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[books 2014] Laundry-fest
Aug. 3rd, 2014 09:14 pm33. The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross
The brand new Laundry novel. At the end of the last one, if I remember correctly, Bob was steered in a direction that would give him a lot more high-level international work, so I was expecting something jet-setting.
Instead, in this one he's investigating a nest of vampires (which supposedly can't exist, even in the Lovecraftian Laundryverse) working in the City, and flushing out a mole in the department.
It's (intentionally) very Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I'm glad I just watched the film. It's very, very good despite the fact that if you look too hard at the mechanics of vampirism it doesn't really even work in the Laundryverse. I think.
Mostly it's just funny. However, the opening scene (summoning grid going wrong) is pretty scary, and the very end (which would be telling) is downright bone-chilling.
34. The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross
Reserving the new book at the library reminded me I've never read the second, so I ordered that as well. This is the James Bond one. It alternately works and doesn't - bits of it are hilarious and wonderful, other bits fall a bit flat. I had some ideas why that is.
Having recently discovered that Stross has based each volume on a different spy novel series, I'm finding it all even more interesting. I had lots of thoughts, particularly about how James Bond is fundamentally different from all the other post-war British spies, but I've been awake all day and am not well, so maybe another time.
The brand new Laundry novel. At the end of the last one, if I remember correctly, Bob was steered in a direction that would give him a lot more high-level international work, so I was expecting something jet-setting.
Instead, in this one he's investigating a nest of vampires (which supposedly can't exist, even in the Lovecraftian Laundryverse) working in the City, and flushing out a mole in the department.
It's (intentionally) very Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I'm glad I just watched the film. It's very, very good despite the fact that if you look too hard at the mechanics of vampirism it doesn't really even work in the Laundryverse. I think.
Mostly it's just funny. However, the opening scene (summoning grid going wrong) is pretty scary, and the very end (which would be telling) is downright bone-chilling.
34. The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross
Reserving the new book at the library reminded me I've never read the second, so I ordered that as well. This is the James Bond one. It alternately works and doesn't - bits of it are hilarious and wonderful, other bits fall a bit flat. I had some ideas why that is.
Having recently discovered that Stross has based each volume on a different spy novel series, I'm finding it all even more interesting. I had lots of thoughts, particularly about how James Bond is fundamentally different from all the other post-war British spies, but I've been awake all day and am not well, so maybe another time.
