You can take a city wizard to the country but...

An excellent addition to the Rivers of London series. Peter's been sent to the heartlands, and there are missing children to find.

I will keep this spoiler free for the previous books, in case you're reading in advance, but I will add that this isn't a series easily understood out of order. Of course if you have read the others and are venturing to audiobook for the first time I will add her that Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is an amazing narrator, who really brings every character to life. In this book there's a ninety-year old man that he just gets perfectly.

Peter Grant is without his London and we get to see how far he has come on from the clueless architecture-loving policeman who was thrown into the maelstrom that is the supernatural world. Character growth and change, especially in the protagonist, can be hard to get right in long novel-series but this book really gives Peter the room he needs.

The mix of police-procedural, well-researched fantasy, jazz(pop)-culture humour and notes-on-architecture-of-the-British-Isles still gels brilliantly five books later. In fact, I've learnt a lot over the last few years from cornicing to police computer systems and now I know more about the inner workings of the forestry commission than I ever thought I would. I love how naturally this information flows into what is, at its heart, a plot driven novel about a hunt to find the missing children before their time is up.

I adore these books: the sense of humour is spot on, I love the characters, and I feel invested in their crazy but yet realistic lives. Obviously some books in the series are going to be slightly more amazing than others and Broken Homes was a high-point for me. There were a lot of questions raised in Broken Homes that haven't been answered yet so Foxglove Summer didn't feel quite as important to the main story arc. It did clear up some questions from books 1-3 and add a few extra layers to the mystery.

Bring on book number six - this is my brain on magic.

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27 people found this helpful

Excellent Book in an Excellent Series

Would you listen to Foxglove Summer again? Why?

Apart from a cracking story Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's reading is superb.

What does Kobna Holdbrook-Smith bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The tone of his voice is so good, his pace is just right.

Any additional comments?

I've enjoyed all the Rivers of London series, excellent story coupled with superb narration. My only criticism is that even at well over 10 hours it's too short, I went through this in such a short time.

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24 people found this helpful

You can take the boy out of London....

Been waiting impatiently for this one since the end of Broken Homes. It takes a while for anything magical to happen but I so enjoy Peter Grant's company that I don't mind that too much. It doesn't really advance the faceless man thread but Peter does get to try out some new theories and Beverley Brook turns up to "help" him so it'll be interesting to see where that goes. I'm pretty sure that lots of seemingly random bits in this will add to the overarching story. I do want Peter back in London, however, somehow the countryside just isn't right for him.

Sadly, hardly any Nightingale but some intriguing texts from Leslie.

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is excellent, as ever. He just "is" Peter Grant so it's hard to imagine him sounding any different.

As ever, read them in order; these are not standalone books. If you are the kind of person who reads books out of order and then complains about it not making sense then there's really nothing to be done for you.

Anyway, what happens next?

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18 people found this helpful

Too. Short.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This will not be the greatest of the series (for one thing it is Just. Too. Short!) but has it's own levels of satisfaction if you spend time looking deeper. The Folly's past comes up and Peter finaly finds out what did happen at Ettersburg from one of the few who survived coming back. Beverly gets him sorted emotionally (Poor tree) and he invents an electronic substitute for Nightingale's cadwalloper, before being given 2 Staff, British Army, Battle, Wisard (for the use of): vintage!
The referances to Prachet's book and LotR films add a smile.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Aside from Peter it has to be The Vintage, Veteran exWisard. And the carnivorous unicorns.

What about Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s performance did you like?

Is there a voice or accent he can't do? He paces the narative to the passage and if he wrongly voices a line it has yet to jump out at me.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Peter and the tree.

Any additional comments?

If Aaronovich is not at least 1/3 of the way into book 6... So many hints! A year?!

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14 people found this helpful

Good, Bad and Ugly

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Reading this book is only time well spent if you have read the others in this brilliant series. Unfortunately the book doesn't really work as a stand alone experience as it's a little dull.

Would you ever listen to anything by Ben Aaronovitch again?

I love this author and the Peter Grant books are probably my favourite in the urban fantasy genre. I can't wait for the next instalment as although Foxglove Summer failed to entertain it did drop in a few gems for the overall chronicle.

Any additional comments?

A mediocre addition to a wonderful series. The literary equivalent to the album filler track. Certainly not to be read if you haven't read the River of London but worth a read for fans of the series. Hopefully this will be a spring board for exciting things to come and not the norm for the rest of the chronicle.

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12 people found this helpful

Another Excellent Story

I am a huge fan of this series. It is so imaginative and combines magic and mythical creatures into the London based stories without getting all leather and silver about it. This is the fifth book and is the first one to take our hero out of London, although not too far and with familiar faces referenced and involved at various points. Two young girls are missing and Peter sets off to decide if it is a Falcon case or not.

Most missing children stories have an obvious point point at which the story concludes but, without wishing to include any spoilers, Ben Aaronovitch doesn't go in for obvious. In fact I'm still reeling from the ending of the previous book, the implications of which are picked up during this one.

My only doubt is whether this would work as a stand-alone read/listen or whether you need to have started at the beginning. However, thinking back I feel there was enough background explanation to make it work - but not so much that it would feel to someone who had read them all like they were impatient for Peter to get on with it. And that speaks to the Author's skill at storytelling as well.

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10 people found this helpful

My favourite of the series so far

This has been my favorite of the series so far. The supernatural part being more subtle the mystery behind Leslie and of course the relationship progression with Beverley. I love the way the author really captures Beverley character as a Black London girl. He really gets that right.

I will wait in anticipation for the next book.

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9 people found this helpful

Well narrated but slow story

A beautifully narrated book as always but the story was lacking compared to previous installments

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8 people found this helpful

Things are coming to a head.

What made the experience of listening to Foxglove Summer the most enjoyable?

The whole "faceless man" villain storyline is speeding at high pace to a conclusion. There's so much going on in this book, I felt slightly overwhelmed by the sudden acceleration in the ongoing story. As with the first book, I had to take a moment here or there to digest what was happening before continuing but I am invested in this series and I feel that it will all be worth it with the next book...or at least I hope so. As a loyal fan I feel I deserve a spectacular ending!

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8 people found this helpful

A sad dip in a brilliant series

What disappointed you about Foxglove Summer?

The game changing ending of Broken Homes was, in my opinion, largely sidelined. To me it felt like an attempt to move the series to a different direction(changing setting and excluding major characters) and I don't think it worked. I thought the first half of the book was more or less a 'by the numbers' crime story and the second part (do not want to spoil it for those who haven't heard it yet) was a bit more back on safe territory but, I hate to say it, my enthusiasm had started to wane by then.

What will your next listen be?

Books 3 and 4 in The Laundry Series by Charles Stross if and when they become available.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith?

Yes! I look forward to the next Peter Grant story narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, I really hope I like it more!

What character would you cut from Foxglove Summer?

The main problem, in my opinion, was that there were not enough characters from the ensemble of the story series who had a major part in this story (bar Peter).

Any additional comments?

I was really disappointed in this book as I have listened to all the other entries in the series numerous times because I felt they were fantastic stories - sadly Foxglove Summer will be a one time listen. I would suggest listening to The Atrocity Archive by Charles Stross instead.

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6 people found this helpful