3.5
The Annihilation Score
By Charles StrossPublisher Description
Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross presents the next case in The Laundry Files, “a weirdly alluring blend of super-spy thriller, deadpan comic fantasy, and Lovecraftian horror” (Kirkus Reviews).
Dominique O’Brien—her friends call her Mo—lives a curious double life with her husband, Bob Howard. To the average civilian, they’re boring middle-aged civil servants. But within the labyrinthian secret circles of Her Majesty’s government, they’re operatives working for the nation’s occult security service known as the Laundry, charged with defending Britain against dark supernatural forces threatening humanity.
Mo’s latest assignment is assisting the police in containing an unusual outbreak: ordinary citizens suddenly imbued with extraordinary abilities of the super-powered kind. Unfortunately these people prefer playing super-pranks instead of super-heroics. The Mayor of London being levitated by a dumpy man in Trafalgar Square would normally be a source of shared amusement for Mo and Bob, but they’re currently separated because something’s come between them—something evil.
An antique violin, an Erich Zann original, made of human white bone, was designed to produce music capable of slaughtering demons. Mo is the custodian of this unholy instrument. It invades her dreams and yearns for the blood of her colleagues—and her husband. And despite Mo’s proficiency as a world class violinist, it cannot be controlled…
Dominique O’Brien—her friends call her Mo—lives a curious double life with her husband, Bob Howard. To the average civilian, they’re boring middle-aged civil servants. But within the labyrinthian secret circles of Her Majesty’s government, they’re operatives working for the nation’s occult security service known as the Laundry, charged with defending Britain against dark supernatural forces threatening humanity.
Mo’s latest assignment is assisting the police in containing an unusual outbreak: ordinary citizens suddenly imbued with extraordinary abilities of the super-powered kind. Unfortunately these people prefer playing super-pranks instead of super-heroics. The Mayor of London being levitated by a dumpy man in Trafalgar Square would normally be a source of shared amusement for Mo and Bob, but they’re currently separated because something’s come between them—something evil.
An antique violin, an Erich Zann original, made of human white bone, was designed to produce music capable of slaughtering demons. Mo is the custodian of this unholy instrument. It invades her dreams and yearns for the blood of her colleagues—and her husband. And despite Mo’s proficiency as a world class violinist, it cannot be controlled…
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities18 Reviews
3.5
astridterese
Created about 1 year agoShare
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TheReadHerring
Created over 1 year agoShare
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Cameron Mosbarger
Created over 1 year agoShare
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Matthew Royal
Created about 2 years agoShare
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“I love the Laundry Files. The premise mixing Computer Science with demonology is brilliant. The narration from snarky ol' Bob is enjoyable. But honestly, I had to force myself to keep trudging through this installment of the Laundry series, fueled by the memory of how good the previous books were.
The narration is by Bob's wife Mo, but it still sounds like Bob; Mo doesn't consistently have her own voice. Most of the scenes are attending interminable meetings with none of the sharp efficiency of the previous book on vampire executives. They are obligatory, tedious, and joyless. Some books late in a series consist of nothing but monologuing dinner party scenes: this book falls into that trap. The content is ok, but needs a rewrite from telling to showing.
Sadly, this series has been demoted from the top of my "save it so you can savor it" list to my bedtime book.”
Rob
Created over 2 years agoShare
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About Charles Stross
Charles Stross, born in 1964, is a full-time science fiction writer. The author of seven Hugo-nominated novels and winner of three Hugo Awards for best novella, Stross has had his work translated into more than twelve languages. He has worked as a pharmacist, software developer, and tech-industry journalist.
Other books by Charles Stross
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