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The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross
01/10/2007 . Source: Tomas L. Martin 
pub: Orbit. 319 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84149-569-9. Buy The Atrocity Archives in the USA - or Buy The Atrocity Archives in the UK  check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk
Charles Stross is one of the rising lights on the British SF scene. His productivity since his emergence has been very high and a flurry of novels have been released over the last few years, including the widely acclaimed 'Accelerando'.
This novel is different from the far future space opera I was used to after reading 'Iron Sunrise' and 'Singularity Sky'. It follows Bob Howard, a lowly tech working for a twisted form of MI6, the Laundry. When he catches the attention of his bosses, Bob begins to do fieldwork and comes into contact with a lot of weird stuff.
The gist of it is that magic, demons and other dimensions are, thanks to great thinkers like Alan Turing, understood and able to be manipulated using maths and the odd bit of computer programming. Researchers in science and mathematics can stumble across formulae and processes that summon nasty critters from other places. The Laundry is there to catch them before they destroy half the universe in the process.
The plot in this novel is actually two distinct stories, previously published separately. The first covers Bob Howard as he gets his first bit of training as a field operative and his attempts to rescue a researcher in trouble in America. When she is abducted by a weird mix of neo-nazis and middle-eastern terrorists, Bob and the team have to travel through a portal to rescue her.
The second shorter story covers Bob a few months down the line when a problem with CCTV networks and Basilisk-imitating software has turned a poor unfortunate cow into stone, with disturbing conspiracy within the agency possibly behind it.
Stross mixes the weird monsters of a Lovecraft novel with the gadgets and clever action of a techno-thriller. Taken seriously, this would be hard to believe but there's a large dollop of satire and humour that eases the often ridiculous events into a fun read. It's a very British sort of humour with parallels to Pratchett but in a vastly different setting.
The first story is much stronger than the second, which I felt didn't work very well in terms of the whole book. Both are good pieces in their own right but I'd question tacking the second story onto the end of the book. I would have enjoyed it more if the first story had been properly re-worked into a full-length novel rather than hodgepodge the two together.
Having said that, this is an enjoyable romp through a crazy mix of genres and the comic touch brings it all to life. Charles Stross is a real talent and though he has and will produce better books than this one, 'The Atrocity Archives' is still worth a punt.
Tomas L. Martin
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