The Atrocity Archives
Book 1 in The Laundry Files
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The Atrocity Archives
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Jack Hawkins
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By:
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Charles Stross
About this listen
Never volunteer for active duty...
Bob Howard is a low-level techie working for a super-secret government agency. While his colleagues are out saving the world, Bob's under a desk restoring lost data. His world was dull and safe; but then he went and got Noticed. Now, Bob is up to his neck in spycraft, alternative universes, dimension-hopping terrorists, monstrous elder gods and the end of the world. Only one thing is certain: it will take more than ‘control+alt+delete’ to sort this mess out...
This is the first novel in The Laundry Files. This audiobook includes the short story The Concrete Jungle.
©2004 Charles Stross. Introduction copyright 2004 by Ken Mcleod (P)2013 Hachette Children's BooksListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
If you could sum up The Atrocity Archives in three words, what would they be?
Cold-war, love, bureaucracyWho was your favorite character and why?
It has to be the protagonist. His journey is that of the classic fairy-story hero, and he is likeable!Which character – as performed by Jack Hawkins – was your favourite?
As aboveWas there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The revelation of the relationship between the protagonist's two male room mates.Any additional comments?
It is a well crafted, intelligent appraisal of how the British Secret Service would deal with the supernatural. It has a Fifties, Cold War feel, layered with the twenty-first century's real-world worries.It is very gripping - a dynamic writing style, with real characterisation that grounds the very strange events into our recognisable real world. Only quibble is Stross's failure to fully characterise the female characters - a not uncommon problem with male authors, and Stross's women tend to fall into stereotypes; sex object(albeit with brains), bimbo or ball-breaker.
Charles Stross channels Ben Aaronovitch and Terry Pratchett in his younger period, and achieves somnething that is uniquely his own voice. He doesn't stray too far into the horror/torture/gross genre, but keeps it grounded with comedy, current references and the human drivers of love, loss and learning.This book is in two distinct parts - I believe they were originally published separately, but the repetition of setting back story isn't too cumbersome, and it all hangs together well.I'm definitely looking for more of his work.
Something special
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Cuthulu a new
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Great intro to the Laundry series
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The story sounded intriguing so I took a chance. never regretted it.
A great storyline and read brilliantly can't wait to read the next book.
Great
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Would you consider the audio edition of The Atrocity Archives to be better than the print version?
I've not got/read the book so I wouldn't be able to tell you. There is a lot of dense tech-speak, however, and I think it would be nice to have a printed version, in order to see what was said with more clarity.What was one of the most memorable moments of The Atrocity Archives?
It's difficult to fill this in without giving any of the plot away. One thing that's not too spoilery stands out, however. The moment our valiant hero is besieged by beaurocracy, only to be able to take it to a department head and foil there attempts at harassing him.What does Jack Hawkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
I first heard Jack reading Scott Mariani's books and I think he brings the same here. They are confidently and compidently read, with enough characterisation to add to the narrative without going over the top, and making it sound like a children's book.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It was tricky to get in to at first but, once I had, I couldn't put it down. If I had a (very) long car journey, I can see myself putting this on again.Any additional comments?
Really great book which is a little confusing at first but becomes more understandable as the plot unwinds. There is enough humour in here to offset some of the scarier elements and the use of mythic elements is particularly well achieved. Looking forward to listening to book 2, which I have just purchased.Brilliant take on a lovecraftian universe
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