{"product_id":"9780356524658","title":"A Conventional Boy","description":"Author: Charles Stross\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9780356524658\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Little Brown\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 31 Mar 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 240 Format: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eA Conventional Boy\u003c\/i\u003e, the fate of the world will depend on a roll of the dice... twenty-sided dice, that is.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1984, Derek Reilly was just another teenage nerd growing up in middle England. But his love of D\u0026amp;D caused him to fall afoul of the Laundry, a government agency tasked with suppressing supernatural threats. It turns out that sometimes ninth level wizard spells drawn on the back of your maths textbook can look suspiciously like \u003ci\u003eactual\u003c\/i\u003e magic...\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDecades later, Derek is a long-term inmate at Camp Sunshine, a centre for deprogramming captured cultists. But Derek finally has reason to escape, and an escape plan to out into action: he wants to attend his first gaming convention. While Derek's D\u0026amp;D games were fictional, a game at the con really \u003ci\u003eis\u003c\/i\u003e a dread ritual designed to summon a great evil into our world, and it's up to Derek and his players to stop them.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe fate of the world may depend on the contents of Derek's dice bag.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Laundry Files series follows an agency of British spies who deal with supernatural threats; they also have to deal with chronic underfunding, government ministers, rival agencies and worst of all, each other. Think \u003ci\u003eSlow Horses \u003c\/i\u003ecrossed with the monsters from \u003ci\u003eStranger Things, \u003c\/i\u003ethis series is funny, nerdy, and a cult classic.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e***Publishing ahead of the final Laundry Files novel (\u003ci\u003eThe Regicide Report\u003c\/i\u003e), this new collection includes the never before published Laundry Files novel \u003ci\u003eA Conventional Boy\u003c\/i\u003e - inspired by the 1980s Satanic Panic - and two other short stories in this joyous celebration of all things Laundry Files.***\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this collection:\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e*A CONVENTIONAL BOY (53.3k words)\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e*DOWN ON THE FARM (12.7k words)\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e*OVERTIME (8.7k words)\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ealso includes exclusive afterword from Charles Stross","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67761665769630,"sku":"ADS-9780356524658","price":22.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9780356524658.jpg?v=1792730570","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9780356524658","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}