Moon Over Soho

After his memorable introduction in Midnight Riot, London Constable Peter Grant is back in Moon over Soho, the latest offering from Ben Aaronovitch. Grant and his long-lived commanding officer Thomas Nightingale are the "magic police." They're sort of like a two-man BPRD (from Hellboy), "bumping back" at the things that go bump in the night. When members of London's jazz community start dying of...more

After his memorable introduction in Midnight Riot, London Constable Peter Grant is back in Moon over Soho, the latest offering from Ben Aaronovitch. Grant and his long-lived commanding officer Thomas Nightingale are the "magic police." They're sort of like a two-man BPRD (from Hellboy), "bumping back" at the things that go bump in the night. When members of London's jazz community start dying of suspicious causes, Grant gets involved, only to find that his "jazz vampire" case is just the tip of an iceberg that includes supernatural predators, gangsters, reanimated corpses and some very dark magicians. Part urban fantasy and part police procedural, Moon over Soho gives us a much deeper look at London's magical community, such as the defunct school for magic (yes, Aaronovitch has a Hogwarts joke), Nightingale's past, magical involvement in global conflicts, and a circle of dark magicians who give Grant and Nightingale a much needed nemesis, and promise to wreak much havoc in future novels. As in the first book, Aaronovitch's brisk pace and razor sharp dialogue (plus loads of sex and violence) keep you engaged throughout the story, and leave you wanting more. I was impressed by Midnight Riot, and its sequel did not disappoint. This is one of the best of the more recent urban fantasy series, and fans of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series and Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels will definitely want to check out Aaronovitch's work. Start with Midnight Riot and then come back to Moon over Soho.   hide