I picked this up in a Barnes and Nobles in Florida, read a few pages, was summoned away to gather the kids and take them home, and later picked it up I picked this up in a Barnes and Nobles in Florida, read a few pages, was summoned away to gather the kids and take them home, and later picked it up online. I now feel like I owe BN a book purchase, or maybe two, as this might have been my favorite read this summer. Myfanwy Thomas (rhymes with Tiffany) comes to consciousness standing in a circle of unconscious bodies with no idea of who she is or how she got there. She learns quickly that she is a Rook in the Checquy, a secret British agency comprised of people with special powers (some exceedingly odd) -- and spends the rest of the book figuring out precisely what that means and how she ended up in the pickle she was in at the start....more
This was the first of two series that I read this summer that ended on a doozie that made me anxious for the next book (the other was Charlie Stross'sThis was the first of two series that I read this summer that ended on a doozie that made me anxious for the next book (the other was Charlie Stross's Laundry series)....more
Peter Grant is a London constable and apprentice wizard, mentored to the wizard and senior DCI Nightingale. He's also the son of an almost-big jazz muPeter Grant is a London constable and apprentice wizard, mentored to the wizard and senior DCI Nightingale. He's also the son of an almost-big jazz musician, so when someone starts magically killing off jazz men, we quickly get some snapshots of his parents. By this time, Peter is not the only apprentice wizard around -- Leslie, his partner from the previous book, is now on the case with him....more
I picked this up because of the recommendation at the end of The Rook (which I in turn picked up because it caught my eye on the book store shelf). A I picked this up because of the recommendation at the end of The Rook (which I in turn picked up because it caught my eye on the book store shelf). A classic tale of cop meets ghost, cop gets apprenticed to senior detective chief inspector who is also a wizard, cop gets stuck on supernatural murder mystery. Also, the rivers that run through London play a major role, though not as you might think.
Apart from Peter, Leslie, and Nightingale (and, of course, the aforementioned Rivers), the city of London is practically a character of its own -- and a pretty good one....more
In which Bob Howard, computational demonologist and IT guy for a top-secret British agency tasked with dealing with magical mayhem and Lovecraftian hoIn which Bob Howard, computational demonologist and IT guy for a top-secret British agency tasked with dealing with magical mayhem and Lovecraftian horrors, goes to Denver to deal with an out-of-control megachurch....more
In which Bob Howard, computational demonologist and IT guy for a top-secret British agency tasked with dealing with magical mayhem and Lovecraftian hoIn which Bob Howard, computational demonologist and IT guy for a top-secret British agency tasked with dealing with magical mayhem and Lovecraftian horrors, learns the history of his mentor and deals with further misadventures with management....more
In which Bob Howard, computational demonologist and IT guy for a top-secret British agency tasked with dealing with magical mayhem and Lovecraftian hoIn which Bob Howard, computational demonologist and IT guy for a top-secret British agency tasked with dealing with magical mayhem and Lovecraftian horrors, gets stuck in a James Bond plot....more
My father recommended this, so I picked it up -- and kept reading all the way through the most recent volume. Reads like... Stephenson meets LovecraftMy father recommended this, so I picked it up -- and kept reading all the way through the most recent volume. Reads like... Stephenson meets Lovecraft, perhaps? The central premise is that magic is real (and a branch of computational mathematics), the result of theorems that bridge between universes [insert commentary re: willing suspension of disbelief]. And so of course the British government has an overly-bureaucratic secret agency tasked with keeping it secret. The narrator of these books, Bob Howard, is a hapless computational demonologist employed by this agency, the Laundry; in addition to dealing with Lovecraftian horrors, he also is the IT guy for his office. Oh, and he goes to a lot of committee meetings and has bad luck with managers.
I did enjoy the geekiness of the whole thing....more
This book was on my dad's shelf growing up, somewhere around where he kept Asimov, Aspirin, Heinlein, and so many others. I'm never really objective wThis book was on my dad's shelf growing up, somewhere around where he kept Asimov, Aspirin, Heinlein, and so many others. I'm never really objective when reviewing, but here even less than normal. It's a part of my childhood. I wonder what I would think if I read it now?...more
Dresden meets Ghostbusters for a pint in a London pub. Not so many explosions, of course, and a tin whistle is a bit less clearly intimidating than a Dresden meets Ghostbusters for a pint in a London pub. Not so many explosions, of course, and a tin whistle is a bit less clearly intimidating than a wizard's staff. Is there a bit of the whimsey of Discworld in the background? Or wait: maybe I wanted Garrett, PI, as a comparison?
Comparisons aside, this kept me up past my bedtime....more
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