Who Would Like This Book:
If you love the idea of Lovecraftian horrors crashing into modern-day bureaucracy, The Atrocity Archives is a wild, geeky mashup of spy thriller, horror, and IT in-jokes. Stross pays smart, self-aware homage to HP Lovecraft while giving monster-summoning a high-tech makeover. The protagonist Bob is a loveable IT guy turned reluctant occult agent, and the book's witty, sardonic humor about office politics and British civil service life may be especially hilarious for anyone who's survived the world of endless forms and quirky co-workers. Tech geeks, sci-fi/horror fans, and lovers of genre-bending adventures - step right up!
Who May Not Like This Book:
If heavy jargon makes your eyes glaze over, or if you dislike dry, nerdy asides about math, physics, or computer science, this book might test your patience. The story can get bogged down in info-dumps and technical detail, and some readers found the pacing uneven with conflicts that are too easily resolved (and sometimes handled "offstage"). Others struggled with the characterization - particularly of women - or felt the humor and pop culture references tried too hard or missed the mark. If you're here for deep character growth or hate exposition-heavy storytelling, consider yourself warned.
About:
The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross is a blend of high-tech espionage, Lovecraftian horrors, and bureaucratic satire. The story follows Bob Howard, a civil servant operative working for a secret British government agency known as The Laundry, dedicated to protecting the world from supernatural threats using mathematics and computer science. The book features a mix of horror, humor, and spy thriller elements, with a dash of wry humor and a dollop of horror, making it a compelling and entertaining read for fans of geeky, tech-heavy narratives.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include references to violence, horror elements, bureaucracy-related stress, and some misogynistic themes.
From The Publisher:
Charles Stross takes a departure from his epic science fiction to craft this cross between Len Deighton-style espionage and H.P. Lovecraftian horror.
Ratings (55)
Incredible (10) | |
Loved It (20) | |
Liked It (10) | |
It Was OK (7) | |
Did Not Like (8) |
Reader Stats (141):
Read It (56) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (55) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (27) |
6 comment(s)
This was a really fun read, mixing cthulhu style mythology with government bureaucracy and good ol' British spy work. The only issue I had was that the once the main plot issue was resolved, everything just seemed to wrap up all very neatly and quickly.
The second short story was a surprise, I didn't realise it was in the book. It was an enjoyable read, and I really liked the main technical boogie monster being dealt with. Though once again, I would have like to seem more exploration of the consequences of the main plot.
Will definitely be picking up the next books in the series.
This book is actually two related novellas about a British civil servant/operative who works at a secret government agency doing their best to keep Nameless Horrors from overrunning the earth. A good combination of comedy, horror, and spy thriller. I think Stross and Tim Powers are the best new author discoveries of the year - I've read a few books by both so far this year, and they haven't disappointed.
Necroinformáticos en misiones de campo contra hackers que lo mismo te roban la contraseña del correo que el alma.
Funcionarios británicos para los que es más duro justificar el uso de clips que desvelar conspiraciones.
Me he encontrado un personaje interesante, en un entorno de fantasía urbana muy distinto a lo esperado, en el que la magia depende de programación y circuitería electrónica
Loved the combo of bureaucracy and Sci Fi and a dab of horror, but I am not a huge fan of Lovecraftian elements.
I don’t remember anything about the plot.
The first few books were fun. The later books weren’t as good imo
What can you read after
The Atrocity Archives?
About the Author:
Charles Stross was born in Leeds, England, in 1964. He has worked as a pharmacist, software engineer and freelance journalist, but now writes full-time. To date, Stross has won three Hugo Awards and been nominated twelve times. He has also…
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