London Falling

Paul Cornell

2012 • 406 pages

Ratings27

Average rating3.8

The first book in the Shadow Police series from Dr Who writer Paul Cornell "An irresistible blend of guns, gangsters, cops and monsters" Ben Aaronovitch The dark is rising... Detective Inspector James Quill is about to complete the drugs bust of his career. Then his prize suspect Rob Toshack is murdered in custody. Furious, Quill pursues the investigation, co-opting intelligence analyst Lisa Ross and undercover cops Costain and Sefton. But nothing about Toshack's murder is normal. Toshack had struck a bargain with a vindictive entity, whose occult powers kept Toshack one step ahead of the law - until his luck ran out. Now, the team must find a "suspect" who can bend space and time and alter memory itself. And they will kill again. As the group starts to see London's sinister magic for themselves, they have two choices: panic or use their new abilities. Then they must hunt a terrifying supernatural force the only way they know how: using police methods, equipment and tactics. But they must all learn the rules of this new game - and quickly. More than their lives will depend on it. PRAISE FOR THE SERIES "The Shadow Police series is the quintessential British contemporary fantasy, full of grit and magic and wonderful things. Paul Cornell is a national treasure" Adam Christopher "Start this book early in the day people, because you ain't going to get no sleep until it's done" Ben Aaronovitch on London Falling "I think it is absolutely magnificent. I loved it ... I'm not sure I've been that gripped by a novel in ... well, decades" Russell T. Davies on London Falling "A much grittier vision of a gothic, fantasy London, well balanced between its depiction of the city's criminal underworld and a horrifying fantasy reality that for most of the novel lurks just at the edges of sight." Guardian "Realistic banter, original twists" Daily Telegraph "Pacy, smart and revels in London mythology. ... crikey it's good fun" Scotland on Sunday

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Series

Featured Series

3 primary books

Shadow Police

Shadow Police is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2012 with contributions by Paul Cornell.

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

Jolin

This started a little slow and procedural for me, but picked up amazingly.
Pro Tip - read the glossary in the back at the beginning if you are not totally familiar with British slang and police terms.

This starts out as a gritty and dark police procedural, but after about 70 pages takes a supernatural turn. The horrors in the book are strange and some how work into your psyche.

I during the last 150 pages I couldn't put the book down.

July 12, 2014

Kent archie

More gruesome than I care for (i don't like it when children are threatened).
But I like the characters and the setup.
It's interesting to watch the characters acquire knowledge that there
is a supernatural layer on top of London.
I will probably read more in the series but not for awhile.

June 26, 2021

jaymi elford

Disclaimer: I received an ARC PDF of this book from netgalley.com. It's something I've been wanting to read and I'm so glad I got the chance to write this review.

Wow... just wow. London Falling is Paul Cornell's first novel and it's described as “urban fantasy.” However, it's more than just this. Parts urban fantasy, horror, and police procedure, this book is vastly unique and different than anything else in the genre today. It's the story of a British police unit trying to track down a “serial killer,” who just happens to be a paranormal entity. Our team is sharp, using police logic and good knowledge to active their goals, rather than turning to magic or unknown fantasy means. I loved how well this worked and am very amazed that it was pulled off so well in writing. I'm sure that if this becomes a series we'll see a bit more of fantasy but this is a great way to push the reader into the world that Cornell is slowly building around us.

This book kept me guessing the entire way through. Cornell is an amazing author and I'm surprised at the intricate book he's written for all of us. As I live on “the other side of the pond,” some of the slang was hard to digest but thankfully there's a glossary included for some of the more obscure stuff. Everything about this book was tight. The story flowed, the action was fun, and the characters flawed but with good purpose. The ending, left wide open, begs for more books to come. I know I'm hoping that we'll get more about this new perspective on urban fantasy.

Bottom Line: This is a genre changer for urban fantasy. I'm sure not everyone will like it but I think everyone should read it. It's that impressive.

July 14, 2013