What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

What Abigail Did That Summer

by Ben Aaronovitch

The new Rivers of London novella, from Sunday Times Number One bestselling author Ben Aaronovitch.

Ghost hunter, fox whisperer, troublemaker.

It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake. While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks, chasing unicorns, Abigail is chasing her own mystery. Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged, the teens return home - unharmed but vague about where they've been.

Aided only by her new friend Simon, her knowledge that magic is real, and a posse of talking foxes that think they're spies, Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly - why?

Praise for the Rivers of London novels:

'Ben Aaronovitch has created a wonderful world full of mystery, magic and fantastic characters. I love being there more than the real London'
NICK FROST

'As brilliant and funny as ever'
THE SUN

'Charming, witty, exciting'
THE INDEPENDENT

'An incredibly fast-moving magical joyride for grown-ups'
THE TIMES

Discover why this incredible series has sold over two million copies around the world. If you're a fan of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams - don't panic - you will love Ben Aaronovitch's imaginative, irreverent and all-round irresistible novels and novellas.

Reviewed by annieb123 on

5 of 5 stars

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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

What Abigail Did That Summmer is a spin-off novella in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Released 18th March 2021 by Subterranean Press, it's 232 page (print edition) and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This series (and indeed the author's oeuvre full stop) is permanently on my must-read list. He's hysterically funny, often profound, clever, and always an engaging read. Since it occurs outside the main series, this novel doesn't have the same continuity as the others, but by the same token, it makes a fine standalone read. Because it's set in Great Britain (London environs), the slang, spelling, and language constructions are British English. I'm not entirely sure if it's because I was provided the North American advance copy for review, but it's full of asides and footnotes for American English explanations and equivalent phrases. I found some of them clever and tongue-in-cheek, but overall they got quite annoying fairly quickly and broke up the flow of the narrative without adding much.

Main character Abigail Kamara (Peter Grant's young cousin and a burgeoning adept at magic - real magic) is funny, wickedly sarcastic, brilliantly intelligent, precocious, and pretty much fed up with the world's rules. I love her attitude from my safe vantage point away from the fallout which follows her every move. Even in the main series, she's always been one of my favourite characters.

This book reads like a young adult novel and doesn't have the same tone as the main series. I'm admittedly in awe of how the author manages to build a really creepy tension at sub-audible levels without resorting to jump-scares. Despite it feeling discontinuous re: the main series, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to Aaronovitch's staunch fans, fans of urban fantasy, and lovers of non-fuzzy anthropomorphic foxes.

Four and a half stars. Brilliant execution, clean language, very entertaining read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 March, 2021: Finished reading
  • 19 March, 2021: Reviewed