Book Review: Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 7 of Peter Grant/Rivers of London
Publisher: DAW (November 13, 2018)
Length: 304 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I’ve made it no secret that I love Peter Grant/Rivers of London, and right now, it’s easily one of my favorite urban fantasy series. But for the last few books, our characters have been floundering in their hunt for the Faceless Man, the main baddie who has been a constant thorn in the Met’s side since the very beginning, and I was starting to worry that the lack of progress might soon be blowing up in all our faces. Luckily though, those wondering if we’ll ever get to see the end of this Faceless Man’s saga will be pleased to know, Lies Sleeping has the final showdown and answers you’re looking for. After seven books, this resolution was a long time coming, and it was awesome.
Needless to say, if you’re not caught up with the series yet, be aware this review may contain references to events from the previous books, so only read on if you’ve read finished The Hanging Tree to avoid any potential spoilers. Since the last time we saw him, Peter has received a promotion on the police force and is now playing a key role in the operation to take down the Faceless Man, now identified as Martin Chorley, as well as his associate Lesley May, a one-time friend of our protagonist. Chorley’s grand plan for London has also been revealed, involving a dastardly plot to lure out one of the city’s oldest and most deranged gods—a supernatural killer with whom series fans should be very familiar.
For this dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, Peter and his mentor Thomas Nightingale must shore up their resources and gather all the support they can get, calling in help from all corners including the regular police force, history and archeology experts, and even Arthurian scholars. But unfortunately for Peter, Lesley knows all his usual tricks, and worse, where to hit him where it hurts the most. Chorley is up to something big, and no matter how well the Folly plans, their target always seems to be a few steps ahead, constantly slipping through their fingers.
Peter’s resolve has been tested before, but never like this. Lies Sleeping is the big shakeup this series needed, after all the breaks and build-up, and I think it succeeded in delivering both thrilling action and emotional impact. If the goal of the previous book was to bring us back into the thick of things and ramp up the momentum, then this one valiantly took up the baton and ran it to the finish line. I was also ecstatic that I got most of what I’d wished for, number one on that list being more Nightingale in action. While I’m not usually one for literary crushes, I’ve got it seriously bad for that guy. When all is said and done though, taking down the Faceless Man was very much a team effort, and I’m glad we also got the second item on my wishlist, which was seeing more involvement from the rest of the supporting cast. As I expected, Guleed has become a regular, and even more exciting is the fact she’s being brought onto the Falcon magical scene. Abigail becoming a fixture at the Folly was a nice surprise too, after getting know her well from The Furthest Station novella.
Once more, I also found the humor in Lies Sleeping to be on the more muted side, but in this case, I think it’s okay, and even appropriate. Peter still makes me smile occasionally with his dry, sardonic wit, but this was probably one of the more serious sequels, because of all that it had to deal with. Over the course of this series, Peter has matured as a person, taking matters more seriously in both his professional and personal life, becoming a better police officer and a wizard while also settling into a stable relationship with Bev. Still, there are also certain things that never change, and Peter’s mega blind spot with regards to Lesley was the cause of much teeth grinding on my part. There was a moment too where I felt the plot might be falling into a repetitive pattern, but fortunately, Aaronovitch was able to pull things back on track following a lull around the halfway point and save the situation in time for the big finale. Personally, I found the climax to be a bit confusing, in the way things related to the genius loci usually are when it comes to these books, so I suppose that’s nothing new. Regardless, those who have always appreciated this series’ attention to the history and mythology associated with London will find lots of like about this book, I expect.
And finally, Lies Sleeping has the unmistakable feel of a conclusion, though I do sincerely hope that this is just a wrap for the Faceless Man arc, and not for the series itself. It would be cruel to end things right as we’re seeing so much promise for our side characters, not to mention the big news dropped on us in the final few pages, but if this is going to be it, I’m also happy with how things played out. There are a few loose threads I wouldn’t mind seeing addressed, but overall I was impressed with how many conflicts were resolved by strongly tying them back to the series’ roots, i.e. where it all began in Rivers of London. I have no idea where Ben Aaronovitch will take this world and his characters next, but I’ll be crossing my fingers for more.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Whispers Underground (Book 3)
Review of Broken Homes (Book 4)
Review of Foxglove Summer (Book 5)
Review of The Furthest Station (Book 5.7)
Review of The Hanging Tree (Book 6)
The BiblioSanctum 
I only read the 1st book in the series, but i liked it so much. I actually bought all the books up to the 5th one, so that says a lot 😀 It’s nice to see it’s still going strong at book 7! ❤
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Yay! The books get better from 1-5 and then it is just consistently good, so you’re in for a treat!
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I am happy this was the big shakeup this series needed. After reading your review, let’s hope indeed that it is not the last one! Fantastic review 😉
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Yeah, crossing my fingers! I love this world so much, it would be a shame to say goodbye!
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Not reading all of this since I still need to catch up on the series, but glad it was such a good read for you!
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I hope you get to try it soon! I’d be curious to hear what you think 😀
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I think I’ve only read the first one or two books, so still have a ways to go. 😀
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I still need to start with book 1, even thought this is a series that has long been on my radar: from your review I gather that, like sometimes it happens with UF series, there was something of a narrative slump, but I’m glad to know that the story pick up with this latest installment. I will keep that in mind once I finally get to read these books… 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
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Yes, this conclusion has been a long time coming, but what’s amazing is how all the books in the series have been consistently good, even when the plot strayed off the main path 😀
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that’s an author I need to try. My sister bought me the first book formy birthday
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What a nice present! 😀
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I haven’t yet read this one yet, Mogsy – but thank you for a great review. I’m delighted to hear the Faceless Man narrative thread is wrapped up in this one. Like you I was starting to worry that this was going to torpedo the snap and pace of this delightful series. I’ll have to track this one down, now…
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I hope you get to read it soon! I think series fans will be quite pleased with the way this one turned out 😀
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I’ll have to write to Father Christmas and see if he’ll leave it in my stocking *hint, hint…*
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A series that I would definitely like to read fully – I’ve read the first but it was so long ago that I’d have to reread it. I need to make some time because I enjoyed this and if it’s one of your favourite UF series then it’s highly likely that I’d feel the same.
Lynn 😀
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I think this series would be right up your alley, Lynn. Crossing my fingers you’ll get to read it all one day 😀
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I’ve always liked the cover design with this series! I couldn’t get into this series myself but I’m glad you are still enjoying it!
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Thanks! And I agree with the cover designs. They have so much charm and personality!
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After 7 books, it sounds like a pretty strong series!
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Yeah, 7! I still can’t believe it’s been so many books…time is just flying!
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I didn’t read your whole review because I might still pick this up eventually 😉 It’s good to hear though that you liked the ending and that it DOES HAVE ONE and is not going on forever 😀 I will give it some points for that and book 1 will go on my wishlist
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Yeah, I think 6-7 books was as far as the author could push it. I’m glad he wrapped up the first series arc, now I’m just hoping this is not the end and he has more planned 😀
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I only read the first..wait, might have read like the 2nd and felt lost cos I did not read the first. I can not remember
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Ah if you jumped in mid series, that might be a bit confusing…
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Eeeek! I need this!
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I hope you get to read it soon!
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I recently bought The Hanging Tree, so I’ve skipped most of your review 😀 but I didn’t know a new one was out! Excited.
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Nice! Enjoy the Hanging Tree! 😀
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I’ve just finished reviewing Lies Sleeping so it’s great to see someone else’s response! I’m glad I wasn’t the only one grinding my teeth at Peter’s attitude to Lesley. The chances that she’s a double agent now seem to be near to zero… I did like the long-overdue showdown.
The problem with this series is that it’s nearly impossible to review new books without dropping spoilers for the old ones!
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