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grogu_djarin 's review for:
False Value
by Ben Aaronovitch
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall Thoughts:
This was an interesting book to read for the times we live in. It has tech billionaires wanting to influence the world, references to AI, social media algorithms, Russian psyops, and more, all with a coating of a typical Peter Grant adventure. Overall, I'd say this is one of the weaker entries in the Rivers of London series, but it introduces a lot of new and interesting things that are hopefully hinting at things to be explored in later books and starts a new arc after the Faceless Man case had finally been resolved. While it's weak overall and has messy pacing, it had some of the best character moments in the series so far, especially between Peter and Beverly, so it's still a worthwhile read overall, it just feels a little underbaked.
This was an interesting book to read for the times we live in. It has tech billionaires wanting to influence the world, references to AI, social media algorithms, Russian psyops, and more, all with a coating of a typical Peter Grant adventure. Overall, I'd say this is one of the weaker entries in the Rivers of London series, but it introduces a lot of new and interesting things that are hopefully hinting at things to be explored in later books and starts a new arc after the Faceless Man case had finally been resolved. While it's weak overall and has messy pacing, it had some of the best character moments in the series so far, especially between Peter and Beverly, so it's still a worthwhile read overall, it just feels a little underbaked.
Likes:
- I liked all of Peter's interactions with Beverly and the ways in which her pregnancy changed the dynamic of the relationship. They also strike up a friendship with some colleagues from Peter's new job and there are a lot of great human moments throughout the book.
- We learn more about American practitioners and continues the trend from recent books exploring other magical schools of thought, and their differences, from the British one the series is centered on.
- This book finally dives into topics introduced in the first book, mainly that computer chips are alive in a magical sense. While there's a lot still left to explore, it does start asking questions about what the implication of this is for magic in general. The inclusion of Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage into the series lore was interesting as well.
Dislikes:
- The plot structure and pacing are a bit of a mess, jumping forwards and backwards in chronology in the beginning of the book, then moving linearly for the rest of it. There are a lot of chapters that introduce a new plot detail out of nowhere as if we should know about it, only for the following chapter to explain what it is.
- There are way too many nerd cultures sprinkled throughout the book and I say that as a proud nerd myself. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, and more, are all mentioned quite often and it doesn't do anything for the story.
- The magic itself felt really underutilized in this book. Peter is a lot more experienced now, so most spells only get passing mention when he uses them, and he doesn't really experiment with doing something new with it like in other books. While magic is still central to the plot, you don't see it actually used as much as other books in the series.
- Many events in the book are explained in exposition rather than actually shown. This is especially apparent with Abigail who is mentioned multiple times, is even around for some of the events, but never even appears as a character herself, rather everyone else just says she was there or she did something.
- The Serious Cybernetics Corporation (SCC) is a weird setting that feels a bit out of place for the series and a majority of the characters introduced here are one-dimensional caricatures more or less.
Other Notes:
- This book starts a new narrative arc after the longstanding case involving the Faceless Man was resolved. I think it would probably be possible to start the series with this book (skipping the earlier ones) as many concepts are re-explained in this book.
Would Recommend To:
- Anyone who likes police procedurals and stories with magic. I don't think it's necessary to have read the earlier Rivers of London books since this essentially starts a new case, but they do add to the experience. For those that have read the series so far, this is one of the weaker entries, but it still was enjoyable and starts laying new plot threads.
Do Not Recommend To:
- Anyone who doesn't like police procedurals or stories with magic.