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Rivers of London #1.4
Tobias Winter - Meckenheim 2012
Moments Three
Set in 2012. The Chief of the Abteilung KDA is disturbed to learn that the Nightingale has taken on an apprentice.
Moments is a term used by Ben Aaronovitch for very short works of fiction, that he doesn't like to call short stories. He adds that they are not likely to be incorporated into any longer work.
Set in 2012. The Chief of the Abteilung KDA is disturbed to learn that the Nightingale has taken on an apprentice.
Moments is a term used by Ben Aaronovitch for very short works of fiction, that he doesn't like to call short stories. He adds that they are not likely to be incorporated into any longer work.
4 pages, ebook
First published May 4, 2017
7 people are currently reading
1509 people want to read
About the author
Ben Aaronovitch
159 books13.4k followersBen Aaronovitch's career started with a bang writing for Doctor Who, subsided in the middle and then, as is traditional, a third act resurgence with the bestselling Rivers of London series.
Born and raised in London he says that he'll leave his home when they prise his city out of his cold dead fingers.
Born and raised in London he says that he'll leave his home when they prise his city out of his cold dead fingers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
August 27, 2021
OK, so for completeness' sake and orientation: the author penned short stories, novellas and ... "moments". In his own words, they are bits and pieces that conjure a certain atmosphere and linger in the back of his head and when he was asked to do a short story collection, he wrote these "moments" down, too.
In this second moment (which is actually #3 according to the author's anthology), the narrator is Tobias Winter - apparently a German police officer working for the KDA (a part of the Bundeskriminalamt tasked with keeping a lid on magic). I presume we'll get to know him in a later book (so GR's numbering is definitely off or only going by the year the story takes place in).
One day, he gets a secure e-mail informing him that Nightingale has taken on an apprentice (and suggesting that HE broke the agreement thus causing the murders in novel #1) - and all alarm bells go off. Bwahahahahahaha!
The most surprising thing in this short-short story was the humour that incorporated some detailed cultural knowledge of Germany! Like that joke about Cobra 11 (for anyone having read the story and wondering, I can explain if you like). Very nice research, Mr. Aaronovitch, that definitely earns you bonus points with me!
Moreover, we got a glimpse at how Germany has managed the magical department - most surprisingly, they . I really love the glimpses at how other countries handle magic!
You can read the story for free here: https://temporarilysignificant.blogsp...
In this second moment (which is actually #3 according to the author's anthology), the narrator is Tobias Winter - apparently a German police officer working for the KDA (a part of the Bundeskriminalamt tasked with keeping a lid on magic). I presume we'll get to know him in a later book (so GR's numbering is definitely off or only going by the year the story takes place in).
One day, he gets a secure e-mail informing him that Nightingale has taken on an apprentice (and suggesting that HE broke the agreement thus causing the murders in novel #1) - and all alarm bells go off. Bwahahahahahaha!
The most surprising thing in this short-short story was the humour that incorporated some detailed cultural knowledge of Germany! Like that joke about Cobra 11 (for anyone having read the story and wondering, I can explain if you like). Very nice research, Mr. Aaronovitch, that definitely earns you bonus points with me!
Moreover, we got a glimpse at how Germany has managed the magical department - most surprisingly, they . I really love the glimpses at how other countries handle magic!
You can read the story for free here: https://temporarilysignificant.blogsp...
August 27, 2021
Another vignette, this time rather homey and sweet, switching PoVs. It's like spying through a window on someone's Xmas morning. :)
January 12, 2022
PODCAST is here :)
Moments are little bits of fiction that don't really rate being called a short story and are unlikely to ever be incorporated into a longer work. Needless to say, they still constitute a finished work and I assert my copyright etc.
New person, new storyline, new possibilities... Interesting... and of course bit of rivalry... too short to give a better taste, still good to introduce a new character, I hope to see him around... I have a feeling I will.
3 deutschsprächige Kätzchen für Sie
First sentence: I’d only been back at Meckenheim for a couple of days when the reports arrived from London.
Last sentence: ‘Have you ever considered learning magic?’
Goodreads Challenge 2022: 6. book
Moments are little bits of fiction that don't really rate being called a short story and are unlikely to ever be incorporated into a longer work. Needless to say, they still constitute a finished work and I assert my copyright etc.
New person, new storyline, new possibilities... Interesting... and of course bit of rivalry... too short to give a better taste, still good to introduce a new character, I hope to see him around... I have a feeling I will.
3 deutschsprächige Kätzchen für Sie
First sentence: I’d only been back at Meckenheim for a couple of days when the reports arrived from London.
Last sentence: ‘Have you ever considered learning magic?’
Goodreads Challenge 2022: 6. book
January 13, 2020
Another moment and this time we get to meet some no characters and learn the fact that the English aren't the only ones interested about real magic. And i guess we are going to see these characters more in the coming books.
October 1, 2019
This very short story raises more questions than it answers. (You can read it here for free) Aaronovitch has confusingly organized his short stories chronologically as they would have happened in "book time." So while this story would clearly have happened immediately after book 1 (2011), it wasn't written until 2017. And you wouldn't know anything else about these characters until after book 7, in the novella The October Man...at which point you would have utterly forgotten a few hundred words about a random dude in Germany.
I love that he's weaving these little side stories & would love to know more about how other police departments around the world deal with magic, though.
So, if you're reading this series, read this just prior to The October Man. Characters in this aren't mentioned anywhere else, according to the fandom wikipedia page
I love that he's weaving these little side stories & would love to know more about how other police departments around the world deal with magic, though.
So, if you're reading this series, read this just prior to The October Man. Characters in this aren't mentioned anywhere else, according to the fandom wikipedia page
July 18, 2019
Short and sweet
August 18, 2019
I think what was most interesting to me was the reaction of Nightingale getting an apprentice in Peter. Just that one act seemed to spur on KDA, sort of made me feel sorry for Tobias.
September 22, 2021
Ok, this particular 'moment' I had attachment with, because this happened just before Tobias Winter appeared on our radar in The October Man novella.
September 27, 2019
I have only just finished the first two volumes in the Moments series. Both are incredibly short, but I am very happy that we get those glimpses at all. While the first one was rather irrelevant, albeit nice, this one had actual substance. I read the main series over the course of a few years and must admit that I do not remember all plot points and characters, but I do believe that Tobias Winter is yet to appear in the main novels. And, let me tell you, I am super excited to see that happen.
As we had not context for either of the characters, it was a bit difficult to understand why Tobias' boss is so worried about the fact that Nightingale has taken on an apprentice. I mean, it's interesting to see that the magical arm of German law enforcement struggles with the same issues we see in the UK (not being recognised as important, no apprentices etc.). But should they not approve of Nightingale's decision to choose an apprentice? After all, they should be aware that this was bound to happen at one point. Either way, I am excited to see how Aaronovitch will incorporate these characters into his novels.
As we had not context for either of the characters, it was a bit difficult to understand why Tobias' boss is so worried about the fact that Nightingale has taken on an apprentice. I mean, it's interesting to see that the magical arm of German law enforcement struggles with the same issues we see in the UK (not being recognised as important, no apprentices etc.). But should they not approve of Nightingale's decision to choose an apprentice? After all, they should be aware that this was bound to happen at one point. Either way, I am excited to see how Aaronovitch will incorporate these characters into his novels.
September 16, 2019
A brief introduction to Tobias Winter, Peter's German equivalent, and another one of those moments where someone says, "Nightingale's done something" and someone else goes, "shitfuckbugger."
March 24, 2022
Moments
This will be a conbined review of three works by Ben Aaronovitch, Nightingale: London 1966, Reynolds – Florence, Az. 2014, and Tobias Winter - Meckenheim 2012. These are what Aaronovitch calls "Moments', and you can read them free on his web site. These three are, as far as I know, the only ones that exist as of this date (19-Mar-2022). As you can see, the titles all have the form "Name -- Place, Date". Each is a brief introduction to the magical law enforcement officer named. They are not actually stories, since nothing really happens. We just get a brief glimpse of the named officer and his/her thoughts. I have read only the first two novels of the Rivers of London series. I have already met Nightingale, who shows up in the first one. Reynolds and Winter were new to me.
In two of these moments, we learn that Nightingale is a bigger deal than we really get any inkling of in the first two novels, where he seems a bumbling, ineffective old man out of his time. Apparently, however, he led a group of officers who revered him, "The chaps have always needed to set me on a plinth this way", as he puts it. In Moments 3, the German office responsible for magical law enforcement (KDA = "Department for Complex and Unspecific Matters", "K" is obviously "Komplex" and "A" Abteilung, no idea what the "D" stands for) is utterly dismayed to learn that Nightingale has taken an apprentice (that would be Peter Grant, of course). (24-Mar-2022 PS: In Broken Homes we learn that KDA stands for Komplexe und Diffuse Amgelegenheiten.) This is the reaction:
So, yeah, Nightingale is a big deal.
Reynolds, of Moments 2, is an FBI agent. (I surmise FBI because she mentions training at Quantico.) She's just showed up at the small town of Florence, Arizona to interview a prisoner. She struck me as a fairly authentic portrayal of an American.
This will be a conbined review of three works by Ben Aaronovitch, Nightingale: London 1966, Reynolds – Florence, Az. 2014, and Tobias Winter - Meckenheim 2012. These are what Aaronovitch calls "Moments', and you can read them free on his web site. These three are, as far as I know, the only ones that exist as of this date (19-Mar-2022). As you can see, the titles all have the form "Name -- Place, Date". Each is a brief introduction to the magical law enforcement officer named. They are not actually stories, since nothing really happens. We just get a brief glimpse of the named officer and his/her thoughts. I have read only the first two novels of the Rivers of London series. I have already met Nightingale, who shows up in the first one. Reynolds and Winter were new to me.
In two of these moments, we learn that Nightingale is a bigger deal than we really get any inkling of in the first two novels, where he seems a bumbling, ineffective old man out of his time. Apparently, however, he led a group of officers who revered him, "The chaps have always needed to set me on a plinth this way", as he puts it. In Moments 3, the German office responsible for magical law enforcement (KDA = "Department for Complex and Unspecific Matters", "K" is obviously "Komplex" and "A" Abteilung, no idea what the "D" stands for) is utterly dismayed to learn that Nightingale has taken an apprentice (that would be Peter Grant, of course). (24-Mar-2022 PS: In Broken Homes we learn that KDA stands for Komplexe und Diffuse Amgelegenheiten.) This is the reaction:
‘The Nightingale has taken an apprentice,’ I said.
‘Ah,’ said the Chief. ‘That’s unfortunate. How certain is this?’
‘The Embassy has confirmed it.’
‘Shit, shit, shit,’ she said.
So, yeah, Nightingale is a big deal.
Reynolds, of Moments 2, is an FBI agent. (I surmise FBI because she mentions training at Quantico.) She's just showed up at the small town of Florence, Arizona to interview a prisoner. She struck me as a fairly authentic portrayal of an American.
August 24, 2019
I have an odd quirk once I get into reading a book series--I often don't bother with the synopsis/back cover blurb and just dive right in; so I may not have any clue going in what exactly the story's about. I haven't read The October Man yet, so I wasn't aware of Tobias Winter until reading this and then looking up the character.
This a fun little vignette, and I liked Tobias' voice. It makes me look forward to The October Man and the further expansion of the series' magical world.
This bit is wonderful and made me snicker:
The Chief is a tall, slender woman with a long pale face and red lips. She favours black skirt suits cut in a very elegant old fashioned style and I’ve heard her described as looking like the CEO of a corporation run by vampires.
I’ve faced a vampire and the only reason I’m able to talk about it now was because I was carrying a flame thrower at the time. So, no, I think she looks like a woman who needs to get out in the sun more.
This a fun little vignette, and I liked Tobias' voice. It makes me look forward to The October Man and the further expansion of the series' magical world.
This bit is wonderful and made me snicker:
The Chief is a tall, slender woman with a long pale face and red lips. She favours black skirt suits cut in a very elegant old fashioned style and I’ve heard her described as looking like the CEO of a corporation run by vampires.
I’ve faced a vampire and the only reason I’m able to talk about it now was because I was carrying a flame thrower at the time. So, no, I think she looks like a woman who needs to get out in the sun more.
Read
July 28, 2019‘What do we know about this Peter Grant?’ she asked.
‘African mother, English father, joined the London police two and a half years ago,’ I said.
Momento apparso sul blog di Ben Aaronovitch nel maggio 2017 che ricostruisce l'arruolamento di Tobias Winter, protagonista di The October Man, nel Abteilung KDA, versione tedesca della Folly.
‘African mother, English father, joined the London police two and a half years ago,’ I said.
Momento apparso sul blog di Ben Aaronovitch nel maggio 2017 che ricostruisce l'arruolamento di Tobias Winter, protagonista di The October Man, nel Abteilung KDA, versione tedesca della Folly.
June 28, 2020
2,5*
This very short short story probably spoils The October Man a little bit in that a conflict between the KDA and the Folly is foreshadowed, but I guess any blurb would have had the same effect. (I should perhaps specify that as of now I haven't read beyond Whispers Under Ground.) It's just a little moment set during the events of Rivers of London when the KDA gets wind of Nightingale's having taken on an apprentice and decides to educate a new wizard of their own.
I felt like I was reading a retelling of Nightingale and Peter set in Germany; neither Tobias nor the Chief had very distinct characters. I hope this won't be a recurring problem in The October Man.
This very short short story probably spoils The October Man a little bit in that a conflict between the KDA and the Folly is foreshadowed, but I guess any blurb would have had the same effect. (I should perhaps specify that as of now I haven't read beyond Whispers Under Ground.) It's just a little moment set during the events of Rivers of London when the KDA gets wind of Nightingale's having taken on an apprentice and decides to educate a new wizard of their own.
I felt like I was reading a retelling of Nightingale and Peter set in Germany; neither Tobias nor the Chief had very distinct characters. I hope this won't be a recurring problem in The October Man.
July 19, 2022
You can get the website here: my link text
It's not a short story - it's what the author calls a "moment". I've rarely seen these (and when I have they've been romance novel based and it's a moment of the couple living happily ever after).
So, lets be real - this is a glorified blog post. Or maybe just a plain old blog post. And unlike other "moments" I've read in the past, this one did nothing for me.
It's not a short story - it's what the author calls a "moment". I've rarely seen these (and when I have they've been romance novel based and it's a moment of the couple living happily ever after).
So, lets be real - this is a glorified blog post. Or maybe just a plain old blog post. And unlike other "moments" I've read in the past, this one did nothing for me.
January 14, 2020
In the short story, "moment" as Ben Aaronovitch calls it, we meet Tobias Winter for the first time. We find out a little more about his back story and the moment he is enlisted to start learning magic. Tobias Winter will later appear in The October Man in the Rivers of London series.
The "moment" can be found here: http://temporarilysignificant.blogspo...
The "moment" can be found here: http://temporarilysignificant.blogspo...
January 7, 2025
The first story that is set after the events of
Rivers of London
, and it's a look into how magic is dealt with in Germany. I'm curious to see if this will play out somehow in future books. Hopefully so, because this feels like an introduction to something and raises more questions than anything. Clearly taking an apprentice is a breach of some kind of arrangement that we learned in the first book, but what happens now?
August 29, 2019
Are you looking for Meckenheim 2012?
http://temporarilysignificant.blogspo...
or maybe in German?
https://www.dtv.de/special-ben-aarono...
It's good but exclusively for people who are already fans of the Rivers of London series.
http://temporarilysignificant.blogspo...
or maybe in German?
https://www.dtv.de/special-ben-aarono...
It's good but exclusively for people who are already fans of the Rivers of London series.
November 9, 2024
Another fragmentary sort of piece that can't really stand on its own - it only has any meaning when related to the rest of the series. Which is fine, I guess, but if a short can't stand on its own then what's the point? Honestly, I think these moments should have been scrapped or expanded. One doesn't have to publish everything.
November 3, 2019
Tobias Winter is a smart-ass of Harry Dresden proportions that will do nicely as a main character to something. The ending is also catchy enough.
The lack of proof-reading on the moments continues to bother me, though, taking away from the pleasure of reading them.
The lack of proof-reading on the moments continues to bother me, though, taking away from the pleasure of reading them.
November 13, 2019
Short snippet, free from the author's website of when the German head of the KDA finds out that NIghtingale has taken Peter Grant as an apprentice.
http://temporarilysignificant.blogspo...
http://temporarilysignificant.blogspo...
January 16, 2020
A further hint on the background to the happenings in RoL, and auf Deutschland too! Set during, or soon after, the events of RoL, but read afterwards. http://temporarilysignificant.blogspo...
January 28, 2023
Ein "Moment", der einen Blick nach Deutschland wirft und auf den Umgang mit Magie im hiesigen BKA. Ist es verwunderlich, dass der Ansatz ein ganz anderer ist als in Großbritannien? Ich bin schon gespannt auf einer längere Begegnung mit Tobias Winter und die Darstellung deutscher Bürokratie.
August 27, 2023
A 3 page ‘moment’ that sits early in the The Rivers of London series , based on the German government finding out about Peter Grant’s new apprenticeship.
I’m guessing context will come as I read on deeper into the series
I’m guessing context will come as I read on deeper into the series
August 8, 2019
A short scene set before the new novella in Germany. Not really a story.
August 9, 2019
available online at Aaronovitch's website; very short
Read
August 22, 2019Brief, intriguing, and setting down a marker for later, really.
November 25, 2019
Nice to see a bit more of Tobias. Not complete on it's own. Murders? What murders. Really comes out of the blue here.
January 26, 2020
Ben calls these short pieces "moments".
If you don't read them, the lost won't really impact the series, but they are nice spacers between the stories.
Good reads.
If you don't read them, the lost won't really impact the series, but they are nice spacers between the stories.
Good reads.
February 14, 2020
This short, short episode hints at things to come in October Man. I'm curious to learn more about Tobias Winter and what sort of relationship (if any) he'll have with Peter Grant.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews