C-
Genre: Urban Fantasy
I finished this book and thought to myself, “What the hell just happened?”
The answer: A LOT. A lot happens in this book. There is so much that if I attempted to recap it, even with the broadest of summaries, the text would be miles wide and tens of thousands of words long. The plot starts, throttles up to “I can’t comfortably open my eyes” speed and doesn’t stop until the end, with one or two rests in the middle that last maybe a chapter, usually less. Reading this book is like riding a roller coaster, the kind which start by going from a full stop to 100mph out of the gate. There are massive ups and downs, with hardly any pause to the action, but in the end I arrived at a place nearly identical to where I started.
The ideal cover quote for this book would be, no question, “Everything Happens So Much” (tm Horse eBooks).
As bland a summary as I can give: Peter, Nightingale, Guleed, and the others working together to stop The Faceless Man have to…stop The Faceless Man, and have some concrete plans to do so. He’s still determined to outsmart all of them, and there’s a lot of chasing, cat and mouse, magic, and smartassery.
Above all: if you haven’t read the prior books, starting with this one is a terrible idea. In fact, Peter Grant, the lead character and narrator, pretty much tells you, the reader, that starting with this story is a bad idea. That was one of many moments I found hilarious.
Not hilarious: Peter trying to foreshadow his own narration. I don’t know if there is a name for this phenomenon, but several times, Peter does what I now think of as a half backward foreshadow. At the end of a conversation, an encounter, whatever, he’ll say something like, “I didn’t realize until later that this conversation was significant.” It happens enough times that I started rolling my eyes at the text. If there is a drinking game for this series, and that device, whatever it’s called, is on that game, do not engage. Your liver will thank you.
The thing that left me most unsatisfied, aside from the general post-whirlwind exhaustion of, “What the hell just happened,” was that – and this is a bit of a spoiler, now that I think about it….
Throughout the past few books, there has been a Big Bad, a large, menacing, but mostly unsubstantial or unidentified evil that’s pulling the strings and making bad shit happen. The Big Bad has evolved and changed from one entity to another.
This book delivers a resolution for the most recent Big Bad, but in a way that doesn’t sufficiently replace or install a new and equally menacing Big Bad or Bigger Bad or Other Bad or Somewhat As Terrible But Still Important character. It was kind of a let down.
What I find most interesting is also somewhat personal, so please pardon the following if it doesn’t help you decide whether you want to read this book. I’ve mentioned before that this is one of the few series that Adam and I both read. We read the first few books of the series in tandem, and at one point were racing one another to finish. We’ve talked a lot about the series, what we like about it, what we enjoy, and how our respective interests are different, yet still satisfied by the same series.
When he finished Lies Sleeping, he immediately went back and re-read the entire series one after the other, including this one. (Is there a name for that as well? A reverse glom re-read? Maybe a double axel something or other?) When I asked him about his impressions after re-reading the series then the book, he said he enjoyed it much more the second time. He could see the plot points that were created in earlier books, and spot where smaller scenes became massively important in Lies Sleeping. He could also explain to me what the hell exactly happened in the end. It was a conversation that started with a lot of, “OK, so remember in this book when this happened? That means that in that scene at the end….” It’s almost as if you need a graduate level study of the series and of the world building to fully appreciate the latest installment. The idea of graduate study of a fictional world is so very, very much Adam’s catnip, but not so much mine.
As for me, I finished it and was mentally exhausted from trying to recall certain details, and from also trying to summon the interest to keep going when everyone involved was rushing from one spot to another. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but so much occurred that it’s all kind of a blur. As I reached the end, I realized that I was invested in the plot and wanted to know how it would end, but I wasn’t as invested in who it would happen to, or why, or what it meant. And I don’t presently have the mental energy to go re-read the series, though I might at some point. There’s already so much world building and so much plot that starting over seems incredibly daunting, and I wasn’t that engaged by the latest book to undertake the project.
I recognize I’ve complained a lot here, mostly because the story is very much plot and action, without much character development and reveal, and the latter forms the bulk of my enjoyment in prior books. I like learning about the different characters, and seeing what Peter comes up with when he’s doing “sod all” sitting around in the annex behind the Folly (that’s where the electronics all work and where the internet is). This is one of the very few series I’ve kept up with, in large part because of the world and particularly the characters within it. There’s a lot of history, magical realism, popular culture, and a very real, very evolving language in the narration and in the world.
So my biggest frustration is that this book is all plot with very little in the way of character revelation and development. There are a few key points of progress, such as Peter’s ability with magic, his ability to put pieces together more expediently, and his ability to maneuver through police politics. But my favorite parts of the prior books were learning more about each character, especially as Peter observed and thought and researched. It seems strange to say I liked the books better when they were slower and when Peter sat around and thought about stuff a lot, but it’s true. In this book, the characters who are so interesting show up and run around A LOT, but they don’t grow or change or evolve – or reveal interesting things about their pasts or motivations.
That frustration makes this a difficult book to grade. I’m curious if you’ve read the series and read this latest installment, what you thought of it. Adam says he’d give it a B+, noting, “[I] would overall give the series an A, and I love the characters and the pop culture references. This book is slightly below others in the series because I had to read it twice to figure out everything that was happening.”
For me, I need a mental nap, and I’m giving it a C-.
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Thanks!
I really want to read this, or listen to the audio, but still need to read the previous book in the series, The Hanging Tree, and can’t get to it yet, because of all the other things I need to read, arrggh.
I thought it was just me. I found it a bit dull and hard going, I think due to, as you pointed out, lack of character focus and trying to work out what was going on, and not caring much.
The trope is called “had I but known” and is very prevalent in gothic novels.
Yes, very plot heavy. Made me wonder if it’s the last in the series, or if the series is about to take a different turn?
Also Nightingale is absent for almost all of the book, putting out magical fires off-page. Nightingale is the most romantic non-romance-hero in current literature, so this is something of a disappointment also.
Oh, I loved it! I wish there had been more Guleed but I felt like the groundwork was laid for a really satisfying next book–Lesley has been growing as a menace this whole time, imo, and I’m really interested to see what she’s going to do next. I don’t think she’s going to fade away and become harmless. Buuuut I listen to the audiobook and I have a short attention span so I’m used to relistening to all of them many many times.
And Kobna Holdbrook-Smith reading the audio is HEART EYES.
I gobbled up the previous books, but haven’t read this one yet. As much as they pull my interest I also found myself a little exhausted after reading. Hearing that this one is even more of all that cleverness is good to know so I’ll save it for when I’m feeling up to that speed. I’ll also make sure to skim the previous books (I’m not sure about a complete re-read). So that was a good tip from Adam. Thanks. I was really hoping you would review this one and continue with the series!
Nice addition, and fun series of stories, but the clumsy/abrupt dismount at the end of each book smacks of dr who a bit too much, or maybe an underlying short/graphic-novel type of storytelling – i’m not sure, but it’s noticable, and it’s still there in book 7. I hope the author expands/evolves a bit, but i’ll definitely be reading the next one regardless.
I raced through this book and I really loved it (in fact, I texted my mom at one point about how much I loved it), but so far, it did not leave all that much of an impact, i.e. I have not thought about it much since finishing. I don’t know whether this is because I’ve read it so quickly or, as the review states, there is more action and less character development.
However, I did really appreciate all the extra world building that was going on, especially with some of the Rivers’ former selves. I have always appreciated how Aaronovitch uses history, architecture and folklore in the RoL series, and this book did not disappoint on that front. I love both Tyburns and hope to see more of them.
I would also give this instalment a solid B+. It’s not my favourite, and I can see why Sarah would rate it lower, but I for one am happy with it and curious where the story will go from here.
Also, I cosign what @faellie says, in future books, I need more Nightingale *hearteyes*
I could have written this review (and the comment about Nightingale, because really, his lack of ‘screen time’ is criminal). It’s one of the few series my brother and I read together and we both struggled with the lack of focus on character development in this instalment, and he’s usually keen on plot and action. I’m not sure I’ll pick up the next.
I liked it but felt like it was uneven in a lot of respects–even the editing is sloppy in places. I’ve only read the ebook version, though, and I think the audio narrator elevates these books from good to excellent. I wondered while I was reading some parts if the author hasn’t started structuring phrases in anticipation of them being read by this narrator… anyone else think so? Overall, I also wished for a lot more of Peter hanging out with people and just being a good guy.
@christine yes I really feel like now he writes with Holdbrook Smith’s narration in mind–which is kind of a strength but might be keeping him from really working as hard as he ought bc HS does so mch for the series!
@tilly, exactly! I guess if I had a narrator like HS lined up, I might be tempted to phone it in a little, too. I would listen to HS read the phone book.
I agree not quite so good as the earlier books. But still loved it. B+ from my too.
Just finished it and feel it’s the end of an arc. Sometimes you have to tie up some loose ends and switch focus for a while. I still like Peter and love the assorted Rivers. I’d love to see more Abigail/Nightingale interactions in future books.
I liked this one a lot, though I agree there was a lot going on and the pace was even more frenetic than usual here. I disagree, however, that there wasn’t much character reveal–I thought there was some with new characters like Walbrook and Foxglove.
Loved it. I was getting a bit tired of the Faceless Man bit dragging on and on; but now at last, it seems PC Grant is within arms reach of bringing him to justice. Except for The Furthest Station (and that’s a novella) the best book in the series so far. So that’s an A from me.
Preordered this book and, like the rest of the series, read it the day it came out. You’re absolutely right that without being deeply immersed in the rest of the series and the worldbuilding it is tough to follow. For me, this wasn’t much of an issue since the tend to listen to the audiobooks of the whole series again before the new one comes out, and if you haven’t tried the audiobooks I recommend them heartily as Peter’s snark is even more delightful when Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is delivering it. My only complaint about the series is one that it shares with The Dresden Files, that the core books make reference to events that occur in the spin-off comic book series and short stories. The short stories are less egregious to me, and while the comics are good, they overlap between comic readers and novel readers isn’t always there. Without knowing that they exist, there are plot points and references in the books that will absolutely go over a reader’s head. I appreciate your insightful review though I’m personally more inclined to give the book an A-.