The Atrocity Archives (Laundry Files Series)

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More About This Book

Overview

Charles Stross takes a departure from his epic science fiction to craft this cross between Len Deighton—style espionage and H.P. Lovecraftian horror.

Bob Howard is a computer-hacker desk jockey, who has more than enough trouble keeping up with the endless paperwork he has to do on a daily basis. He should never be called on to do anything remotely heroic.

But somehow, he is...

Editorial Reviews

Paul Di Filippo
Like his peer Cory Doctorow, Stross has an ironic Generation X sensibility conditioned, in his case, by time spent in the simultaneously thrilling and boring world of information technology. In The Atrocity Archives, Stross's genius lies in devoting fully as much time to the bureaucratic shenanigans of the Laundry as he does to its thaumaturgic mission. What with all the persnickety time-charts and useless meetings Howard has to deal with, it's a wonder the world gets saved at all.
— The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Lovecraft's Cthulhu meets Len Deighton's spies in Stross's latest, as the Scottish author explains in his afterword to this offbeat book offering two related long novellas, "The Atrocity Archive" and "The Concrete Jungle" (the latter previously unpublished). With often hilarious results, the author mixes the occult and the mundane, the truly weird and the petty. In "Atrocity," Bob, a low-level computer fix-it guy for the Laundry, a supersecret British agency that defends the world from occult happenings, finds himself promoted to fieldwork after he bravely saves the day during a routine demonstration gone awry. With his Palm, aka his Hand of Glory (a severed hand that, when ignited, renders the holder invisible), and his smarts, he saves the world from a powerful external force seeking to enter our universe to suck it dry. In "Jungle," Bob teams up with a cop, Josephine, to save the Laundry from a powermonger who seeks to stage an internal coup by using zombies as her minions. Amid all the bizarre happenings are the everyday trappings of a British bureaucracy. Bob gets called on the carpet by his bosses because he requested backup during an emergency without first getting his supervisor's okay and filling out the requisite forms. Though the characters all tend to sound the same, and Stross resorts to lengthy summary explanations to dispel confusion, the world he creates is wonderful fun. Agent, Caitlin Blasdell at Liza Dawson Associates. (May) FYI: Known as a short story writer, Stross has published only one novel, The Singularity Sky (Forecasts, July 7, 2003). Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
Library Journal
In the title novella, originally serialized in Spectrum SF, sorcerous Nazis summon an ancient Evil into the world in a desperate attempt to escape the approaching Allies, and a few courageous individuals must thwart the terror from beyond the world. Along with "The Concrete Jungle," the tale of a computer hacker's embroilment in a power struggle among spies, and an essay on sf and suspense ("Inside the Fear Factory"), this volume highlights Stross's storytelling expertise and vivid imagination. For large sf collections. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780441016686
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 12/30/2008
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback
  • Pages: 368
  • Sales rank: 204,857
  • Series: Laundry Files Series
  • Product dimensions: 4.10 (w) x 6.70 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Charles Stross was born in Leeds, England in 1964. He holds degrees in pharmacy and computer science, and has worked in a variety of jobs including pharmacist, technical author, software engineer, and freelance journalist. He is now a full-time writer.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 58 )

Rating Distribution

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(33)

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(20)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 58 Customer Reviews

  • Posted June 20, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    9780441016747 9780451462565 9780451462787

    Fantastic take on the Spy/Horror genre

    For those that enjoy dark fantasy but have gotten overwhelmed by all of recent entries to the field. This book provides for a fresh view story that draws upon such authors as Lovecraft, Butcher, and Green. The author faithfully represents "real" spy work as being full of government forms and office politics that make actual hazards seem like relief. Combining a story line part Bond and part Cthulhu the characters are as deep as Butcher's with the action and pace of Green's Drood and Nightside series. I would recommend this for anyone that is looking for something out of the norm but extremely entertaining.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 24, 2009

    espionage, bureaucratic comedy and otherworldly horror

    Combines espionage, bureaucratic comedy and otherworldly horror in a wonderfully entertaining way. Len Deighton and H. P. Lovecraft meet Dilbert!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 22, 2006

    A great book

    While this book contains some over the top 'Dilbert-esque' office politics - a lot of the idiocy rings true to life. While this book *is* very funny, it also contains a lot of cool ideas, and is much more than just a spoof. The main character is smarter than he should be, and starts to realize that he is in a purposefully dead-end job. As the story progresses, you realize this is true. It is easier for the government to employ (and dead-end) smart people with 'dangerous' ideas than it is to control the spread of those ideas. This is an overlooked book and a great read.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 9, 2008

    more from this reviewer

    Wild and zany

    'The Atrocity Archive'. .The mission of the ultra top secret British espionage agency the Laundry is to defend the crown against occult attacks. The agency employs a variety of employees, but perhaps at the lowest rung is Bob, a computer repairman. However, Bob stops what could have been a nasty incident occurring during a demonstration. His reward is a leap into the cold to save the world from devastation from beyond that plans to snack on the universe once this essence pierces the once thought of impregnable barrier.----- 'The Concrete Jungle'. The country starting with the Laundry is in trouble as some big shot plans to change agents into zombies so that he can take over the country and ultimately the world. Only Agent Bob and local police officer Josephine stand in the way of stopping the zombie attack, but first he must explain why he failed to follow standard operating procedures when he called for backup during a deadly confrontation in which he failed to fill out the proper form and going through the chain of command. Saving the world does not stop a written reprimand and counseling as follow the rules not logic prevails.-------- Taking Get Smart into a technological paranormal world is what the novel (The Atrocity Archives) and the novella (The Concrete Jungle) is all about as Bob battles supernatural combatants and the bureaucracy with differing but always humorous results. Both tales are satirical fun as the espionage thriller goes through the rinse cycle as only officious government regulations would expect. Charles Stross writes a wild zany pair of occult spy escapades.------- Harriet Klausner

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 3, 2005

    Very good read

    This is an entertaining read, and involves Nazis, computer hackers, and the Great Old Ones! It's vastly amusing, and the brain-eaters and modernized magic make it even more so. Perfect for a cold, rainy night... The only problem is, it's a bit anticlimatic. But it's worth a read for the scenario alone.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 4, 2012

    Cthulhu meets Spy vs Spy

    I have been a fan of Charles Stross for a while but when I first tried this book I made it through The Atrocity Archives story and never read the rest, and put my hardcover away. Wow was that a mistake, when I started reading and loving The Rook and kept seeing in the reviews Stross's books keep coming up I thought I would retry them and was delighted that I did. Some of the most fun reading I have done this year. Based on different spy writers and adding Cthulhu is one of the best things that could have been done. If you are fans of either of these genres you need to give these books a try. With the added comedy of did the paper pushers constantly coming after you not for any killing or country saving you might have done but about not filling out the proper paper work. You just know that is where all the problems would come from. Great book, and the start of a great series, I have the Fuller Memorandum left to read before the new book comes out this summer and can not wait. From reading Charles's Blog I know this is his favorite series of books and can not wait for more. If you like spies Cthulhu and some comedy in a wacky mix this will be a god read.

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