Feo Takahari
Auror
Paul Cornell, that guy who wrote some really well-liked Dr. Who episodes and some really well-liked superhero comics, is putting out an urban fantasy series. I finally got a copy of book 1, and surprise surprise, it's really good.
In terms of premise, London Falling is like any other urban fantasy story, this time with London cops as the unfortunates who discover a hidden world alongside our own. It distinguishes itself in three ways:
1): The cops actually act as cops. So their perp is hundreds of years old and can walk through walls--that just means it'll be harder to put cuffs on her. They bring a deliciously rational edge to a blatantly irrational world, at times scrambling desperately for a logical explanation, and at other times actually finding one and putting it to use.
2): Rather than one lone hero, the story follows an entire operational squad, every member of which could have been the protagonist of his or her own book. Undercover cop Sefton logics his way out of problems, DI Quill leads from the front with bravery and discipline, dirty cop Costain survives through the power of being a horrible person, and analyst Ross runs on pure vengeance. All of them grew on me (Costain slower than the others, admittedly), and all of them felt vital and necessary. (And the story doesn't skimp on how they interact with each other, either. It's a nice touch that every other protagonist hates Costain for slightly different reasons.)
3): Costain. Seriously, this guy's a jackass, and it's awesome.
In terms of premise, London Falling is like any other urban fantasy story, this time with London cops as the unfortunates who discover a hidden world alongside our own. It distinguishes itself in three ways:
1): The cops actually act as cops. So their perp is hundreds of years old and can walk through walls--that just means it'll be harder to put cuffs on her. They bring a deliciously rational edge to a blatantly irrational world, at times scrambling desperately for a logical explanation, and at other times actually finding one and putting it to use.
2): Rather than one lone hero, the story follows an entire operational squad, every member of which could have been the protagonist of his or her own book. Undercover cop Sefton logics his way out of problems, DI Quill leads from the front with bravery and discipline, dirty cop Costain survives through the power of being a horrible person, and analyst Ross runs on pure vengeance. All of them grew on me (Costain slower than the others, admittedly), and all of them felt vital and necessary. (And the story doesn't skimp on how they interact with each other, either. It's a nice touch that every other protagonist hates Costain for slightly different reasons.)
3): Costain. Seriously, this guy's a jackass, and it's awesome.