The Delirium Brief by Charles Stross science fiction book reviewsThe Delirium Brief by Charles Stross science fiction book reviewsThe Delirium Brief by Charles Stross

The Delirium Brief, which is a finalist for the 2018 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, is the eighth novel in Charles StrossLAUNDRY FILES. Don’t even bother with it if you haven’t read most of the previous novels — you’ll be totally lost. (And, of course, my review of this installment will contain some spoilers for the previous books.)

For decades the Laundry, a heretofore unknown British government agency, has been protecting its citizens (and others around the world) from the eldritch horrors that exist outside our universe. In modern times, the way these entities usually breach the veil between worlds is through the activities of unwitting hackers, mathematicians, and philosophers who start poking around where they shouldn’t.

Until recently, these facts were kept secret from the general public, but in the previous book, The Nightmare Stacks, an Elvish invasion sparked a military response and now everyone knows about the Laundry and, frankly, they aren’t too impressed. They are annoyed that the Laundry didn’t prevent the incursion, or the casualties and property damage, and they are even more horrified to discover an unregulated government agency in their midst.

Bob Howard, our lowly sysadmin who started at the Laundry years ago, is now in a senior management position due to a “clearing out of the org chart.” His estranged wife, Mo, is also moving up the ladder. Bob and Mo still love each other, but due to their conflicting supernatural powers, they are afraid to live together. Mo says, “mutually assured destruction is not a reasonable basis for a marriage.”Laundry Files by Charles Stross

But there’s not much time for Bob and Mo to work on their marriage because an old (in more ways than one) enemy has resurfaced: It’s Reverend Raymond Schiller, the televangelist from The Apocalypse Codex, and he’s even more evil than before! His cult, which owns numerous properties, companies, and politicians in the United States, is plotting to make the paths straight for the imminent arrival of their god (who is NOT the one they publicly claim on TV).

When one of Schiller’s defense companies makes a deal with the British government to take over the Laundry’s contract, the entire world is in grave danger and the Laundry feels forced to resort to aligning itself with a lesser evil. (And other questionable and not quite legal tactics.)

The Delirium Brief is exciting and amusing from the first paragraph until the last. The focus on Bob, our favorite character, is a welcome return to form for the series, but all of the supporting cast is there too, including Mo, of course, as well as Alex, Cassie, Persephone, Mhari, and even some surprises. The usual bureaucracy-bashing is present (“Power corrupts, but Powerpoint corrupts absolutely”) making The Delirium Brief funny, even though it’s so dark. The religious rituals observed by Reverend Schiller and his crew provide some horror elements which reminded me of Stross’ Hugo Award-winning novella Equoid. This part of the story is quite disturbing.

In the end, the Laundry made some choices that are sure to come back to bite them. I can’t wait to find out what happens next in The Labyrinth Index, scheduled for release in October. I listened to the audio version of The Delirium Brief which was produced by Recorded Books and narrated by actor Gideon Emery. He’s terrific. This book is nearly 14 hours long.

Published July 11, 2017. Someone is dead set to air the spy agency’s dirty laundry in The Delirium Brief, the next installment to Charles Stross’ Hugo Award-winning comedic dark fantasy Laundry Files series! Bob Howard’s career in the Laundry, the secret British government agency dedicated to protecting the world from unspeakable horrors from beyond spacetime, has entailed high combat, brilliant hacking, ancient magic, and combat with indescribably repellent creatures of pure evil. It has also involved a wearying amount of paperwork and office politics, and his expense reports are still a mess. Now, following the invasion of Yorkshire by the Host of Air and Darkness, the Laundry’s existence has become public, and Bob is being trotted out on TV to answer pointed questions about elven asylum seekers. What neither Bob nor his managers have foreseen is that their organization has earned the attention of a horror far more terrifying than any demon: a British government looking for public services to privatize. Inch by inch, Bob Howard and his managers are forced to consider the truly unthinkable: a coup against the British government itself.

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  • Kat Hooper

    KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance, Robin Hobb, Kage Baker, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Richard Matheson, and C.S. Lewis.

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