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Rivers of London Graphic Novels #11
Rivers of London Vol. 11: Here Be Dragons
Some say a dangerous monster is at large above the streets of London. A monster red in tooth and claw, with wings, and fire for breath. And its name… Wyvern! CSI meets Harry Potter in this graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch - writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series, Andrew Cartmel author of the Vinyl Detective and New York Times best-selling author, James Swallow creator of the Marc Dane series, and writer of five best-selling Warhammer 40,000 novels. Collects Rivers of Here Be Dragons #1-4
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2023
68 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
About the author
Ben Aaronovitch
160 books13.5k followersBen Aaronovitch's career started with a bang writing for Doctor Who, subsided in the middle and then, as is traditional, a third act resurgence with the bestselling Rivers of London series.
Born and raised in London he says that he'll leave his home when they prise his city out of his cold dead fingers.
Born and raised in London he says that he'll leave his home when they prise his city out of his cold dead fingers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
January 25, 2024
I have loved the series of River of London since I picked up the first book all those years ago and still find it as fresh and as fun today. The way the written novels and graphic novels mingle to tell a continuous story I think is a brilliant idea - giving both a visual development of the characters as well as allowing a more detailed dive in to their work is inspired.
So what of this book - well I do not think I am giving anything away by saying this is both the most recent and latest (in the timeline) of the installments and shows glimpses in to how the various characters in and around the Folly have developed, while at the same time giving another fun installment in adventures of Peter Grant.
There is still the word play and humour which I feel tempers all the magic and extra ordinary goings on as well as the various characters we have grown to know and love. I think after following the story from the beginning its really fun spotting the references (both big and small) to the previous stories. I really do recommend reading the series but it is getting to the point you should start from the beginning.
So what of this book - well I do not think I am giving anything away by saying this is both the most recent and latest (in the timeline) of the installments and shows glimpses in to how the various characters in and around the Folly have developed, while at the same time giving another fun installment in adventures of Peter Grant.
There is still the word play and humour which I feel tempers all the magic and extra ordinary goings on as well as the various characters we have grown to know and love. I think after following the story from the beginning its really fun spotting the references (both big and small) to the previous stories. I really do recommend reading the series but it is getting to the point you should start from the beginning.
September 2, 2024
"Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons" is another imaginative foray into the world of Peter Grant and the Folly, the arm of London's police force charged with protecting the city from magical threats. In this fast paced story Peter is challenged to identify and stop a new threat from above while dealing with the plotting of a duplicitous faerie princess and her hench-fairies. However, the book still takes the usual excursions to explore the arcane inner workings of the London Metropolitan Police Force, strange architectural features of London and the finer details of magic. Expect to learn the difference between a dragon and a wyvern, the usual faerie hijinks and lots and lots of background on Jimi Hendrix. This one is one of the best graphic novels in the series and is not to be missed.
July 5, 2024
The 11th graphic novel in the Rivers of London series has a tremendous pedigree: Based on Ben Aaronvitch's River of London novels which are a combination police procedural and urban fantasy. He is also author of two of the most popular Dr Who episodes. The editor of the novel is Andrew Cartmel who had a three year run as script editor on Dr Who, and also author of the Vinyl Detective series. James Swallow is the author of this graphic novel also has other novels and graphic novels which look worth pursuing. I'm interested in checking out his steampunk westerns. Sometimes, when you throw a lot of talent/celebrities' at a project, you get a mess. Definitely NOT the case here.
The novel is a great addition, focused on Jimi Hendrix's time in London. There's a lot of interesting history and many cultural references, especially movies [Attack the Block] and music [Dizzee Rascal].
I also learned a lot about Wyverns [not dragons, or at best a subset of dragons]. Good clean graphics and bold colors.
The novel is a great addition, focused on Jimi Hendrix's time in London. There's a lot of interesting history and many cultural references, especially movies [Attack the Block] and music [Dizzee Rascal].
I also learned a lot about Wyverns [not dragons, or at best a subset of dragons]. Good clean graphics and bold colors.
October 28, 2023
I loved this. I don't often read comics but this was well written and every aspect of the artwork was gorgeous. I deliberately took my time reading it as it seemed a shame not to appreciate all the effort that had gone in to it. Fabulous work by all involved and I enjoyed the informative pages at the end of each issue.
October 24, 2025
4.25 stars because of DRAGONS 🐉
January 16, 2024
This was fun but pretty inessential. I'm a bit disappointed that Aaronovitch himself has stepped back from the graphic novels, and now even his friend and collaborator Andrew Cartmel has moved to "script editor" rather than writer. This was a fun enough story about dragons (sorry, wyverns) running around London, with added rock stars and roadies. I enjoyed it, but it felt slight. Peter had his internal monologue, but it didn't sparkle the way that it has done in the past (although I did enjoy his er, edited retelling to himself of the creatures he's faced in the past).
I might not preorder the next one, but wait and see what people say once it's out.
I might not preorder the next one, but wait and see what people say once it's out.
December 18, 2023
I always enjoy Rivers of London graphic novels. But my favorites are the ones starring Peter Grant, London police detective sergeant and apprentice wizard (although Here Be Dragons takes place before he received his promotion, and he is just a detective constable). I've read others in this series starring his cousin Abigail (Peter's own apprentice wizard) and there was another one with two sisters. But Here Be Dragons is an actual Peter Grant book, not just one where Peter comes in towards the end and helps save the day.
And Here Be Dragons is another Fey story (yes, the fairies), as was book 8 the Fey and the Furious [which happened to also be a Peter Grant story].
This is the second Rivers of London graphic novel I have read on my smartphone. I had read the earlier ones on my tablet but actually I find it easier to read these on my phone because I can easily enlarge or reduce them to read either an entire panel or half of a panel at a time. (I have only owned a smartphone since 2017 and I'm still catching up with the rest of the world on how to use it! And yes, I'm a Baby Boomer!)
And this graphic novel has Jimi Hendrix in it! Jimi could be said to have been a wizard when playing his music! (He wasn't of course but he was clearly a superstar musician.)
Highly recommended for an enjoyable Rivers of London outing with our favorite police wizard team (Peter Grant and Inspector Nightingale)! Again, you might be able to read this one on its own, but it will be much more appreciated if you have read both the Rivers of London regular novels AND the previous Rivers of London graphic novels.
And Here Be Dragons is another Fey story (yes, the fairies), as was book 8 the Fey and the Furious [which happened to also be a Peter Grant story].
This is the second Rivers of London graphic novel I have read on my smartphone. I had read the earlier ones on my tablet but actually I find it easier to read these on my phone because I can easily enlarge or reduce them to read either an entire panel or half of a panel at a time. (I have only owned a smartphone since 2017 and I'm still catching up with the rest of the world on how to use it! And yes, I'm a Baby Boomer!)
And this graphic novel has Jimi Hendrix in it! Jimi could be said to have been a wizard when playing his music! (He wasn't of course but he was clearly a superstar musician.)
Highly recommended for an enjoyable Rivers of London outing with our favorite police wizard team (Peter Grant and Inspector Nightingale)! Again, you might be able to read this one on its own, but it will be much more appreciated if you have read both the Rivers of London regular novels AND the previous Rivers of London graphic novels.
January 30, 2024
What an improvement over the last few of the previous volumes!
This has a coherent story with recognizeable characters - including the series' main character, who happened to be merely incidental the last times around.
Even the art is better. And it's the same artist!
I'm still not happy with his Fae - they look way too human and too little as they are described, both in the novels and the author's notes in the back of this collection- but here the art is much less confusing than before.
While the previous volumes felt simply phoned in this one has renewed my faith in the comic book tie-ins.
This has a coherent story with recognizeable characters - including the series' main character, who happened to be merely incidental the last times around.
Even the art is better. And it's the same artist!
I'm still not happy with his Fae - they look way too human and too little as they are described, both in the novels and the author's notes in the back of this collection- but here the art is much less confusing than before.
While the previous volumes felt simply phoned in this one has renewed my faith in the comic book tie-ins.
December 17, 2023
Back in the 70s something crossed from the Fae world to the real world and it’s hurting, and London is paying the price. The Folly is on the case, but can Peter Grant find a peaceful solution?
Another cracker of a graphic novel from the River of London series.
Another cracker of a graphic novel from the River of London series.
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February 15, 2024How? They still publish them, so I'll still read the Rivers of London.
What? Some invisible dragon is terrorizing London, and Peter Grant gets involved. What's actually going on, and it's no real spoiler to say, is that some fairies are trying to steal back some wyverns that were given to Jimi Hendrix, but need the police to do it, so they stole the wyverns' egg to rile them up.
Yeah, so? I've talked about this before, but there's a tension between what the characters know and what the readers know, and you have to manage that tension for the feeling you want, otherwise you just get the reader going "get on with it already." So when we see the fairies have stolen something and then we learn that the wyverns are usually peaceful but are now riled up, we're just waiting until Peter figures out it's an egg.
It's funny to me that the comic for this series have produced some that I find aggravating and some that I find among the most touching pieces of the series. Hmmm, I wonder -- there's a lot more fairy content in the comics, and the fairy stuff feels... underbaked? Ordinary?
Anyway, as usual, even in the books where the mystery feels unsatisfying to me, there's usually some character piece, often a subplot or the story involved in the current crime, that does land. Here: there's a roadie who accompanied Jimi Hendrix and fell in love with fairyland and has been jonesing for that fix, but he finally realizes what a spoiled brat the fairy love of his is, and tells the truth rather than protect her. There's something there.
What? Some invisible dragon is terrorizing London, and Peter Grant gets involved. What's actually going on, and it's no real spoiler to say, is that some fairies are trying to steal back some wyverns that were given to Jimi Hendrix, but need the police to do it, so they stole the wyverns' egg to rile them up.
Yeah, so? I've talked about this before, but there's a tension between what the characters know and what the readers know, and you have to manage that tension for the feeling you want, otherwise you just get the reader going "get on with it already." So when we see the fairies have stolen something and then we learn that the wyverns are usually peaceful but are now riled up, we're just waiting until Peter figures out it's an egg.
It's funny to me that the comic for this series have produced some that I find aggravating and some that I find among the most touching pieces of the series. Hmmm, I wonder -- there's a lot more fairy content in the comics, and the fairy stuff feels... underbaked? Ordinary?
Anyway, as usual, even in the books where the mystery feels unsatisfying to me, there's usually some character piece, often a subplot or the story involved in the current crime, that does land. Here: there's a roadie who accompanied Jimi Hendrix and fell in love with fairyland and has been jonesing for that fix, but he finally realizes what a spoiled brat the fairy love of his is, and tells the truth rather than protect her. There's something there.
April 29, 2024
Call me a fan-boy: I really like the Rivers of London series in both text and graphic novel formats, and this the 11 th volume of graphic works was great. Looking at landmarks in architecture and history that makes London stand out to many a tourist there were many hidden treats within this work: look for the easter egg alluding to the His Masters Voice British record label in this story that is also dominated by music from the late 1960's. Artistically, I also found a scene of the river Thames that shared a colour palette with a painting I have of a similar scene. Admittedly, this late in the game, a greater familiarity with the DC Grant universe adds significantly to the appreciation of this story, so it is not necessarily a 'stand alone'.
December 18, 2024
It just reminds me how much I enjoy this series and has me planning a chronological reread in the new year including all the additional content I have alongside the main novels. The graphic novels are always fun but you do need to have had your finger in the pulse of other content in order to really enjoy them.
February 2, 2024
And the Fey just want to cause trouble. Jimi Hendrix is their favorite musician back in the lovey-dovey sixties and they make him an offer that he refuses. Now 50 years later events set in motion then come to a head as the gang from the Folly now has dragons from fairie to deal with.
April 28, 2024
I was a bit disappointed with the previous book of this series but with this one Aaronovitch really gets back on form. Several magical elements are involved, but the storyline that ties them together with landmarks of London and Jimmy Hendrix is masterful.
Recommended.
Recommended.
January 12, 2026
This series never stops to be a delight!
April 18, 2024
My favourite RoL graphic novel so far
I'm not a great fan of graphic novels as a rule but I'm happy to make an exception for the Rivers of London series. It's not the first medium you'd think of when telling a story in which music is so important but they made it work beautifully. Full of Easter eggs and homage to the late great Jimi Hendrix. Recommended for music fans, X-Files fans and RoL fans
I'm not a great fan of graphic novels as a rule but I'm happy to make an exception for the Rivers of London series. It's not the first medium you'd think of when telling a story in which music is so important but they made it work beautifully. Full of Easter eggs and homage to the late great Jimi Hendrix. Recommended for music fans, X-Files fans and RoL fans
December 25, 2023
DETECTIVE SERGEANT PETER GRANT
Police detective, trainee wizard and Herald of the Dawn (whatever that's about). He aims to keep the Queen's Peace in the face of wild magic, rambunctious river goddesses and cheeky foxes. He's also partner to the goddess of the river Beverley Brook with whom he has twin girls.
We are back with Detective Peter Grand in this 11th graphic novel in the Rivers of London series.
The title is slightly misleading as no dragons actually feature, although there is an adjacent mythical creature which is terrorising London. We also have mischievous fae, a former Jimi Hendrix roadie, and a mystery that spans the ages.
As always, its a fast paced adventure and back to 5 stars!
Police detective, trainee wizard and Herald of the Dawn (whatever that's about). He aims to keep the Queen's Peace in the face of wild magic, rambunctious river goddesses and cheeky foxes. He's also partner to the goddess of the river Beverley Brook with whom he has twin girls.
We are back with Detective Peter Grand in this 11th graphic novel in the Rivers of London series.
The title is slightly misleading as no dragons actually feature, although there is an adjacent mythical creature which is terrorising London. We also have mischievous fae, a former Jimi Hendrix roadie, and a mystery that spans the ages.
As always, its a fast paced adventure and back to 5 stars!
January 24, 2024
Rivers of London Vol. 11: Here Be Dragons
NPAS has to call on the Folly when a strange airborne entity causes havoc in the skies above London. But what connects the wyvern to Jimi Hendrix and the Ferry kingdom?
Excellent artwork lends itself to this experimental storyline which explores the strange magic that genius brings to the world.
NPAS has to call on the Folly when a strange airborne entity causes havoc in the skies above London. But what connects the wyvern to Jimi Hendrix and the Ferry kingdom?
Excellent artwork lends itself to this experimental storyline which explores the strange magic that genius brings to the world.
February 21, 2025
3.5 stars overall
This is better than the previous volume (Deadly Ever After), but still not quite a return to best form.
It sags a bit in the middle, but absolutely picks up once the wyverns' nest atop Centrepoint tower block (one of my favourite London landmarks) is discovered.
The finale is satisfying and en pointe for the greater Rivers of London world.
This is better than the previous volume (Deadly Ever After), but still not quite a return to best form.
It sags a bit in the middle, but absolutely picks up once the wyverns' nest atop Centrepoint tower block (one of my favourite London landmarks) is discovered.
The finale is satisfying and en pointe for the greater Rivers of London world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2024
Loved this one! I learned the difference between dragons and wyverns, and now I need to track down more wyvern stories. The ending was swell, and the supplementary material was interesting, especially the info on wyverns!
February 24, 2024
Recent Reads: Rivers Of London - Here Be Dragons. Ben Aaronovitch's graphic novel sideshoot of the urban fantasy takes a London legend and shifts it sideways, from parrots to wyverns. A fae plot that began in the 1960s causes problems for the NPAS helicopters over London. Fun!
December 12, 2023
I think this one has to be my favourite of the graphic novels to date.
December 17, 2023
Man I love this series. Wyverns, Peter being a smartass, Jimi Hendrix. What’s not to love?
December 18, 2023
Adventure, magic, police process... and a nonviolent solution. Another fun outing for these characters.
January 16, 2024
Another fantastic entry in the Rivers of London series. Absolutely loved the plot here and the artwork is beautiful
January 28, 2024
Great story. Nice extras including some interesting background articles
February 11, 2024
Good fun read. Better than I expected and like many of the books, comics and novellas, it further opens the Rivers of London world. Can we please get this into a proper TV series?
February 19, 2024
trigger warning
no review just warnings
no review just warnings
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews