The Madness of Angels - an amazing piece of UF / Matthew Swift Series by Kate Griffin

I am halfway through Midnight Mayor and it is not disappointing me at all. In fact, I am keeping it close by at work and steal glances into it whenever I can. Can't wait until work is over so I can finish.
 
I'm looking forward to reading the sequel - I thought that A Madness of Angels was an outstanding read. I loved the passages about London & really enjoyed the character of Matthew Swift...
 
I just picked this one up the other day. The story looked promising. Since I picked it up the reviews have started to come in and they have all seemed quite positive which I hope that is the case when I get around to picking it up. It seems as though there are at least two sequels to the book. Does any one have an idea of how many books are planned in the series?

I know there are a lot of comparisons to Gaiman and I hope that she is more diverse than that as I have tried many Gaiman books only to find myself disappointed. I thought American Gods was a decent book but not all that noteworthy.

Either way the idea of the book intrigues me. Looking forward to reading it.
 
Halfway through the second book, and really enjoying it. Things I disliked about the first book are still present, but still liking the book a whole lot.
 
Here is my review of The Midnight Mayor:

The magical wards of London are being systematically destroyed — the ravens at the Tower of London are dead, the London Wall is defiled. Before the very fabric of London is sucked into chaos, Matthew Swift must solve the riddle of where Mo has gone, and who is scrawling the slogan ‘Give Me Back My Hat’ across the walls of his city. In The Midnight Mayor, Kate Griffin takes the reader on a scorching tour around the city of London, introducing the Midnight Mayor and the extremely creepy Mr Pinner, Death of Cities.

If you liked A Madness of Angels, you’ll enjoy The Midnight Mayor. Kate Griffin employs the same writing style, imbues the pages with the character of London, and builds on many of the concepts introduced in her first novel about Matthew Swift.

I did like A Madness of Angels — very much. I loved the dense writing, the beautiful descriptions, and the way that Griffin was able to turn the mundane into the magical. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystical characters and reveled in the mystery of the blue electric angels.

The Midnight Mayor was very similar, and that comprises one of my complaints about it. There were so many echoes of the first novel that it felt as though I was still reading A Madness of Angels. Once more, the novel opens with Matthew Swift in a state of confusion. He then tackles a creature from the depths of nightmare. In the first book this was the litter-bug; in The Midnight Mayor he comes up against spectres that can be slowed down by the recitation of ASBOs. Then, as last time, we spend the majority of the story travelling around London and trying to use the rules of the Underground to prevent the villain from capturing Swift and Oda. Again, the finale is a breathless adventure tackling the dark soul that has been terrorising Swift — in A Madness of Angels it is Hunger, and here it is the Death of Cities. I loved the first book, so it was no hardship to follow more adventures of Swift, but I would have liked to see more departure from the formula.

One way in which The Midnight Mayor departed in a grand fashion from A Madness of Angels was in the development of Matthew Swift’s character. In this novel he truly came alive, stepping to the fore and taking charge in a way that he failed to do last time. This character development was handled deftly by Griffin, to the extent that it was only really at the end of the novel that you realised how far Swift had come from his first confused moments. I also want to mention the scene where Swift and the blue electric angels found their wings — this was a real ‘punch the air’ moment and it left me truly agape.

I also appreciated the little flashes of dark deadpan humour that Griffin has added to Matthew Swift’s character. This added pathos and allows the reader to identify more easily with him:

“...It’s like quests. You get told ‘go forth and seek the travelcard of destiny’ and you know, I mean, you seriously know that it won’t have just been left down the back of the sofa. You read — seen — Lord of the Rings?”
“Yessss...”
“Ever wondered why they didn’t just get the damn eagles to go drop the One Ring into the volcano, since they seemed so damn nifty at getting into Mordor anyway?”

Griffin also successfully fleshes out some existing secondary characters — such as Oda — and brings in some intriguing new characters — here the Aldermen were a highlight. This all helped to give The Midnight Mayor warmth that was missing in A Madness of Angels.

Altogether, The Midnight Mayor is another triumph of imagination and whimsical storytelling from Kate Griffin. I thoroughly enjoyed working my way through the stunning prose. The effort it takes to immerse yourself in the world of Matthew Swift is definitely repaid in full.
 
If you're interested in reading my review of A Madness of Angels, I posted one on my blog at on 7th Feb.
 
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Just finished the second book and enjoyed it as expected. And as mentioned above, there are still some things that annoy the heck out of me... particularly of how much "London" descriptions there are. It feels like 90% of the book is the author simply detailing how London is and doing some name-dropping of streets, buildings, etc.

The other part that annoys the heck out of me is how the main character at times is portrayed with all the "I wanted to cry" and "I felt like dancing" crap mainly because of how frequent those expressions are used on both books. Feels like he's been given too many effeminate qualities at times which I'm still having trouble associating with the character, particularly since in other portions he seems to be the opposite acting all tough and stuff.

That aside, I enjoyed the story and the characters. I really like Oda and hope we see more of her... I really want the next book to focus on her back-story and on fleshing out her character.
 
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I finished up The Midnight Mayor last week. I enjoyed it quite a bit - overall, it's an improvement over A Madness of Angels. A review is on the blog, but I pretty much echo what Magemanda says above.

Bastard said:
That aside, I enjoyed the story and the characters. I really like Oda and hope we see more of her... I really want the next book to focus on her back-story and on fleshing out her character.
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The next book, The Neon Court: Or The Betrayal of Matthew Swift looks like it concentrates significantly on Oda, so it looks like you'll get your wish.
 
Cover for The Neon Court: Or, The Betrayal of Matthew Swift:


griffinneoncourthc.jpg
 
Moar!

I'm reading the first in the series and haven't enjoyed a book this much in ages. The writing feels absolutely mature, but I was jolted to learn she wrote it when she was about 19. Despite the London setting, I think this far exceeds Neverwhere in quality and pure imagination. I'm so happy she's continuing the series. I thought she was putting it down while attending college. Does anyone know if there are plans for more of Swift?

Please take a look at this photo of a pulsar from a recent APOD. It looks just like an electric blue hand reaching in space. The photo is on my desktop, perfect while reading Madness of Angels!
 
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For those interested, Bookdepository has a description of the 3rd book:

When the city was founded, he was the mad native spirit that waited in the dark, on the edge of the torchlight. When the streets were cobbled over, he became the footsteps heard on stone that you cannot see. When the Victorians introduced street lighting, he was the shadow who always shied away from the light, and when the gas went out, there he was. The shadow at the end of the alley, the footsteps half-heard in the night. A daimyo of the Neon Court is dead. So are two warriors of the Tribe. And a freshly-prophesied 'chosen one' is missing. Each side blames the other and Matthew Swift is right in the middle of it, trying to keep the peace. Because when magicians go to war, everyone loses. But Swift has even bigger problems. A dead woman is trying to kill him and the city itself is under attack from a force of unimaginable power. As if trying to stay one step ahead of an assassin and juggling magical politics weren't challenging enough, Swift must also find a way to defeat a primal threat from humanity's darkest nightmares. Or there may not be a London left to fight over ...
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Looks like Swift will be handling 10 things at once in this book... I wonder where Oda fits in all of this.
 
I've just finished "A Madness of Angels." I found the descriptiveness of mundane things that you never take notice of really pull me into the story - things like stepping on gum or walking through puddles, and how they take meaning in the story. I really enjoyed this first book, and am very much looking forward to reading "The Midnight Mayor" which I have on order.
 
I read this book when it first came out and have recently reviewed it -

Book 1 - Matthew Swift Series

Swift got on the wrong side of his socerer tutor two years ago and was killed by the Shadow.
Now he's been brought back from the dead and with him are the Blue Angels.
The story is based in London and the magic used throughout utilises everyday things, ideas and animals that dwell within the city.
Swift has to protect himself from his first appearance and despite there been scatterings of battles with The Tower - were Bakker rules the magic in the city - the storyline can be slow and confusing.
Most of this confusion comes from the characters multiple personalities. That is Swift and the Blood Angels that reside in the same body.
Despite this being difficult to follow and despite the heavy detail at times, it is an interesting story. I did like how magic is used and the ideas of using well known icons and everyday things in a magical way.

Rating - 3.5/5
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http://croftfantasyreads.blogspot.com/2010/08/madness-of-angels-kate-griffin.html

I've got book 2 waiting to read :D
 
I've managed to read Midnight Mayor of the festive period -

Mathew is attached by a spell from a ringing telephone. Then specters come after him and the Aldermen, protectors of the city hunt him, thinking he is responsible for the death of the Midnight Mayor of London. Eventually Mathew learns that the City has been cursed and the Death of Cities hunts the streets of London, killing all those that would appose him. The story follows Mathew's hunt for the truth behind who actually did kill the Midnight Mayor, and also trying to cope with he is now the new Midnight Mayor with all the responsibilities of protecting London. A difficult book to get into, due to the dual nature of Mathew's character. However, the urban magic was interesting and the fights between the various parties vying for control of London had a bit of action.
 
I just received The Neon Court, hopefully will get to it by the end of next week. Anyone received their copy yet or have read it?
 
Bastard said:
I just received The Neon Court, hopefully will get to it by the end of next week. Anyone received their copy yet or have read it?
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Mine hasn't shipped yet, but I sure hope it come soon. I have thoroughly enjoyed the first 2 books, and have high hopes for this one. I haven't heard from anyone who has actually read it yet though, but I actively avoid posts from people getting a hold of a book I am looking forward to in an attempt to avoid spoilers. I think I would have dived right in had my copy arrived. :)
 
The least favorite book I've read recently. Not sure why -- I liked Neverwhere, and it's very reminiscent. Wish I hadn't bought a hardcover.

I think maybe it's the magic system -- it seems that essentially anything mundane can create magic -- maybe I prefer some limits.
 
Recently finished the latest Urban Magic/Mathew Swift book The Neon Court, and another strong installment in the series, though I have mixed feelings about the book itself. One thing is for sure, Kate Griffin has a lot of guts putting main/likable characters in very mortal circumstances, no one is safe.

I felt Mathew was a better character and better written this time around, but one of my reservations for the series still exists, that there's too much going around the city and describing every single detail (which is a huge plus for some). But, though seemingly unimportant those details bring something to the table when the happenings/circumstances are revealed, but I still feel it's a bit too much. I still find the narrative to be very unique for me, and I'm curious to see if the author will write another series and how she would go about it (out side the children books she writes).

A big plus for me was the new apprentice Penny, she was great. One thing the author needs to consider though is adding some male characters to the series, someone friendly to Mathew with whom he can share various scenes with. It felt like 90% of the book in which Mathew is not alone, he was either accompanied by females be it Oda, Penny, and the Alderman (Alderwoman?) Dees.

Anyways, if you want something different in your Urban Fantasy, then this is yet another good installment in the series.

Looking forward to the next installment, A Fury of Dust.
 
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