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We are spread across various platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify where we started we put back episodes up on UA-cam quite late in the day, so it's not our 'main' platform in terms of feedback. We tend to get the most comments from Facebook when I post each episode in the three separate Facebook groups dedicated to RoL. I do get emails when we have a comment on UA-cam though and they are always much appreciated! I tend to agree about the HGTTG references being overdone, but as you can tell from the podcast, I enjoyed False Value more than my fellow presenters, mainly because having done work for tech companies like the one portrayed in the book, I found Peter going underground in such a corporate environment very engaging. If you do have any feedback on Masquerades do let us know, so we can feature it in the next pod, which will also be reviewing Winter's Gifts. Just add it in the comments for episode 15 if you are able. I will be reading Masquerades just as soon as I have finished the latest Slow Horses.

By page 2 of book 1 i was texting the person who gave me the book saying "oh my word this reads soooo douglas adamsy". I loved all the books until FV and stuck it out because of how much i love the series. It was hard going. I do miss the smaller scale of the first 5 or 6 books but the development of the folly and the world building is a strength of the structure and plotting of the books.

We have just published an interview we did with Ben (Follycast 15) in which he references that he does go further in Moon Over Soho than subsequent books. I can't remember his exact words, but something along the lines of being shocked himself where the story led him. My guess would be that he reigned himself back. I was also shocked by the baby scene in book one.

Hi Janette - Yes you are right! We became aware of this across the first few podcasts and hopefully it does get better as I got the hang of the editing software. I edit the podcast in a quiet room, but we have to be aware that some people may listen with noise in the background - on a train or in a car and so turn the volume up to hear and then the music is a shock. It's always a challenge as if the voices are too loud they distort. Sorry!

I'm on the Foxglove podcast now (binge-listening), and I do think it's getting more evenly balanced. Thanks! I am really enjoying the podcast and confusing my husband, because I reply and comment as if I was there, and he wonders who I am talking to.

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I thought I might be the only one in the ROL/RFS overlap. You should reach the Ben episode in a few years time!

Hi! Thanks for the positive feedback, aways good to get, as we know we operate in something of a 'niche'! Yes we are about to read Winter's Gifts and are planning a new episode in a month or so. The original run of episodes were recorded on a monthly basis, but then we ran out of books and novellas, and whilst I like the graphic novels the others weren't as keen ( as you may have heard if you listened to that episode), so it will be good to do another episode. On your point about an ongoing story arc I do agree. Given Ben's background in TV, I had seen the first seven books as like the first season, resolving the big bad and was expecting the next few to have a similar shape. I guess you could argue that the continuity is now more around character development (the twins, the return of Leslie etc), but I do like a good story arc. We attended the Winter's Gift launch at Waterstone's Piccadilly and he did reveal (spoilers) that the next two main novels will be about Aberdeen and the Pandemic respectively, so it sounds like they may be more self-contained as well. With regard to doing another book series, I think we would be up for that, if we could find a series - we did think of either Vinyl Detective or the Bryant & May books, but toy your earlier point about ongoing arcs, they don't have any through continuity, so we would miss the fun of speculating what would happen next. I love the Expanse books, but there are tons of podcasts about that due to the recent TV series. Any suggestions gratefully received!

Thanks - what did you make of the book yourself?

@@thefollycast-ariversoflond5979 Thoroughly enjoyed it! I agree that the character development of the regulars is good. I did disagree with some of you in that I really liked the ghost soldier segment and found it refreshing structurally as well to have a little short-story-within-the-story.

Excellent book, one would hope the Danni Dog incident would lead to the Black Dog of Newgate joining the Folly, a pony sized spirit dog capable of putting the fear of god into the evildoer. I also wonder whether as both Peter and Peter’s dad were bitten by the Jazz Vampires and survived whether Peters daughters are not Genius Loci or mortal but instead the twin Muses of Jazz, the Rivers do love their Jazz, and as such it gets round Beverley outliving them. In Monday, Monday Peter notes that they will not take separation. Monday Monday also foreshadows Peter’s Dad’s death in series. Corrupt cop in Monday, Monday..

As someone who has spent scary amounts with Big Finish over the years,, I certainly have nothing against fan service!

Richard here - Yes - sorry about that! I guess I have tended to do that because I first came across Ben Aaronovitch as a TV writer and then when he wrote Doctor Who tie-in novels in the Nineties, so am probably more likely to do that than for other authors who don't have those origins. We are about to record an episode looking at the graphic novels - I will try to steer clear of TV references this time as I do think I have over-used them in the pod so far. It will be a struggle though, given that Ben writes them with Andrew Cartmel who used to be his boss on Doctor Who!

@@thefollycast-ariversoflond5979 Richard please don't change your presentation style because some bloke on the internet remarked upon it. It wasn't even a criticism to be honest! I think that TV show lens will be extremely interesting to use on the graphic novels, as that is a much more visual medium. So hope you do bring some of that insight.

@@mansoormurad5400 It's not just you, some people have suggested a drinking game every time I mention 'TV series' or 'Doctor Who'!

I like that interpretation as it at least shows that Peter isn't as gullible as he initially appears.

Thanks - yes this is a really good point. The podcast was conceived quite quickly as a project for us to keep in touch during lockdown and we are still around a year later amazingly and actually do have listeners, which is a shock. We checked with Ben A that he was Ok with us doing it, but at that time we did not know if there was a 'fandom' as such and I only stumbled upon a couple of facebook groups after we started. We are recording False Value (book eight) tonight which will bring us up to date so need to think about where we go from here. Perhaps that could involve looking at different themes each episode and inviting guests to give us a wider and more diverse perspective? I'd also hope that in time there might be other RoL podcasts launched as I would be worried if our views are the only ones out there!

I do see huge similarities with Neverwhere and indeed that is what first attracted me to descriptions of the book. I have American Gods on my shelf but haven't got around to it - perhaps I should!

@@thefollycast-ariversoflond5979 for my money, american gods is more successful as a novel, in large part because the protagonist is far more active, while in neverwhere he felt a bit too passive for my taste.

Yes - I think you are spot on. I was conscious in the recording that we haven't covered False Value on the pod yet, so could not be too specific about False Value, but the novellas do indeed lend themselves to retconning as they are set earlier in the Rivers timeline.

Yes it is my take that it is the argument with his mother outside the gig in Camden that breaks the spell with Simone and from that point he realises that he needs to get her away from his parents so they are not in danger and 'plays along' from that point.

Hello! You can find show notes for each episode on our website. Here are the recommendations for episode 1 if you scroll down the page to 'Show notes'. Thanks for listening! richardmlive.wpcomstaging.com/podcast/the-follycast-episode-1-rivers-of-london/

Ha! Actually I talk way too much about Who-related topics, but edit much of it out ( yes we do edit!). Perhaps I should cut them together into a "Rivers and Who' extra episode!

Just wait until we get full bore into the Douglas Adams references.. that's my field.

I think you are right. On reflection Richard might have been a bit hard on Peter in this episode. As you say his revulsion is as much about his sense of guilt.

Funnily enough we had another listener suggest this. None of us listen to audiobooks, so it would be an interesting experiment to listen to (as opposed to read) one of the upcoming books we have yet to review and do an episode about audiobooks per se. Personally whenever I have tried an audiobook in the past I nodded off within minutes, but I have heard good things about the guy who does the Rivers one. Thanks, Richard.

I had forgotten about that - so it is indeed similar to the River Lugg baby. I guess we will be hearing a lot more about that in the next book Ben is working on, given the big event that is imminent (trying to avoid obvious spoilers!)