★★★★★ We need more Yoko!

Escape from Yokai Land

Charles Stross

Escape from Yokai Land: A Laundry Files Novella immediately follows The Rhesus Chart, novel 5 in Charles Stross's Laundry Files, and takes place contemporaneously with novel 6, The Annihilation Score. The Rhesus Chart ended with the Vampire Apocalypse, in which the New Annex was attacked by a vampire sorcerer who was defeated, but in the process took down several senior Laundry personnel, including Bob Howard's old boss Angleton.

Angleton was host to the Hungry Ghost known as the Eater of Souls. In The Fuller Memorandum Bob had become entangled with the Eater of Souls. When Angleton departed this plane of existence the Eater of Souls stuck around, adopting Bob as his new host. Consequently Bob is Angleton's successor, both in his formal organizational role and his capacity as a powerful Laundry sorcerer. It turns out Angleton was keeping a lid on many dangerous situations all round the world. Now that he's gone Bob is run ragged trying to keep all those lids screwed tight.

One problem area is in Japan. They request a visit from Angleton, and Bob goes in his place. There he meets his interpreter/handler Yoko Suzuki, a not-quite human member of Japan's occult intelligence services. Awkwardness ensues

“I regret that there seems to be a miscommunication: I’m not Dr. Angleton.”

Her smile becomes just slightly rigid. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I am Yoko Suzuki, and I was expecting to welcome Dr. Angleton back to Japan on behalf of the Miyamoto Group. May I ask your name?”

“I’m Bob Howard. I’m afraid Dr. Angleton is unavailable. I’m his replacement.” I stifle a jaw-cracking yawn. “He … well, I’m afraid his records of his previous visits here are incomplete, so anything you can tell me would be very helpful. I—” My battle against yawning fails. “Oh, I’m sorry. Long flight!”

Ms. Suzuki, whose expression has gone from one of respectful welcome to implying that I shot her kitten, blinks at me. “Ah, I see.”

Escape from Yokai Land grew out of a visit to Sanrio Puroland Stross made with his wife. Puroland, if you are not familiar, is a Hello Kitty theme park near Tokyo. (Indeed, the original title for the novella, Escape from Puroland, was abandoned for fear of legal problems with Sanrio. Nevertheless, Puroland is explicitly mentioned half a dozen times.)

Escape from Yokai Land is pure fun. It's not deep, and it's not essential to the Laundry Files chronology. But it's a gas -- it has the most amusing kaiju you'll ever meet. Also neko-girl Yoko Suzuki is a splendid character, well voiced by narrator Gideon Emery. In fact, my main disappointment with Escape from Yokai Land is that we never find out what happened to Suzuki-san in the end. Escape from Yokai Land needs an epilog.

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