The Atrocity Archives
This is a brilliant combination of science fiction, horror and spy thriller.
Imagine a world where, after the Second World War, the SOE wasn’t completely wound up.
Imagine a world where Alan Turing proved the mathematics of what most people would call magic.
Imagine that the biggest danger from computer hackers is not from viruses, but that they might replicate Turing’s work and by accident destroy the world by summoning a extradimensional monster.
This is the world of Bob Howard. The book begins with Howard taking on his first active duty for the Laundry (that vestigial remnant of the SOE, charged with keeping the lid on this knowledge) experiencing first-hand the extreme boredom involved with being a spy. Howard works at the Laundry because he has no choice – he nearly destroyed Birmingham when he developed his own version of Turing’s maths.
This book contains two stories of Howard’s work in the field, the full novel length Atrocity Archives and the rather shorter Concrete Jungle. Both are brilliant.
If you love spy thrillers, Lovecraftian horror or tech geek science fiction I recommend this book without hesitation. Hell I enjoyed it so much I’d say anyone should give it a try. This Stross guy is good.