If you’re a fan of espionage novels and haven’t read the Slough House series by Mick Herron, you’re missing out on a gem. It follows the mishaps and misadventures of a group of washed-up British intelligence agents who have been relegated to working at Slough House, a dumping ground for those who have made mistakes or otherwise fallen out of favour with their superiors.
Despite their lowly status, the Slow Horses find themselves embroiled in all sorts of high-stakes intrigue and danger. Here’s why you should add this series to your reading list.
Main Series Gets Better and Better
The series begins with Slow Horses, which was released in 2010. The book introduces readers to the main characters and the overall concept of Slough House. Jackson Lamb is the irritable and offensive head of the unit, and possibly the biggest draw for the books thanks to his originality and his penchant for doing the unexpected.
Lamb leads a cast of misfits that includes Roddy Ho, a tech expert who got banished from the main MI5 premises for being too annoying, and River Cartwright, a young agent who made a mistake during a mission. The bunch of misfits are known as the Slow Horses and are tasked with doing menial jobs. When a kidnapping plot unfolds in London, the Slow Horses find themselves uniquely positioned to solve the case.
From there, the series only gets better. Dead Lions (2013) deals with Russian sleeper agents, while Real Tigers (2016) delves into the shady world of private security firms. Spook Street (2017) involves a bombing at a shopping centre, which leads the Slow Horses to uncover a conspiracy involving a former agent who went rogue. Once you’ve read all these, you’ll be hooked and keen to consume all the other offerings. These include London Rules (2018), Joe Country (2019), Slough House (2021), and Bad Actors (2022). There are also many novellas interspersed between the main releases.
Herron’s series follows the classic espionage thriller format, but it has all the suspense and excitement you’d want. One of the key strengths of the book is the character development that continues throughout the series. Readers gradually learn more about the Slow Horses and their past lives, and they are all uniquely written in a way that helps you root for them.
Live Action Adaptation on Apple TV
One of the key reasons why now is the perfect time to read the Slough House series is because it has been adapted for television. Slow Horses is one of Apple TV’s biggest hits, and there have already been two seasons covering the events from the first and second books. It’s wise to read the novels before watching the series, so you can enjoy the content in two different ways.
The cast of Slow Horses is incredible, with Gary Oldman playing one of the best roles of his career as Lamb. Alongside him, there are numerous other talented actors, including Olivia Cooke, Jonathan Pryce, and Kristin Scott Thomas. It’s clear that Apple invested a lot into this high-octane offering, and this is reflected in the production values as well.
The good news for book fans is that the adaptation has been well-received by both Slough House readers and television critics. One of the strengths of the series is its faithfulness to the source material. While some changes have been made for the screen, the show stays true to the characters and the overall tone of the books. The London setting is also captured well, with plenty of shots of iconic locations and a strong sense of place.
Huge Franchise Potential
With two seasons on Apple TV already, Slow Horses has huge potential as a franchise. Indeed, it’s one of the most popular offerings on the streaming service and its viewing figures are likely to grow exponentially. There’s potential for at least six more seasons, and Herron is working on more books as well.
Readers always have the chance to say that they got their first, and it may be wise to read the book series now before it becomes too big. Game of Thrones on HBO was a prime example of this, and in the early days, A Song of Ice and Fire Readers had the superiority of knowing what was going to happen.
GOT grew into a behemoth of a franchise, though, and branched out into various media including games. There were mobile offerings, console titles, and even slot games like Game of Thrones at LeoVegas. The site is one of the top paying online casinos, and it has a generous welcome offer of a $2000 deposit match for new players. TV-based games also add to the site’s appeal, and if a Slow Horses game gets released, it would be likely to add it.
Slow Horses could eventually grow into a franchise to rival offerings like GOT. It could easily be made into games, with many people likely to want to play as the unique characters. For Apple to win the streaming wars, it needs to consider some officially licenced products in other forms of media.
If you’re looking for some new books to get stuck into, the Slough House series is a great option. If you like the first entry, there are plenty of others to enjoy. And the great news is that Herron is still writing, so he’s got other novels in the pipeline.
