A Conventional Boy

"A Conventional Boy" by Charles Stross, 2024, 253 pages, 78k words, Book #13 of the Laundry Files. Wait a minute, here's a post that says it is Book #13. OK, checking his wikipedia page I figured it out. This is book #13 of The Laundry Files, there are an additional 3 books in the affiliated Tales of the New Management series.

Over the years decades of this series, Charlie has explored many different tropes within the universe of fantasy & fiction. When the last 1 was a regency romance bodice-ripper, I think I suggested, & not for the 1st time, that Charlie should put the Laundry Files behind him. Charlie is such a great writer. But, I know, $$$.

So this installment, we get a love letter from Charlie to D&D. It's pretty standard, there is some bleedover with other novels in the series becoming D&D sessions - again, a sign that it's time to put a fork in this turkey.

The 1st long story ends somethat abruptly. Then, we get 2 short pieces featuring ... BOB HOWARD, the original protagonist of the series. I guess there had been requests for that. The 1st short story features - Santa Clause, as the Filler of Stockings - again, I'm sorry, but, trite. The 2nd short story, I'm not sure to what it was an homage - but I figure it must have been to something, that's the way this series is going.

The last Laundry Files was just over a year ago. My post on that installment was like, Charlie, time to give it up, time to move on. I mentioned that I emailed Cory Doctorow, suggested an intervention.

Charlie in his blog said maybe that he's done? He was asking for suggestions for where to go next. I suggested he should talk to Doctorow. They collaborated on "Rapture of the Nerds" in 2012. Doctorow seems to always have a lot of irons in the fire ...