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Foxglove Summer (2014)

by Ben Aaronovitch(Favorite Author)

4.13 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0575132507 (ISBN13: 9780575132504)

languge

English

genre

Paranormal Fantasy

publisher

Gollancz

series

Peter Grant

review 1: Peter takes us out of London for a change, investigating the possible abduction, in mysterious circumstances, of 2 school girls. I really don't know what it is that makes these stories so entertaining : I struggle to put my finger on it when I want to write about them, and yet they engross me tremendously. Beverly is back lending a hand, negotiating with the local rivers and interpreting the countryside, and Dominic, from the local constabulary, provides the local knowledge. Throw in a couple of rampaging unicorns, a fae queen and the consequences of a lusty farmer's love life, against a pastoral backdrop littered with historical magical links and a parallel world....and bing, you're there. I guess that's maybe why it works - it is all so far fetched, but told so pragmatic... moreally, as if these are happenings you'd expect to come across all the time, entwined in everyday details, but not taking itself too seriously. Throughout it all, Lesley sends vaguely knowing messages that suggest she is mining information from the force about its investigations, taunting and goading, while Peter must try and reel her in. He still doesn't understand her treachery fully, but he's getting an inkling. Another highly entertaining read.
review 2: 3.5 stars really but I can't bump it up. I do enjoy the Peter Grant series and this was another interesting installment. We're out of London and into the countryside but still finding beauty and fascinating facts in the life and history of the surroundings. I adore how this series is essentially a police procedural where, to the frustration of just about everyone, magical things just keep happening. And I so appreciate a fantasy book that doesn't feel the need to come up with some overly elaborate pseudo-scientific explanation for their magical system. There's magic, it happens, we don't really know why but that doesn't make it happen any less frequently. Additionally, the main story this time about two small girls who go missing in a potentially supernatural kidnapping case is great but Aaronovitch really falls down with his endings. Don't get me wrong, I don't need every loose end tied up but if you don't explain certain presences then they become awkward deus ex machina loitering on the sidelines of the action. Honestly, it felt like he ran out of time and someone took the typewriter away about two chapters too soon. But still good, still fun, still read-worthy. less

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