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Just finished reading the Rivers of London series and I'm now looking for something similar or that you've also liked.
What you got?
Laundry Files Series, Charles Stross
Checquey Series (2 books) Daniel O'Malley
D.O.D.O. - Neal Stephenson/ Nicole Galland
Benedict Jacka - Alex Verus series. 9 books so far, I think.
Laundry files 2nded. Stross is such a great writer, though find his stories lacking
Dresden Files - loved by many, I've read the first 2 (or maybe 3) found them a bit meh but apparently they do get better
Milkweed Triptych by Ian Tregillis is good (if quite bleak).
I've started to read The Mechanical by him, but that's taking a bit longer to get into.
China Mieville - Kraken, Un Lun Dun, The City & The City, Perdido Street Station
Assuming you haven't already read it, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere
Second the Checquy series
The Hellequin books (Steve McHugh)
Rachel Peng novels (KB Spangler) - not urban fantasy magic but same ideas. Basically, set in present day but some people were (unwillingly) made into cyborgs and now work for law enforcement agencies.
Oddjobs (Heike Goody)
Harmony Black series (although possibly more YA than I wanted, still, got me through some difficult baby nights when I needed easy reading!)
Early Dresden files are good.
Laundry files also good although not exactly heavy going.
Alex Verus series, strated good, find them a bit tedious now. Maybe need to try again now that I haven't read any for a while.
And just because I always recommend it regardless of what people ask for: The Wool series (Hugh Howey) - semi-dystopian, near future.
Just Started book 1 in the Rivers series (Audible) in the car this morning, already looking forward to the journey home!
Assuming you haven’t already read it, Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere
This. American God's too.
Tom Holt's stuff is good too; In Your Dreams, The Portable Door and others
Another vote for the Wool trilogy although I wouldn’t put it in the same category as Rivers of London. Dresden Files and Hellequin as mentioned, but both are hit and miss from one book to the next
Paul Cornell - the Shadow Police. Much darker than the Rivers of London.
https://www.paulcornell.com/books/novels/
Ohhh, I won a t-shirt when I pre-ordered the latest Rivers of London book 🙂
Seems there’s a new one out I’ve not read , thank you
I've just finished reading "The Green Man's Heir" by Juliet McKenna which was good and in a similar vein 🙂
+1 to any of Neil Gaiman's novels.
Kate Griffin's "A Madness of Angels" is very good. I haven't read the rest of the series, though.
Rotherwierd Trilogy (well two of the three published so far - last one next June)
Andrew Caldecott
2nd vote for Paul Cornell's Shadow Police books. As said above they're much darker that the Rivers Of London books (I'm half way through Lies Sleeping at the moment) but just as enjoyable.
One comparison I read was
If Rivers of London is the paranormal The Bill then Shadow Police is their Sweeney
Downside of Shadow Police is that there are only 3 books and Tor canned the rest
It was a lot better than Rivers (in my opinion) and had more possibilities but looks like he’s not got a publisher
Seems there’s a new one out I’ve not read , thank you
Ooh, is there? <scurries off to Kindle>
The comics aren't bad BTW, although they're a bit short and I prefer the books.
I've started "A Darker Shade of Magic" which is another possibility, also London + magic. Quite enjoying it so far.
looks like he’s not got a publisher
That's a shame - I'd just assumed he'd been busy with his other stuff for a while 🙁
Laundry Files Series, Charles Stross
My first thought as well. I described the Laundry books to someone and they said 'oh, you should read rivers of london'.
Laundry files are somewhat less uplifting though, as well as having gone a bit mental in the last couple of books (I haven't read the new one)
I quite like the Iron Druid Chronicles (Kevin Hearne) for urban fantasy. They're obviously pulpy/trashy rather than high-brow, but I find them quite entertaining.
Wow, thanks for all the replies. Plenty to go at there!
China Mieville – Kraken, Un Lun Dun, The City & The City, Perdido Street Station
I'll add "King Rat" into that worthy selection. Also another vote for Gaiman's "Neverwhere", one of my all time favourites.
Laundry files are somewhat less uplifting though, as well as having gone a bit mental in the last couple of books (I haven’t read the new one)
The new one is even more mental. Not sure I'll be waiting with too much anticipation for the next one.
London Falling is properly dark, Haven't read the others.
It's not the 'London plus magic' thing that's important. It's the quality and style of writing, it's well paced, thoughtful and has the right mix of humour and action to be light hearted, and is somewhat alternative. A recommendation doesn't have to be the same type of subject matter. In fact it'd be better if it wasn't.
Hard Magic - Larry Correia
Got on an Audible deal of the day and subsequently used credits for the other two.
Milkweed Triptych by Ian Tregillis
Christ, bleak doesn't cover it, a central character that hasn't a personality , more like a collection of flaws, a hateful selection of accompanying also rans and a story so dreary that even the fact that its the "end of the world" has no redeeming features.
If it's writing like Aaronovitch you like, have you tried Chris Brookmyre?
If you're just looking for a good read rather than specifically fantasy, I've recently finished Kill Your Friends by John Niven which I thoroughly enjoyed
A very hedonistic and in places gruesome look at the late '90's music industry. Funny as well, especially if you know anyone around that stuff at that time.
+1 for Kate Griffin's novels.
She writes under other pen names (Katherine Webb - early teens books & Claire North - one-off novels exploring interesting concepts)
The Dublin trilogy is a great read if you’re after something well written, funny and engaging
Mike Shevdon ,Sixty one nails/ The road to bedlam/ Strangeness and charm.
Another 'otherworldly' beings living among us series , easy entertaining reading with a bit of humour added. I enjoyed them anyway.
+1 for Kate Griffin’s novels.
She writes under other pen names (Katherine Webb – early teens books & Claire North – one-off novels exploring interesting concepts)
That could almost be me posting that! I’ve got all of Cat’s books so far, (Catherine Webb being her actual name), and met her at books signings in London two or three times. Great writer, the Matthew Swift books are delightfully dark, with nicely inventive urban magical creations; sentient fatberg, anyone?
I ****in hated Rotherweird.
OK, go big or go home- the baroque cycle by Neal Stephenson.
If you don't have a structurally reinforced bookshelf, then the Star Fraction by Ken Macleod. It's more scifi than Rivers but for some reason reminds me of it very much, I think it's the matter-of-factness of it, both characters just live in a familiar but different world as if it's no thang.
The TV series - Looks promising
Pegg/Frost
https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/simon-pegg-nick-frost-adapting-rivers-london-books-tv/
Cast - my picks:
Peter - Daniel Kaluuya
Nightingale - David Tennant
Bev - Letitia Wright
Lesley - Jodie Comer
Started reading the series on holiday, have just started book two. Do they continue with the same quality?
Yes. They do. In fact they get better!
I've started reading The Man Fron U.N.D.E.A.D. by Darren Humphries.
It's James Bond meets the supernatural. A bit pulpy and through away, but quite enjoyable.
I've also read some of the suggestions above. The Laundry series can go more grimdark than the Peter Grant books, especially as the series continues and everything gets more apocalyptic.
I read 2 or 3 of Benedict Jacka's Alex Versus books, but they didn't hook me. They feel a bit more pulpy than the Peter Grant or Laundry books.
I have really enjoyed all the Kate Griffin books, though it took a while before I got into the first one (A Madness of Angels). They're probably more similar in tone to the Laundry books than the Peter Grant books.
KB Spengler's Rachel Peng books are set in the universe of the A Girl And Her Fed web comic. I got into the books from the comics and I enjoy both. The comic and the books probably do strike a similar tone to Ben Aaronovitch's work.
As others have said, you should probably read stuff like Neverwhere, American Gods and Good Omens if you haven't. China Mieville's work can be pretty bleak but that is usually more in his Bas Lag novels than in a lot of his other stuff. Be prepared to be well aware of his politics by the end of reading one of his books. 😉
If you're happy to look at older stuff, Michael Marshall Smith's sci-fi novels - Only Forward, Spares and One of Us - could work for you.
Other things you could try include Nick Harkaway's The Gone Away World and Angelmaker. They mix humour, seriousness and action. I really enjoyed both of them but got stuck on the next one of his I tried, Tigerman. Also Robert Jackson Bennett's City of Stairs, City of Blades and City of Miracles trilogy is good fun too.
I am currently stuck somewhere in Rotherweird.
Yes. They do. In fact they get better!
I'd say they can be a bit variable, but in general yes, all worth reading. Looking forward to the next one.
Read Rotherweird recently, it was alright.
Just started the second Roterweird boot (Wynter tide); I liked the first one. Mostly jsut commenting so I cna find this thread again when it comes to picking holiday reading 🙂
Dave Hutchinson's Europe in Autumn might work for you. Loved this one, though annoyingly the sequels have a very different feel.
Ken Macleod's Star Fraction- pretty different in subject matter but it has the same flavour for me somehow.
The Undead series by R.R. Haywood.
Think its only available on amazon, its another take on end of the world/zombies but is quite humorous in places and well I enjoyed it.
This is a good thread. My uncle has written 4 book (I think) which I really enjoyed and are in the same style as river of London. They are the hipposync series by dc farmer. I'm not sure if they are in print but I got them on kindle from amazon. We'll worth a look as they are genuinely great. I mean I have to say this as he is my uncle but still.