The Jennifer Morgue

A Laundry Files Novel

By: Charles Stross

Narrated by: Gideon Emery

Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross continues to make a name for himself in the sci-fi genre. The Jennifer Morgue is an extension of Stross’ award-winning novella The Concrete Jungle.

Bob Howard is a special operative for the British agency called The Laundry, and his task is to stop a rogue billionaire from using an artifact, known as Gravedust, with the power to reanimate the dead. The U.S. Black Agency sends the lethal Ramona Random to aid Bob’s mission, but she seems to have a different agenda.

©2006 Charles Strauss (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"[A]lternately chilling and hilarious....It's up to Bob and a collection of British eccentrics even Monty Python would consider odd to stop the bad guy and save the world, while getting receipts for all expenditures or else face the most dreaded menace of all: the Laundry's own auditors. Stross has a marvelous time making eldritch horror appear commonplace in the face of bureaucracy." ( Publishers Weekly)

awesome

I enjoy this universe that the Laundry has created. The story moves quickly, is always interesting, and gets me laughing more then I would've expected. If you enjoyed the Artocity Archives this is very much of the same . I will be continuing on in this great series!

Righteous

I like this series a great deal. So much so that I have gone out of my way to use actual money and not credits to buy them. If HP. Lovecraft and Anonymous had a lovechild produced, this series would be it. If you are a geek, get this book.

I listend to the Laundry Files out of sequence

I listened to this series out of sequence and I cannot remember the individual story lines now after a few months have passed. But I did love the series.

just because i started writing this review I want to finish it but … i just want to remember if this book was the one of with the killer mermaid and james bond machines or the one with the killer violin or the one where the ice giants carved hitlers face into the moon.

Any ways... buy the book, listen to it, and then go buy all the other Atrocity Archive/Laundry File books there are... cause they are quite awesome.

Ian Fleming meets H.P. Lovecraft

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. Life's too short to read bad books!

The Jennifer Morgue, the second novel in Charles Stross’ LAUNDRY FILES, is a science fiction spy thriller that’s an obvious homage to Ian Fleming and H.P. Lovecraft. Bob has been sent to the Caribbean to try to find out why Ellis Billington, an evil megalomaniac billionaire, is interested in The Jennifer Morgue, a place deep in the ocean which may be an access point into our universe by tentacled eldritch horrors. For this assignment, Bob is paired up with someone from the American agency that deals with this kind of supernatural stuff — a gorgeous woman possessed by a succubus.

As usual, Bob has been insufficiently briefed about his mission, so he’s bewildered most of the time. What is he doing wearing a tuxedo to a casino and ordering vodka martinis (shaken, not stirred)? Why does his nemesis have a fluffy white long-haired cat and insist on giving long-winded monologues every time he captures Bob? Bob doesn’t get to drive an Aston Martin, but his Smartcar swims and has an eject button. Eventually Bob discovers that he’s been hooked by a Hero Trap and he’s destined to play a role he doesn’t feel suited for.

Unpredictable and amusing all the way through, The Jennifer Morgue is a strange blend of genres that manages to work in Charles Stross’ hands. The plot is extremely far-fetched (just like a James Bond story), but that’s part of the fun. There are the usual geek culture references (e.g, Thinkgeek, and the famous 1984 Mac ad), comical office scenes (such as when all the attendees of a meeting are hypnotized by a Powerpoint presentation), and cool technology that seems more like magic (e.g., cosmetics used for surveillance). There are also undead seagulls, minions with mirrored shades and machine guns, and Bond babes. There are several plot twists and a reveal that turns the whole misogynistic James Bond trope on its head (thank you, Mr. Stross!).

At the end, The Jennifer Morgue contains some bonus material. There’s a hilarious short story called “Pimpf” in which Bob has to rescue a new intern from inside a MMORPG. Gamers will love it, I think. Then there’s an essay by Stross about the culture of the James Bond franchise which includes an interview with Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Again, I listened to the excellent audio version produced by Recorded Books and read by the perfectly-cast Gideon Emery. I recommend it.

good but not great

What did you love best about The Jennifer Morgue?

The book was unique. I think that the combination between the occult and technology initially was a stretch, but then it just kind of grew on you.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I thought the book could of done with a little less complaining... i kind of felt the book was a whine fest...

Not as enjoyable as the first book, can be skipped

Any additional comments?

While the afterword might explain why the story was written, it did not make me enjoy it more. A parade of Bond clichés in a Laundry exterior, not my cup of tea. The short story at the end also failed to engage me. The entire book seemed like characters from the first book in stories about someone else.

Well performed, which at some level made the listening enjoyable despite the poor fit with my preferences.

Can easily be skipped.

funny twists

good story with some very suprising twists bob gets a tough job with a very dangerous ally

Quite good!

Not quite as good as the first book but still really good! Feels like I need to go read/watch some James Bond!

Excellent!

Great narration for a great story. It gets a bit of a slow start, compared to _The Atrocity Archives_, but overall the story is as good, if not better. The short story following it was also awesome. I only wish he'd made it, too, into an entire book. Stross' essay at the end (the title of which I have forgotten) is a genius enmeshing of history, literary criticism and fantastical storytelling, not to be missed.

Another great book in the laundry series

Great story! Great voice acting! And the afterward at the end was very cool too.