Bob has come far, and is now sent to the USA with Penelope and Johnny (to him: external contractors), where they have to deal with a super-charismatic Christian Cult trying to wake the Sleeper in the Pyramid.
Stross’ style seems very different in this book: a lot of things are spelled out (compared to the earlier Laundry Files), we get to actually hear some third-person action that in earlier books might have been a sentence or a paragraph of not-quite-clear descriptions, references and guesswork. It’s different, not worse, though. The plot is solid and enjoyable, if a bit simple; typical double-crossing-insider-with-villanous-aspirations, but what can you do.
It’s a very European book, really, which I didn’t notice at the time. But seeing how my American friends react to this commentary on American religiousness, I realise I didn’t give the book enough credit the first time around.
