The second novella in Ben Aaronovitch’s long-running Rivers of London series, The October Man is the first instalment in which the action takes place out of the UK and away from the usual cast of characters. This time around the focus is on Tobias Winter, apprentice wizard and Investigator in the German Federal Police, who’s dispatched to the city of Trier when a man’s body is discovered covered in fungus. Ably assisted by the enthusiastic Vanessa Sommer from the local Trier police, Tobias’ investigation ends up involving Trier’s wine growing traditions, reluctant water spirits, dangerous magical history and middle-age adventurousness.
The German equivalent of Peter Grant, in rank at least, Tobias makes for a similarly youthful and confident protagonist, albeit a little more reserved and straight-laced. Narrating the story in first person – as per the series’ ongoing style – he gives it a familiar feel, complete with wry observations on police bureaucracy, the public’s reaction to magic, strangely compelling snippets of both local history and German viticulture, and all the usual elements of a Rivers of London story…just with a typically German slant. Aaronovitch finds a perfect balance between maintaining the tone of the overall series and giving Tobias his own voice and unique identity, and while he (and all of the other important characters) will feel instantly familiar to existing fans, everything feels enjoyably fresh and varied.
The same can be said for the plot, which contains all of the expected hallmarks of this series given a slightly different texture by virtue of being set in Germany and seen through fresh eyes. A crime scene with potential supernatural overtones, the application of rigorous police procedure combined with sort-of-scientific magical protocols, a gradually-unravelled mystery featuring unhelpful river spirits and unwitting members of the public…it’s all present and correct, and hugely enjoyable to read as usual. It does feels a little like it’s been written to a formula, but when the formula is this good that’s not actually a bad thing, and everything hangs together in a great combination of pace and plot. Where previous novella The Furthest Station felt a little misjudged in how much plot to fit into a shorter word count, this works perfectly.
What really elevates this in context of the Rivers universe is the way that it broadens the series’ horizons, demonstrating that there’s more to magic than just what the British see, while also contextualising Peter, Nightingale and their adventures thus far. Tobias knows all about Peter, and while not a major part of the story there are just enough of his reflections on his British counterpart – as well as some interesting implications on the internationally-agreed magical status quo – to pose some intriguing questions. There’s a lot to enjoy here in just kicking back with a fast-paced, clever and sharply funny standalone story, but by introducing these new characters (including just a few details on Nightingale’s German counterpart, who’s referred to only as The Director) and an intriguing new angle on the series, Aaronovitch has delivered something genuinely special. Having read this it’s hard not to hope for a lot more from Tobias and the gang in future!
My wife loves this series.
Sounds like she has excellent taste in books!
She does🙂.