Something Wicked This Way Comes - A Review of London Falling

London Falling by Paul Cornell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If there is a city that has a soul in the same way we humans think of a soul, then London would definitely be it. Though it is far from the oldest city that ever existed, nor is it the oldest city still standing, it is probably one of the most vibrant in the world. It is a city with its own unique pulse, its own unique personality - and if we can define a soul as anything, it is probably according to that sense of self, the idea of the self being unique and separate from everything and everyone else. And London, as a city, is very much that.

Because of this, London - and the United Kingdom as a whole - make the perfect setting for urban fantasy stories. Though some of the most well-known authors of the genre have been American, who often mix the aesthetics and sensibilities of mid-twentieth century noir detective fiction with the shadows of the supernatural, British authors have been catching up, and have been using London as the primary setting. And in a way, this makes a lot of sense: the United Kingdom has an immense weight of history to it, and when a place has that much history - history that is constantly cycling through stages of remembrance and forgetfulness - then there is sure to be magic somewhere in there.

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