Whispers Under Ground, Ben Aaronovitch
Review from July 18th, 2013
My previous hangups haven’t really been dispersed yet, but I am starting to think that Peter Grant is several cuts above Harry Dresden on the misogyny-sorry-I-mean-chivalry front. It’s starting to feel like he’s a genuinely nice guy who is sometimes a bit of an ass in the way he expresses himself, as people do.
Anyway, these books are definitely easy reads, and I like a lot of the background — the Folly, Molly, Nightingale’s long career — and the accumulated emotional stuff from previous books (i.e. Lesley and her mask — which I seem to have been under the impression was spelt “Leslie” in previous books, I’m not sure why). I really liked that Lesley’s still considered sexually attractive by various characters, and that she’s definitely a strong character in her own right, not a love interest or tragic past mistake.
I’m not sure how coherent I found this, though. I found so many places where the spelling was off, or the grammar just didn’t make sense (i.e. wasn’t something anyone would say, let alone write), but now when I sit back I’m not so sure about the plot, either. It felt like there was a fair amount of packaging.
I can understand why people like this series so much — and it is growing on me, too.
Rating: 3/5
I’ve got book one in the series waiting on my shelves at home to be read. I liked the sound of it but I do have a few reservations about it not being my usual kind of read. I guess I’ll find out when I get round to reading it!
I do enjoy this series, though more so with the later books!
I <3 Peter Grant – I totes want to marry him when he grows up. 🙂
Haha!
Yay, I’m glad you’re enjoying the books. They definitely get better as he builds on the characters and story. I think the latest one was my favorite.
I haven’t read Foxglove Summer yet, but oh, Broken Homes killed me. That was the point when I switched to buying my own copies rather than getting them from the library.