[Aptorian]

148 pages in. Peter doesn't know the 16 tonnes song either??? At this point I think Aaronovich is fucking with us.

[Aptorian]

End of chapter 10, p. 151-153.

Spoiler

It was foreshadowed but Aaronovitch still managed to creep me the fuck out with that AI. There's just something utterly bizarre about a thinking machine.

[Aptorian]

Have I forgotten who Maksim is or is he an import from the comic?

[Abyss]

Aptorian, on 27 February 2020 - 07:19 PM, said:

Have I forgotten who Maksim is or is he an import from the comic?

Comic import. Short version: really amateur Russian gangster type. She did her goddess thing on him. Now he's her gardener/servant/bodyguard.

[Aptorian]

Am I the only one who has no idea what Peter's mom is saying most of the time?

[Abyss]

Aptorian, on 28 February 2020 - 05:17 PM, said:

Am I the only one who has no idea what Peter's mom is saying most of the time?

Nah, that's the joke. Earbook narrator clearly loves doing that.

[Obdigore]

Aptorian, on 28 February 2020 - 05:17 PM, said:

Am I the only one who has no idea what Peter's mom is saying most of the time?

It used to be less bad I feel. The earlier books were decipherable to me, but the later ones I have no idea.

[polishgenius]

I don't remember anything specific of her dialogue in this but she talks a lot in Nigerian Pidgin. Don't think it's really meant to be a joke (though I don't know how authentic the dialogue written for her is, I'm assuming Aaronovitch doesn't speak Pidgin offhand). It's just the way some Londoners talk.

[Abyss]

Creole.

[polishgenius]

Abyss, on 29 February 2020 - 05:01 AM, said:

Creole.

It's a Creole too yeah but it's 'official' name is Nigerian Pidgin.

There's even a BBC Pidgin news page (for the whole of West Africa not just Nigeria).

[Abyss]

I owe FALSE VALUE some follow up since I just finished it...

SPOILER

SPOILERS

SPOILERS WARNING FOR ALL PETER GRANT BOOKS TO DATE
INCLUDING A FEW MENTIONED RE THE COMICS
YEAH THAT'S RIGHT THE COMICS

This was a fun book to resume the story after the massive finale of the Faceless Man plot.

Peter was in solid form.... he used at least two fourth level forma, worked undercover like a champ, and never quite got over his head.

Nightingale was Nightingale... was really happy to get some of his ww2 backstory, especially after the last comic storyline failed to deliver much of that despite hints.

His throwdown with the American Head Librarian was glorious. I enjoyed the American wizards generally. They were fun addition to the world.

The underlying plot of a magic driven AI was ok... it got a bit vague here and there, but overall was less important than the characters in any event.

Beverly stole most scenes she was in, even pregnant and stationary.

Molly was lacking but the running jokes around Foxglove's painting made up for it.

Still a great series. Worth the money.

[Aptorian]

About Beverly:

Spoiler

This is the first book I remember the River's influence on mortals being questioned and being shown in a more ambiguous way, which leads to a late night discussion between Bev and Peter.

I wonder if Aaronovitch is setting up a future storyline where Peter has to decide whether he wants to stay together with Beverly and look through his fingers about the River's "Manipulation" or at some point, as a wizard cop, he's forced to try and put limits on the Rivers which will not end well for Peter and Bev's relationship.

[Abyss]

Aptorian, on 06 April 2020 - 05:54 AM, said:

About Beverly:

Spoiler

This is the first book I remember the River's influence on mortals being questioned and being shown in a more ambiguous way, which leads to a late night discussion between Bev and Peter.

I wonder if Aaronovitch is setting up a future storyline where Peter has to decide whether he wants to stay together with Beverly and look through his fingers about the River's "Manipulation" or at some point, as a wizard cop, he's forced to try and put limits on the Rivers which will not end well for Peter and Bev's relationship.

Wonder the same, especially with the introduction of

Spoiler

younger, more troublemaking rivers

.

[polishgenius]

I found it interesting that in both this and Dresden Files,

Spoiler

having finished with the first overarching, long term antagonist, both Aaronovitch and Butcher went for a second enemy that is decidely fishy. Power of the Cthulhu mythos I guess.

I also enoyed the Elon-Musk-is-a-dickhead parts of the story.

[stone monkey]

polishgenius, on 29 February 2020 - 10:12 AM, said:

Abyss, on 29 February 2020 - 05:01 AM, said:

Creole.

It's a Creole too yeah but it's 'official' name is Nigerian Pidgin.
There's even a BBC Pidgin news page (for the whole of West Africa not just Nigeria).

iirc Peter calls it Krio when he first brings it up. Read phonetically, it sounds a lot like West Indian patois (which I do understand, as my parents are Jamaican). Although a lot of these, let's call them, English-adjacent languages do sound similar to my ear

Dialects, Creoles, Pidgins and Patois overlap in strange and complicated ways, so I'm told. Many years ago, a Linguistics person of my acquaintance tried to explain the differences to me, but it bounced off my brain.

Tech-bro characters who are very obviously based on Elon Musk do seem to be showing up a lot in fiction recently and, even when their motives are benign, are portrayed as consummate arseholes. If I were Musk, I'd be tempted to do some self reflection. I suspect he's incapable of such, though.

Spoiler

I'm also left wondering whether Aaronovitch has been reading Warren Ellis (or at least the same books as him) because inserting an incorporeal supernatural "ghost" into a machine is exactly how the CCCU created the eponymous Injection in the comic... Although I guess there may only be so many concepts out there. And it doesn't have to be orignial if you use it well.

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 07 April 2020 - 08:20 PM

[Cyphon]

I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. I think as others have said that this is a slower book after the crescendo of the last one. Still enjoyed all the comfortable regular rivers of London beats that

I'm presuming that the big bad that will be the long range arc will be either what Peter stared out of the

Spoiler

void. Which the theory behind was the latest extension to the magic system in this book.

Or what happened to people in the concentration camps but that could be a bit of a monster of the book for layover books

Doubt the twins will be the protags of the overarching plot.

First time on audiobooks for the series and quite enjoyed it. I kind of imagined Peter would be chirpier for some reason.

[polishgenius]

stone monkey, on 07 April 2020 - 08:06 PM, said:

iirc Peter calls it Krio when he first brings it up. Read phonetically, it sounds a lot like West Indian patois (which I do understand, as my parents are Jamaican). Although a lot of these, let's call them, English-adjacent languages do sound similar to my ear

As far as I understand it West Indie patois and creole are related to West African ones anyway, which does make sense for depressing historical reasons. So it's not a surprise.


Yeah the whole subject of what is one when and why is suuuuper complicated

[stone monkey]

Necro-Thread Go!!

Just read Amongst Our Weapons and enjoyed it immensely. Thankfully, for my self esteem at least, I worked out that the clue was in the title way before Peter managed to figure out what was going on.

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 04 May 2022 - 10:20 PM

[Abyss]

stone monkey, on 04 May 2022 - 10:19 PM, said:

Necro-Thread Go!!

Just read Amongst Our Weapons and enjoyed it immensely. Thankfully, for my self esteem at least, I worked out that the clue was in the title way before Peter managed to figure out what was going on.

Spoilers...

Do you mean

Spoiler

...that the 'Angel' was drawing the power from somewhere else, or that she was the one holding the link, not the priest?
...or that Leslie was the key to beating her? ...or something else entirely?

[stone monkey]

Abyss, on 05 May 2022 - 03:36 AM, said:

stone monkey, on 04 May 2022 - 10:19 PM, said:

Necro-Thread Go!!

Just read Amongst Our Weapons and enjoyed it immensely. Thankfully, for my self esteem at least, I worked out that the clue was in the title way before Peter managed to figure out what was going on.

Spoilers...

Do you mean

Spoiler

...that the 'Angel' was drawing the power from somewhere else, or that she was the one holding the link, not the priest?
...or that Leslie was the key to beating her? ...or something else entirely?

Spoiler

The Spanish Inquisition... it turns out that it was surprise, fear, a fanatical dedication to the Pope, and a young lady magically warped into a weapon. I don't think Peter mentioned any comfy chairs, though

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 05 May 2022 - 06:58 PM