Ben Aaronovitch Books In Order

Ben Aaronovitch is the author of the popular Rivers of London, an urban fantasy series, featuring PC Peter Grant. Reading the author’s books in order starts with Rivers of London, his debut novel and so far his most popular book, which has also been published under the title Midnight Riot.

While officially the series is called the Peter Grant series, many people call it the Rivers of London books (based on the series’ first novel).

Here are the Ben Aaronovitch books in order for his bestselling Peter Grant series and his novelizations of the Doctor Who series, along with his short stories and anthologies.

Latest Ben Aaronovitch Books

Rivers of London Book Series in Order of Publication

aka the Peter Grant series

1. Rivers of London, 2011 (aka Midnight Riot)
2. Moon Over Soho, 2011
3. Whispers Under Ground, 2011
4. Broken Homes, 2013
5. Foxglove Summer, 2014
6. The Hanging Tree, 2016
7. The Furthest Station, 2017
8. Lies Sleeping, 2018
9. The October Man, 2019
10. False Value, 2020
11. What Abigail Did That Summer, 2021
12. Amongst Our Weapons, 2022
13. Winter‘s Gifts, 2023
14. The Masquerades of Spring, 2024

Rivers of London Book Series in Chronological Order

the chronological order also includes the graphic novels

1. Vol. 7: Action at a Distance, 2019
2. Rivers of London, 2011 (aka Midnight Riot)
3. The Home Crowd Advantage, 2012 (included in Tales from the Folly)
4. Moon Over Soho, 2011
5. Whispers Under Ground, 2011
6. Broken Homes, 2013
7. Vol. 1: Body Work, 2015
8. Foxglove Summer, 2014
9. What Abigail Did That Summer, 2021
10. Vol. 2: Night Witch, 2016
11. Vol. 3: Black Mould, 2017
12. The Furthest Station, 2017
13. The Hanging Tree, 2016
14. A Rare Book of Cunning Device (#6.6), 2017 (included in Tales from the Folly)
15. Vol. 4: Detective Stories, 2017
16. Vol. 5: Cry Fox, 2018
17. Vol. 6: Water Weed, 2018
18. Lies Sleeping, 2018
19. Vol. 8: The Fey and the Furious, 2019
20. The October Man, 2019
21. False Value, 2020
22. Amongst Our Weapons, 2022
23. Vol. 9: Monday, Monday, 2021
24. Vol. 10: Deadly Every After, 2022
25. Vol. 11: Here Be Dragons, 2023
26. Winter‘s Gift, 2023
27. The Masquerades of Spring, 2024

Rivers of London Novellas and Short Stories in Order of Publication

1. The Home Crowd Advantage, 2012 (included in Tales from the Folly)
2. What Abigail Did That Summer, 2021
3. The Furthest Station, 2017
4. A Rare Book of Cunning Device, 2017 (included in Tales from the Folly)
5. The October Man, 2019
6. Winter‘s Gifts, 2023
7. The Masquerades of Spring, 2024

Rivers of London Graphic Novels in Order of Publication

with Andrew Cartmel, Celeste Bronfman

1. Vol. 1: Body Work, 2015
2. Vol. 2: Night Witch, 2016
3. Vol. 3: Black Mould, 2017
4. Vol. 4: Detective Stories, 2017
5. Vol. 5: Cry Fox, 2018
6. Vol. 6: Water Weed, 2018
7. Vol. 7: Action at a Distance, 2019
8. Vol. 8: The Fey and the Furious, 2019
9. Vol. 9: Monday, Monday, 2021
10. Vol. 10: Deadly Every After, 2022
11. Vol. 11: Here Be Dragons, 2023

Peter Grant Series Anthology and Short Story Collection

1. Tales from the Folly, 2020 -includes previously published stories and brand new tales released for the first time.

Other Ben Aaronovitch Books in Publication Order

1. Remembrance of the Daleks (Doctor Who novelization), 1988
2. Transit (Doctor Who novelization), 1992
3. The Also People (Doctor Who novelization), 1995
4. So Vile a Sin (with Kate Orman) (Doctor Who novelization), 1997
5. Genius Loci (Genius Loci novelization), 2006

Other Ben Aaronovitch Anthologies in Order of Publication

1. Something Changed, 2005
2. Time Signature, 2006
3. Missing Adventures, 2007

Ben Aaronovitch Biography – About the Author

Ben Aaronovitch was born in 1964 in Camden and was raised in London. His father is Sam Aaronovitch, a well-known economist/academic who was one of the senior members of the Communist Party of Great Britain, and his elder brothers, David Aaronovitch, a British journalist, and Owen Aaronovitch, a Coronation Street actor. His family also includes a couple of sisters and a dog.

Ben went to Holloway School. In his early 20s, he realized that he has a knack for writing and that he enjoys it. Also, he hated doing physical work of any kind and felt that writing was the only thing he was really good at.

The first books by Ben Aaronovitch were two Doctor Who serials for the BBC, followed by an episode of Casualty. He even wrote for SF soap opera Jupiter Moon.

Next, he wrote several Doctor Who novelizations and original novels. He was, in fact, the very first Doctor Who author who made Daleks levitate.At some point in his career, he also sold books for Waterstones, when his writing career seemed to be in a funk.

As he was shelving sci-fi books in the store, he decided that he would be best suited to write his own books rather than write for others. And so the Rivers of London series was born and, with it, the new popular series as well.

The books are part urban fantasy part magic-infused police procedural with a very British flair. The main character of the series, Peter Grant, is a Police Constable and a magician’s apprentice. He is also the biracial son of a jazz musician and an African immigrant. His humor is engaging and very personal to him. Some of the lines in the book make you really laugh out loud.

Before publishing Midnight Riot, Ben Aaronovitch gave it the title Magic Cops. It would have been a TV story, however, after he watched the new (at the time) Dresden Files TV show by SciFi, he realized that the two characters are very similar, so he put the TV idea aside.

Next, he read the Dresden Files book and noted too many similarities between Harry and Peter’s storylines, so Ben had to rethink his strategy, lest he be called a literary thief. He even had to change the magic Peter Grant used to be different from Harry’s complex magic system.

Initially, he wrote Peter Grant as a woman with parents from Jamaica. However, as the character grew, Ben realized that the main role was best suited for a man.

However, a lot of folklore is also included in the books. For example, The Goddess of the Thames is a Nigerian immigrant. Father Thames is an old guy who was around during the Romano-Celt times who has returned after being away since the 19th Century.

One question many readers ask is whether they should read the novellas since they’re not all about Peter Grant. They are, indeed, not essential, however, if you love the ROL (Rivers of London) universe, it is filled with all sorts of interesting characters. The novellas basically fill in the world with random stories about these related people, giving them a much-needed background. They flesh out the world quite nicely, making the Peter Grant universe quite lively and full.

In addition to his Peter Grant series novelizations, Aaronovitch also wrote several Doctor Who comic strips for the magazine Doctor Who Magazine in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These strips include The Mark of Mandragora, The Good Soldier, Prologue, The Fallen, and The Chameleon Factor.

Ben Aaronovitch’s contributions to the Doctor Who universe – Doctor Who and Doctor Who New Adventures series – have been well-received by fans and critics alike, and his work is considered an important part of the show’s legacy.

The author is currently living in Wimbledon and is full-time working on his urban fantasy mystery series. He was also involved with Cityread in London, an event that is celebrated each April, where people read one book a month. Rivers of London was part of one such month where people would read only that book in London. Of course, the fact that the book title has “London” in it helped as well.

About the Rivers of London Series

The Rivers of London series is also called the Peter Grant, or the PC Grant series. It is an urban fantasy series by Ben Aaronovitch, which also includes many elements of crime and mystery (which is the main reason I added it to Mystery Sequels). It has also several graphic novels and short stories that are ongoing.

The book series currently has 9 main novels, and the graphic series includes 11 books. The Peter Grant universe started with Rivers of London, the main first book which was published in 2011.

In the Rivers of London books, we first meet a young Metropolitan Police officer, Peter Grant, who after seeing something as weird as a ghost, is pulled into the supernatural and magic department of the Met who is always looking for such people to join them.

As it turns out, Peter Grant becomes the first English apprentice wizard in over 70 years, and as soon as he joins, he is tasked to investigate to paranormal and related cases in the very first book.

As each book progresses, Peter, now a London Police Constable and apprentice wizard, is involved in weirder and more complex cases. From finding out who posesses people to investigating a murder, finding stolen artifacts, visiting nearby villages to catch paranormal baddies, to becoming a father, Peter Grant has his hands constantly full.

The various novellas and short stories are usually about related side characters which fully flesh out the Rivers of London universe. While they are not necessary reading material, they are extremely important to any fan who loves this magical and mysterious world.

The comics are also set in the same universe, and while they were initially released serially, eventually they got published in so far 11 different volumes.

Each of the comics is set between various novels. The list is included in the chronological list of the Peter Grant series.

The Rivers of London Books Adaptations

In 2019, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s production company, Stolen Picture, acquired the rights to adapt the book series. However, nothing seems to have happened since then with this particular adaptation, so in July 2022, Ben Aaronovitch announced that he had joined forces with Pure Fiction Television and See-Saw Films to bring all the novels, short stories, novellas, and graphic novels, to the screen.

Next, in November 2023, the new production was given a go and it was announced that John Jackson, known for his work on “Being Human” and “The Gentleman,” would be the main writer, along with Kara Smith (“Lockwood & Co”), Tolula Dada (“No Escape”), playwright Robin French, actor Tobi King Bakare, and Joshua St. Johnston (“Grantchester”). Ben Aaronovitch was also set to contribute as an executive producer for the new TV series.

What is the Latest Been Aaronovitch Novel?

Ben Aaronovich’s latest book is The Masquerades of Spring, a novella released in September 2024. It is focused on Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale.