I've always had a fondness for what I like to call "Secret Services," clandestine government agencies tasked with investigating and policing the supernatural. Last fall, after rereading all of Mike Mignola's Hellboy and its related series with its BPRD, and watching with my daughter the first episodes of Jay Stephens's sublime Secret Saturdays (which ironically doesn't make my list, as the Saturdays don't appear to have any connection with the government, clandestine or otherwise), I got a wild hair. I would track down all of the examples of Secret Services I could find on my shelves, and profile each of them on my blog, Roberson's Interminable Ramble.
I figured that it would probably take me a few weeks to get through them all. Ha. Ha ha. Ha.
Now, months later, I've finally reached the end of my completely arbitrary analysis of Secret Services, ending with my own contribution to the list, MI8 as seen in my new novel End of the Century. And here they all are, for your delectation and diversion.
- Introduction
- The Guardians
- Department 7
- Bureau 13
- Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
- Vector 13
- The Diogenes Club
- Delta Green
- The Hellsing Organization
- CIB
- Section Zero
- Q
- The Laundry
- Department Q
- Bureau of Extra-Dimensional Liabilities and Management
- Torchwood
- MI-13
- The Lodge
- Occult Crimes Taskforce
- MI8
If like me you're a fan of this kind of thing, I'd recommend checking out End of the Century, in stores now. And if you prefer immortal swordsmen, gaslit detectives, heroic legacies, multiple realties and the like--well, you might want to check out End of the Century, too, because there's loads of that kind of stuff in there, as well.
End of the Century is made for me! Sold!
ReplyDeleteYou guys both need to read the other's take on Arthurian myth.
ReplyDeleteI held off reading Mark's books until I finished End of the Century, after seeing that we were tilling similar fields, but now I can't wait to check out the Pyr editions!
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