review, but at least I’m honest about it!
Also, there may be a few teeny, tiny spoilers in this review (but nothing major, I promise!)
Make no mistake, this is a Peter Grant story
Of course, all the usual suspects make brief appearances, but they are, unfortunately, very brief. We find out what’s happening with Beverley (more than the others, since she IS going to give birth to Peter’s twins), Abigail, Molly, Guleed, Seawoll, Agent Reynolds and Nightingale, but they are all there just to give Peter an assist. I know Peter is always the protagonist, but this time it feels like he’s more centre-stage than usual. Of all of them, I really wished there was more of Nightingale. (I love Nightingale)
There are lots of new players – Peter’s new boss, Tyrel Johnson (and his family), the company’s owner, Terrence Skinner, and a bunch of tech guys that work at Serious Cybernetics with Peter. There’s also a couple of magic-wielders from the US. When they mention the NY Public Library and The Librarians I had a flashback to that awesome show The Librarians (anyone?) and had to wonder if there was a connection.
Speaking of connections, true to his usual style, Aaronovitch hides a TON of fun references in this book, from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to Die Hard – I’d have to do another careful read-through to try and catch even half of them. It’s a lot of fun for pop-culture junkies to try and find them all.
The magic that we know and love about the series is still as prominent as ever, and things from previous books make appearances, including demon traps, talking foxes, and the magic-erasing properties of Molly’s ‘cousin’ Foxglove.
Missing the familiarity
With Peter out of the police force and into the corporate sector, there were a lot of things I found myself missing. As I mentioned earlier, most of the characters we have come to know and love barely have more than a few lines in this outing. The police force is more of a background in this adventure, as are the Rivers themselves. And most of the time Nightingale is just ‘hanging around’ in case Peter needs back-up, which is a shame. (Did I mention I love Nightingale?)
Oh, and the back-stabbing traitor Lesley May doesn’t even make an appearance. I think her name is mentioned once or twice but she isn’t part of this story and for that I’m grateful. I think Peter (and the story) is better off without her.
Is change on the horizon?
I know that Peter’s new ‘career’ is just temporary, but it still makes me nervous for the future. There were several hints at changes (small and large) to come…
- Peter is about to become a father
- The Folly is undergoing some major renovations
- There are a lot more people using the Folly these days – from Fae to a group of magic ‘trainees’
- Nightingale actually mentioned the word ‘retirement’
The Rivers of London is still one of my favourite series
While I felt that there was a definite shift in the feel of this book compared to the previous seven (which seems fitting since this book’s cover is black while the others are all cream), I still enjoyed False Value immensely. And while the story is slightly different than our usual Rivers outing, it makes a lot of sense in Peter’s world. Plus it did a fantastic job of having magic collide with tech (those magic-infused drone dragonflies will haunt my nightmares!)
The action is packed (I stayed up until 6am reading this because I couldn’t put it down) and Aaronovitch’s characters are as clever and interesting as always.
This is still one of the first titles I recommend to people when they ask for my favourite books. The only problem is that this is one series where the books aren’t good as stand-alones – you need to read it from the start because the character and world-building are incredible. And I guess another thing I love about this series – along with the stunning number of culture references Aaronovitch can pack into his books, there’s also the inside jokes and digs that you’ll only get if you’ve been with these characters from the start.
Reading this series is like catching up with old friends… who just happen to be powerful wizard, Fae, talking foxes and river goddesses…
Read False Value for yourself
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