User Profile

Matthew Royal

masyukun@books.theunseen.city

Joined 1 year, 11 months ago

Reading, Programming, Cooking, Renaissance Music

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Matthew Royal's books

Currently Reading (View all 10)

Tim MacWelch: Ultimate Self-Sufficiency Manual : (200+ Tips for Living off the Grid, for the Modern Homesteader, New for 2020, Homesteading, Shelf Stable Foods, Sustainable Energy, Home Remedies) (2021, Weldon Owen, Incorporated) 3 stars

Review of 'Ultimate Self-Sufficiency Manual : (200+ Tips for Living off the Grid, for the Modern Homesteader, New for 2020, Homesteading, Shelf Stable Foods, Sustainable Energy, Home Remedies)' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I am now self-sufficient.

Charles Stross: The Annihilation Score (2015) 3 stars

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER ... Dr Mo O'Brien is an intelligence agent at the top …

Review of 'The annihilation score' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I love the Laundry Files. The premise mixing Computer Science with demonology is brilliant. The narration from snarky ol' Bob is enjoyable. But honestly, I had to force myself to keep trudging through this installment of the Laundry series, fueled by the memory of how good the previous books were.

The narration is by Bob's wife Mo, but it still sounds like Bob; Mo doesn't consistently have her own voice. Most of the scenes are attending interminable meetings with none of the sharp efficiency of the previous book on vampire executives. They are obligatory, tedious, and joyless. Some books late in a series consist of nothing but monologuing dinner party scenes: this book falls into that trap. The content is ok, but needs a rewrite from telling to showing.

Sadly, this series has been demoted from the top of my "save it so you can savor it" list to my …