The Annihiliation Score, by Charles Stross
Book Review by SJ Higbee
Dr. Mo O'Brien is an intelligence agent at the top secret government agency known as 'the Laundry'. When occult powers threaten the realm, they'll be there to clean up the mess -- and deal with the witnesses. But the Laundry is recovering from a devastating attack and when average citizens all over the country start to develop supernatural powers, the police are called in to help. Mo is appointed as official police liaison, but in between dealing with police bureaucracy, super powered members of the public and disgruntled politicians, Mo discovers to her horror that she can no longer rely on her marriage, nor on the weapon that has been at her side for eight years of undercover work, the possessed violin known as 'Lecter'. Also, a mysterious figure known as Dr Freudstein has started sending threatening messages to the police, but who is he and what is he planning?
This extract from the Laundry Files is told in Mo's viewpoint, rather than Bob's, the usual protagonist who features in these adventures. Mo is Bob's wife, who is sent out to regularly confront the grisly and terrible creatures with her bone violin. The sticker on the violin case THIS MACHINE KILLS DEMONS isn't a joke... So it was treat to actually have her first person viewpoint.
I've read a few reviews complaining about what a bitch she is -- but she's teetering on the edge of full PTSD, while wrestling for control of her soul and psyche with the violin she uses as a weapon. If Stross had presented her as a softer-edged character, full of concerns about her husband's woes while all this grief was piling up at her door, the book would have gone flying across the room. Of course, she's taken up with her own concerns -- I think Stross has done a first class job of writing her. The only grizzle I have is the rather constant harping on about middle-aged women turning invisible -- given she's beautiful (Bob has told us she is and I've no reason to doubt him) and only in her early forties, she shouldn't be turning into wallpaper given the strength and charisma she displays in other situations. It grated because, while it can be a problem for women who have spent their vital years running around after spoiled children and a demanding spouse, Mo clearly doesn't fall into that category so it struck a false note.
However, it's a relatively minor niggle in a tour de force. Mo's spiky tetchiness pings off the pages as she finds herself attending meetings and trying to defend her fledgling department's performance. Being mired in office politics and PowerPoint presentations while trying to save the world from the outbreak of superhero powers manifesting within the general population seems an all too realistic probability. I also really enjoyed the discussions about the uniforms they are supposed to be wearing. While Mo doesn't have the sardonic, world-weary humor Bob regularly displays, there was plenty in this book that had me quietly grinning.
But her gritted desperation as she battles to hold it all together without Bob's support is palpable. I found her timed crying jags very poignant -- especially as there isn't an ounce of self pity on display. The story line worked well within the series, though I'm aware there is a steady heightening of the stakes and I do wonder how it plays out and whether they all survive intact. This particular crisis was brought to a satisfying end, though I have found myself pondering this book quite a bit since I finished reading it -- always a strong sign I've read something special. This is a great addition and, for me, one of the best books in the series to date.SJ's Brainfluff
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