Foxglove Summer - Rambling Readers

Jon Nixon reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

An angry, invisible, carniverous, cart horse sized unicorn called princess Luna. What’s not to love?

Great fun. I think Aaronovitch is back on form with this one. It's full of wry humour and funny cultural references (I like the way that he drops them in and doesn't explain them). All of the new characters are great, but it's great to see so much of Beverly Brook again. As a bonus it’s set 25 miles from where I grew up.

A couple of gripes; it stalls slightly in the middle (but picks up again fast) and the ending felt tagged on (as if he couldn't think of a clever way to wrap things up) . I love Beverley’s character and the fact that she’s not to be messed with, but after such a clever and interesting book it was a shame that the ending was uninspired.

DigitalRob reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is my favorite of this series so far. Now that any romantic possibilities with Leslie are out of the way, I fully support Peter’s romantic explorations with Beverly Brook, and in the end, she’s my favorite character in this story.

I like some of the terminology introduced in this book. No one wants to appear insane or really believe magic drives real events, so a major part of Peter’s job requires him to create two narratives around events, a “real” official report and a true one for the Folly. to that end, he is asked to complete “A Falcon Assessment” of the events surrounding this case in rural England. People are left to interpret “Falcon Assessment” any way they deem appropriate, but no one actually asks him what it means. Some know, and some don’t want to know.

I like that the supernatural element of this story takes a …

This is my favorite of this series so far. Now that any romantic possibilities with Leslie are out of the way, I fully support Peter’s romantic explorations with Beverly Brook, and in the end, she’s my favorite character in this story.

I like some of the terminology introduced in this book. No one wants to appear insane or really believe magic drives real events, so a major part of Peter’s job requires him to create two narratives around events, a “real” official report and a true one for the Folly. to that end, he is asked to complete “A Falcon Assessment” of the events surrounding this case in rural England. People are left to interpret “Falcon Assessment” any way they deem appropriate, but no one actually asks him what it means. Some know, and some don’t want to know.

I like that the supernatural element of this story takes a while to develop. Peter stays on the case to stay out of London after determining no Falcon involvement. He’s still reeling from the betrayal at the end of the last case. Then a couple of cell phones change his conclusion, and Nightingale sends Beverley as backup.

Peter’s use of technology to trace the appearance of magic is brilliant, and his sacrifice at the end show the depths of his character. As another reviewer mentioned, the Fae in the Rivers Universe aren’t like Tinkerbell, but they definitely like to play with humans.

Finally, I love the portrayal of unicorns. While I’m certain it isn’t the first time in fiction, it is the first time I’ve seen unicorns as the malevolent enforcers of the Fae.

Moonmoth reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I liked this book so much. It may not be the objectively best of the series (it sure is great), but many parts of it are take place in more rural environments - I have visited places like that and it felt just right. But it has more Beverly and Peter and I like those two together. A lot.

Phil Sorrell reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

My second read / listen. I originally gave it 4, but as made my way though it for a second time I was really enjoying it and could not put it down... Surely 5. Then I got to the end and remembered - the ending falls flat with so many unresolved threads. It is still good but ultimately disappointing.

Sean Randall reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I enjoyed the story and the geography, on my patch as it were. The ending disappointed though, and the interplay between our two leads was a little drawn-out, so I can only assume the next installment will be rather good. A work of anticipation.

Frank Burns reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The next Aaronovitch, at last. I should say well worth the wait as well because it certainly was. I felt the last one was not quite up to par so this book represented a welcome return to form. Taking Peter Grant out of the city was a wise idea and gave him scope to expand his world building. On top of that this was just a rollocking, good read!

2021 Re-Read
First, a brief mention of the comic story that comes before this "Body Work". This was the first of the comic stories published and whilst it is a Stephen King homage, it sets the tone for the comics which is a little different from the books. The comics lean a bit more into a knockabout, fun approach whilst still covering the same material. This, of course, suits the 4 colour world of comics well. I enjoy all the comic …

The next Aaronovitch, at last. I should say well worth the wait as well because it certainly was. I felt the last one was not quite up to par so this book represented a welcome return to form. Taking Peter Grant out of the city was a wise idea and gave him scope to expand his world building. On top of that this was just a rollocking, good read!

2021 Re-Read
First, a brief mention of the comic story that comes before this "Body Work". This was the first of the comic stories published and whilst it is a Stephen King homage, it sets the tone for the comics which is a little different from the books. The comics lean a bit more into a knockabout, fun approach whilst still covering the same material. This, of course, suits the 4 colour world of comics well. I enjoy all the comic stories I think largely because of this.
Now, to the re-read of this one. Not that much to say, it remains a 5 star book. Just a thoroughly entertaining read from start to finish. The plot and world building development is just fitted seamlessly into that.