Man! I love this serie! The first 4 books are among my favorite.
Cosmic Horror
A community to discuss Cosmic Horror in it's many forms; books, films, comics, art, TV, music, RPGs, video games etc.
"cosmic horror... is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock... themes of cosmic dread, forbidden and dangerous knowledge, madness, non-human influences on humanity, religion and superstition, fate and inevitability, and the risks associated with scientific discoveries... the sense that ordinary life is a thin shell over a reality that is so alien and abstract in comparison that merely contemplating it would damage the sanity of the ordinary person, insignificance and powerlessness at the cosmic scale..."
- Wikipedia
For more Lovecraft & Mythos-inspired Cosmic Horror:-!lovecraft_mythos@lemmy.world
I've been less enthusatic about the New Management spin-off but it sounds like we'll be getting back to the core series in the next few books.
Although it isn't set in the same fictional universe and lacks the comedy, his novelette "A Colder War" feels like a proof-of-concept for the Laundry Files and is free to read online.
If you are looking for more in this neck of the woods, then try Tim Powers' Declare (more le Carré than Deighton) or the RPG Delta Green which has a number of spin-off novels. There is a Laundry Files RPG too.
A Colder War is amazing.
I really enjoyed the first few Laundry Files novels (and novellas), but the most recent books don't have the same energy. Now that Stross has established the universe, and made MCs major players in it, the Office Space vibe is gone, which removes a lot of the humour. It's hard to quantify, but the recent books feel like contractual obligations: they don't have the same pep, and they aren't as fun to read.
Yeah, it feels like he has painted himself into a corner as the characters and setting has evolved. He's basically at a point where their actions are all world changing. He could focus on others or introduce another lower level character to the Laundry or, as CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN is imminent, just pull the trigger on it.
Nightmare Green is definitely coming, but that’s been the plan for a while. And he’s been pretty up front that the god guys can’t possibly win. Which makes it harder to read, since were invested and want a good ending. Seems like it’ll be more like a Delta Green ending - push back the darkness as long as possible and celebrate the fight as long as you can.
I've been going through all his books since I've discovered them a few months ago! Made me laugh so much at times!