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jmkemp's review against another edition
5.0
Bob is back, and the whole Laundry series just levelled up a couple of notches. I'm a major fan of Charlie Stross and have read his entire output. The Laundry is right up my street (being a civil servant with more than a passing interest in IT). This novel even more so, because it gets into other areas that I've got a professional interest in too.
In terms of broad storyline, the Delirium Brief brings back some old characters and uncovers secrets that were compartmented away from Bob in the earlier stories. It also shows more of the inner workings and rationale for the Laundry that Bob wouldn't have either known about or cared much about if he had known.
The Delirium Brief of the title is a file passed to the Laundry by the US Postal inspectorate. They've got an occult watching brief and have been taken out by internal rivals just as the story starts. The file is shared because the Laundry might be about to share the same fate.
In parallel Mo and Bob are trying to work on their marriage. We see more of how they are becoming powerful in their own ways, and how they try to deal with it and support each other. It's an interesting meta story laying across several of the recent novels.
There's an end of days feel to the entire book. Even the ending isn't quite a we saved the world again. It's more of a case of survival and wondering if that can work again.
In terms of broad storyline, the Delirium Brief brings back some old characters and uncovers secrets that were compartmented away from Bob in the earlier stories. It also shows more of the inner workings and rationale for the Laundry that Bob wouldn't have either known about or cared much about if he had known.
The Delirium Brief of the title is a file passed to the Laundry by the US Postal inspectorate. They've got an occult watching brief and have been taken out by internal rivals just as the story starts. The file is shared because the Laundry might be about to share the same fate.
In parallel Mo and Bob are trying to work on their marriage. We see more of how they are becoming powerful in their own ways, and how they try to deal with it and support each other. It's an interesting meta story laying across several of the recent novels.
There's an end of days feel to the entire book. Even the ending isn't quite a we saved the world again. It's more of a case of survival and wondering if that can work again.
therafa's review against another edition
5.0
I am glad that The Laundry Files are on track again. I didn't like the last couple of books as much but this one is great and left me with a hunger for more. Can't wait to see how everything keeps going down the drain and what other unspeakable creatures loom in the dark waste waters of this Armageddon.
exile's review against another edition
3.0
Well. Nyarlhotep is now prime minister. That's a change of pace...
danielwestheide's review against another edition
4.0
As a long-time fan of the Laundry series, I really enjoyed The Delirium Brief. This book is full of old acquaintances, not only Laundry personell, but also adversaries. Unlike in previous books, many of these are not introduced in detail. This has two consequences: First, old Laundry fans will not be not bored with unnecessary context they already know. Secondly, this is the least appropriate book to start with. You'll really get the most out of this if you are already familiar with almost all of the previous books.
saoki's review against another edition
5.0
*screams incoherently at the cliffhanger ending*
I love this series.
I love this series.
marpesea's review against another edition
4.0
So good, so very good, but HOW CAN YOU END THINGS THERE!?
dmpphoto's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I have really enjoyed this series on its twists and turns, even if the last few books felt a bit like rabbit trails very interesting but rabbit trails none the less. I feel like the series found focus again in a great way, tying the tangents together in an intense knot. It was really nice to see all of my favorite characters reunited in this story with that signature blend of logistics and magic, board meeting and budgets mixed with spells and intrigue that I have come to love and expect from Charles Stross's writing. It really gives a sense of realism to a story to urban fantasy. Its totally worth reading.
cheshire_the_cat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0