The Minority Council by Kate Griffin

{{infobox |title=The Minority Council |author=Kate Griffin |reviewer=Loralei Haylock |genre=Fantasy |rating=5 |buy=Yes |borrow=Yes |isbn=978-0356500638 |paperback=0356500632 |hardback= |audiobook= |ebook=B0068PHQN |pages=400 |publisher=Orbit |date=March 2012 |amazonuk= |amazonus= |website=http://www.kategriffin.net/ |video= |summary=A superb follow-up to [[A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin and a thrill ride across London. }} In Matthew Swift's London, just about anything is possible. As the Midnight Mayor, protector of the city, Matthew has incredible power and resources at his disposal. Not that he really wants them. In fact he'd rather not have all the hassle, if he's quite honest. But a new drug is swamping the streets of London - Fairy Dust. This deadly magical drug eventually turns its users into fairies, who then disintegrate into the dust that they've been taking, ready to be collected and sold again. And this perverse practise is not Matthew's only issue. Some teenage vandals have had their souls sucked out and social worker Nabeela wants the help of the Midnight Mayor to work out exactly how that happened. But the more Matthew digs into both issues, the more he starts to realise that the source of the problem may be closer than he initially thought.

I loved A Madness of Angels so much, I always find it a bit daunting to start the next book in the series. How could she possibly top the last instalment? But I shouldn't worry, because she always does.

As always, The Minority Council is a thrill ride across the diverse districts of London, featuring a host of mythical creatures re-imagined, and lots and lots of magic. But what makes this instalment particularly brilliant is the fact that Griffin really gives her protagonist some room to go apocalyptic.

The dangerous combination of the Blue Electric Angels, gods of the telephone wires, and Matthew's human body and soul is something Griffin has given us glimpses of before, but Matthew has never really let loose. This instalment is all about the power - the power of the Midnight Mayor, the power of the angels, and the power one crusader has to stop terrible things happening.

I get the feeling this instalment is shaping the world and characters for their final battle, and if this book was anything to go by, it will be an epic one.

My thanks to the publishers for sending a copy.

For more great British urban fantasy, try Dead Men's Boots: A Felix Castor Novel by Mike Carey.

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