Rivers of London: Water Weed

Rivers of London Graphic Novels #6

by Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel (adapter/author), Lee Sullivan (Illustrations)

It's all gone to pot!

London's waterways have been overrun by a brutal and beautiful queenpin of crime. A menacing figure known only as the Hoodette is sending her henchmen along the river to distribute her new magically produced drug. Unfortunately for them, the waterways are home to the Rivers of London--ancient gods and goddesses of the British capital who just so happen to have a very close friendship with newly promoted Detective Constable Peter Grant and his mentor, Thomas Nightingale.

In a gripping tale of cat and mouse from Rivers of London author Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, with art by Lee Sullivan, Peter Grant encounters goblin girls and paintball-savvy goddesses as he tries to uncover the Hoodette's true identity and find her supply!

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Crime, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2018

About the author

Ben 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.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

These Rivers of London seem to consistently hit the 3 stars mark for me. I'm currently undecided as to whether that's good enough to keep reading them. Not that anyone cares. Why do I write these again? 😂

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series as I'm a massive fanboy of the novels. However I can imagine some people hating this. Very simple plot and to a degree not necessary. Hopefully he writes more novels.

[Alyson Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ This series is pure delight! We join Peter, Beverley, and Nightingale hunting after a new drug dealer who is using magic to grow a very strong strain of weed. Great story!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so we return to the world of Rivers of London which is turning in to one of my all time favourite books series of recent years.

Yes this collected book of comics from the same series is a little light and as a result cannot develop the full and rich story you would expect from the novels what you do get is a fun jaunt through a London which is both instantly recognisable but utter other worldly.

The series is set in the same time line as the books which I have to admit I am still working my way through so I am sure there are a few subtle plot twists or references I have totally over looked which may then spring in to focus at a later date (once I have caught up).

The book itself is a self contained story but you do get the feeling there are references here which could easily cross over in to the novel if need be (and to be honest I hope they do).

So would I recommend them - yes I would but only once you have read the firs couple of novels from the series - you will get a true fill of magic and what the police force are doing about it - only then will you truly respect these books (and there are quite a few of them out there now).

[Marta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one feels tired. The story is not very original and full of holes. “Hoodette” is a terrible nickname for the villain. It would have been three stars but I had to take a star off just for that. Her art with its fake-evil-grinning grimace is riduculous and oversexualized, out of character with the usual look and feel. Her background motive is cliché. The investigation is random. This is not a supernatural story at all, except for the werelight which is tacked on and unnecessary. There is not much of the usual banter, either. A weak story with weak characters. The worst Rivers of London graphic novel so far.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

The least enjoyable of the Rivers of London graphic novels. I just found this one dull and somewhat pointless.

[John of Canada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story,terrific artwork.What's not to like.

[AndrewP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 6 of the collected Rivers of London graphic novels. This involves Peter and associates tracking down the source of a marijuana operation along the River Thames. The name of this particular brand of dope is Werelight Weed, which gives you a clue that this is not a normal growing operation.

A pretty clever plot/story with a thought provoking conclusion.

Now on to the next full novel in the series...

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good addition to the series. I hope everyone who read the Rivers of London series knows that the graphic novels aren't standalone but actually develop the overarching story arc, too.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic is very light on the magic side: its mostly about some very dangerous pot dealers. Nonetheless, it's another great Rivers of London story. Cartmel really has a solid voice for these characters, and he's quite good at the procedural elements. The result is a joy to watch, as our well-loved Rivers of London characters investigate a smaller case.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rivers of London: Water Weed is a graphic novel from the Rivers of London or Peter Grant series written by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel and penciled by Lee Sullivan. This installment takes place after The Hanging Tree and Rivers of London: Cry Fox and before Lies Sleeping and is best read after the sixth book. Rivers of London: Water Weed collects all four issues of the 2018 series.

Rivers of London: Water Weed has Detective Constable Peter Grant and the river spirit Beverly Brook being drawn into a shady cannabis-smuggling operation, which is controlled by London’s new crime boss known as Hoodette. Our heroes have two choices: either take part in the operation or find a way to overcome corruption.

Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, I rather like the story, despite the unoriginal storyline. Detective Constable Peter Grant investigates the drug trafficking and the perpetrators of related violence. Once again, the particular dark, dry humor and geeky undertones, which exemplifies the character rather well.

Lee Sullivan penciled the entire trade paperback and because he was the only penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, I enjoyed his penciling style. His interpretation of the characters has grown on me and I rather like his chooses when depicting newer characters.

All in all, Rivers of London: Water Weed is a well-written graphic novel about Detective Constable Peter Grant investigation into a shady cannabis-drug ring with long-time girlfriend Beverly Brook. It is also a worthy and wonderful addition to the Rivers of London or Peter Grant universe – enriching it just a tad more.

[Sadie Slater · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm feeling fuzzy and full of cold and not up to reading anything serious, so I thought I'd check if the latest collected volume of the Rivers of London graphic novels was available yet, and on discovering that it was, downloaded the kindle version as the ideal undemanding Sunday afternoon read.

Water Weed sees Peter and Nightingale invstigating drug dealing along the Thames after Peter experiences powerful vestigia from a batch of weed "confiscated" by Beverly Brook's young sisters Chelsea and Olympia. I thought the plot of this one was thin even by the standards of the graphic novel series, which does tend towards very lightweight casefic, and the supernatural connection was so minimal I couldn't quite see why Peter and Nightingale would be taking on the investigation instead of passing it over to another branch of the Met. I also didn't like the way the artwork presented female characters, which definitely crossed the line for me from "sexualised" to "objectified" (I don't like the first but definitely object to the second). Not my favourite of the series, and makes me wonder if the graphic novel element of the series is running out of steam.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the stakes are much lower in these comic-based stories of Peter Grant and the Folly, I still enjoy them. And I like seeing characters from earlier volumes appearing as the series progresses; for example, the dodgy Revel from "Body Work" returns here. In this episode, we have high quality weed and a cannabis-smuggling operation run by a dangerous new criminal, the Hoodette. The demi monde is somewhat involved, and that's always fun, as members of this group have a tendency to have a loose interpretation of the law, and a distrust of the Folly. Peter gets to use impello, and dear Toby seems to always be hungry.

[Stephen Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Grant Runs up against some Magical weed and the criminal involved. As always, excellent art and writing keeps the pages turning. Nice to see all the characters in living color . A must for fans of the Rivers of London series. Nice to see other authors also adding comics to their series, but not many are as well done and fit in to the other story arc presented in the books.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than the last one, good story, funny, I like it!

[Anja · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[charlotte, · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one was just....weird

Rep: biracial (white, Sierra Leonean) mc

[Anna Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the graphic Rivers of London novels so far- I think the plot was most surprising, and I do kinda love the idea of the nerdy woman being a secret crime mastermind.

[Alex Sarll]

Another interstitial case for Peter Grant et al, and a particularly minor one at that – drug dealing on the capital's waterways was never going to present much of a threat to someone who's dating a river goddess. But it's all entertaining enough, the twist took me by surprise even though I've seen it plenty of times before (it's a particular favourite of one mystery writer I like), and the bios include the surprising information that Lee Sullivan used to play sax in a Roxy Music tribute act. Which has me wondering whether it was Proxy Music, because they were excellent.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Water Weed more than the previous graphic novels in this series. The artwork is fantastic and the faces of the characters are amazingly expressive. The story includes some old favorites (Peter, Bev, Nightingale, Molly) and it introduces numerous new characters, one of whom could appear again in future stories. The story-line flows, building in tension until Peter effects an arrest. However, I felt that the ending was a little weak and rather open-ended, leaving the possibility of a continuation of sorts.

Artwork: 5 stars
Text: 4 stars

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great little story in the River universe. I liked the concept of the weed, and how it played out but felt there were a couple of unnecessarily adult bits. Obviously it’s an adult series, but just didn’t think the scene was needed here and didn’t work for me in comic form. Really a minor complaint though.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light read, fun, though most of the references stayed with the graphic novel realm. For the most part is was pretty tame comparatively. But it's Peter Grant and I enjoyed it.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another pretty quick read expanding on the Rivers of London series.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review to come!

[Briar Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rivers of London graphic novels are a tricky proposition - they were all designed to slot in between the events of the book series, but they aren't meant to advance the main story at all. So their role is basically to tell fun little side adventures or add more depth and background to the characters, without adding so much that people who only read the novels feel confused when stuff from the graphic novels is mentioned in the main story. Each of them only covers a single volume, so they can't go into a lot of detail and have to remain quite focused.

The graphic novels have had mixed success at achieving their aims. Some of them are wonderful and rich and engaging, some of them are pretty dull. Some of them have introduced important characters which have been slotted into the main story in confusing ways. They mostly improve as they go on. Water Weed is the sixth volume to come out and the style is much more assured than the early volumes. In the first few, it felt like there was an awkward mismatch between the medium and the storytelling style. This may have been because they are a collaboration between Andrew Cartmel and Ben Aaronovitch, rather than being written exclusively by Aaronovitch like the novels are. They are missing some of his trademark wit and the amazing bits of cultural and scientific knowledge he always drops into his storytelling.

Water Weed has a much firmer hand on the reins, and it threads the needle pretty well. It doesn't tell us much that's new or give us any special insight into the characters like the wonderful Detective Stories does, but it tells an engaging little side story. I think a lot of its success is down to it focusing on a single case and its investigation, without any fluff. Rivers of London always seems to be at its best when Peter is following a specific case, and all the bits of police procedure are laid out. This one starts out with a mysterious bag of weed which seems to be magical, and it has fun new characters, red herrings, some magical action, and a few twists and turns that make it quite an entertaining ride. The villain of the story is great; hopefully she will turn up in future volumes.

[Lilifane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich mag die Comics einfach. Dieser war wieder sehr toll. Ich mochte die Story und den Zeichenstil ja sowieso. Die Locations waren sehr cool. Peters Humor kommt wieder sehr gut zur Geltung. Nur die Sexszene hätte nicht sein müssen...

[Anna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a scary mastermind behind a new variety of weed, who is it and why are they so dangerous. So many connections, so many crimes, justice isn't blind.

[Jamie Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The waterways of London are being used to distribute a new magical drug, which brings it to the attention of Nightingale and Peter. Can they stop the criminal mastermind the Hoodrette? Great funny short stories as well bring the typical humour.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich gebe es nun auf, diese Reihe ist nichts für mich, auch wenn das Grundsetting spannend ist.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystic werelight MJ & water nymphs.