Rivers of London was written by author Ben Aaronovitch and is a masterful series set mostly around the city of London in the UK that blends grounded police policies, a fantastical world within our own, and Aaronovitch’s own excruciatingly precise memory for the details of London’s streets.
When I first picked this series up, I thought I’d be reading a murder mystery novel set in London that was grounded and offered a good twist ending. That’s not what I got, but I’m so glad it wasn’t because the Rivers of London series is so much better. The series has grown over time and now encompasses smaller novellas, meaning it can be difficult to understand what order to read them all. But don’t worry because I’ve got you covered with the definitive reading list.
The definitive Rivers of London reading order
The definitive Rivers of London reading order outlined below veers away from the published order and looks more at where the books fit in the overarching timeline. As such, you’ll be reading books out of published order, so you get all the information filled in before you move on.
I think this order works because each book is approachable without necessarily having read any of the others that came before. While the novellas fill in gaps in time, they’re also better to read as you go through the series rather than waiting to go back in time because you’ll have all the information to reference what’s going on much fresher in your mind.
- Foxes for Christmas (2021) This book is actually an ebook that was released for free and can be read .
- Nightingale: London 1966 – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- A dedicated Follower of Fashion – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- Graphic novel #7: Action at a Distance (2019)
- Rivers of London (2011)
- The Home Crowd Advantage – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- Tobias Winter – Meckenheim 2012 – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- Moon Over Soho (2011)
- The Domestic – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- Whispers Under Ground (2012)
- The Cockpit – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- Broken Homes (2013)
- Reynolds – Florence, Az. 2014 – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- Graphic novel #1: Body Work (2016)
- Foxglove Summer (2014)
- The Loneliness of Long Distance Granny – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- What Abigail Did That Summer (2021)
- Graphic novel #2: Night Witch (2016)
- Graphic novel #3: Black Mould (2017)
- The Furthest Station (2017)
- King of Rats (2015) – This book was exclusive to Cityread London but is an extra in some editions of The Hanging Tree, so look out for it when getting your copy.
- The Hanging Tree (2016)
- Graphic novel #4: Detective Stories (2017)
- Graphic novel #5: Cry Fox (2018)
- Graphic novel #6: Water Weed (2018)
- Under Kite Hill (2016) – This is an ebook you can read online for free .
- Audiobook: A Rare Book of Cunning Device (2017)
- Favorite Uncle – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- Lies Sleeping (2018)
- Graphic novel #8: The Fey and the Furious (2020)
- The October Man (2019)
- The Big Straw Hamper Thingy Job (2019) – This is another ebook that was released for free, which you can read .
- Venessa Summer’s Other Christmas List – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
- False Value (2020)
- The Masquerades of Spring (launches September 2024)
- Amongst Our Weapons (2022)
- Graphic novel #9: Monday, Monday (2021)
- Graphic novel #10: Deadly Ever After (2022)
- Winter’s Gifts (2023)
- Graphic novel #11: Here be Dragons (2023)
- All remaining stories – Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020)
While I’ve included the exact stories from Tales From the Folly Short Story Collection (2020) wh𓃲ere they fit into the definitive timeline above, this series is always growing. You could definitely save that entire book for the very end, and read the above list in order without those short stories to make everything much simpl༺er.
Note that the graphic novels, which are indented above, can be read within this order, but because they’re not the same format as the novels I don’t consider them essential. If you want to include them in your reading order, then do so where suggested as you work through the series.
Should you read the Rivers of London series in publication order or chronological order?
Whether you read the Rivers of London series in publication or chronological order is up to you. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the chronological order, which is the one listed above, but I do enjoy reading a series in publication order.
This is because the author has grown the world over the course of each book as they were released. So, if you read a series like Rivers of London in Chronological order, you could be missing out on the author’s knowledge of what’s to come or has already been, depending on where the books lie.
That’s just how I prefer to read, though, and with Rivers of London, I’m confident Aaronovitch has presented his stories in a way that actually works incredibly well when read chronologically.
Do you have to read the Rivers of London graphic novels to understand the story?
The Rivers of London graphic novels closely follow the main story from the books, though there are some short stories that you don’t get in the major series of books. However, they’re not essential to the reading order unless you’re a diehard fan, especially because they’re a slightly different format not everyone is looking for.
I like to think of these as accompaniments to the main series, which is why they’re offset in the reading list above. If graphic novels aren’t your thing, don’t ruin the series for yourself by forcing your way through them. Instead, read them if you know you’ll enjoy what they add to the series or just need an excuse for more graphic novels in your life.
