Ben Aaronovitch
Born 22 February 1964
From London Borough of Camden, England, United Kingdom · Nationality: United Kingdom · Writes fiction
Ben Aaronovitch was born in 1964. He had parents, some brothers, some sisters and a dog named after a Russian cosmonaut. He also had the kind of dull childhood that drives a person to drink, radical politics or science fiction. Discovering in his early twenties that he had precisely one talent, he took up screenwriting at which he was an overnight success. He wrote for Doctor Who, Casualty and the world’s cheapest ever SF soap opera Jupiter Moon. He then wrote for Virgin’s New Adventures until they pulped all his books. Then Ben entered a dark time illuminated only by an episode of Dark Knight, a book for Big Finish and the highly acclaimed but not-very-well-paying Blake’s 7 Audio dramas. Trapped in a cycle of disappointment and despair Ben was eventually forced to support his expensive book habit by working for Waterstones as a bookseller. Ironically it was while shelving the works of others that Ben finally saw the light. He would write his own books, he would let prose into his heart and rejoice in the word. Henceforth, subsisting on nothing more than instant coffee and Japanese takeaway, Ben embarked on the epic personal journey that was to lead to Rivers of London (or Midnight Riot as it is known in the Americas). At some point during the above, the most important thing in his life happened and he became a father to a son, Karifa, whom he affectionately refers to as ‘The Evil Monster Boy’.
Quotes
“I wasn’t ready to believe in ghosts, but that’s the thing about empirical experience: it’s the real thing.”
Rivers of London, Chapter 2 “A sudden attack of culture snobbery is a common affliction among policemen of a certain rank and age; it’s like a normal midlife crisis, only with more chandeliers and foreign languages.”
Rivers of London, Chapter 10 “It’s a police mantra that all members of the public are guilty of something, but some members of the public are more guilty than others.”
Broken Homes, Chapter 1 “Was it better to die in the illusion of sunshine and warmth or face death in a cold darkness of reality? Was it better to die in happy ignorance or terrified knowledge? The answer, if you’re a Londoner, is that it’s better not to die at all.”
Whispers Under Ground, Chapter 21 “The scope of your ignorance, Peter,” said Seawoll, “is truly frightening.”
Whispers Under Ground, Chapter 2
Quotes from Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Books by Ben Aaronovitch in order
Books by Ben Aaronovitch in the order they were published, from Doctor Who (1990) to Stone and Sky (2025).
- 1Doctor Who
Doctor Who1990 - 2Transit
Transit1992 - 3Genius Loci
Genius Loci2006 - 4Midnight Riot
Midnight Riot2011 - 5Moon Over Soho
Moon Over Soho2011 - 6Rivers of London
Rivers of London2011 - 7Die Flüsse von London
Die Flüsse von London2012 - 8Whispers Under Ground
Whispers Under Ground2012 - 9Broken Homes
Broken Homes2013 - 10Der böse Ort
Der böse Ort2014 - 11Foxglove Summer
Foxglove Summer2014 - 12The Hanging Tree
The Hanging Tree2015 - 13Lies Sleeping
Lies Sleeping2016 - 14The Furthest Station
The Furthest Station2017 - 15Action at a Distance
Action at a Distance2019 - 16Die Glocke Von Whitechapel
Die Glocke Von Whitechapel2019 - 17False Value
False Value2019 - 18The October Man
The October Man2019 - 19Tales from the Folly
Tales from the Folly2020 - 20What Abigail Did That Summer
What Abigail Did That Summer2021 - 21Untitled Aaronovitch 1 Of 4
Untitled Aaronovitch 1 Of 42022 - 22Amongst Our Weapons
Amongst Our Weapons2023 - 23Winter's Gifts
Winter's Gifts2023 - 24Stone and Sky
Stone and Sky2025