The Masquerades of Spring
The Brand New Rivers of London Novella
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4.3 • 49 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young - flaneur extraordinaire and Englishman abroad - as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps.
'Gussie' is not one to shun shut-eye himself, however. But his peaceful luxuriation is about to be rudely awakened by the arrival of an unexpected guest.
Enter his old friend Thomas Nightingale, who has braved the Atlantic passage pursuing the matter of a rather intriguing saxophone said to possess a strange power over those who play it.
This deeply inconvenient affair will rouse Gussie from his warm bed for the cold shores of Long Island - and down to the jazz clubs of Harlem where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows...
****
PRAISE FOR THE RIVERS OF LONDON NOVELS
'Ben Aaronovitch has created a wonderful world full of mystery, magic and fantastic characters. I love being there more than the real London'
NICK FROST
'As brilliant and funny as ever'
THE SUN
'Charming, witty, exciting'
THE INDEPENDENT
'An incredibly fast-moving magical joyride for grown-ups'
THE TIMES
****
Discover why this incredible series has sold over two million copies around the world. If you're a fan of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams - don't panic - you will love Ben Aaronovitch's imaginative, irreverent and all-round irresistible novels.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Aaronovitch goes full P.G. Wodehouse in his sixth Rivers of London fantasy (after Winter's Gifts), cleverly integrating comedic elements into a supernatural plot. Augustus "Gussie" Berrycloth-Young is a member of the Folly, the covert British organization who were entrusted by Isaac Newton with safeguarding the knowledge of magic "back in the age of enormous wigs." But after Gussie uses the mystic arts for a prank, ticking off his superiors, he exiles himself to Manhattan, where he finds a Jeeves-like valet, Maximillian Beauregard, and the love of his life: copywriter Lucien Gibbs. Gussie's new day-to-day is disrupted when Thomas Nightingale, the man whom the Folly "send forth into the world to solve problems and shoot trouble," arrives at his Manhattan apartment on a quest for the provenance of an enchanted saxophone believed to have been touched by the devil himself. Gussie's love for and expertise on the New York City jazz world proves an asset to this caper, which is heavier on laughs than chills. It's an absolute joy.
Customer Reviews
Not up to the rest of the series
I couldn’t take to the main character and the writing style was overdone.