"Doctor Walden looked glumly at the form she had o fill in." There are so many books set in magical schools, but have you ever wondered how it all looks from the teachers' point of view? Incandescent (which comes from a piece of poetry where it rhymes with 'adolescence', in case you're wondering) follows Saffy … Continue reading The Incandescent – Emily Tesh
"Come sit here by me, Copernicus." Following in his late father's footsteps, Copernicus Brown is a bounty hunter and captain of the Jitterbug. Ever since something unknown took apart the outer planets - Jupiter, Saturn et al - and used the material to build giant, habitable 'platforms', there's been work to support the official security … Continue reading Jitterbug – Gareth L Powell
"Things are getting better: It's been ten months, and I only wake up screaming about once a week now." And so we continue the adventures of one Bob Howard, computational demonologist for the secret government department nicknamed The Laundry (because it was originally housed above a laundry, of course) which deals with the ... weirder … Continue reading The Apocalypse Codex – Charles Stross
"This is the story of how I die." Well, that's a cheery start. And perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, as it's not been a cheery kind of series overall, although I have found this trilogy of novellas to be less dark and much easier to read than the book that started it all, Who Fears Death. … Continue reading The Daughter Who Remains – Nnedi Okorafor
"Sometimes, it is NOT a teacher that you need." One Way Witch follows directly on not from the previous novella in the series, She Who Knows, but rather from the earlier novel, Who Fears Death, while at the same time continuing with Najeeba's story from the novella. Confused yet?! I read the first novella in … Continue reading One Way Witch – Nnedi Okorafor
"For reasons unknown to everyone, Sherlock Holmes' birthday is celebrated every year on January 6." It's time to return once more to the Sherlock Holmes bookstore, run by ex-pat, Gemma Doyle, who might not actually be related to the famous author but shares the deductive reasoning skills of the even more famous fictional detective! These … Continue reading The Devil is in the Details – Vicki Delany
"There can be only One True Religion. Are you feeling lucky, believer?" Each book in the Laundry Files so far jumps forward about 3 years, and Bob Howard is progressing quickly in his career. At the moment he's in that awkward phase of being seen as capable and reliable by his bosses, while still being … Continue reading The Fuller Memorandum – Charles Stross
"The guys from the 'A' and 'B' crews have been sitting on their collective ass for five weeks, out in the middle of nowhere." When we were introduced to Bob Howard, Computational Demonologist for the secret government department set up to deal with otherworldly horrors, aka the Laundry, in The Atrocity Archives, many people used a description … Continue reading The Jennifer Morgue – Charles Stross
"Green sky at night; hacker's delight." Imagine the IT department of the X-Files, but in a very bureaucratic, very British civil service department. Here you will find Bob, who was not given much of a choice about working for the 'Laundry' (as it has been dubbed) after his geeky mind delved a little too deep … Continue reading The Atrocity Archives – Charles Stross
"People went missing on Giant." Seventeen seemingly unrelated missing persons cases have piqued Investigator Mossa's attention, and she once again asks for help from friend - more than friend? - Pleiti. Can a scholarly background provide more insights into the cases and uncover any links at all? Does missing mean dead - murdered or otherwise … Continue reading The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles – Malka Older
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