Rivers of London, books 8-9
3.0 Stars
12-05-2024

The same, but slightly improved, but also starting to wear slightly thin. The main improvement is that the stories are finally free from the long-running antagonist (FM2) that they were fencing with in the first 7 books. This antagonist was OKish as an antagonist, but he also introduced a lot of narrative dissonance. On the one hand the author wants to have a somewhat genteel police procedural series that sure, has some murders, but also generally has satisfactory endings. On the other hand, the main antagonist has over his life accumulated a ~three figure body count, with the potential to increase that to 8 figures, so this sort of polite policing didn't really match the situation at hand. Like, if you even think you know where the antagonist is you should have the RAF drop a 2000lb bomb on the location, rather than going in and having yet another magical pillow fight with him.

Anyway! These later books tell more one-off stories, and they benefit from having a strong foundation of world building and characters that they can create these new stories on. As with the first 7 books, each new book accretes moderately more magical theory, cosmology, magical beings, and British people. It's fine stuff, though not extra-ordinary and rather leisurely paced. I would also praise the author for being someone who is A) obviously a giant geek and part of geek culture, while B) being able to write, affectionately, about this culture without making you want to jump off a bridge. Oh! And I consistently loved the talking foxes in every scene they are in.