Like our previous review, we have something unusual for this EXTRA EDITION; A book of short stories. I'm not a fan of short fiction, as a rule. Most short fiction is just a setup for some sort of punch line at the end. An unfunny joke. I make exceptions when the short fiction features continuing characters, like Sherlock Holmes or Bertie Wooster, or when the writing is entertaining in and of itself, without relying on the story. So how does this collection of short stories fare?
My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.
Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below.
Tales From the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch B-
I discovered The Rivers of London book, about the time the first book was released, and for a number of years afterwards I read each new book in the series as it became available, though their release/availability in the US was, at time, rather helter-skelter. I eventually lost track of them. I believe I've read one or two of the later books since I started this review series, but I'm too lazy to find and link to them. In any event, searching for something to read from the library, I came across the series again, and I was most interested in a novella he wrote set in 1920's New York. Alas, it wasn't available as an ebook, so I settled on this one, which was.
As you can see, I enjoyed the stories, the "B" grade is for the telling of them, rather than for the stories being told; since most of them were very slight indeed; feeling incomplete and not very satisfactory as stories. Aaronovitch is another of those British writers who always strikes me as clever and witty, whose work I read for their writing rather than the story.
The stories are divided into several sections, featuring Peter Grant the original main character of the series, along with a number of side characters who have apparently been featured in some of the stories as the series has gone on. Given the nature of the stories, this is for only readers who have read at least some of the novels, otherwise none of the stories will make much sense at all.
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