Foxglove Summer

by Ben Aaronovitch

English language

Published Nov. 13, 2014

ISBN:: 978-0-575-13250-4

(66 reviews)

When two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London to check that nothing supernatural is involved.

It’s purely routine—Nightingale, Peter’s superior, thinks he’ll be done in less than a day. But Peter’s never been one to walk away from someone in trouble, so when nothing overtly magical turns up he volunteers his services to the local police, who need all the help they can get.

But because the universe likes a joke as much as the next sadistic megalomaniac, Peter soon comes to realize that dark secrets underlie the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain’s most junior wizard after all.

Soon Peter’s in a vicious race against time, in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear....

4 editions

Jon Nixon reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

An angry, invisible, carniverous, cart horse sized unicorn called princess Luna. What’s not to love?

Great fun. I think Aaronovitch is back on form with this one. It's full of wry humour and funny cultural references (I like the way that he drops them in and doesn't explain them). All of the new characters are great, but it's great to see so much of Beverly Brook again. As a bonus it’s set 25 miles from where I grew up.

A couple of gripes; it stalls slightly in the middle (but picks up again fast) and the ending felt tagged on (as if he couldn't think of a clever way to wrap things up) . I love Beverley’s character and the fact that she’s not to be messed with, but after such a clever and interesting book it was a shame that the ending was uninspired.

DigitalRob@ramblingreaders.org reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is my favorite of this series so far. Now that any romantic possibilities with Leslie are out of the way, I fully support Peter’s romantic explorations with Beverly Brook, and in the end, she’s my favorite character in this story.

I like some of the terminology introduced in this book. No one wants to appear insane or really believe magic drives real events, so a major part of Peter’s job requires him to create two narratives around events, a “real” official report and a true one for the Folly. to that end, he is asked to complete “A Falcon Assessment” of the events surrounding this case in rural England. People are left to interpret “Falcon Assessment” any way they deem appropriate, but no one actually asks him what it means. Some know, and some don’t want to know.

I like that the supernatural element of this story takes a while to develop. Peter stays on the case to stay out of London after determining no Falcon involvement. He’s still reeling from the betrayal at the end of the last case. Then a couple of cell phones change his conclusion, and Nightingale sends Beverley as backup.

Peter’s use of technology to trace the appearance of magic is brilliant, and his sacrifice at the end show the depths of his character. As another reviewer mentioned, the Fae in the Rivers Universe aren’t like Tinkerbell, but they definitely like to play with humans.

Finally, I love the portrayal of unicorns. While I’m certain it isn’t the first time in fiction, it is the first time I’ve seen unicorns as the malevolent enforcers of the Fae.

Michael P reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An excellent addition to the series. my only complaint is that there want a lot of progress on the over arching plot.

Annette C. Boehm reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I enjoyed this, despite not having read the first 4 books - I didn't realize this was book #5 when I picked it up. The story is self-contained, though obviously there is background knowledge about the character and the organization he works for that a reader of the previous books would have known. :) This was entertaining.

Enno reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I missed the Nightingale in this one. Peter and Beverley are fun, but a book without L and N leaves something to be desired. Interesting twist, though.

B. Zelkovich reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is my favorite of this series so far! The plot was really well done, and I feel like Peter's really come into his own here. Also, Beverly Brook is all over the place, and I enjoyed Dominic as well.

TowerOfTheArchmage reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The only reason I didn't finish this in a single sitting is because I wanted to stretch out the enjoyment of it as much as I could... And once again Ben Aaronovich does not disappoint!

I can't wait for the next book to come out!

betty reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This was a "filler" book, between the books which deal with the vast overarching conspiracies, and you know what? I like that about it. I'm still brutalized by the events of the previous book. I needed a nice, light, child-abduction story with unicorns. This delivered. Peter, at sea in the countryside, is delightful. I enjoyed watching new officers encounter the Folly and though I somewhat resent Nightingale being pushed to one side, the reason for it is obvious and it was done quite well. We got to see more about Beverly in this book than just her willingness to bang Peter. I would be happy to see more of any of the new characters.

unicorndeburgh reviewed Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'Foxglove Summer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Another dame fine Peter Grant book. Peter spends the entire book without Nightingale, relying on his own smarts and abilities. There are a variety of things I loved that I want to burble about, but they'd all be spoilers, so I'll contain myself. It's suspenseful, smart, interesting, the characters have heart -- and just so funny. OK, one spoiler: At one point he's a passenger in a car driven by someone who is temporarily parted from the iPod, so the music playing is from a CD. It is Queen's Greatest Hits.