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A review by theaurochs
The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin
4.0
I absolute love Kate Griffin's world! Which is to say, she makes me love our world, and our London- she fully sells me on the true magic of real life and the real life of magic in her works. It is absolutely my favourite Urban Fantasy series, and I'll happily argue with anyone that it is, in fact, the best UF series. I am of course willing to be proved wrong on that one, I'm just yet to encounter anything superior.
The descriptions throughout are lavish to a fault; totally necessary to conjure up the living, breathing city that serves as a main character in this deeply atmospheric novel. Like the sorcerors within, you can almost smell the smog, and the dirt from the river; you can feel the pulsing of the commute and the roar of the underground wind as a train passes by beneath your feet. She somehow manages to create this magnificent, magical world that I desperately want to visit and then I remember that I actually can, because it's London. Her deep passion for the place is highly evident and highly contagious. Even the negative sides of the city, of which there are a lot, feel lived-in and entirely authentic.
Plot-wise then, we follow our main man Matthew Swift, half dead-sorceror resurrected, and half Blue Electric Angels, gods of the telephone summoned and bound in human flesh. His/their internal dialogue is pretty great, with the continuing uncertainty of "I am us and we are me"; which entity is in control at any given time, and is it actually relevant, is there a distinction any more? It is a really interesting situation, and fun to follow along. After an opening that is possibly too obfuscated (my main reason for giving this 4* rather than 5; the In Media Res worked amazingly in the first book given the situation, but here it feels redundant and frustrating), he soon finds that someone or something is destroying the magical barriers that defend the city from supernatural threats. Only slightly reluctantly, he is dragged into the search for the cause, along with the Midnight Mayor; supernatural protector of London and boss of the mysterious Aldermen.
What follows is a fantastic search and chase through the various boroughs of London, trying to piece together what is happening, and how to save London. Despite the very life of the city being on the line, most of the book is suprisingly low stakes, with things only really kicking off in the final quarter. This gives us plenty of time to explore the wondrous world that is being offered to us, and it's worth the ride. The ending, when it comes, is immensely satisfying (even if does feel slightly like only set-up for the next one); the explanation of events deeply believable and grounded in humanity.
So overall, a novel of just brilliant imagination, a magnificent sense of place and location, lavish descriptions, and fun characters; with enough of a fun thrill ride of a plot to drag you through all the wonders without getting bored.
The descriptions throughout are lavish to a fault; totally necessary to conjure up the living, breathing city that serves as a main character in this deeply atmospheric novel. Like the sorcerors within, you can almost smell the smog, and the dirt from the river; you can feel the pulsing of the commute and the roar of the underground wind as a train passes by beneath your feet. She somehow manages to create this magnificent, magical world that I desperately want to visit and then I remember that I actually can, because it's London. Her deep passion for the place is highly evident and highly contagious. Even the negative sides of the city, of which there are a lot, feel lived-in and entirely authentic.
Plot-wise then, we follow our main man Matthew Swift, half dead-sorceror resurrected, and half Blue Electric Angels, gods of the telephone summoned and bound in human flesh. His/their internal dialogue is pretty great, with the continuing uncertainty of "I am us and we are me"; which entity is in control at any given time, and is it actually relevant, is there a distinction any more? It is a really interesting situation, and fun to follow along. After an opening that is possibly too obfuscated (my main reason for giving this 4* rather than 5; the In Media Res worked amazingly in the first book given the situation, but here it feels redundant and frustrating), he soon finds that someone or something is destroying the magical barriers that defend the city from supernatural threats. Only slightly reluctantly, he is dragged into the search for the cause, along with the Midnight Mayor; supernatural protector of London and boss of the mysterious Aldermen.
What follows is a fantastic search and chase through the various boroughs of London, trying to piece together what is happening, and how to save London. Despite the very life of the city being on the line, most of the book is suprisingly low stakes, with things only really kicking off in the final quarter. This gives us plenty of time to explore the wondrous world that is being offered to us, and it's worth the ride. The ending, when it comes, is immensely satisfying (even if does feel slightly like only set-up for the next one); the explanation of events deeply believable and grounded in humanity.
So overall, a novel of just brilliant imagination, a magnificent sense of place and location, lavish descriptions, and fun characters; with enough of a fun thrill ride of a plot to drag you through all the wonders without getting bored.