-
The Apocalypse Codex
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Series: The Laundry Files, Book 4
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Horror
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $27.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Fuller Memorandum
- A Laundry Files Novel
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross is renowned for his cutting-edge science fiction. This third entry in his “edgy … spoof of Cold War spy thrillers” ( Booklist) finds covert agent Bob Howard learning about a top-secret dossier that vanishes with his boss. Determined to discover the contents of this memorandum, Howard runs afoul of Russian spies, ancient demons, and apostles of a hideous cult planning to raise the Eater of Souls from the undead.
-
-
Top notch!
- By Maggie on 06-12-11
By: Charles Stross
-
The Rhesus Chart
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a newly appointed junior manager within the Laundry - the clandestine organization responsible for protecting Britain against supernatural threats - Bob Howard is expected to show some initiative to help the agency battle the forces of darkness. But shining a light on things best left in the shadows is the last thing Bob wants to do - especially when those shadows hide an occult parasite spreading a deadly virus. Traders employed by a merchant bank in London are showing signs of infection.
-
-
I just plain loved this book
- By Angus on 07-23-14
By: Charles Stross
-
The Jennifer Morgue
- A Laundry Files Novel
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Fabulous
- By Torah Cottrill on 06-18-10
By: Charles Stross
-
The Annihilation Score
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Elle Newlands
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mo's latest assignment is assisting the police in containing an unusual outbreak: ordinary citizens suddenly imbued with extraordinary abilities of the superpowered kind. Unfortunately these people prefer playing superpranks instead of superheroics. The mayor of London being levitated by a dumpy man in Trafalgar Square would normally be a source of shared amusement for Mo and Bob, but they're currently separated because something's come between them - something evil.
-
-
A disappointing addition to a great series.
- By A Tye on 11-08-15
By: Charles Stross
-
The Nightmare Stacks
- Laundry Files, Book 7
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After stumbling upon the algorithm that turned him and his fellow merchant bankers into vampires, Alex Schwartz was drafted by The Laundry, Britain's secret counter-occult agency that's humanity's first line of defense against the forces of darkness. Dependent on his new employers for his continued existence - as Alex has no stomach for predatory bloodsucking - he has little choice but to accept his new role as an operative in training.
-
-
Back on Track!
- By Michael on 06-30-16
By: Charles Stross
-
The Delirium Brief
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bob Howard's career in the Laundry, the secret British government agency dedicated to protecting the world from unspeakable horrors from beyond spacetime, has entailed high combat, brilliant hacking, ancient magic, and combat with indescribably repellent creatures of pure evil. It has also involved a wearying amount of paperwork and office politics, and his expense reports are still a mess. Now, following the invasion of Yorkshire by the Host of Air and Darkness, the Laundry's existence has become public.
-
-
Fantastic, frustrating, squamous, and rugose
- By Jasmine Wahlberg on 07-13-17
By: Charles Stross
-
The Fuller Memorandum
- A Laundry Files Novel
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross is renowned for his cutting-edge science fiction. This third entry in his “edgy … spoof of Cold War spy thrillers” ( Booklist) finds covert agent Bob Howard learning about a top-secret dossier that vanishes with his boss. Determined to discover the contents of this memorandum, Howard runs afoul of Russian spies, ancient demons, and apostles of a hideous cult planning to raise the Eater of Souls from the undead.
-
-
Top notch!
- By Maggie on 06-12-11
By: Charles Stross
-
The Rhesus Chart
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a newly appointed junior manager within the Laundry - the clandestine organization responsible for protecting Britain against supernatural threats - Bob Howard is expected to show some initiative to help the agency battle the forces of darkness. But shining a light on things best left in the shadows is the last thing Bob wants to do - especially when those shadows hide an occult parasite spreading a deadly virus. Traders employed by a merchant bank in London are showing signs of infection.
-
-
I just plain loved this book
- By Angus on 07-23-14
By: Charles Stross
-
The Jennifer Morgue
- A Laundry Files Novel
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Fabulous
- By Torah Cottrill on 06-18-10
By: Charles Stross
-
The Annihilation Score
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Elle Newlands
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mo's latest assignment is assisting the police in containing an unusual outbreak: ordinary citizens suddenly imbued with extraordinary abilities of the superpowered kind. Unfortunately these people prefer playing superpranks instead of superheroics. The mayor of London being levitated by a dumpy man in Trafalgar Square would normally be a source of shared amusement for Mo and Bob, but they're currently separated because something's come between them - something evil.
-
-
A disappointing addition to a great series.
- By A Tye on 11-08-15
By: Charles Stross
-
The Nightmare Stacks
- Laundry Files, Book 7
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After stumbling upon the algorithm that turned him and his fellow merchant bankers into vampires, Alex Schwartz was drafted by The Laundry, Britain's secret counter-occult agency that's humanity's first line of defense against the forces of darkness. Dependent on his new employers for his continued existence - as Alex has no stomach for predatory bloodsucking - he has little choice but to accept his new role as an operative in training.
-
-
Back on Track!
- By Michael on 06-30-16
By: Charles Stross
-
The Delirium Brief
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bob Howard's career in the Laundry, the secret British government agency dedicated to protecting the world from unspeakable horrors from beyond spacetime, has entailed high combat, brilliant hacking, ancient magic, and combat with indescribably repellent creatures of pure evil. It has also involved a wearying amount of paperwork and office politics, and his expense reports are still a mess. Now, following the invasion of Yorkshire by the Host of Air and Darkness, the Laundry's existence has become public.
-
-
Fantastic, frustrating, squamous, and rugose
- By Jasmine Wahlberg on 07-13-17
By: Charles Stross
-
The Labyrinth Index
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The arrival of vast, alien, inhuman intelligences reshaped the landscape for human affairs across the world, and the United Kingdom is no exception. Things have changed in Britain since the dread elder god Nyarlathotep ascended to the rank of prime minister. In America, a thousand-mile-wide storm system has blanketed the Midwest, and the president is nowhere to be found. The government has been infiltrated by the shadowy Black Chamber, and the Pentagon and NASA have been refocused on the problem of summoning Cthulhu.
-
-
Hours of self pitying exposition.
- By Jonathan on 11-09-18
By: Charles Stross
-
The Atrocity Archives
- A Laundry Files Novel
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Do you love the Dresden Files? You'll like this.
- By Nick on 05-19-12
By: Charles Stross
-
Dead Lies Dreaming
- Laundry Files, Book 10
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Gideon Emery
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As Wendy hunts down Imp - the cyberpunk head of a band calling themselves The Lost Boys - she is dragged into the schemes of louche billionaire Rupert de Montfort Bigge. Rupert has discovered that the sole surviving copy of the long-lost concordance to the one true Necronomicon is up for underground auction in London. He hires Imp's sister, Eve, to procure it by any means necessary, and in the process, he encounters Wendy Deere.
-
-
fine laundry, weak ending
- By Brian Olson on 12-13-20
By: Charles Stross
-
Singularity Sky
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 21st century, the perfection of faster-than-light travel and the rise of a prodigious artificial intelligence known as the Eschaton altered the course of humankind. New civilizations were founded across the vastness of space. Now, the technology-eschewing world known as the New Republic is besieged by an alien information plague. Earth quickly sends a battle fleet - but is it coming to the rescue, or is a sinister plot in motion?
-
-
Gonzo giggleworthy geekitude
- By Noah on 11-11-10
By: Charles Stross
-
The Family Trade
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miriam Beckstein is happy in her life as a successful reporter. When she gets iron-clad evidence of a money-laundering scheme, Miriam thinks she's found the story of the year. But when she takes it to her editor, she's fired on the spot and gets a death threat from the criminals she's uncovered. Before the day is over, she's received a locket left by the mother she never knew - the mother who was murdered when she was an infant. The knotwork pattern within has a hypnotic effect on her.
-
-
Series worsened as it went on
- By Susan on 10-24-18
By: Charles Stross
-
Glasshouse
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Glasshouse, Stross pens a Kafkaesque tale set in a 27th-century of teleport gates and mind-attacking network worms. After Robin awakes in a clinic, he struggles to summon details of his life, but too many of his memories have been wiped clean. More troubling is the stark awareness of immediate danger: someone is trying to kill him. On the run, Robin makes a desperate gamble and volunteers for what he hopes is the sanctuary of an unusual study at the Glasshouse. Once there, however, he realizes the true terror has only begun.
-
-
Vintage Stross
- By Ken on 06-21-11
By: Charles Stross
-
Battle Ground
- Dresden Files, Book 17
- By: Jim Butcher
- Narrated by: James Marsters
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry has faced terrible odds before. He has a long history of fighting enemies above his weight class. But this time it’s different. A being more powerful and dangerous on an order of magnitude beyond what the world has seen in a millennium is coming. And she’s bringing an army. The Last Titan has declared war on the city of Chicago and has come to subjugate humanity, obliterating any who stand in her way. Harry’s mission is simple but impossible: Save the city by killing a Titan.
-
-
Repetitive and too long
- By Pupeluv on 09-30-20
By: Jim Butcher
-
Accelerando
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Singularity. It is the era of the posthuman. Artificial intelligences have surpassed the limits of human intellect. Biotechnological beings have rendered people all but extinct. Molecular nanotechnology runs rampant, replicating and reprogramming at will. Contact with extraterrestrial life grows more imminent with each new day.
-
-
Hardest of hard SF...
- By DLee on 11-24-14
By: Charles Stross
-
Peace Talks
- Dresden Files, Book 16
- By: Jim Butcher
- Narrated by: James Marsters
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, joins the White Council's security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago - and all he holds dear?
-
-
well...
- By Scifantastic on 07-15-20
By: Jim Butcher
-
Empire Games
- By: Charles Stross
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charles Stross builds a new series with Empire Games. Expanding on the world he created in the Family Trade series, a new generation of paratime travelers walk between parallel universes. The year is 2020. It's 17 years since the Revolution overthrew the last king of the New British Empire, and the newly reconstituted North American Commonwealth is developing rapidly, on course to defeat the French and bring democracy to a troubled world.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Alex Beckers on 03-23-17
By: Charles Stross
-
Heaven's River
- Bobiverse, Book 4
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Civil war looms in the Bobiverse in this brand-new, epic-length adventure by Audible number one best seller Dennis E. Taylor. More than a hundred years ago, Bender set out for the stars and was never heard from again. There has been no trace of him despite numerous searches by his clone-mates. Now Bob is determined to organize an expedition to learn Bender’s fate - whatever the cost. But nothing is ever simple in the Bobiverse. Bob’s descendants are out to the 24th generation now, and replicative drift has produced individuals who can barely be considered Bobs anymore.
-
-
BOB-tastic!!! 🛸
- By C. White on 09-24-20
By: Dennis E. Taylor
-
Harrow the Ninth
- Locked Tomb Trilogy, Book 2
- By: Tamsyn Muir
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 19 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath - but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
-
-
Who needs Ambien when I've got a book like this?
- By Mike G. PD for life on 08-07-20
By: Tamsyn Muir
Publisher's Summary
The winner of multiple Hugo Awards, Charles Stross is one of the most highly regarded science fiction writers of his time. In The Apocalypse Codex, occasionally hapless British agent Bob Howard tackles a case involving an American televangelist and a supernatural threat of global proportions.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about The Apocalypse Codex
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ken
- 11-18-12
Advanced computational demonology
Any book that actually contains the phrase that titles this review deserves to be read. This book is, by the way, the sequel to "The Atrocity Archives," and that book must be read before this one, so if you haven't read that one, stop reading now to avoid possible spoilers and go get the first book.
Stross, normally known for his very hard science fiction, has decided to reboot Lovecraft's view of our universe as a place that horrible monsters from other worlds/dimensions/universes are just waiting to invade for all sorts of terrifying reasons. And the keys to such invasion are certain kinds of advanced mathematical routines that, if run or activated or invoked by either a person or the right kind of electronics, will open the doors to these other universes and let the monsters in. All of those intelligence agencies like the CIA and MI6 are really just covers for the true bulwarks against these monsters -- agents who understand this threat and use a combination of technology and intuitive mathematics ("magic") to fight the good fight. It's all great fun, has a strong tongue in cheek element, and is built around a strong story with lots of interesting plot twists and clever surprises. One warning: Stross takes a particularly hostile view of certain flavors of Christianity here, so if you find such attitudes off-putting, you probably won't enjoy this. Gideon Emery does a really solid job with the narration.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A reader
- 07-31-12
Still great, though a bit of the magic has faded
I am a big fan of the Laundry series, and this book is still excellent, but, as the series moves on, it has matured, by necessity, in ways both good and bad. In general, much like the Harry Dresden series, as the series has developed, it has become less lighthearted, losing the parody and many of the pop-nerd-culture references in favor of more spy- and Love-craft. The characters are now quite well developed, but that leaves less room for the cartoonish bad guys and bizarre plots that made the early books amusing. On the other hand, it means that the stakes feel more real, the plot more grounded in previous novels, and the action more engaging.
This trend is not the reason why I have slightly mixed feeling about the book (though I still strongly recommend it to anyone who has read the series so far). First off, the plot in this particular book is, in some ways, a little less inventive then Stross often is capable of - you are introduced almost immediately to an evangelical church leader with clearly ominous intent, which is a bit of an easy target. There are twists and turns, but perhaps the revelations are more expected in this novel then previous ones.
The second issue is that, as the series has gone on, the main character has shifted from regular schlub to a hero on a larger stage. This is fine, but, as the protagonist moves up the ranks, and as more of the secrets of the Laundry universe are revealed, it removes a little of the overarching cosmic horror that made the series some interesting. Again, this is natural for any ongoing series, but it, plus the slightly less surprising plot, makes the book Really Good rather than Amazing.
On the other hand, the reading is insanely good - many accents, from cosmic horrors to royalty, are covered beautifully. Overall, a really good choice, though this is clearly not where new readers should start.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bryan
- 04-02-13
A Rather Listless Laundry Episode
Most people now know the basic premise behind the Laundry - the super secret British agency that was setup to fight the jibbering horrors that exist in another dimension. This episode finds Bob Howard sent on a mission to Colorado to supervise two field agents who are investigating a charismatic evangelical preacher who has suddenly become a friend of the British Prime Minister. Of course, the Christian preacher is really a worshiper of some alien diety and is putting mind-controlling bugs inside the bodes of his minions. After a rather straightforward mission Bob and his friends foil the evil one and end up isolating the preacher on another world with his possibly awakened deity.
As always with Charles Stross, lots and lots of denigration of Christianity and Americans. Just what kind of culture produces someone who would call a minister a "God botherer"?
Of interest to me, most of the action is set in Colorado. The village of Palmer Lake is where the evil Christians setup their compound, and I live 3 miles from there. Either Mr. Stross has actually visited Colorado, or his research is pretty accurate. There actually is a New Life church in Colorado Springs with associated World Prayer Center. Of course, they are not actually secret demon worshipers, their leaders are not trying to dominate the world, and they are simply living their lives according to their chosen faith, but its part of the setup for the whole Laundry series.
As for the story, it never really felt like Bob was ever in any real danger and the conclusion was obvious almost from the beginning. Let's hope that Mr. Stross goes back to concentrating on an exciting story and stops bashing his favorite strawmen in future stories in this series.
The one excellent part of this audio book is Gideon Emery's narration. It was outstanding and really kept me listening.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- S. Yates
- 09-19-17
Another nice entry in the series
Any additional comments?
3.5 stars. Again, more of the same in a good way - mixture of nerd references, James Bond action, and Lovecraftian horrors Which is to say, all in a day's work for Bob Howard.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- S. Harrison
- 09-11-12
Mr. Howard comes into his own!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes and No. If they had listened to (or read) any of the previous Laundry Files books then this is a fantastic addition and I would heartily recommend it. If they hadn't read a prior LF novel then this would be a bad place to start. Read (listen to) The Atrocity Archives first - at the very least.
What did you like best about this story?
Mr. Howard is changing and growing as a character and spook. He is no longer just a desk jockey getting a chance at field work or a trusted assistant out and about - he is really getting out there. AND, it helps that the stakes are getting larger.
What does Gideon Emery bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He has the ability to convey the whole scene in the voice and tonal selections he makes. He has a captivating voice for the primary narrator and does a terrific job with others. His accent and delivery carry just the right amount of amused horror that this series captures so well.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Zachary Tatlock
- 12-30-20
It's a personal rant session...
Enjoyed the first two books. However, this book quickly turned into a rant of his personal demons and a vitreous story line.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Fenrix
- 01-11-20
Blessings be with you.
No one warned me this one was about the horrors of middle-management leadership training and Britain’s transportation surveillance system. Also the bit about the ties hit a bit too close for comfort.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ian Smiley
- 01-04-20
Amazing Narrator and Great Story
I really enjoy these books, but during this listen I realized just how good Gideon Emery is. I actually checked to see if there was more than one narrator at one point. He manages to do multiple voices without them feeling forced.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brian W.
- 03-14-19
fun read
if you enjoy the other 'Laundry Books', then you'll enjoy this one as well! very good
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- DJ
- 05-16-18
God Game Black!
C Stross has a very fluid and effective manner of writing. His stories, in the first person narrative always gives a dynamic perspective. His characters are richly developed. His mixing of humor, occult and magic, with many pokes at the stiff upper lips of British management always make me smile. I can see many comparisons with my work place environments. Emery, who narrates the stories adds a rich warm underlining to the story. His story telling evokes the many moods of the characters. He has an unlimited range. Each of his characters is consistent across all of Stross’s books. Only one of the books, written from Mo’s perspective is in a female voice. Overall these are easy reads/listens. Entertaining thought provoking and just plain fun. Can you tell I liked them?😁