my office at the office, and...

Here is my office at the office, and my office at home. Yes, that is the Robot from "Lost in Space", and yes, that is the handle of a gladius.

"Discount Armageddon"

”I really don’t think you should put your hand inside the manticore, dear. You don’t know where it’s been.”

Thus begins “Discount Armageddon”, first in a new series by Seanan McGuire, author of the “October Daye” urban-fantasy novels.

Back in the 19th Century, Verity Price’s family used to belong with the Covenant of St George, whose holy mission it was to destroy the monsters that threatened Humanity. Except that, one day, greatgreatgrandpapa started asking questions about the need for extermination and, with a few rude words to the Covenant, he quit. His family has been in hiding in Oregon since then, what with the Covenant not taking no for an answer. This is why Verity keeps a secret identity as she juggles the pursuit of a career as a ballroom dancer in the Big Apple while protecting the monsters who live hidden among us, some of whom also work as waitresses with her at a strip club owned by an actual bogeyman. Did I mention that she sublets a sasquatch’s Greenwich Village appartment? Did I also mention the talking mice that share the place with her and see her as a religious figure?

Things start getting really interesting when Verity gets literally snared by one of the Covenant’s hunters. She doesn’t take too kindly to Dominic having killed non-sentient monsters who were minding their own business and keeping the pigeon population down, but she most strenuously object to his planned slaying of her friends who also happen to be monsters. He firmly denies he has anything to do with the recent disappearance of more and more female monsters, and they eventually realize that a snake cult is behind this, obviously a bunch of idiots, in Verity’s opinion, if they think that the currently sleeping big lizard will care if their offerings are virgins or not.

Recommended.