The Atrocity Archives [Paperback]

The Atrocity Archives, if I must harp on, yet again demonstrates the versatility of Charles Stross' writing. And provides a really good reason to become a fan now.

This is a well conceived mix of spy thriller, Cthulhu-esque terror and comic romp - as our hero (A technical support adviser, for the secret British agency known only as The Laundry) Bob Howard braves the terrors of the unknown universe, middle management, undead nazis and other things both Squibbous and Rugose.

The first tale - The Atrocity Archive (note no 'S') itself it intelligent, witty and imaginative; and leaves you screaming out for more from Bob Howard. Which is quite fortunatly answered straight away by the follow on novlette "The Concrete Jungle", which makes up the last third of the book.

Here Bob is entangled in another plot to turn all of Britain's CCTV cameras into lethal disintegration rays using a 'magic' system, and he must track down the psychotic hackers who have taken it upon themselves to sludge various unwitting members of the public. Can he figure out who, why and where?!

Two tales, both super - and both part of what we can only hope becomes an ongoing series (if the world were truly right - a TV series). And Mr Stross is currently writing the second story...so watch these spaces.

I must say I'm a bit bemused by some of the earlier reviews...so let's at least try to cut the confusion a bit. First, the book "The Atrocity Archives" (note the plural) contains two separate items: the short novel "The Atrocity Archive" (singular) and the long short story/short novelette "The Concrete Jungle". They are part of a series, i.e. they make use of the same characters in the same world, but there is no reason to expect plot continuity, any more than there would be reason to expect plot continuity between two separate episodes of Star Trek or two Agatha Christie Poirot stories. The separateness of the stories is quite clear from the layout of the book: why some earlier reviewers wanted to read them as one beats me completely. Oh well.

Second, this is actually Charlie Stross's first book, though it's clearly been reissued on the back of his later success, and yes, it does show. This is a book written as a side project by an IT professional, and one feels that other IT professionals were the intended audience. It does, indeed, work better if you're a geek (I'm not, but I am a university physicist so I got most of the in jokes). When it was originally published, the publishers obviously felt, probably rightly, that an introduction by Ken Macleod would help to sell this unknown author - the subtext, that if you like Macleod you're likely to like Stross, is completely justified in my opinion. Yes, the intro could have been dropped for this reissue, but it would probably have cost money to do so.

The stories in this book (and its sequel, "The Jennifer Morgue") are written as affectionate pastiches of classic spy novels, as the Afterword makes clear. The basic idea is that magic actually works, mostly by tapping into alternate universes (probably the "many worlds" of quantum mechanics). Hence, people working in particular branches of applied mathematics (especially geometry and algorithm theory, as you might expect given that magic uses formulae and diagrams) are apt to get more than they bargained for. The Laundry, a branch of British Intelligence, is tasked with (a) heading off mathematicians and computer scientists who are straying into the wrong areas before they accidentally do something catastrophic and (b) dealing with the consequences if they fail to manage (a). However, it's also a government department, which means in addition to this it is expected to conform to government standards for administration, staff development, etc. Been there, done that, and feel exactly the same as Stross evidently does about it!

Disagreeing completely with an earlier reviewer, I think this does work, and (given the historically-attested strongly mystic ethos of large parts of the SS, plus the whole spy-novel pastiche idea) a late-WW2 Nazi SS plot is an entirely sensible choice of "baddie". However, it is true that, after a highly entertaining build-up, the actual climax does seem to me to happen too quickly and be resolved rather too easily. I think this is first-book inexperience; I doubt he'd write the last quarter of the story in the same way if he were writing it now. It's not really a serious fault, because the entertainment value of this book is mostly in the details: the sly digs at various office administration buzzwords (and assorted Microsoft products - a view I suspect Bob Howard shares with his creator). Anyone who's worked in IT or in a university department should find this book very funny indeed. (Incidentally, the mathematicians whose names I recognised - not all of them - are being used in completely appropriate contexts given the book's premise: yes, O previous reviewer, I'm pretty sure Stross does know what he's talking about there.)

If you're looking for sophisticated high-concept hard science fiction as per Accelerando, Glasshouse, etc., this book is not for you. If you're a fan of Dilbert, buy it immediately!

The Atrocity Archives is a small book compared to the door-stoppers of modern fantasy and SF, weighing in at only 299 pages once you discount the introduction, afterword and (a very necessary) glossary of terms and abbreviations. But don't let that put you off. The sheer number of ideas contained in those few pages is just mind-numbingly amazing, and keeps the story racing along at break-neck pace.

The premise: The Laundry, a top-secret government agency with the duty of protecting the world from unseen horrors--a troop of Nazis existing on an alternate universe, breaking through the dimensions of space and time; terrorist capable of summoning demons, et cetera, etc! And how does The Laundry do this? With magic of course! Not the Gandalf type, though, but by harnessing technology... For with pure mathematics, anything is possible...

When Bob Howard, a low level techie at The Laundry, goes and gets himself noticed by his superiors, his trouble begins...Forced onto assignments where he's frequently in danger, Bob doesn't think things can get any worse ( a very dangerous thing to think in an organization which uses advanced mathematics to compel there employees to tell the truth!) ...so of course they do!

At times too concentrated with jargon and surplus info, this book is nonetheless a cracking read. Some parts are very funny (particularly when you meet his house-mates, Pinky and The Brain!) and the office characters crucifying Bob (metaphorically) for overdue paperwork, etc will be very real to those unfortunate enough to work for a top secret government agency...or just a normal office!

Very nearly Nine out of Ten, the best Stross book I've read yet!

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