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A review by grogu_djarin
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Overall Thoughts:
I'm not sure what the point of this story was to be honest. It's a very quick read and the case is over before you know it. There's maybe two things that might be of consequence later in the series, but it's largely standalone and there's no connection to the Faceless Man storyline. In that sense, it's more of a side quest, or an opportunity to see what a typical case for the Folly might look like, but the brevity does take a lot of the mystery away from it because the case is solved in about the third of the time as the other books. That said, it's still an entertaining read and if you enjoyed the other Peter Grant stories it at least offers more of that.
I'm not sure what the point of this story was to be honest. It's a very quick read and the case is over before you know it. There's maybe two things that might be of consequence later in the series, but it's largely standalone and there's no connection to the Faceless Man storyline. In that sense, it's more of a side quest, or an opportunity to see what a typical case for the Folly might look like, but the brevity does take a lot of the mystery away from it because the case is solved in about the third of the time as the other books. That said, it's still an entertaining read and if you enjoyed the other Peter Grant stories it at least offers more of that.
Likes:
- It was nice to see Toby featured again after he had been sidelined for many of the previous books.
- Similarly, I was glad Abigail wasn't being ignored.
- This adds probably the most lore on ghosts since the first book.
Dislikes:
- Perhaps it was due to the length or due to not tying into the Faceless Man storyline, but I'm not really sure what this story served to accomplish. It does show the Folly working a typical case for them, but due to the length it feels a bit rushed and feels more like a side adventure more than anything.
- There's a secondary plotline and, while it is one of the two things that may be consequential later, for as short as the book is it feels like a diversion (when this book already feels like a diversion to the larger series narrative).
Other Notes:
- This was published after The Hanging Tree but takes place before it. I'm reading the series in publication order and this was published after The Hanging Tree. I would definitely recommend reading this first (chronological rather than publication order) since it was a little jarring going from Peter as a more capable practitioner in The Hanging Tree to getting more of his earlier self in this book.
Would Recommend To:
- Anyone who wants more Peter Grant stories. It doesn't bring much new to the series, but it's at least more story if you're interested in it.
Do Not Recommend To:
- Anyone who hasn't read any of the earlier Peter Grant stories. While it's fairly self-contained and short, as a fan of the series I didn't think it brought much to the table and there's probably even less for someone who hasn't read the prior books.