The Furthest Station

The combination of Ben Aaronvitch's witty, observant, compassionate prose with Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's nuanced narration is irresistible.

For most of the book, I listened with a smile on my face as Peter Grant shares his views on people, architecture, policing and music while navigating another well-constructed plot that weaves magic, history, location and the strengths and weaknesses of human nature into a compelling story.

It wasn't all smiles. Peter Grant is not supercilious. He cares about his struggle to right wrongs or at least to minimise the damage they inflict on the innocent. The books are fundamentally compassionate. They are also laced with sadness and loss. In "The Furthest Station" I found myself feeling sympathy for the show more ghost of a child and concerned about her fate. Of course, I also found myself amused by the emergence of a young river god and cheering the progress made by Peter's brilliant and cocky young niece.

At 144 pages this is a short book. I was concerned that I would find it to be a pumped-up short story served up to keep the interest of the reading public until the next novel is ready but I put my faith in Ben Aaronovitch and was rewarded with a compact but perfectly formed story that re-immersed me in Grant's world, moved the ensemble cast of characters on and delivered a modern fairytale enlivened with wit and made relevant to today's London. It was a little over three hours of high quality, emotionally engaging entertainment. show less

This is what I wanted the last two books in this series to be—exciting, a clean plot line, an expansion of the world without getting bogged down in set pieces or side plots, and snarky, jokey goodness. Aaronovitch’s still got it!

I liked that this dealt with ghosts, which have been mentioned but not really explored, and that, because there were ghosts, we got Abigail as a sidekick. (I liked Abigail okay before this. Now I love her.) I liked seeing Jaget again too, that the story took me outside of Tourist London, and that Peter’s “none of this nonsense” attitude is still going strong. And I especially liked how the story felt more like a “week in the life” than the novels have, that sense of following Peter on an adventure show more without worrying about arch-nemeses or goddesses or other implications.

I finished this grinning and very satisfied, which if you’ve followed me a while, you’ll realize is rare for short fiction. Still, just for the sake of continuity, I wouldn’t start reading this series here. If you’re following it already, though? Get your hands on this if you can.

Warnings: Secondhand mention of minor sexual assaults and racial slurs. Off-camera animal death. Stalking and kidnapping.

8/10 show less

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 show more 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 bollocks', 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! show less

I'm going to damn this a little with faint praise and say this was fine. Aaronovitch clearly put this out to stop fans from complaining too much about the wait between new instalments of the Rivers of London series. As a self-contained case told in Peter's trademark voice and some nice moments, it does the trick. However, the fact that it's a stopgap (and thus can't do too much to either alter the characters or move on the storyline in the main sequence of books) means that there aren't much by way of emotional stakes here. Also, it seems to have been written fairly quickly as there were some dropped plot threads. Still, a quick and enjoyable read.

The titular “furthest station” is at the end of the London Underground’s Metropolitan Line. There has been a flurry of ghostly activity on the trains coming in during the morning rush hour, and naturally the Folly is called in to investigate.

This is a short, fun Rivers of London story that showcases Abigail to great advantage. I love how diligent and bright she is, routinely showing Peter up with her achievements and general awesomeness. And this story introduces another interesting aspect of the magical world and how ghosts interact with the real world. A nice little treat if you need a quick fix of Peter and the crew.

Bonus: there’s an interview with Ben Aaronovitch at the end of the book, at least in the print edition (I show more can’t comment on the ebook edition). show less

It was pleasing to get a brief glimpse into the Rivers of London universe in this cheery novella, although it didn’t tackle any of the plot fallout from [b:The Hanging Tree|21479290|The Hanging Tree (Peter Grant, #6)|Ben Aaronovitch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480443659s/21479290.jpg|40801856]. It’s like a stand alone special in a serial: mysterious ghostly happenings on the Metropolitan Line have Peter and co investigating. Given my soft spot for public transport, this setting naturally appealed. As the book is only just over a hundred pages, there aren’t many twists, but a fun time is had by all. I liked the inclusion of Abigail in the investigation, as it takes place during school holidays, and Peter’s continued show more insistence on judging architecture. (I would love it if he got sent to Milton Keynes on some pretext, as his commentary would be very entertaining.) Nightingale, meanwhile, gets to show off his wall-demolition and shoe-shining skills. ‘The Furthest Station’ is an amusing interlude and chance to catch up with the characters, but of course you can’t expect a full Rivers of London instalment squashed into such a small space. show less

I am a big fan of the Rivers of London series. This book is a novella (#5.5 in the series) and it's the only one I've been able to acquire in Canada. I suspect the owner of Whodunit Books may have pulled some strings to get it. So I'll be holding onto this gem.

Ghosts have been appearing to people on London's Metropolitan Line on the Underground but they forget the encounter almost immediately. Which makes it difficult for Peter Grant and the rest of the Special Assessment Unit (aka the Folly) to do any investigating. The people who have seen the ghosts have never seen the same ghost, as far as Peter can tell from the descriptions that have survived. It seems that someone/something is sending these spectres out to convey an urgent show more message. Peter and his crew are just going to have to catch one of these ghosts, which is easier said than done. Never fear, the Special Assessment Unit, which includes Peter's cousin Abigail and Toby, the ghost-hunting dog, are up to the task.

This was a fun little diversion but I think I'd better get back to the main stream books. Number 9 is now available in paperback so I feel a trip to Whodunit may be in order. show less