[Use Of Weapons]

Spoiler

Re: tongue leeches -- was I the only one who immediately thought, "Clearly Stross has seen the episode of QI where these charmers are featured?"

http://en.wikipedia....Cymothoa_exigua

[Abyss]

AHHHHHHH

[stone monkey]

Some of you might want to read this... Equoid by Charles Stross

Those of you who are up on the works of Stella Gibbons might find something to giggle about; there's something very nasty in the woodshed indeed

Just in time, it appears, to whet the appetite, if that's not too much of an indicative pun, for next year's release of Charlie's next Laundry novel The Rhesus Chart

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 24 September 2013 - 11:04 PM

[Abyss]

THE RHESUS CHART... just finished it.

Another solid entry in the series and a serious game changer on a lot of fronts. Possibly the least amount of action of any LAUNDRY book yet, but still and fun and interesting enough.

SPOILERS

ALL BOOKS

FROM HERE ON...

Spoiler

Vampires.

I didn't expect Stross to go there, but go he did, and rather brilliantly i thought, working them into the context of the world he's built so far as victims of a mathematical concept that infects them with a soul eater parasite that consumes the brains of the vamps blood drinking victims even at a distance.

And since mathematics and magic are related, any mathematician clever enough to stumble onto the parasite is also clever enough to become a serious sorcerer given time.

I liked his rules for vamps too, and how they cannot abide each other. I liked how the ancient vamp had been subverting the Laundry for a few centuries... that was a nice touch.

The bureaucracy and paperwork bafflegrab were perhaps a bit heavier than usual in this book, but in the context of how things played out, including one vamp actually using the gov bullshit to further his own agenda, it wasn't too bothersome, albeit a few pages more than perhaps the book needed but hey why wouldthe inpending end of the world stop red tape?

Bob developed nicely in this book, as an operative, as management, and as a soul eater. Stross really changes up the status quo in this book ... Bob moves up the ranks, loses Angleton, loses Andy, possibly loses Mo (i'm convinced that's not done but it was painful even so)... the Laundry loses a chunk of sr managment and its pet Soul Eater/founder but gains a cohort of vampire bankers.

Mo's storyline is particularly rough and builds nicely on her difficulty with the violin last book. With Mahrie now on the scene and wanting some Bob 2.0, some interesting stuff ahead for her. Bob's analysis of the violin was creepy as hell.

The vampire hunter was suitably twisted, but taken out entirely too easily in the finale. The ancient vamps were better baddies, altho it bugs me that no one at the Laundry thought to use Bob's trick with the basilisk gun rather than confront George as they did to poor effect. Tho as most of those taken out were old enough to be gun & spell types as opposed to even considering whipping out their phonecams, it's not ridiculous.

Stross doesn't state this outright, but Bob's explanation of how vamp Alex subverts Bill's mind domination suggests it.

Overall, a fun read and next step in the series. I'm still in and majorly curious where this goes next.

[Andorion]

I thought the way it ended was a bit underwhelming. I am kind of used to having a big dark dimensional demon looming in the background like the sleeper in the pyramid and the black pharaoh, and not having those kind of let the book down a bit.

[Abyss]

Andorion, on 19 July 2014 - 02:48 AM, said:

I thought the way it ended was a bit underwhelming. I am kind of used to having a big dark dimensional demon looming in the background like the sleeper in the pyramid and the black pharaoh, and not having those kind of let the book down a bit.

I waver about that but in the end concluded that this was still a solid end. Bill amd George were solid adversaries for the Laundry folks.

[Andorion]

Abyss, on 19 July 2014 - 04:57 AM, said:

Andorion, on 19 July 2014 - 02:48 AM, said:

I thought the way it ended was a bit underwhelming. I am kind of used to having a big dark dimensional demon looming in the background like the sleeper in the pyramid and the black pharaoh, and not having those kind of let the book down a bit.

I waver about that but in the end concluded that this was still a solid end. Bill amd George were solid adversaries for the Laundry folks.

Yeah they were a .... different(?) type of adversary than usual maybe. But you know, if Laundry was a part of the regular British Secret Service, they would be like two foreign spymasters, whereas in the other books the ultimate baddies are like Supervillain-with-world-destroying-ray-of-doom level.

Bob getting promoted is all good though.

[Abyss]

Andorion, on 19 July 2014 - 06:35 AM, said:

...
Bob getting promoted is all good though.

True on both levels. I'm wondering whether he'll become an External Asset rather than management.

[Andorion]

Lockhart.... Has yet to do anything to justify his level in the laundry. Wonder what his skill is. BTW you know how Stross has a trick if adopting the writing style and themes of a famous author in each of his books like he did Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise books for the Apocalypse Codex, and Ian Fleming for one before that, do you have any idea if he did the same for this one or is this pure Stross?

[Abyss]

My understanding is he went pure Stross with this one, skipping the shout backs this time to do an original take on vampires. I didn't mind at all... I enjoyed the Fleming and Ludlum themes but the Modesty Blaise thing wholly lost me.

Lockhart... I don't think we ever learned what he did to be brought in. He may have seen something, or just been an intel guy who filled a necessary middle management role. His friendship with Bob only really developed over the last two books. He pretty clearly wasn't a major techy.

[Andorion]

I was wondering whether he would be a mjor league sorceror, like the auditors, or military strategy and tactics guy, but so far, he hasn't actually displayed any abilities, except that he has important contacts.

You didn't like the Modesty Blaise take? I rather liked it, especially as, going by the ending scene, theres more to them than meets the eye. I kind of read all the Peter O'Donnell books a few years back.

And yes, pure Stross is very good. I actually knew him more as a sci-fi author before I stumbled upon the Laundry.

[Stalker]

Ok, I'm caught up now. Read book one last year and liked it, just not enough to immediately continue. I've changed my mind on that having read books 2-5 over the last two weeks. I really liked the take on Bond in The Jennifer Morgue, thought The Fuller Memorandum was great and enjoyed The Apocalypse Codex. Anything CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN was awesome.

As for The Rhesus Chart, I thought it was an interesting take on vampirism and it totally works within the world, even though "vampires don't exist". One thing that I've come to expect is that Bob levels up in each novel, so I was expecting Angleton to die (or become incorporeal) at some point. Fighting an ancient vampire is a good way to go and gives Bob a nice shot of necromancy. I do wonder if Angleton will return at some point, especially with the head auditor around. I know Bob's thought on that but with the end of the world coming, a DSS certainly can't hurt.


How are Stross' scifi books?

This post has been edited by Stalker: 02 August 2014 - 08:54 PM

[Andorion]

I just read the novella Equoid. Very, very interesting take on unicorns. Loved it.

[Abyss]

Andorion, on 03 August 2014 - 01:28 AM, said:

I just read the novella Equoid. Very, very interesting take on unicorns. Loved it.

Agreed. Nicely creepy, completely original take on the myth, and i loved the Lovecraft elements which were accurate and hysterical and also creepy.

I know Stross is a hard sf kind of guy for the most part, but his urban sf/fantasy LAUNDRY stuff is by far my favorite work by him.

[Andorion]

Abyss, on 11 August 2014 - 02:16 PM, said:

Andorion, on 03 August 2014 - 01:28 AM, said:

I just read the novella Equoid. Very, very interesting take on unicorns. Loved it.

Agreed. Nicely creepy, completely original take on the myth, and i loved the Lovecraft elements which were accurate and hysterical and also creepy.

I know Stross is a hard sf kind of guy for the most part, but his urban sf/fantasy LAUNDRY stuff is by far my favorite work by him.

Agree totally. Not that his Accelerando stuff is bad mind you, in the world of hard SF he is a definite presence, especially now that Iain Banks is no more, but his Laundry series mixes just that right amount of quirkiness with urban fantasy to make it stand head and shoulders above the crowd.


Lovecraftian Unicorns.....now try reading the first Harry Potter book with that image in your mind

[Abyss]

Andorion, on 19 August 2014 - 04:07 AM, said:

Abyss, on 11 August 2014 - 02:16 PM, said:

Andorion, on 03 August 2014 - 01:28 AM, said:

I just read the novella Equoid. Very, very interesting take on unicorns. Loved it.

Agreed. Nicely creepy, completely original take on the myth, and i loved the Lovecraft elements which were accurate and hysterical and also creepy.

I know Stross is a hard sf kind of guy for the most part, but his urban sf/fantasy LAUNDRY stuff is by far my favorite work by him.

Agree totally. Not that his Accelerando stuff is bad mind you, in the world of hard SF he is a definite presence, especially now that Iain Banks is no more, but his Laundry series mixes just that right amount of quirkiness with urban fantasy to make it stand head and shoulders above the crowd.


Lovecraftian Unicorns.....now try reading the first Harry Potter book with that image in your mind

Harry Potter books only would have been vastly improved by a massive infusion of Lovecraftian elements.

[Aptorian]

Just got caught up on this series. Based on my last post in this thread, I had a 4 year hiatus from the series. Read Fuller Memorandum, Apocalypse Codex and Rhesus Chart over the past couple months. Reading a geeky Vampire story over Christmas was fun.

In my last post I expressed concerns and a generally underwhelming opinion of the first two books. The next 3 books however completely turned it around. I love the world he'd built up around Bob. I think the situations, the world building, the characters are unique in the way that Stross approaches it all. It's like a geeky "what if" of dozens of fantasy and sci-tropes getting slammed together. I thoroughly enjoyed the nerdy "If I became a vampire, how would I adapt" kind of analysis of what a modern day, intelligent vampire would go through, in this latest book.

Now for the spoilers:

Spoiler

I loved the introduction of the Sleeper in the Pyramid. Very Lovecraftian. I was how ever disappointed that in the 4th book, the Sleeper is actually in contact with the Church leader and it comes off as more Dr. Claw than "OH GOD IT'S INSIDE MY HEAD I MUST SCREAM BUT I HAVE SWALLOWED MY TONGUE". I do not like that it has an understandable, quantifiable intelligence. I'd prefer it to be truly alien.

I love what Stross has done with Bob as a character. He is coming into his own as a formidable and scary operative. Stross has a way of writing perfectly sound, adult characters. Not particularly deep or extraordinary, just very sympathetic. I can relate to Bobs way of thinking about himself, homeownership, his relationship, his opinions of his coworkers, etc.

Now that we have gotten more information about the Laundry I also understand the way it works better. I loved the revelation in Apocalypse Codex that the whole Laundry is actually just a platform to support the Mahogany Row. It's very interesting but also leads me to wonder how many wizards, ninjas, weird beings, etc. are under its roof?

Now that Bob has become the Eater of Souls, I wonder what is going to happen with him. He was already scary, now he can just look at somebody and make them shit their pants. What kind of juice comes with the Title I wonder?

[Andorion]

Apt, on 26 December 2014 - 08:21 PM, said:

Just got caught up on this series. Based on my last post in this thread, I had a 4 year hiatus from the series. Read Fuller Memorandum, Apocalypse Codex and Rhesus Chart over the past couple months. Reading a geeky Vampire story over Christmas was fun.

In my last post I expressed concerns and a generally underwhelming opinion of the first two books. The next 3 books however completely turned it around. I love the world he'd built up around Bob. I think the situations, the world building, the characters are unique in the way that Stross approaches it all. It's like a geeky "what if" of dozens of fantasy and sci-tropes getting slammed together. I thoroughly enjoyed the nerdy "If I became a vampire, how would I adapt" kind of analysis of what a modern day, intelligent vampire would go through, in this latest book.

Now for the spoilers:

Spoiler

I loved the introduction of the Sleeper in the Pyramid. Very Lovecraftian. I was how ever disappointed that in the 4th book, the Sleeper is actually in contact with the Church leader and it comes off as more Dr. Claw than "OH GOD IT'S INSIDE MY HEAD I MUST SCREAM BUT I HAVE SWALLOWED MY TONGUE". I do not like that it has an understandable, quantifiable intelligence. I'd prefer it to be truly alien.

I love what Stross has done with Bob as a character. He is coming into his own as a formidable and scary operative. Stross has a way of writing perfectly sound, adult characters. Not particularly deep or extraordinary, just very sympathetic. I can relate to Bobs way of thinking about himself, homeownership, his relationship, his opinions of his coworkers, etc.

Now that we have gotten more information about the Laundry I also understand the way it works better. I loved the revelation in Apocalypse Codex that the whole Laundry is actually just a platform to support the Mahogany Row. It's very interesting but also leads me to wonder how many wizards, ninjas, weird beings, etc. are under its roof?

Now that Bob has become the Eater of Souls, I wonder what is going to happen with him. He was already scary, now he can just look at somebody and make them shit their pants. What kind of juice comes with the Title I wonder?

Knowing the Laundry I bet he gets to issue more sternly worded memos. Have you read Equoid? read Equoid. It blew my mind.

[Abyss]

In case anyone hasn't gotten the message yet...
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
UNBLOCKED CODE NIGHTMARE BLUE SPOILERS
SPOILERS FOR ALL
YES ALL
LAUNDRY
BOOKS
MO IS POSSESSED BY YOG SOGGOTH AND SHITS HER BABIES ALL OVER THE
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ON XMAS EVE
THERE I SPOILED YOU YOU HAD IT COMING
YOU WANT SOME MORE?
SPOILERS
I doubt we'll see Bob join Mahogany Row straight out. That would be entirely too efficient and logical for the Laundry to date. More likely he'll be saddled with a new batch of bumbling scheming bureaucrats and have to make his own power play, or shift to external assets.
I'm hopeful that we'll see some new heavy lifters like the people the vamps took out who are brought in to fill the gap.
It would also be neat to see Bob seconded to the Americans or another foreign Laundry equivalent.

[Aptorian]

Oh yeah, the scenes with the Nazgul and Control in Apocalypse Codex are probably my favorites of the entire series.

The utter disregard for anything approaching "civil" is so god damn mesmerizing. When Control takes over old agent guy, blows away the wife, asks a couple of questions and then blows it's own head off. Fuck that was a great scene.