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buntcadger · 1 year ago

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So. I'm sick and did a nice self-comfort Amongst Our Weapons Re-Read and am happy to say that I enjoyed it a lot and am 100% back on my RoL bullshit until I have to check back in with reality / can afford it (so not for long). Some random renewed observations I need to scream into the void, in no particular order (and no spoiler tags, it's been over two years):

So. Harold Postmartin. Started aging backwards, right? Just like Nightingale and Varvara have done (to a specific age)? Huh? HUH!! what's up with that?

So many more wonderful queer, diverse, disabled characters casually popping up all around (in addition to the ones that we've already got). And SO MANY sapphic couples at that. Francisca and Heather? Grace and Caroline? And of course, dear Stephanopoulos and Pam? A fellow sapphic is THRIVING, is all I say.

I definitely NEED a follow-up on Francisca and Heather in the coming books and NEED them to be happy (specifically highlighting them as I'm convinced that we'll be getting more follow-ups on Grace/Caroline and Stephanopoulos/Pam in any case)

Literally so many returns from old and beloved characters and so many brilliant introductions of new cast members. All the Teamwork that Team Folly/Belgravia did in this one in various combinations and where everyone brought their unique skills to the table! How smooth they work together now! I love this universe and its cast and Peter's networking bringing all the strings together so so much. Even small characters like Toby or the foxes and Maksim or Zach or Kimberley!! The Tyrels from False Value being namedropped! Ahhhh!!!!! I wish there was more time/pages to give all of them their proper sportlight in every book, especially the more important secondary characters (like Molly, Abigail f.e.), but I even when they are taking a bit of a backseat in one of the novels I just love it so much when characters are not just forgotten but actually pop back in even if it is just for small and short things and they are immediately behind my inner eye and recognizable to me and feel like an old friend visiting!

Speaking of strings. So many little subplotlines (together with their characters) were picked up again in this book! I love how all seems to weave together to such a multi-facetted and interconnected world!

Speaking of new characters/introductions: Gods I love Danni so much and have already cemented her as a new regular in this series in my heart. Falcon 4 (3 in Peter's parental leave absence) we love and welcome you in this house! I loved her attitude and her charm and instant connection to all people and down-to-earth-ness and spark and had to grin so much at her very casual moments of WTF because Peter and Nightingale just didn't get to "brief" her yet lmao like WTF you can do crazy magic spells WTF practitioners can fly WTF demi-monde flea market WTF your/my new boss is over 100 years old and has fought in WW2 WTF cat-ladies WTF magic destroys microprocessors and most of all WTF i am in the middle of a magic duel with a literal flaming angel of death and cannot do magic AND have to protect a civilian but I guess I will just do that now to the best of my abilities. like. Danni had the abridged (and slightly more prepared and less have to rely on my own wits) version of Peter's experience during the start of the series and probably has the WILDEST time but she just. went with it. you go girl. HOWEVER also so good to see how Nightingale and Peter (and the others like Guleed, Stephanopoulos and Seawoll) are taking her under their wing and giving her advice (yeah Danni let's please not pick up the bad habits aka the self-sacrificial tendencies and reckless courage of Peter and Thomas "let me do the potentially life-ending thing instead of you to protect you / i could order you to step down from this potential life-threatening plan / let me take your place in this" Grant and Nightingale). Esp Nightingale and how he does things different with her than Peter and Peter himself and how he tries to make things such as he would have wished them to be for his entrance into the world of magical policing. Parallels being used to showcase character growth all over the place in this whole book i swear.

MAGIC PROOF PHONE/AIRWAVE CASES. Prospect of newly forged battle staffs!!! Maybe prospect of some actual magic-proof protective gear for the lads and ladies (gn) of Team Folly? Just. that. and Grand Master Grace Yutani, badass smithing enchantress supreme, being thoroughly awesome. I enjoyed all the Sons of Wayland lore so much and I swear I want to see more of Grace SO badly. also the BLS / signing inclusion made me SO happy.

Also, what do we think - did the Folly senior masters actually betray the Sons of Wayland during the war (which would have been horrifying in every instance but in addition also supremely stupid that short before the raid on Ettersberg and the absolute magnification of all hubris equally displayed by giving the order to raid Ettersberg for the Black Library in the first place) or was it a purely Nazi/Ahnenerbe job?

(more under the cut this got insanely long)

just as well I LOVE how magical-lore-heavy this book was as Peter continues to grow his knowledge and how in explanations, he remarks on facts he has already learnt about the magical world only to merge it with the new stuff and AHHH. (the pre-Newtonian magical traditions-stuff in particular!) Some of the random bits of lore in this book were so good and made me do a double take I feel Aaronovitch (bringing out unwillingly acquired Gen Z speech here) was GIVING. Extremely fascinated by all the allokosmoi stuff as well and how this is continued here following up from False Value. SO looking forward to where this worldbuilding thread will unravel.

In lieu 1) Lesley (or The Crane, going by the Reynolds novella) popping up again and being a casual magical mercenary criminal fits her sooooo well lmao. I continue to harbour an extreme dislike for her due to reasons (*cough*) HOWEVER I must say that I enjoy (if that is the right word) how her complicated relationship with Peter continues to play out and how they are, of course, still interconnected in a way, how she cannot stop saving him on occasions and how he cannot stop to care for her just a bit, and also love to see how Peter's view on his dynamic with her changes and how he starts to clearly identify her manipulation tactics and all that (and if he doesn't, is called out to see it by his found family around him). And it felt SO satisfactory, how, in the end, he set a trap for HER and used HER "weakness" for him in order to help HIS goals, not the other way around. But not for selfish reasons, no, but to SAVE someone (Francisca). It was such a beautiful juxtaposition of who they are at their core.

In lieu 2) Brian Packard sure is served a big fat set-up to become a major baddie in this second arc of the series (first arc being Faceless/Martin Chorley and concluded with Lies Sleeping), do we all agree on that or is it just me?

In lieu 3) The amount of times David Mellenby and generally pre-war Folly background was brought up (due to magical theory/plot/worldbuilding being explained but then in some way IMMEDIATELY set, however indirectly, in context to Nightingale and what he lost, and how traumatising the war and the decisions he had to make and literally all of Ettersberg was and the impact it still has on him) made me want to actively dissolve in a puddle of tears. I think we never got that much in a single book. The lines about ' "Let Thomas kill this woman. What would more killing be in his life?" - The last straw, maybe ' will literally live rent free in my head for the rest of time. The bits about the extreme fuckery that happened during the war in terms of perversion of magic, treachery, torture, unspeakable horrors (and all for nothing, of course, all magical traditions canceled each other out in the end in any case) were so striking in this book. But then. In contrast. There is now all the shared remembrance. (How Nightingale, more and more opens up and speaks about David, Leon and co. Making the flower spell to clean up after Peter's experiments the same way he cleaned up after David's experiments, much more also from previous books). And so much more the looking into the future!!! The reconnecting not just with the mere outside world and proper policing but also the wider magical society - via Peters healing hands - but also, Nightingale's acceptance to do so, even if he's sometimes terrified of it (Sons of Wayland, Society of the Rose, demi-monde in past books, in the future, the international magical community). And the rebuilding (ongoing with Team Folly Found Family and now Danni and in the future Casterbrook school being reopened and Nightingale teaching).

I SWEAR that there is a metaphorical connection to be made here to the previous point with the glass ceiling in Folly's atrium breaking apart during the final confrontation/aftereffects of Peter freeing Francisca/siphonem spell (esp to Sons of Wayland / Society of the Rose getting their proper recognition and say in magical decision making) but I am not healthy enough to formulate it properly rn.

I ALSO swear that this whole book is drawing a metaphor for people being turned into weapons more or less against their will (circumstance, pressure, loyality, duty, no other way) and being freed, also in a way of being given back their humanity by Peter, being protected by him. Of course, Francisca takes the center spotlight here, as do the wartime victims/ghosts on that hill in Glossop (also holy shit that scene made me cry). But this has been ongoing throughout all the books already. Foxglove immediately comes to mind. And Nightingale, who's innate talent to do (and, apparently, teach) extraordinary magic was completely turned (killing) weapon during the war. And who's humanity and healing and "doing it another way" and the chance to teach again and share joy in magic, not trauma/hurting someone/death is now continuously protected by Peter (see the whole, do we kill Francisca or not and who does it if it comes to it / gives the order to kill her - discussion at the end of the book).

PETER AND ALL HE HAS DONE - all the Family he has brought together in Team Folly - has LITERALLY, IN-TEXT, given Nightingale the freedom of choice to decide, "In a few years, I might actually be able to go, retire, be free from the burden of being the last man standing in the Folly / only man able to deal with serious magical happenings, and see the world."

(Also. Thomas "I care so much about you Peter please don't make me live on after your death please there is now your children and Bev and so many who love you PETER I will literally retire to force you to take better care of yourself" Nightingale. He cares so much about Peter AHHH. All the time he tells Peter to go home, to take breaks, screams at him to let go of Francisca during the fight before she smashes his head to pieces, and the whole conversation before the final confrontation with Francisca, and calming him down from the panic attack, and putting all his faith in him despite the doubts, and wanting to switch places with him going into Franciscas allokosmos AHHHHHHHHRGH!!!!)

ALSO. Nightingale picking up Peter's call on the second ring in the middle of the night sounding wide awake. Implying he was too also too wound up to sleep bc of the whole Francisca debacle. And then Peter comes in with is plan!

Okay going to stop this tangent now but literally crying about how far they've come and also there were so many beautiful and good Peter-Nightingale exchanges and moments in this book istg I was smiling so often and I want more of them NOW.

But literally. Peter's love and especially empathy for all and everything around him and his push to bring everyone together, to form community, de-escalate and find alternatives to violence is literally what continues to hold this whole thing together and it works so well for the foundation of this series and as something to believe in and. Just. PETER! (Also he kicks serious ass by now in the fight scenes and his fascination for science and his curiousity is just so spell-binding (ha) in a lead character.) And I found it interesting how more self-reflection, at least in part, seems to weave into his narration, in tandem with ongoing comments about how his therapy is going.

The architecture commentary in this whole book was once more SCATHINGLY good go off Peter.

Also. Peter. The Starling. Herald of the Dawn. Harbringer of the new world. I love you so much (and yes WHAT THE FUCK is up with those additional monikers I mean I can guess where they are coming from since Peter is literally bringing magical Europe into a new age of interconnection and community etc pp but ALSO. i feel like there is going to be more baggage coming with this and I want to know NOW). And also Peter I swear to whatever is holy to you PLEASE start taking more care of yourself ---

Love love love all the scenes we got with Bev, the familarity, the domesticity, the love they so obviously have for one another!!! And the moments of stability and calmness he finds with her!!

Literally all about THE TWINS ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!!

TAIWO MAMUSU ROSE GRANT-THAMES and KEHINDE BEATRICE GRANT-THAMES I love you and if anything happens to you I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.

So excited to get to see more of the two and how Peter's character, also Bev & their relationship will develop now that they are parents!

I swear when Seawoll said he demanded to be godfather I made an unholy noise (NOW PSSST!!!! GET NIGHTINGALE TO TAKE THE SECOND GODFATHER SPOT!!!!!)

All the Seawoll family background was so good btw and also screams of that tinge of sadness and tragedy and that bit of, oh. now you realize that little bit more why he is the way he is.

ADORED all parts with the Glossop Brook river spirit. That mythical moment of Peter being amongst the stars, seeing all threads of his loved ones intertwine over London - pure magic!!! (ouf)

Tbh there is so much more I'd like to formulate but my brain is getting too dizzy. But I will leave you with this gem of a conversation which will never not make me laugh:

'Exurge domine et judica causum tuam,' said Nightingale. ' "Arise, O God, judge thy own cause." ' 'Psalm 73,' said Postmartin. 'The motto of the Spanish Inquisition.' 'Well, fuck me,' said Seawoll. 'I wasn't expecting them.'

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buntcadger · 1 year ago

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This just...it really highlights all I love in their relationship. To me it's so compassionate and paternal. I adore it and this is...yas!

There's a lot of lines in Amongst Our Weapons that make me want to wave my arms around and yell incoherently about Peter and Nightingale and how far they've come and how much they mean to each other, but right now the one I want to yell about the most is this one from right at the end:

Image text: 'The wider the base, the greater the stability of the building,' said Nightingale. 'You taught me that.'

Because, like. Peter wanted to be an architect. The thing he always wanted to do was to build things. And look what he's built! He hasn't just rebuilt the Folly as it was, he's built something modern and completely new out of its constituent parts and he's done it by caring about people and being interested in how things work and by what Beverly jokingly calls 'compulsive networking'.

And everything he's done for the Folly, he's done for Nightingale on a personal level too.

Nightingale was So isolated when Peter first met him. His police colleagues didn't want much to do with him, his social circle seemed to consist of Molly and Dr Walid and not much more, he was completely out of touch with the modern world. And to his credit, he was the one who decided to take on an apprentice, but that was pretty much all he was planning to do. Train up a replacement for himself in case he got killed, pass on the Forms and Wisdoms properly, keep the status quo going.

But he chose Peter, and suddenly he's got an apprentice who wants to study the science behind magic and modernise the Folly's record keeping and work out better ways to liaise with other police and fundamentally Make Changes. Nightingale ends up with all these connections through Peter, to Beverley and the other Thames girls, to Lesley, to Abigail, eventually to the rest of Peter's family, to other police like Guleed and Stephanopoulos and unfortunately for him Seawoll... He has people he can rely on, and who choose to rely on him, and not just for magic -I especially love how Peter's mum eventually starts using him to babysit Peter's dad, and the fact that he helps Abigail's family with her brother. He's not alone anymore, and he goes from just living to genuinely thriving.

And it's all down to Peter, and what the two of them have built together. In fact, they've built something so significant that in a few years Nightingale isn't going to be necessary anymore. He's been Britain's Last Official Wizard for seventy years, all the weight of that tradition resting on his shoulders alone, and in a handful of years Peter has helped him to build something that'll be able to take the weight instead if he wants it to. There are people who can help do everything he's been doing alone and more, so finally he can think about what he actually wants for himself. (And don't even get me started on his arc re: teaching and discovering that it's what he wants to do for the rest of his life, I Will start yelling even more.)

And it's Peter who's taught him to let other people take the weight. That you can build something stable and lasting if you're willing to share the load. The wider the base, the greater the stability of the building.

Not bad for a wannabe architect who can't draw, huh?

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