The Delirium Brief by Charles Stross review

     THE DELIRIUM BRIEF is the latest book in the long-running Laundry Saga by Charles Stross. The Laundry, for those unaware of it, is one of the Neo-Mythos stories which have emerged in the past decade or so that has a postmodern take on the Mythos. Peter Clines, Ruthanna Emrys, Anne Pillsworth, myself, and a few others are similar. In the case of Charles Stross, it's combining the stuffiness of being a British Civil Servant as well as computer programmer with the oncoming end of the world by ooogie-boogies.

    I either love the Laundry or I hate it and it's a testament to Charles Stross' skill I'm usually veering between the two because of the emotions his stories bring. I admit, though, to not being a big fan of the previous two novels. They weren't ones I actively hated, unlike THE JENNIFER MORGUE, but they had issues which bothered me long after I finished the story.

    THE ANNIHILATION SCORE had Doctor (Dominque) "Mo" O'Brien as its heroine while doing a unsucessful parody of superhero novels which seemed at odds with the stories' general spy vs. squid premise. It also made numerous controversial choices in portraying Mo as an adulterous spouse to her deeply devoted protagonist husband, which was never going to go down well. THE NIGHTMARE STACKS also veered away from the series' traditional protagonist with a social anxiety suffering hypochondriac having a "manic pixie dreamgirl romance" with an invading Nazi elf woman.

    We're thankfully back with Bob Howard, programmer/demon hunter/civil servant/host for a minor god of evil, once more in the driver's seat. Bob has changed a lot since when he first signed up for field work and has been uncomfortably promoted to management. Unfortunately, that's come right at the time the Masquerade (to cop a term from White Wolf) has officially been broken and the world is now aware of the supernatural. I'm iffy about this action as Charles Stross has chosen to portray the world as less, "nothing will be the same again" and more like the Tyler family from the 9th/10th Doctor era where humanity seems too damned stupid to care about it being real.

    Charles Stross is on the record that The Delirium Brief was strongly influenced by the U.K's choice to exit from the European Union. While the Brexit is never directly mentioned, much of the book is an apocalyptic (literally since it may lead to the end of the world) look at the dissolution of the Laundry in order to have them privatized by American companies. Companies which, in this world, are controlled by a Christian-themed monster cult that combines the worst of eschatology and quiver full doctrine with the desire to end the world by giant monster pyramid on Mars. Honestly, given some of my (as a fellow Christian) relationships with people like this--that's not that unbelievable.

    The book is a fascinating story with Bob having far more trouble dealing with testimonies before Parliament, budgets, and the sudden loss of privileges he never thought would vanish than the many monsters they fate. While I would have liked Bob and Mo to discuss the events of The Annihilation Score rather than simply reconcile their marriage--that's not what the book is about. It's all about the dangers of bureaucracy in the Laundry's world.

    The characters all play off of each other in an interesting way with Bob's terrible ex, Mhari, having become one of the most interesting characters in the story. I was also glad to see the return of Persephone Hazard, the Laundry's erstwhile Modesty Blaise substitute, and how her "blow them up and let God sort them out' attitude plays off against everyone else's doomed efforts to deal with politics in a legal way. When the government is completely corrupt and/or stupid, though, what is your recourse? Especially when the apocalypse is looming? The answer isn't one which someone like Bob can stomach and that's what makes it interesting.

    The action is good, the villains hateable, and the character development good. After the previous two books, it feels like we've returned to the original Laundry Files that attracted me. Could I have used a bit more Bob and a bit less Brexit parody? Yes, yes I could have. Still, I was about to give up on the series and this made me reconsider it. The Laundry Files and Dresden Files remain my two go-to urban fantasy series and I'd hate to lose either.

    The ending is a huge game-changer for the entire setting and relies a lot on continuity points from the previous books. We see the return of characters I thought were permanently out of the story. It also bodes dark things for the future of the story. I was a bit disappointed the ending was the Laundry resorting to the same tactics which characters from a Michael Bay movie would involve but, otherwise, this was an excellent urban fantasy thriller.

9/10

The Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross review

    The Laundry Files are a series I am very fond of but haven't hesitated to criticize in the past. Basically, they're a combination of spy thriller, Cthulhu Mythos series, and office comedy. The strangest thing about that is such isn't even the weirdest part of the story as they also go in bizarre directions such as parodying vampires and superhero fiction. It's sort of an ad hoc Dreseden Files but, in many ways, even more peculiar.

    One of the series' biggest strengths as well as weaknesses is Charles Stross refuses to let it fall into routine. Every book is a different genre and he has been known to switch protagonists as well. This is the second book in the series where Bob Howard, the nominal main character, doesn't appear at all. In this case, he's replaced by Alex Schwartz, the lamest vampire of all time. Alex was a rich twenty-something virgin banker before he became a vampire by discovering the secret mathematical equation for doing so. Now he's been dragooned into the Laundry at a 70% pay cut with his romantic prospects having gotten worse.

    Alex and Peter, a local vicar, have been assigned to investigate various old Cold War bomb shelters in hopes of finding a new home for the Laundry after their last one was compromised by a hole in the universe. This results in Alex becoming entangled in an invasion of the British Isles by a race of elves. Yes, elves. It turns out the sidhe have been sleeping for the past few millennium and are fleeing their alternate Earth to try to take over ours. Humanity has been so busy preparing for the invasion by the Great Old Ones, they've completely screwed up prepping for a more mundane threat.

    I've taken awhile to read The Nightmare Stacks because, bluntly, there's a weird coincidence here. Elves invading the British Isles and getting repulsed by the weird secret conspiracy government agency which protects the world is actually the plot of my upcoming Esoterrorism sequel, Operation: Otherworld. It's otherwise different from The Nightmare Stacks but reading this book was such an odd feeling I didn't know how to convey my thoughts.

    So what did I think of this book?

    Eh, it's okay.

    The primary focus of the book is a romance plot between Alex and a elven agent who has stolen the memory and identity of a woman named Cassie before going native. Cassie is meant, by Word of Stross, to be a deconstruction of the Manic Pixie Dreamgirl archetype. In other words, a fascinating character who comes into the life of a boring schlub and makes it interesting. The problem is there's not really that much deconstructing.

    Yes, Cassie is an agent for the Mein Alf-spouting elven empire but that's just combining the MPDG with that of the femme fatale who falls for the hero. Given Alex has almost no charisma by design, being a deliberately designed boring person yet "Cassie" falls head-over-heels for him, it seems like a strange thing to say the character is deconstructing anything. The romance, as a result, feels contrived and is probably the least interesting part of the novel. This is unfortunate as it's the primary focus of events.

    The book has a large collection of interesting supporting characters, including ones which were formerly part of Bob Howard's but gradually drifted out of his pages. I'm particularly fond of "Pinky and the Brain" returning as the gay mad scientist couple are always a source of amusing anecdotes. The Dungeon Master is another great character, being a game theorist and strategist who puts everything in 1st Edition D&D terms.

    The elves, themselves, are a decent enough opponent for the Laundry. They're only a tiny remnant of a once-vast civilization and hopelessly outclassed by the modern British military. They aren't aware of this, though, and their magic-based weapons system is actually better equipped to fight the Laundry than the people the Laundry are supposed to be protecting. The fact they're a despicable evil race (justified by the fact they're all mind-controlled from birth in a magical pyramid scheme) while also still having some measure of sympathy from the narrative is interesting too.

    In conclusion, this is a decent enough book but not my favorite out of the series for a varity of reasons. The book changes the narrative of the Laundry-universe so is a can't-miss for fans but, otherwise, skippable.

8/10

The Annihilation Score by Charles Stross review

    I'm a huge fan of Charles Stross' Laundry Files series. I'm also a critic of it. When it's good, like The Apocalypse Codex, it's very-very good. When it's bad, The Jennifer Morgue, it's really bad. Don't hate me Charlie, it's just my opinion. Here? It's kind of weird because the really-really good parts are on display right next to the parts I found troublesome. I had to check myself, as well, because I needed to separate what was upsetting characterization from what is bad writing. Which is to say that the characters do actions which are upsetting to me but, which, are perfectly well-written. As a reader, I am merely an observer after all and need to accept the show is not always going to go the way I want it to.

    So, where was I? Oh yes, this is a very well-written novel. It's also got a premise I don't think jives with the Laundryverse as has been established. Also, Mo is a terrible person. She's a great lead, though! I happen to really dislike her as a character but I enjoyed reading about her. The former shouldn't make a difference in my score but it does because she's being a terrible person to the protagonist of the previous books.
   
    The premise is the saturation of the world with magic by CASE: NIGHTMARE GREEN (the rise of the Great Old Ones) has resulted in people spontaneously developing superpowers across the world. A minority of these people have decided to put on costumes and become superheroes. This, of course, necessitates a cover-up by the Laundry as they create an artificial Superman Crime Department for Dominque "Mo" O'Brien to head up.

    Joining her is Bob's ex-girlfriend Mhari and his brief love-interest Ramona. Mo is not in the best position to be doing this start-up as she is struggling with her control over the White Violin, which she named Lecter, that is attempting to seduce her both mentally as well as physically into becoming its prey.
   
    First, the positives. This is a delightfully off-beat premise for a story and the unromantic way which Charles Stross handles superheroes is entertaining even if it hits on the same problems which made me dislike the Jennifer Morgue. Which is, to say, that I like superheroes much the same way I like James Bond and he spends much of the book making fun of them. Still, a lot of what he touches on like the silly costumes for women and inherent right-wing fantasy elements are things I've often complained about myself.
   
    As for Mo as the viewpoint character? She is a well-developed three-dimensional character with a lot of hidden depths. Mo's also extremely self-absorbed, shallow, and selfish. It's rather striking given the amount of puppy-dog devotion Bob Howard shows her in previous entries that Mo doesn't reciprocate. She seems to vaguely hold her husband in contempt, constantly criticizing him and missing his deep personal trauma.

    Mo focuses entirely on whether she's getting emotional satisfaction from their marriage and wonders whether or not its salvageable based on the benefits it derives to her. Bob's recent losses both emotional and personal are kind of ignored in favor of her career issues. Speaking as a married man, this is rather horrifying. To be fair, this isn't bad writing. It's just a sharp contrast with Bob's concern about Mo's own emotional health.

    The choice to start dating while they're not formally separated is minor compared to the general callousness, in my humble opinion.

    I'm a big fan of tying the White Violin to the King in Yellow, Carcosa, and True Detective. I admit, though, it's kind of weird to have a world where the latter is on television while Doctor Mabuse is a real person. I enjoyed the homage to the movie Labyrinth which the White Violin conjures in Mo's dreams even if I felt their encounters had more than a whiff of sexual assault about them. Thankfully, this element is downplayed. The supporting cast in this book is excellent with Mhari, Ramona, Officer Friendly, and others all being excellent.
   
    In conclusion, this is a well-written book but an uncomfortable one and my second least favorite Laundry Files volume.

    I'm still picking up the next.

7/10

The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross review

    "Everybody knows vampires don't exist."

    I love the Laundry series, it's one of the most interesting urban fantasy works I've read. It's a unique combination of British spy fiction, computer lingo, and the Cthulhu Mythos. While I wasn't a big fan of The Jennifer Morgue, I've loved all of the novels before and since. I also am quite fond of the short-stories and novellas. So, when The Rhesus Chart came out, I was one of the first buyers.

    The premise of The Rhesus Chart is secret agent/computer geek Bob Howard discovers no one in the Laundry believes in vampires. This is strange given all of its members are well aware of three facts: 1. Monsters are real. 2. Magic is real. 3. Magic is capable of making anything real, especially monsters.

    I confess, I was initially rather put off by this premise. There is no end of vampire novels and the ones I like the most, such as the Dresden Files, barely deal with them. The Laundry has, by and large, dealt with the much less-well-developed concept of alien monsters. Could Charles Stross bring his special brand of oddity to the well-trodden path of vampire fiction?

    Kind of. Yeah.

    I say this because The Rhesus Chart does a lot of things differently about vampires. They burn up in the sun, need blood to survive, are immortal, and super-strong but this is about the only things they have going for them. For one, everyone they bite *dies* and they're the product of magic rather than the "traditional" method of turning. In this case, the vampires who appear to be the first of their kind are all modern investment bankers too.

    So not much has changed for their lifestyle (*rimshot*). Actually, I was surprised at how few jokes about the deplorable state of the banking industry was made by Charles Stross. Perhaps he thought it would be too easy of a joke to make. Either way, the vampires are some of the most hilarious parts of this book as we see them cope with an existence which is increasingly revealed to be dangerous to all mankind.

    The mixture of humor and pathos in this book is surprising. On the humor side, we have the whining babied executives and Bob Howard's struggle to be taken seriously as he tries to explain that, yes, vampires are real. There's an almost too-over-the-top moment where Bob is assigned to read the complete works of some of the past three decades best vampire fiction authors and write a report on them--which is great, except for the fact they're fictional while the real ones are next door. They even get the codename DRESDEN RICE.

    That's adorable.

    On the pathos side, we suffer some surprising deaths and the removal of a longstanding series element. There's also a tragic story about Mo's PTSD stemming from having to deal with the fact she's anti-capital punishment but forced to cooperate with governments who practice it frequently in order to deal with a supernatural problem. Which wouldn't be bad if not for her help resulting in potentially hundreds of more executions occurring.

    We also get the return of Bob's first girlfriend in the series: Mhari. I, for one, didn't welcome this change as the character was one-note and a stereotype at first. While she's broadened considerably, Mhari's still a shallow character. This is more than made up for by the fact the rest of the book is filled with conspiracy, plans within plans, and Bob being extremely competent at rooting out traitors.

    In conclusion,  I heartily approve of the latest addition to the Laundry franchise. I can't wait for the next book and look forward to reading it.

9/10

The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross review

    The Apocalypse Codex is the fourth novel in the projected nine-book the Laundry Files series by Charles Stross. This doesn't include the novellas and short-stories which he has been prone to writing and I have enjoyed tremendously. I wasn't a fan of The Jennifer Morgue but I was glad I gave the series another try.

    So what is the premise of The Apocalypse Codex?

    Bob Howard is recovering from the events of The Fuller Memorandum, having taken a serious hit to his sanity score in the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying-game sense. He is still somewhat twitchy from the events of that book but has returned to normal enough that he's able to resume his duties. Fans of the Mo and Bob romance will also note their marriage has recovered off-screen, which I was rather disappointed by.

    Sorry, not a Mo fan.

    No sooner does Bob return to his job duties than he is recruited by a secret branch of the already uber-secret Laundry to do a mission which potentially compromises the entire org-chart. A Christian-themed Great Old Ones cult has compromised the Prime Minister and they need to bring in "outside contractors" to deal with them. Bob isn't allowed to involve himself on any mission where the PM may be compromised but he can monitor the contractors.

    Yes, this is as confusing to Bob as it is to you and me and that's the point. Actually, it was probably less confusing to me than Bob since I'm used to the belief the government does all sorts of duplicitous self-justifying things that disregard the rule of law in favor of raw power. Bob, despite working for the Laundry, seems to assume their rules actually mean something--probably because they're the last bastion of defense against Cthulhu.

    What follows is divided into two distinct parts which surprised me. The first is the book becomes a stinging satire on Dominionist Christianity. The second is that it becomes a Modesty Blaise pastiche which uses a magical version of the character and her partner to do a send-up of her. I'll comment on both but, as you can imagine, the former interests me far more than the latter.

    Dominionist Christianity is, for those unaware of the fine distinctions of religion, those branches of of my faith which believe everyone who isn't a Christian is going to Hell. This excludes, btw, branches of Christianity they don't like (typically Catholicism and Mormonism--I imagine it would contain more if Dominionist branches knew about the Eastern Orthodox Church). Dominionist Christianity typically believes Jesus is coming back very soon and that if they don't convert everyone in the world to their cause, this will be a tragedy of epic proportions.

    I do not hold with Dominionist theology (to say the least).

    Charles Stross gives the Dominionist branches of theology both barrels by explicitly comparing it to a cult of Cthulhu (or, technically, the Gatekeeper Great Old One introduced in previous books). Given I'm a proponent of the theory that H.P. Lovecraft created much of his mythos to satirize religion, I believe Charles Stross is following in well-trodden footsteps.

    Given some Dominionist branches actively look forward to the end of the world and believe in training their members for the coming in Armageddon, the satire feels especially biting. The scary thing is some of the main villain's doctrines and actions aren't that far from real-life branches of my faith I've met. Despite this, Charles Stross is not hostile to the religion as a whole. He makes a surprisingly sympathetic Vicar character who provides vital help against the forces threatening the world.

    The Modesty Blaise elements involve a Italian socialite/witch turned spy named Persephone and her partner Jonathan, who are transparently thin analogues for Modesty and Willie Gavin. The characters are delightfully effective and far more respectful than the Bond pastie of The Jennifer Morgue. I liked them both and hope they show up in future books as they draw a nice contrast against the IT-guy style spywork of Bob Howard.

    The plot moves at a brisk place and never becomes preachy. The book can be read as satire but also as a straight Lovecraftian cult versus investigators as well. The plot moves at a brisk pace and sets up a lot of future events for the series to capitalize later. The secrets revealed about the Laundry and how magic works are also intriguing. There's not much development in the Mo and Bob relationship but since they're married, I'm not sure how much there should be. I do miss her serving as a field agent, however.

    In conclusion, probably my favorite book in the Laundry series so far. I congratulate Charles Stross for winning me back fully.

10/10

The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross review

    I decided to give the Laundry Files series another try after being gravely disappointed with The Jennifer Morgue. I was intrigued by the possibilities of a Lovecraftian spy agency in The Atrocity Archives, particularly since I was a huge fan of Delta Green, but The Jennifer Morgue's parody of James Bond was shallow and uninteresting.

    The Fuller Memorandum, by contrast, is a return to form and I appreciate it. It takes the premise of a Lovecraftian threat to the world seriously while simultaneously also keeping some of its humor. Unlike The Jennifer Morgue, the humor of the novel doesn't go overboard and remains on the right side of this-close-to-ridiculous.

    The premise is Bob screws up during a routine exorcism and things go from bad to worse in his professional life. Even worse, this is occurring when there's something happening with a long-buried secret of the Laundry's organizational life.

    Part of what I enjoyed about this novel is it remembers the terrifying forces the Laundry deals with are actually terrifying. The Atrocity Archives made a nice balance between humor and horror, never going too far into one area or another like The Jennifer Morgue. The humor is actually funny, too, which allows it to be enjoyed for its own sake.
   
    The book deals with one of my favorite elements of H.P. Lovecraft's writings, specifically cultists. What does inspire a person to want to worship the Great Old Ones? The book gives the obvious answer and expands on it, horrifying Bob with its logic. It also does a nice parody of upper-class English life, highlighting the kind of secrets which can hide under seemingly respectable people with tongue-firmly-in-cheek.

    I also enjoyed the story's emphasis on the 'secret history' of the world. Spy fiction depends on realistic politics or, at least, understandable ones. Here, there's nothing realistic about extra-dimensional monsters and creatures from the deep--but the books acts as if they are. I appreciated that as the incorporation of people in real-life political situations trying to use demons somehow "sells" the premise to me.

    I enjoyed Bob's characterization this time around, the befuddled bureaucrat struggling with his position as well as relationship, which nicely contrasted to previous volumes. Moe also felt more "real" this time around, as opposed to the perfect fantasy girlfriend she's been portrayed as before. I even enjoyed the revelations about Bob's boss, each of them fitting with what we knew about him from before.   

    I can't say The Fuller Memorandum blew me away. This isn't one of those books I walked away feeling like I absolutely had to read the next story but I appreciated it. It's gotten me interested in the series again and I'm going to finish reading it. Kudos, Charles Stross, you've won me back over.

8/10

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The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross review

    I really hated this book.

    This is the case of fandom getting in the way of a good story because I loved The Atrocity Archives  and I love Weird Espionage. In this case, the book is one long satire of James Bond and you'd think I'd love that, except for the small problem that the book is about mocking James Bond while I'm a huge James Bond fan.

    I laughed precisely twice during the entirety of the book. The first time was a joke about having a James Bond-esque souped up...Smart Car. That, my friends, is funny. It's not funny when the main villain wears a neru jacket and has a cat for reasons that are explained but don't really mean anything other than, "it's like Bond, ha-ha, isn't that silly!"

Much like Harry Dresden's Beetle, this is an inherently funny vehicle.

    Except, we're supposed to take the plot of a Lovecraftian monster buried in the middle of the ocean seriously. I find it difficult to go with the idea H.P. Lovecraft is "serious business" while James Bond is worthy of derision. H.P. Lovecraft was a guy scared of seafood and man's pointlessness in the universe. I love the guy's writing but it's Pulpish and fun. So is Bond. It's not a mental leap I'm willing to make to say one is good and the other is bad which, unfortunately, is the heart of the book. Stross isn't even making good-natured goofy parody of Bond like Austin Powers, he's beating the readers over the head with how stupid he thinks Bond is.

At least, that's the way it comes off to me.

    The Jennifer Morgue's premise is the aforementioned Lovecraftian monster has been found by the U.S. Navy who can't get to it because the Deep Ones don't want them to. Our hero, Bob Howard, is sent to deal with a person who may be involved in an attempt to recover them. Assisting him is Ramona Random, a sexy skilled American agent who is everything Bob is not. This should be a winning formula but it...isn't.

    I confess a large part of my distaste for this book may well be the the fact I'm fond of Ian Fleming's ideas (racism and misogyny aside) and every time Bob highlights how unlike Bond he is, it slows the pacing down to a crawl. It was implicit in the first book he was a different sort of secret agent from James Bond but this book needs to spell it out repeatedly.

     I've heard mixed reviews about this book but, basically, either you'll find the tone of the book humorous and light in the first ten pages or you won't. If you don't, the entire book will become one long boring exercise in tedium.

    I will say, however, I may be shooting myself in the foot because I actually found the exact same joke I made in one of my book manuscripts in this volume. I won't say which joke it is, but it's very embarrassing, especially as I'm going to give the book an extremely low score. I still laughed but this just made me more annoyed with the work as a whole.

    I'm searching for something to recommend the book but, frankly, I am not fond of the way the plot developed. As a fan of H.P Lovecraft, spies, and off-beat humor I should love this but nothing is worse than a fan who feels slighted. I grew up with the James Bond series and, yes, they're ridiculous but no more than Fish-People trying to take over the world.

    Charles Stross can write really well, it's just this time it felt like he was phoning it in and the subject matter was one that was way too close to home for me to enjoy. I can't imagine I'm going to be particularly pleased with The Fuller Memorandum since it tackles religion and I'm a devout Christian while Charles Stross is a militant atheist. So, well, I'll give this book series one more try before I drop it.

    Maybe it was just an off-volume.

1/10

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The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross review

    This is going to be an extremely biased review. Why? Because I actually wrote a spy-themed Cthulhu novel and am currently editing it. The fact this is something similar, though a completely different theme and style, makes me favorably disposed.

    The Atrocity Archives is set in a world superficially similar to H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, only set in the present day and protected by a series of government conspiracies. These government conspiracies are not glamorous martini-drinking S.H.I.E.L.D analogues or even sinister X-files-esque conspiracies. No, instead, they're a bunch of bored civil servants smothered by bureaucracy.

    The protagonist, Bob Howard, is more or less the opposite of your typical spy novel hero. He's neither suave, debonaire, or particularly dangerous. He is, however, frighteningly good at mathmatics.

    Math is the basis of magic in the setting and the book is littered with complicated mathematical models which might or might not be accurate but blow my mind. Bob manages a comfortable everyman sort of hero and you believe in him as he struggles to be a field agent.

    Indeed, what I like about Bob most is his unflappability in the face of mind-numbing horrors but complete bewilderment by mundane problems. Dealing with Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth is Bob's job but the accounting department is beyond him. There's something to be said for being able to adjust to anything but your fellow humans and their trivialities.

    Another thing I like is the book goes in unexpected directions. Without spoiling, the book touches on everything from Pulps to Norse mythology to what appears to sitcom romance without skipping a beat. There's few other places you can find Nazi plots, critiques on British CCTV spying, gorgons, and frost giants. The Atrocity Archives is divided into two novellas with separate stories and both are highly entertaining.

    My favorite character from the book other than Bob is probably Dominique "Mo" O'Brien who is, ostensibly, the protagonist's love interest. Truth be told, I'm not sure if they're together or not since Bob is a bit of a nerd but certainly more effective with the ladies than most. Also, compared to some of his coworkers, he's positively James Bond. Whatever the case, she transcends this role in several places and is arguably a more interesting character.

     I think the best element in the book, however, is not a character at all. The Laundry, the codename for the British department which deals with the supernatural, is an amazing creation. It manages to combine dull tedious bureaucracy, Lovecraft's abomination, magic, SIS, and pure insanity into one coherent whole. You could imagine working for the Laundry and it would either be deeply fulfilling or horrible beyond imagination.

    In conclusion, The Atrocity Archives amuses me to no end. I am definitely going to check out the rest of the series and I recommend other people do the same. Just note that, occasionally, the technobabble gets a bit insufferable (especially about mathematics).

8/10

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