The Atrocity Archives

A Laundry Files Novel

By: Charles Stross

Narrated by: Gideon Emery

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

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 for some reason, he is.

©2004 Charles Stross (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"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....With often hilarious results, the author mixes the occult and the mundane, the truly weird and the petty." ( Publishers Weekly)

A wonderful introduction

If you could sum up The Atrocity Archives in three words, what would they be?

Lovecraftian Science Adventure

What did you like best about this story?

Many things. The writing is superb, very fluid, and fealt natural. The setting appealed to my background in IT, and ultimately I found the main character - pseudonym Bob Howard - to be very relatable. The way the structure of the world is revealed over the course of the book is well done, and sets the stage for what looks to be a really cool series.

What does Gideon Emery bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Being American, and Stross being British, there were a number of minor details like common slang that I likely would not have picked up on were I reading. With Emery's inflection where relevant, I instantly understood exactly what he meant even though I had never heard the phrase before.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I want to listen to the entire series in one sitting!

Any additional comments?

This is like the Dresden Files if Harry were a hacker instead of a wizard and based in London instead of Chicago.

My kind of humor!

Note: The language was offensive!!! Hence the 4 stars. I would like to read more of Stross's books but I am hesitant.

Another reviewer is a fan of Dresden, as am I. The dry, quick wit is wonderful. Although this is a paranormal listen, it differs from Dresden by being in the high-tech world in Europe. It moves very quickly with barely time to breath.

Another Note: There are periods of dry tech papers, I just starting to fast forward to those.

The setting is a a very secret organization with the purpose to protect the general public from paranormal dangers. As with the TV portrayal of conflict between police and the FBI, there is conflict and jealousy between the agency departments. The character interplay is great.

I was confused when about 2/3 of the way through, the story abruptly ends and starts with a new story. The abrupt change was quickly forgotten and the second "chapter" was a wild ride of more fun.

Bob is a brilliant geek, Mo is his girlfriend. He has to rescue her in the first story and sadly she is not in the second. However, enter a feisty police chief who is not about to let anyone tromp all over her territory. It was hilarious and the story was great fun. Cement cows in a pasture? How could these cows many miles away have connection with the agency? Lots of guns and curious bomb/explosions.

Hitchhiker's Guide meets X-Files

The Atrocity Archives is incredible fun. Very unexpected and a great escape. Can't wait for this to be a TV show. Gideon Emery is an amazing reader.

Excellent urban fantasy

Detailed story that seems internally consistent. A wealth of depth and richness makes the world seem alive. The responses and actions of people seem realistic and appropriate - there is none of the old trope requiring incompetent characters to make their own problems on order for there to be any story at all - in this book, people run into problems despite making competent and appropriate responses, just the way I like it.

Performance of the reader is top notch.

Recommended!

The demonic X-Files

It's a lot like the X Files, but with magic and demons and alternate dimensions... So a lot like the X Files. I really enjoyed it

Great new series!

Think hellboy meets sg-1 but the British version. I loved it! I enjoyed the healthy dose of occult, cyberpunk, steampunk and lovecraft. The physics and cosmology are also fascinating...

Lovecraftian fun with more meat on the bones

What made the experience of listening to The Atrocity Archives the most enjoyable?

For anyone that is a Lovecraft fan this book, and likely the series, will be a fun way to extend the mythos into a new and accessible history.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Atrocity Archives?

He saw it coming, the man had no business being there, he had no idea what he was toying with and even though he didn't really care for the man... there was nothing he could do.

Which scene was your favorite?

Anytime inky black tentacles crawl out of a shadow coming into being as if molded from the nightmares of a thousand children I get goose-bumps and a wicked smile.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not one particular moment, but I liked the vulnerability of the characters. All around them horrors and still they were approachable and -just human-.

Any additional comments?

I was told that this originally had a bad guy in it that was quite a bit more infamous than the one that made it too printing. I'm not certain if that is rumor or if true, maybe I'll look around and see if the internet holds that story in a dark corner somewhere.

Excellent story telling.

Love the way the story is told in first person. Outstanding performance as well. Can't wait to start the next in the series.

Great listen

What did you love best about The Atrocity Archives?

So much better than I thought it would be. Very well written, funny, suspenseful. Great characters. Cross between The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Dept Q books. Intelligent characters that act like real people dealing with unreal situations in the confines of a modern bureaucracy. Great listen.

Harry Dresden + British humor = Okay

Not, bad, but spends a fair amount of time trying to sound clever, which just doesn't work when someone is forced to read pithy internal monologues out loud.

I didn't realize this volume was essentially two short stories, so don't expect great depth.