Shows
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 17: The Christmas QuizIn this month’s episode…
Up to date with all the books and novellas, the Follycast breaks its usual format for a quiz about all things Folly-related.
Seven rounds of (hopefully) guessable questions as Margaret and Jan fight it out for the coveted ‘Rivers Of London’ Mastermind title.
Pit your wits against the Follycast team by playing along at home.
Will Margaret have a significant advantage in having read all the books twice, compared to Jan just the once?
Does Richard’s complicated scoring system make any sense at all?
2024-12-1642 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 16: Winter’s Gifts & The Masquerades of SpringIn this month’s episode…
Margaret, Jan and Richard discuss the two remaining books in the ‘four seasons’ quartet of novellas in the Rivers Of London universe.
Along the way we debate such issues as:
Wodehouse and the X-Files: influence or parody?
Nightingale’s de-aging and whether Augustus Berrycloth-Young actually could turn up in the main range.
Richard’s experience listening to a Rivers Of London audiobook for the first time.
Our impressions of the novellas overall and the results of a reader poll ranking the four novellas.
Listener feedback on Masquerades of Spring
…all in ju...2024-10-2848 min
The FollycastThe Follycast 15 – In conversation with Ben AaronovitchThe Follycast Episode 15: In Conversation with Ben Aaronovitch
In this month’s episode…
Richard and Margaret welcome Ben Aaronovitch onto the podcast. The interview was recorded a few weeks ahead of the publication of the Masquerades of Spring and we discuss the origins of the series, cover the novels, novellas and graphic novels and look to the future.
Along the way Ben reveals:
What order the books originally were supposed to be released in
When book ten and eleven are set
How Molly was not supposed to be a regular character
Ben’s writing process...2024-08-211h 06
The FollycastThe Follycast 14- Amongst Our WeaponsThe Follycast Episode 14: Amongst Our Weapons
In this month’s episode…
Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch, book nine in the Rivers Of London series, is hot off the press at the time of recording and we meet up to share our views. No spoilers in this episode description, but plenty in the podcast itself, so probably best to wait if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet!
Credits
Hosted by Margaret Holborn and Richard Marks, with Jan Trott and Jennie Beck
Produced by Richard Marks for Uncertain Smile p...2022-05-0140 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 13 – Monday, Monday and Amongst Our Weapons preview.The Follycast Episode 13: Monday, Monday and Amongst Our Weapons preview
In this month’s episode…
We make our first foray into the world of the Rivers Of London graphic novels with the recently released ‘Sunday Sunday’. We have a wider discussion about the graphic novels released so far and we wonder what implications the revelations in Monday, Monday have for the (at time of recording) soon to be released new novel ‘Amongst Our Weapons’. Now that the back cover ‘blurb’ has been released, what are our hopes and predictions for the ninth book in the Rivers series?
Along the wa...2022-03-0346 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 12: False ValueThe Follycast Episode 12: False Value
In this month’s episode…
We reach the end of our quest (for the time being) as we review the most recent Rivers Of London novel, False Value, published in 2020, just before the pandemic turned the world upside down and gave us all the time to do this podcast.
False Value is a tale that links Silicon Valley, Ada Lovelace and the New York Public Library, but does it have too many characters to keep track of? Is the order of the early chapters intriguing or confusing? How many different Hitch...2021-09-0348 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 11: What Abigail Did That SummerThe Follycast Episode 11: What Abigail Did That Summer
In this month’s episode…
We conclude our look at the three Rivers Of London novellas by Ben Aaronovitch that have been published so far, with the (at time of recording) recently published What Abigail Did That Summer.
With Peter and Beverly away in Herefordshire investigating unicorn-related child adbuctions, Abigail has adventures on and around Hampstead Heath, assisted by her friend Simon and a band of talking foxes.
Of the three novellas this generates the most debate on the pod. Do these novellas set during earl...2021-06-2136 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 10: The October ManThe Follycast Episode 10: The October Man
In this month’s episode…
We continue our three part look at the Rivers Of London novellas by Ben Aaronovitch that have been published so far, with The October Man.
For the first time in the podcast we leave Peter, The Folly and London behind as we investigate uncanny events in Trier, Germany with a new team. We also discuss the nature of spin-offs more generally and are actually surprised in hindsight at how many new things we learn about the rules of the Rivers universe. Some have direct impl...2021-04-2131 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 9: The Furthest StationThe Follycast Episode 9: The Furthest Station
In this month’s episode…
With the recent publication of ‘What Abigail Did That Summer’, we embark on a three part look at the Rivers Of London novellas by Ben Aaronovitch that have been published so far, starting with The Furthest Station.
Following a series of ghost sightings by commuters on the Metropolitan line, Peter, Jaget and Abigail investigate. Suffice it to say, we all loved this one!
Credits
Hosted by Margaret Holborn and Richard Marks, with Jan Trott and Jennie Beck
Produced...2021-03-2429 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 8: Tales From the FollyThe Follycast Episode 8: Tales From The Folly
In this month’s episode…
…..after reading the first seven novels and still recovering from the climax of Lies Sleeping, we take a sidestep to look at the recently published short story collection, Tales From The Folly.
Whilst we don’t usually enjoy short stories, we do enjoy these tales. A short story collection can be like a box of Quality Street chocolates – a bit hit and miss. So which are the caramel swirls and which are the green triangles?
Along the way we get into a discussi...2021-02-1136 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 7 – Lies SleepingThe Follycast Episode 7: Lies Sleeping
In this month’s episode…
…..we review Lies Sleeping, book seven in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. The book brings to a conclusion the Faceless Man and Mr Punch plotlines (or does it?) in a story that somehow ties together magical bells, oubliettes, The Silmarillion, Merlin, King Arthur, goat sacrifices, foxes, cheese puffs, St Pauls, Glastonbury, Roman London and Covent Garden Tesco Metro.
In our next episode we will be reviewing the recently released book of short stories ‘Tales From the Folly’
Credits
Hosted by...2020-12-1841 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 6: The Hanging TreeThe Follycast Episode 6: The Hanging Tree
In this month’s episode…
… after a magical midsummer sojourn with unicorns and fairies, we are firmly back in London and the hunt for the Faceless Man takes centre stage. Peter and Guleed investigate a drug-related death at a socialite party and along the way encounter shady US agents, Lady Ty floods part of central London and we discover the history of magic from a female perspective.
And yes, Lesley is back and Harrods electrical department is trashed in the process.
We tackle such issues as the collec...2020-11-0837 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 5: Foxglove SummerThe Follycast Episode 5: Foxglove Summer
In this month’s episode…
…after a summer break we discuss, appropriately enough, Foxglove Summer – book five in the bestselling Peter Grant series of novels by Ben Aaronovitch.
It’s a story that ties together changelings, unicorns, dogging, forests, steam traction engines, bees, fairy queens and Roman Roads, but if we are entirely honest, did we entirely understand the plot? Is it a much needed break from London and the Folly, or frustrating after the explosive conclusion of the book before it, Broken Homes? After a re-read is it still Margaret’s...2020-09-2142 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 4: Broken HomesThe Follycast Episode 4: Broken Homes
In this month’s episode…
…we discuss ‘Whispers Underground’, the fourth novel in the Rivers Of London series by Ben Aaronovitch.
In Broken Homes, Peter finds a whole new set of senior officers to annoy as bodies pile up across the home counties and South London. All roads lead to Skygarden tower, a fictional, but strangely familiar, tower block in Elephant & Castle. Peter and Lesley move in together, but not in the way many of us would have been hoping for back when we were reading book one. We experience a trippy Sprin...2020-07-2738 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 3: Whispers UndergroundThe Follycast Episode 3: Whispers Underground
In this month’s episode…
…we discuss ‘Whispers Underground’, the third novel in the Rivers Of London series by Ben Aaronovitch.
We review a tale of pigs, potteries, FBI agents, sewers, art installations, Underground raves, earthbenders and time travel hallucination. The Grant and May partnership is back, but how well is Lesley coping and how has her relationship with Peter evolved? Are the noticeably lower level of horror and the smaller body count good things? If Zach had been more co-operative would that have made for a much shorter book? Does the Lond...2020-06-3036 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 2: Moon Over Soho
The Follycast Episode 2: Moon Over Soho
In this month’s episode…
…we discuss ‘Moon Over Soho’, the second novel in the Rivers Of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. We all loved the first book, so how does this live up to expectations as a sequel?
We welcome important new characters to the series and witness the appearance of a major new foe. We debate some of Peter’s questionable choices, Richard shares his childhood nightmares and we wonder at exactly what point in the future Peter Grant decides to get this all down on pap...2020-05-2448 min
The FollycastThe Follycast Episode 1: Rivers Of London
The Follycast Episode 1: Rivers Of London
In this month’s episode…
…we start our look at the Rivers Of London novels by Ben Aaronovitch with – logically enough – Rivers Of London itself, the first book in the series.
Will new readers Jennie and Jan share hosts Margaret and Richard’s enthusiasm for the world of the Folly? In the nail biting finale to the show we find out whether our control sample want to stick with the podcast for the next book or whether we will need a new pair of ‘test subjects’ upon w...2020-04-1751 min
The FollycastThe trailerAbout the Follycast
Welcome to the Follycast, a Rivers of London bookclub podcast, in which we discuss each book in the PC Grant series of fantasy detective novels by Ben Aaronovitch. Each podcast will contain plot points for that particular book but, to not spoil the series for new readers, how the book fits into the series as a whole will be left to the end of each podcast, so new readers can skip.
Credits
Hosted by Margaret Holborn and Richard Marks, with guests Jan Trott and Jennie Beck
Produced by R...2020-04-1200 min