Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Subterranean (2021), Edition: Deluxe Hardcover, 232 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Mystery. Ghost hunter, fox whisperer, troublemaker. It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake. While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks chasing unicorns Abigail is chasing her own mystery. Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged the teens return home-unharmed but vague about where they've been. Aided only by her new friend Simon, her knowledge that magic is real and a posse of talking foxes that think they're spies, Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly-why?… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member hcnewton
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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THRE ARE A FEW, UH, PROVISOS, A, A COUPLE OF QUID PRO QUOS
I almost feel like I need to go back and do a lot of re-reading before writing much about this book. I'd have thought that Abigail's involvement with the Folly and Peter wasn't this
Also, I know there's a connection between Abigail and the talking foxes, but I don't remember exactly when it comes about and how much of this book is Aaronovich filling in the backstory that he just breezes past in one of the novels.
I didn't feel at a loss for context while reading the book, but I tell you what, I'm feeling it as I try to talk about the novella. So, I guess I'm saying, be nice and forgive any lapses in what's to come:
WHAT'S WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER ABOUT?
This novella is set during the events of Foxglove Summer and Peter's not in London. But never fear, Abigail does talk to Nightingale a couple of times.
Abigail has a strange interaction with someone she used to know and sees someone else acting slightly strangely. She starts, not really investigating, but taking a close look around at everything. Then when the police start asking questions of kids in the park, showing pictures of those same people, she knows something's up.
Not that she tells the police that, because they're not going to believe her. She's told that these children (and others) have gone missing, but then reappear at home, with fuzzy memories of the last couple of days. If Abigail, she thinks, with the help of some of the local talking foxes, can figure out what's going on, she can point Nightingale in the right direction—which might help convince him that she's ready for training.
But mostly, Abigail's curious about what's happening and has to figure it out.
POSTMARTIN'S CONTRIBUTION
Abigail's first-person account is littered with footnotes by the Folly's archivist, Harold Postmartin. Largely, these footnotes are to explain some of the more slang-y terms Abigail uses (although sometimes it's a more technical note). He seems to go to great lengths to make sure that American readers can get what she's saying. I halfway wonder if in UK editions those notes have differences.
I think I could've worked out the terms I wasn't already familiar with, but the footnotes were entertaining enough that it doesn't matter if I could've. This was a better way to deal with it.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER?
This is absolutely a Folly-story, one that belongs in this series, but there's no way that Peter Grant was the right character to use for this story, Aaronovich needed to use someone like Abigail to tell this, conveniently enough, there she was. She has a different way of thinking than Peter—and while there's humor to her narration, it's not the same as Peter's (even if it's occasionally similar). Seeing things from her perspective, it's a great way to see how she's similar to her cousin, while very much being her own person.
Frequently, with novellas, I walk away wondering why couldn't we get a full novel out of it? This isn't one of those times—the story is as long as it needs to be—it's complex and satisfying. Also, we get a lot of development out of Abigail and get a better degree of understanding of her than we've had before.
That said, there are just so many things I want to know more about, but just making this novel-length wouldn't take care of it. For example, we learn right off the bat that there's something...different...about Simon's mom—and Aaronovich teases us with a couple of more things. I want more of this. I want to know just what it is that Abigail's doing for her. I want more adventures with Abigail and the foxes.
I've always wanted to see more Abigail in the novels—this underscores that for me.
In short, this was a fun story—a strange one at times, but fun—that makes me more curious about a character I already enjoyed, but now I want more of her—both on her own (like this) or in the main novels. I had a similar reaction to the novella The October Man, too. Although that probably is my reaction to anything in this universe (at least so far)—"I enjoyed that, can I have more like it?"
This would be an interesting jumping-on point for the whole series—I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it might be enough to convince you to dive into the rest.
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THRE ARE A FEW, UH, PROVISOS, A, A COUPLE OF QUID PRO QUOS
I almost feel like I need to go back and do a lot of re-reading before writing much about this book. I'd have thought that Abigail's involvement with the Folly and Peter wasn't this
Show More
developed until later in the series.Also, I know there's a connection between Abigail and the talking foxes, but I don't remember exactly when it comes about and how much of this book is Aaronovich filling in the backstory that he just breezes past in one of the novels.
I didn't feel at a loss for context while reading the book, but I tell you what, I'm feeling it as I try to talk about the novella. So, I guess I'm saying, be nice and forgive any lapses in what's to come:
WHAT'S WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER ABOUT?
This novella is set during the events of Foxglove Summer and Peter's not in London. But never fear, Abigail does talk to Nightingale a couple of times.
Abigail has a strange interaction with someone she used to know and sees someone else acting slightly strangely. She starts, not really investigating, but taking a close look around at everything. Then when the police start asking questions of kids in the park, showing pictures of those same people, she knows something's up.
Not that she tells the police that, because they're not going to believe her. She's told that these children (and others) have gone missing, but then reappear at home, with fuzzy memories of the last couple of days. If Abigail, she thinks, with the help of some of the local talking foxes, can figure out what's going on, she can point Nightingale in the right direction—which might help convince him that she's ready for training.
But mostly, Abigail's curious about what's happening and has to figure it out.
POSTMARTIN'S CONTRIBUTION
Abigail's first-person account is littered with footnotes by the Folly's archivist, Harold Postmartin. Largely, these footnotes are to explain some of the more slang-y terms Abigail uses (although sometimes it's a more technical note). He seems to go to great lengths to make sure that American readers can get what she's saying. I halfway wonder if in UK editions those notes have differences.
I think I could've worked out the terms I wasn't already familiar with, but the footnotes were entertaining enough that it doesn't matter if I could've. This was a better way to deal with it.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER?
This is absolutely a Folly-story, one that belongs in this series, but there's no way that Peter Grant was the right character to use for this story, Aaronovich needed to use someone like Abigail to tell this, conveniently enough, there she was. She has a different way of thinking than Peter—and while there's humor to her narration, it's not the same as Peter's (even if it's occasionally similar). Seeing things from her perspective, it's a great way to see how she's similar to her cousin, while very much being her own person.
Frequently, with novellas, I walk away wondering why couldn't we get a full novel out of it? This isn't one of those times—the story is as long as it needs to be—it's complex and satisfying. Also, we get a lot of development out of Abigail and get a better degree of understanding of her than we've had before.
That said, there are just so many things I want to know more about, but just making this novel-length wouldn't take care of it. For example, we learn right off the bat that there's something...different...about Simon's mom—and Aaronovich teases us with a couple of more things. I want more of this. I want to know just what it is that Abigail's doing for her. I want more adventures with Abigail and the foxes.
I've always wanted to see more Abigail in the novels—this underscores that for me.
In short, this was a fun story—a strange one at times, but fun—that makes me more curious about a character I already enjoyed, but now I want more of her—both on her own (like this) or in the main novels. I had a similar reaction to the novella The October Man, too. Although that probably is my reaction to anything in this universe (at least so far)—"I enjoyed that, can I have more like it?"
This would be an interesting jumping-on point for the whole series—I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it might be enough to convince you to dive into the rest.
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LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
What Abigail Did That Summer
(Rivers of London)
by Ben Aaronovitch
Subterranean Press @SubPress
March 18, 2021 publishing date
Abigail is the cousin to constable and wizard Peter Grant. This is really about all the background we find out about Abigail, that and her parents are often gone. So the
Most of the story is told by Abigail giving an account of what happened to the missing teens and her new friend by explaining to a Fed officer and to the friend's mom. The story is wild and crazy! The world is strange! I have read a few of Peter Grant's books but this was different.
There are gods, talking military foxes, a hidden dimension!
Very exciting but not as easy to follow as others. I can't wait to read more of this series!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book!
(Rivers of London)
by Ben Aaronovitch
Subterranean Press @SubPress
March 18, 2021 publishing date
Abigail is the cousin to constable and wizard Peter Grant. This is really about all the background we find out about Abigail, that and her parents are often gone. So the
Show More
beginning is slightly confusing.Most of the story is told by Abigail giving an account of what happened to the missing teens and her new friend by explaining to a Fed officer and to the friend's mom. The story is wild and crazy! The world is strange! I have read a few of Peter Grant's books but this was different.
There are gods, talking military foxes, a hidden dimension!
Very exciting but not as easy to follow as others. I can't wait to read more of this series!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book!
Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
Barely teen Abigail has a precocious interest in magic, but the Folly won’t yet take her on. So she makes her own trouble/fun, and—with a new friend in tow, plus a fox spy/minder—goes off in search of whatever it is that’s pulling a Pied Piper on local children. Aaronovitch’s mouthy teen
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was not the best of his voices, but it’s still interesting to see other takes on the magic of his world. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Nice! Not sure why this counts as a novella rather than a full book in the series - it's long enough (ok, the word count may be under, but not by much) and a complex enough story to be worth it. Not a Peter story, though - kind of obviously, from the title. Abigail deals, on her own, with a very
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strange genus loci - odder than the bookstore one, and rather more powerful. The ghost...what did she call herself? Sorceress? was really interesting - wonder if she might be able to pull free, and if so...hmm. The annotations for the slang weren't particularly useful - I understood most of it from context, if not the detail. Actually, the amusing part was the ones that didn't get annotated - bare meaning very? Not something I've encountered anywhere else. I learned a bit more about Abigail and her family, too; that may be important later on in the series. Good book, definitely worth reading and rereading. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
Well, now we've got Rivers of London lite, the YA version. Not that RoL was so heavy it required deboning, but here it is, with foxes.
LibraryThing member Shrike58
In a series filled with interesting characters, Abigail Kamara is one of the better ones, so it's good to have a story from her perspective. I'm reluctant to say much about the plot, but there is quite a lot of poignancy in the end, and one has the sense of Aaronovitch opening up another long-term
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angle to explore if he so chooses. Show Less
LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
A story set in the Rivers of London series with Peter Grant’s young cousin, Abigail Kamara, as protagonist and narrator as she investigates the disappearances of other teenagers from Hampstead Heath. Her ability to converse with foxes is put to full use when she discovers one who’s been set to
This is a fun tale that could have implications for later in the main series or even set in motion a full spin-off series for Abigail herself but that would be too spoilery to go into in this review. There’s footnotes provided from the Folly’s librarian to help decipher some of Abigail’s colloquial expressions and pop-culture references. This is definitely Abigail’s story as the only time that Peter is mentioned is to explain his absence (this story takes place at the same time as Foxglove Summer) or compare methodologies. Nightingale does pop up occasionally though. I don’t usually shell out for novella’s (or short novels as this one is classed as) but I had space left on a gift card and I’ve ended up being glad I did.
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watch over her has greater resources that Abigail can utilise.This is a fun tale that could have implications for later in the main series or even set in motion a full spin-off series for Abigail herself but that would be too spoilery to go into in this review. There’s footnotes provided from the Folly’s librarian to help decipher some of Abigail’s colloquial expressions and pop-culture references. This is definitely Abigail’s story as the only time that Peter is mentioned is to explain his absence (this story takes place at the same time as Foxglove Summer) or compare methodologies. Nightingale does pop up occasionally though. I don’t usually shell out for novella’s (or short novels as this one is classed as) but I had space left on a gift card and I’ve ended up being glad I did.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
I'm a huge Aaronovitch fan, so I was very pleased to read this novella. On the whole, it is really nice to know what Abigail did that summer, and to spend more time with her and with the foxes. The pacing is a little choppy, but it's a good story, with some intriguing new connections.
Re-read as
Re-read as
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audio and liked it even better. Very weird to have Kobe’s only on there as the professor, but the reader for Abigail was choice. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Novella telling some more of Abigail's story and the talking foxes
LibraryThing member LisCarey
This is a novella in the Rivers of London series.
Abigail Kamara, younger cousin of police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, has been left largely unsupervised while he's off in the sticks on a case. This leaves Abigail making her own decisions when she notices that kids roughly her age
Natali, girl she slightly knows, invites her to a "happening" on the Heath. When she goes to the Heath to meet up for the happening, she doesn't find the girl, but does meet a white boy named Simon. Simon was also invited to the "happening" by a different girl, Jessica, whom he slightly knows. When neither of the girls shows up, eventually they abandon the "happening," but start to develop an unlikely friendship of their own. Simon tries to teach her to climb trees; Abigail wins a small degree of favor with the housekeeper and Simon's mother by getting him to actually do his Latin study. They are both studying Latin in the summer, a year or two earlier than expected, because Simon's mum has ambitions for Simon, and Abigail has (wizardly) ambitions for herself.
When Abigail realizes that Natali and Jessica, the girls who invited her and Simon to the "happening" that never happened, have disappeared, she can't let go of it. She insists on investigating. Simon introduces her to the Cat Lady, who is a good deal more interesting that that label alone suggests. A talking fox named Indigo approaches Abigail, and says Abigail is needed for something the foxes can't do on their own.
Abigail, Indigo, and Simon wind up at a very oddly haunted house, and Abigail has to navigate relations with the police, the talking foxes, a river goddess and her court, Peter's superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, and, some ways most terrifying of all, Simon's mum.
Oh, and the haunting at a closed-up house.
Abigail grows, learns, and shows herself as a genuinely kind and decent person. Also a smart and determined person.
Altogether an enjoyable and satisfying story.
Recommended.
I received a free review copy of this novella, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
Abigail Kamara, younger cousin of police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, has been left largely unsupervised while he's off in the sticks on a case. This leaves Abigail making her own decisions when she notices that kids roughly her age
Show More
are disappearing--but not staying missing long enough for the police to care.Natali, girl she slightly knows, invites her to a "happening" on the Heath. When she goes to the Heath to meet up for the happening, she doesn't find the girl, but does meet a white boy named Simon. Simon was also invited to the "happening" by a different girl, Jessica, whom he slightly knows. When neither of the girls shows up, eventually they abandon the "happening," but start to develop an unlikely friendship of their own. Simon tries to teach her to climb trees; Abigail wins a small degree of favor with the housekeeper and Simon's mother by getting him to actually do his Latin study. They are both studying Latin in the summer, a year or two earlier than expected, because Simon's mum has ambitions for Simon, and Abigail has (wizardly) ambitions for herself.
When Abigail realizes that Natali and Jessica, the girls who invited her and Simon to the "happening" that never happened, have disappeared, she can't let go of it. She insists on investigating. Simon introduces her to the Cat Lady, who is a good deal more interesting that that label alone suggests. A talking fox named Indigo approaches Abigail, and says Abigail is needed for something the foxes can't do on their own.
Abigail, Indigo, and Simon wind up at a very oddly haunted house, and Abigail has to navigate relations with the police, the talking foxes, a river goddess and her court, Peter's superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, and, some ways most terrifying of all, Simon's mum.
Oh, and the haunting at a closed-up house.
Abigail grows, learns, and shows herself as a genuinely kind and decent person. Also a smart and determined person.
Altogether an enjoyable and satisfying story.
Recommended.
I received a free review copy of this novella, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
Set in the Rivers of London series but with no Peter Grant at all, this stars Abigail working on a missing person case when the missing person has already returned home. Abigail receives a visit from an old friend that now goes to a different school and invites her to a party. Abigail goes to the
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
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meeting spot and meets a boy that is also had the same thing happen to him. The old friend of hers had gone missing and was now home but doesn’t remember what happened. During the course of her poking around to find out more information she teams up with the foxes that have that area under surveillance. During the story you find out more about Abigail and her family that fleshes out what we know so far from the short stories that have been previously collected. Nightingale does make a brief appearance in the book but this is really her story from start to finish. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
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LibraryThing member amanda4242
Abigail is one of my favorite characters in the Rivers of London series, so I was very pleased that she got her own novella. This stand-alone outing finds our heroine searching for missing kids with the help of a new friend and some talking foxes.
The story is a bit by the numbers, but Abigail's
The story is a bit by the numbers, but Abigail's
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character truly shines here: she's intelligent, resourceful, and has a major distrust of authority figures. I do hope Aaronovitch writes another tale for her. Show Less
LibraryThing member beentsy
Could not get my hands in a paper or ebook copy of this one so listened to the audiobook. For the most part, that was great, the narrator was excellent. It did feel confusing at first when with the changes in realities though. Not sure if perhaps reading would have smoothed that out a bit. All
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said, really enjoyable book and I hope Abigail gets her own series. And, gosh I love the foxes. I would read any number of books of their adventures. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
A short spinoff from Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series, featuring Peter Grant's young cousin Abigail. While Peter is off investigating missing girls in the countryside in Foxglove Summer, Abigail is back in London investigating a different set of missing kids with the help of some talking
It's a little simpler than the novels in the main part of the series, but that's fine by me, as I admit I sometimes find the plots of those a little difficult to follow, anyway. It is a bit of an odd read, as it has something of the feel of a kids' book, even though the series itself is definitely not for children, and there are a few things in this one that probably wouldn't be considered entirely suitable for actual 13-year-olds, either. Abigail's a fun character, in any case. Occasionally I think she may be a bit too precocious, but then I remember what I was like at her age (a giant know-it-all, basically), and decide maybe she's not too unbelievable, after all. Although she's definitely braver than I ever was.
The writing style is interesting, full of slang that feels strange to me but which may very well be exactly how kids in London (or at least in Abigail's particular community) talk these days. The plot is maybe almost a little too lightweight and easily wrapped up, but it's not unsatisfyingly so.
I don't think this is an essential part of the series (at least, not unless later books refer to it in some way I don't particularly expect them to), but it's a pleasant enough diversion along the way. And probably actually stands on its own reasonably well, too.
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foxes, an investigation that eventually turns into a sort of haunted house story.It's a little simpler than the novels in the main part of the series, but that's fine by me, as I admit I sometimes find the plots of those a little difficult to follow, anyway. It is a bit of an odd read, as it has something of the feel of a kids' book, even though the series itself is definitely not for children, and there are a few things in this one that probably wouldn't be considered entirely suitable for actual 13-year-olds, either. Abigail's a fun character, in any case. Occasionally I think she may be a bit too precocious, but then I remember what I was like at her age (a giant know-it-all, basically), and decide maybe she's not too unbelievable, after all. Although she's definitely braver than I ever was.
The writing style is interesting, full of slang that feels strange to me but which may very well be exactly how kids in London (or at least in Abigail's particular community) talk these days. The plot is maybe almost a little too lightweight and easily wrapped up, but it's not unsatisfyingly so.
I don't think this is an essential part of the series (at least, not unless later books refer to it in some way I don't particularly expect them to), but it's a pleasant enough diversion along the way. And probably actually stands on its own reasonably well, too.
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LibraryThing member catseyegreen
Abigail is a little too precocious to really feel like a 13 year old girl but the story is interesting. The talking foxes are the best part of the whole thing.
read 12/9/2023
read 12/9/2023
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2021-03-18
ISBN
1645240282 / 9781645240280
Local notes
It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake. While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks chasing unicorns Abigail is chasing her own mystery. Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged the teens return home – unharmed but vague about where they’ve been.
Aided only by her new friend Simon, her knowledge that magic is real and a posse of talking foxes that think they’re spies, Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly – why?
Aided only by her new friend Simon, her knowledge that magic is real and a posse of talking foxes that think they’re spies, Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly – why?