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mikehex's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
laticsexile's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Jasper Fforde meets Len Deighton. Any book that references both Half Man Half Biscuit and Delta Green RPG has to be a winner.
Being picky, the female characters are possibly less well described than their male equivalents and the story gets a bit rushed and trips over itself during the action sequences. Overall a good yarn, written with wit and style. Will definitely investigate the other books. Have also backed the Laundry Files RPG kickstarter
Being picky, the female characters are possibly less well described than their male equivalents and the story gets a bit rushed and trips over itself during the action sequences. Overall a good yarn, written with wit and style. Will definitely investigate the other books. Have also backed the Laundry Files RPG kickstarter
mcr314's review against another edition
5.0
It's a great book.
So great that I'm reading it again.
I do not know if non-geeks will get all the Unix references, or if it matters, but it's nice that they are there.
So great that I'm reading it again.
I do not know if non-geeks will get all the Unix references, or if it matters, but it's nice that they are there.
blacksphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
It's been awhile since I've encountered a Men Writing Women moment, but I think a hot math professor asking our male protagonist to regale her with stories of his "psycho bitch" ex girlfriend it really up there. (As far as I could tell, the woman was a "psycho bitch" because she... was polyamorous, had attempted suicide before, and got into arguments with the protagonist off screen. What terrible crimes!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Body horror, Sexism, and Gun violence
Moderate: Murder and Suicide
Minor: Kidnapping, War, Confinement, Grief, Genocide, and Homophobia
Radiation effects on humans and animals. Discussions of Nazis and the holocaust.zoefruitcake's review against another edition
3.0
When I read about this I thought it was just up my street and fundamentally it was, however, I found that the print was far too small and the author was trying too hard to be clever/funny which detracted from the essentially good plot
simonbrianlee's review against another edition
2.0
An Acquired Taste
An odd novel. If you're really into late 90s computing and horror, then you'll likely enjoy this, however as just a horror fan this left me quite cold. When the first story ended and the second began (yes, it's two books in one), it felt like a real slog to get through to the end. This is a book that is most definitely for a very particular audience.
An odd novel. If you're really into late 90s computing and horror, then you'll likely enjoy this, however as just a horror fan this left me quite cold. When the first story ended and the second began (yes, it's two books in one), it felt like a real slog to get through to the end. This is a book that is most definitely for a very particular audience.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
3.0
I have had some experience with Charles Stross and the Laundry Files, in that there a a couple of very enjoyable short stories over on tor.com about it. It was these short stories that led me to this first book in the series, with the added bonus of his 2005 Hugo award winning, and Locus nominated novella [b:The Concrete Jungle|8488439|The Concrete Jungle (Laundry Files, #1.5)|Charles Stross|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575744653l/8488439._SX50_.jpg|13353809].
This was a bit more "sciencey" than I expected it to be. I'm not sure if this series will really be a good fit for my "lite and fluffy" summer reading focus. But it was an enjoyable book and I definitely want to read more about The Laundry and the denizens that inhabit it.
I found Bob Howard to be a likable character, and found the occasional science/programmers "info drops" to be only slightly annoying. I blame this lack of annoyance on seeing every episode of "The Big Bang Theory." That show was the king on the info drop, but did it in such a funny way. This book sort of reminded me of that TV show, mixed with a little X-Files, and just a dash of Parks and Recreation (It might be a dash of The Office, but I can honestly say I have never seen an episode of that show. And I can do it with my head held high and unashamed.) It is this dollop of humor that really makes these books work. Now it does tend to be a bit of a dry humor, but Charles Stross is British.
All in all, I enjoyed this book, and I think I will enjoy this series, I'm just not sure if I will be enjoying it this summer, or this fall. Ah, first world problems are a beoch!
This was a bit more "sciencey" than I expected it to be. I'm not sure if this series will really be a good fit for my "lite and fluffy" summer reading focus. But it was an enjoyable book and I definitely want to read more about The Laundry and the denizens that inhabit it.
I found Bob Howard to be a likable character, and found the occasional science/programmers "info drops" to be only slightly annoying. I blame this lack of annoyance on seeing every episode of "The Big Bang Theory." That show was the king on the info drop, but did it in such a funny way. This book sort of reminded me of that TV show, mixed with a little X-Files, and just a dash of Parks and Recreation (It might be a dash of The Office, but I can honestly say I have never seen an episode of that show. And I can do it with my head held high and unashamed.) It is this dollop of humor that really makes these books work. Now it does tend to be a bit of a dry humor, but Charles Stross is British.
All in all, I enjoyed this book, and I think I will enjoy this series, I'm just not sure if I will be enjoying it this summer, or this fall. Ah, first world problems are a beoch!
bigs2021's review against another edition
3.0
I want to love this book because the story is exactly what I’ve been searching for. And it is well written and fun at times. I absolutely adore the idea behind it, but I just couldn’t get into the storytelling. I didn’t connect with the characters, I felt like it was kind of cheesy at times, and even though the scientific language was quite sophisticated, it came off as just silly to me. A friend of mine tells me I have to keep reading, and that they get better, but I’m not sure I have the fortitude.
geoff_ce's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
songwind's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a truly remarkable blend of humor, horror, and alternate history. Stross creates an atmosphere of horror and uncertainty, built around the mathematical principles that his computer-scientist heroes cling to, while peppering it with a bureaucratic humor immediately identifiable to anyone who has worked for the government.
There are a lot of references to mathematical and comp-sci theory in the book, but they happen in such a way that one does not have to be intimately familiar with them to enjoy the work.
There are a lot of references to mathematical and comp-sci theory in the book, but they happen in such a way that one does not have to be intimately familiar with them to enjoy the work.