London -the perfect setting???

[Horsecorset]

It's almost been done to death but there is something appealing about London's 'vibe' that makes it the leviathon of settings. There are some amazingly sinister books based around a bleak pre-20th century feeling that has never left London. Conversely London can be painted as a vibrant hub to globalisation. I prefer the London that is dark, where grave robbers and prostitutes ply their trade. A foul-smelling city where vice is a way of life.

[Echo]

London is definitely a great setting. I like the London of Dickens, and I also think about Jack the Ripper prowling around the dark streets of London. Wonderfully spooky and scary!

 

Some other cities that are great settings are New York, San Francisco, Paris, Rome, and Dublin. I've read wonderful books set in all those places and the setting feels like one of the characters! Also, any small town, either by the sea or surrounded by farms is great, too.

[Guest ii]

I like London in books, not in real life. Then again, I really enjoy finding a surprising side of a city I though I knew. Finding a new side of it. Like the darker side of New York. I only knew the polished private-school side of NY.

 

Then again, sometimes the location isn't important. But would I prefer a story that could take place in just about anywhere or do I enjoy having the city all included and playing a part? I don't know, I'll have to think abou this... What about you?

[Horsecorset]

Timeless stories that could happen anywhere do, in my opinion, have more merit. Settings when they take on a life of their own almost become characters in themselves. Ancient cities have a mystery that is timeless, something hard to define in a single story.

[~Andrea~]

I really enjoyed drizzling Victorian London as a backdrop in The Picture of Doran Gray It really fitted.

[Freewheeling Andy]

London's a great setting because it's a great city. It's sufficiently diverse that you can believe all kinds of things can happen here. And the diversity from the very poor and criminal to the exceedingly rich always helps drive plot, too.

[Kylie]

I like London as a setting, especially in older novels. The place just has so much history, which I think really adds to the atmosphere.

[Guest]

I heart Jack the Ripper.

[Echo]

I know that Middle-earth isn't a real place, but when I wrote a research paper on Tolkien, I focused on how he created another character when he created Middle-earth. The landscape and the way the people interacted with it was vital to each story.

[Suzanne123]

I like London as a setting, especially in older novels. The place just has so much history, which I think really adds to the atmosphere.

 

Agree Totally!

[Raven]

I heart Jack the Ripper.

 

Now that's not a phrase you see every day!

I love London; I just get a real buzz out of being there and from the energy of the place. I was actually up there on Monday and found myself with some time before my train home so I walked from Trafalgar Square down The Mall, past Buck Palace to Victoria. I think it is the first time I've ever done that, certainly the first time at night, and I really enjoyed it.

I think another part of liking London is that you never know what you are going to find around the next corner - I spent a good part of Monday looking around the second-hand book shops in Charing Cross.

In books, I'm struggling to think of many I've read that feature London to any great extent. The Day of the Triffids and The Kraken Wakes both feature London quite heavily, as do quite a few of Mike Gayle and Nick Hornby's books. I started reading London Fields a few years back, I really should try that again.

For anyone interested in the history of London, I can recommend Peter Ackroyd's London, a very interesting read

[Ruth]

I love the London that Dickens wrote about! I also think writers like Sarah Waters and Andrew Pepper portray historical London very well.

[Nollaig]

I heart Jack the Ripper.

 

I sorta have to agree. I love stories about serial killers, although I don't like when they're real, but I love his era, and his location generally, so i'm partial to stories about him.

[Suzanne123]

I love the Jack the Ripper era too

[Nollaig]

Thank you! I feel less crazy now!

[Suzanne123]

I love the film 'From Hell' with Johnny Depp in too

[Nollaig]

Yeah thats exactly what I was thinking of when I was thinking of stories from that era

[SueK]

If I see a book that is set in Victorian London then it is a plus point for me. Try reading the books of Lee Jackson as he is an expert on Victorian London and his stories are excellent, both for the crimes committed and the description of London in mid 1800s. I agree that London in historical settings is good too, like the tales of Brother Athelstan set in the 14th Century where you can almost smell the filth of the city at that time.

 

Also, I love books that feature Paris around Victorian times, like Murders in the Rue Morgue - you can really feel the atmosphere.

[lexiepiper]

The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen is partially set in 1830's London, it flicks between that time period and the present and is a cracking good read if I say so myself

[jewell]

I love the London that Dickens wrote about!

 

I like the feel he gives london in his work. I like a couple of CSI books i bought for that reason as well. It gives a feel to the city's they're based in. A lot of the storys i like, use the feel or history of a city as a bases for their plot or characters. For example, when a young man runs away from home to make a name for himself, and the city suits his ambitions. It's like they're a message or personality behind each place.