The Fuller Memorandum (Laundry Files Novel) [Hardcover]

The book is hard to classify; is it Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Urban Science Fiction or as is suggested in the blurb on the front cover of the book is it a Lovecraftian Spy Thriller? Even after reading the book I'm hard pressed to say. I'd say it's Urban something because of the setting, but since I haven't read any Lovecraft I can't say whether Lovecraftian spy thriller isn't an apter description. It has an undeniably high spy level though. When Bob sits down with Panin for a pint and a civilised little chat, it's classic spy and I kept expecting them to suddenly whip into action all James Bond-like. But it's spy mixed with the paranormal, which we see on the first job Bob goes on in the book. At this job his PDA gets fried in a thaumathurgical mishap and this led to the scene which had me laughing out loud at the book for the first of many times, the buying of the Jesus Phone.

Because make no mistake the book is hilarious; it had me laughing out loud, reading passages to my husband and itching to get back to it whenever I had to put the book down. The references are fab, there are a lot of allusions to well-known modern day phenomena, such as the book Bob reads on the train "a novel about a private magician for hire in Chicago" (sound familiar anyone?) or the new iPhone Bob buys to replace his PDA. That scene where he goes and buys the iPhone had me in stitches. As someone who really wants an iPhone next time I need a new mobile phone, I completely understood the lure of the Jesus Phone as Bob put it. I loved the fact that Stross attributed the lure of the iPhone to it being designed by an intuitive magician who put a glamour on it.

The Dutch references in the book made me laugh too. I especially loved the bit where Bob has a meeting and one of the attendees is called Franz Gustaffson, who is presented as the representative for the Dutch Intelligence Service, AIVD. Right at the point where I was getting grumbly about such an obviously non-Dutch name for a Dutchie, Bob throws out a line about his dad being Danish, hence the weird name. And I seriously loved that. No one else might appreciate that but a fellow Dutch person, but I loved the Dutch elements in the book.

There were some typically British things that had me puzzled a little such as the ESB that Bob drinks in the pub. I actually had to Google that to find out that it was Extra Special Bitter! In fact the language and atmosphere of The Fuller Memorandum exudes Britishness, which would seem obvious for a novel set in London, but often in novels set in the 'real' world, the only thing that places it in a particular location is the fact we're told it takes place there. Not this book though and I really appreciated that.

Starting out as a fun and interesting read, The Fuller Memorandum ends up a real page turner. I couldn't put it down for roughly the last third of the book. I loved the rollercoaster ride to the ending; the twists and turns kept me reading and the ending was both satisfying and frustrating as it left me wanting to read more about The Laundry. While Stross plans on writing more Laundry novels, no date for those has been set, so until then I'll have to be satisfied with reading the first two Laundry books, The Atrocity Archives and The Jennifer Morgue and the two short stories that were published on Tor.com.

I really enjoyed this instalment of Bob Howard and the Laundry, picked it up and 5pm put it down finished at 2am. Gripping narrative which kept me turning pages way past the time I wanted to be asleep. A markedly dark work, with very black humour and a seriously nasty narrative concerning attempts to accelerate the end of the world and a traitor within the laundry. As usual, the characterisation, both of human protagonists and organisational gestalt is excellent, if we had an occult intelligence agency I imagine it would function exactly as Stross imagines the Laundry to work.

With each instalment and story, Bob Howard grows as a character in terms of complexity, capability and human failings yet never ceases to be utterly believable, in particular some of the domestic scenes are extremely well drawn with his wife, Mo, being much more fleshed out as a character in her own right.

I can't praise this book highly enough, it's a great work. I can't wait for the next volume.

If you know Stross' work, and the stories about The Laundry in particular, then The Fuller Memorandum is a must read. This is a great Laundry story, and I'm not going to provide any spoliers by hinting at the plot line. This is one of the best Laundry stories and if you haven't read this, then why not - you've read Stross before and know what to expect.

For those new to Stross, then this isn't the book to read. It's Laundry 3, so you need to start with The Atrocity Archivess (Laundry 1), followed by The Jennifer Morgue (Laundry 2). When you've read those, then The Fuller Memorandum should definitely be next on your list.

It follows the exploits of Bob, a sort of secret agent, and although it's Sci-fi crossed with Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos and a few other 'there are dimensions out there with creatures and beings we don't want to know about', it's very readable by a general reader with a taste for light horror. It's also humourous, but in a gentle way, not laugh-out-loud funny. Also, it's not very demanding for those without a grasp of science - it's just a story with monsters.

If you like Pratchett, then this is in a similar vein, but based on planet Earth. It's a very good read and should make you a fan of Stross' work.