Winter's Gifts: The Brand New Rivers Of London Novella

Product Information

It didn't seem to me that there was enough to Kimberly Reynolds to lift the story up. Part of the problem is that she has no magical abilities of her own to call on so she can't do the things that Peter or even Abigail might do in London. We learn very little about her as an individual except that she avoids swearing and she is a practising Christian who has accepted Jesus Christ as her saviour. What we don't learn is how she squares her religious beliefs with her experiences with magic users. Unlike Peter Grant, she seems incurious about what magic is and how it works. Interacting with various Genus Loci at home and abroad has left her unfazed but I kept wondering why that was. It reminded me of an Avengers meme: I was looking forward to this 'Spin Off' story but I was disappointed at how thin the story felt. The book had that Series 1 Episode 1 feel to it, where you can see the potential but you can also see that the series hasn't hit its stride yet. Hmmm...this was...just okay. Let's say a 3.5, but that is really scraping the bottom of the barrel for me on these books. That person is FBI Special Agent Kimberley Reynolds. Leaving Quantico for snowbound Northern Wisconsin, she finds that a tornado has flattened half the town - and there's no sign of Henderson.

Although FBI Agent Kimberley Reynolds has worked with Peter Grant from time to time since she helped him investigate the fatal stabbing of a US Senator's son in 'Whispers Under Ground', 'Winter's Gifts' is the first book with her as the main character. So, let me get one thing out of the way. Die schlafenden Geister des Lake Superior is a German translation of the novella Winter's Gifts, originally written in English by London author Ben Aaronovitch. It is the first book-length work in the Rivers of London series to be set in the USA. I am a US citizen and a native English speaker. So why did I read this book in German, and why am I writing my review in English? Accents aside, the narration was fine, but... it could have been better. (I just read a review saying that all the male characters sounded like Barney Rubble for some reason. Ha.) I guess Kimberly is supposed to be from the midwest (wait, or Oklahoma? Does Aaronovitch think that Oklahoma is the Midwest? And wouldn't someone from the state with such a large Native population maybe, you know, know more about the stories of Native Peoples in this country? It kind of helps with the use of "momma" though.) And the British narrator apparently grew up in the US? It's funny how much these details matter, and yes I think there SHOULD have been a beta reader. I’m on the fence between 1 and 2 stars; while the novella has major issues, the writing itself is excellent. Call it 1 star for story and 4 stars for technical. I have to say, though, that compared to the Peter Grant books, this one feels muted to me, as if while writing Aaronovitch constantly had the worry, "Can I write this without bringing hordes of rabid Americans down on my head?" I grew up in the USA, und zwar, in the northern USA near the Great Lakes, so I too had a thought like that in mind as I read. And I am here to say that Aaronovitch gets it mostly right -- nothing really feels off. (But remember, I'm reading a German translation.) Now, this caution is very different from the feel of the books set in London. London is Aaronovitch's patch, and he knows when he can and should transgress. I surmise that he doesn't dare transgress in an American story.Things soon go from weird to worse, as neighbours report unsettling sightings, key evidence goes missing, and the snow keeps rising - cutting off the town, with no way in or out… There was a huge (missed) opportunity here to not only expand the series but explore new territory (literally and figuratively) through the eyes of an existing side character and delve into culture, religion and society beyond what’s included in the previous novels. If you're looking for an answer to a question about winter gifts, read on. We've compiled a list of the most popular winter gift questions and answered them below. What should you gift someone in winter? She'll also love the Persian Rug Yoga Mat. Hot yoga is the perfect winter sport, and this mat will inject some more style into her yoga session. What are the best winter gifts for husbands?

Humour based on social commentary or self-deprecation? Nah - it's a novella. We don't have the space. And besides, this is America, their humour is different. As for the story and environment, there were few places where I, as a longtime inhabitant of the Great Frozen North, said, to myself, "That's all wrong", but there was also no place where I thought, "That's an insightful, original way to describe how it feels, or how it looks." At one point, Karen asks someone where they’re *really* from - see also “I’m not racist but” in the dictionary of unsympathetic literary characters.We are happy to announce that Ben Aaronovitch will be joining us to sign copies of Rivers Of London: Winter's Gifts at Forbidden Planet Megastore London on Thursday 8th June 2023 from 5:30pm - 6:30pm. Improper use of American English. It’s a parka not a parker, it’s a handgun not a pistol, etc. The mistakes are obvious and jarring. Part of this is on the sub-par audiobook narrator, but not all. Something terrible is awakening. As the clues lead to the coldest of cold cases - a cursed expedition into the frozen wilderness - Reynolds follows a trail from the start of the American nightmare, to the horror that still lives on today… Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London crosses the Atlantic with Winter’s Gifts, the fourth novella in this hugely popular series. Not only is this the first time the series has ventured to America though, with FBI agent Kimberley Reynolds stepping into the spotlight for her own story, but it’s also the first time the series has really delved into the realm of the horror story. It’s a classic horror setup – a small town in Wisconsin, snow blanketing the ground and cutting off access, a missing man, locals hiding secrets, and a lone FBI agent trying to piece together a mystery which might involve a lost 19th century expedition, while dealing with the inimical weather and a lurking darkness (which inevitably steps out of the shadows soon enough). The MC - let’s call her Karen, cause that’s what she is - is insufferable. She’s every American stereotype rolled into one person and the writing definitely comes across as lazy as a result.

If it (understandably) doesn’t quite have the full familiar joy of the main range novels – Peter is such a strong character that it’s always tempting to just want more of him – Winter’s Gifts nevertheless manages to ably demonstrate (much like The October Man) that there’s more to this series than just British wizardry. Indeed there’s plenty of scope for exploring magic in different places and different forms, and this sort of supernatural horror(ish) story fits in perfectly with the series as a whole and works well in the shorter novella format. With her gentle humour, sharp observation skills and amusing intolerance for bad language, agent Reynolds joins the ranks of Tobias and Abigail as thoroughly entertaining viewpoint characters who offer an interesting new perspective on this world, adding depth and variety to a series which continues to entertain and satisfy.If you’re going to write about living in winter, learn about living in winter first. Literally millions of people do this every year, so it shouldn’t be hard to find someone with first-hand experience. And, unfortunately, I found the narrator's voice somewhat grating. Other listeners have mentioned the irritation of a constant pronunciation of "parka" as "parkER" (and that word was used A LOT in this book) and I also found that somewhat irritating. And all the male voices seemed to take on a kind of dopey surf-dude, frat-bro quality--even Peter's on that short transatlantic phone call. I have been spoiled by the likes of Kobna Holdbrook Smith and Nigel Planer. They virtually disappear behind their voices, so I didn't expect much out of this reader. I have yet to hear a woman doing a decent male voice. But I can enjoy the books anyway. I'm just totally in love with Nigel and Kobna. But I have one word for this reader. "Parker." She slipped up once and said "parka." Maybe I listen to too much BBC and American accents have started to sound weird to me. But "parker"? In a book where it's cold and snowy, everyone is going to be putting one of these on and off all the time. It was jarring. All the men sounding like adolescents was a bit weird too. But the "parkers" were grating on me. This is supposed to be an Oklahoma accent? I know of only one place where the "r" is added where it doesn't belong and that's Massachusetts. We had a neighbor from "Maather's Vinyaad." But she also removed Rs. She called me "Maather" all my young life. Being a novella it was mercifully short. Another great work-friendly gift is the Really Useful Mug. It's not your typical workplace mug – it offers a ton of fun facts that go great with a morning cup of coffee. It's microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe. What are the best winter gifts for my wife?

Aaronovitch's choice to make Kimberly be a person raised as an Evangelical Christian who calls her mom "Momma" has always grated on me a bit, as it's a stereotype of Americans that's not my favorite. I will say that she got a lot more human here, and I think that might be his intent, but... still not my favorite. Alternatively, he'll love the DOIY Designer Cheese Board Set. It's got everything he needs to set up a tasty antipasto platter, except for the cheeses, meats, anchovies, and olives. What are some good gifts for people who are always cold? Aaronovitch was also treading a chancy line with his portrayal of Native American (Ojibwe) spiritual life. He did a decent job (William takes Kimberly to task for asking about "legends" and he's like, "It's a religion. Is the bible about "legends" to you?") but there are so many ways it could have gone badly.It's not Reynold's faith that bothers me but the absence of any need to reframe that faith in the light of her experience. Of course, I'm looking at this through my atheist eyes so I may be missing something. For example, she constantly starts preachy sentences with “My mama says” and complains about blasphemy (her word) when people around her swear. It’s grating, especially since nobody over the age of 9 and under the age of 75 talks like that. Make that 95. Seriously, if I met this person on a first date, I’d make an excuse and escape through the bathroom window - what adult talks that much about their mother outside of therapy? I liked the plot. It used a clever mix of First Nation traditions and early US history to create unique threats and it had enough twists to keep me guessing about the source of the threat and what needed to be done about it.