By Sandy Amazeen Jan 12, 2009, 1:05 GMT
With more then just a tip of the hat to Ian Fleming’s James Bond, Stross continues the misadventures of bumbling techno geek Bob Howard as he attempts to save the world from an ambitious billionaire. Employed by a secret British intelligence agency known as the Laundry, Bob must keep the Jennifer Morgue, a device currently residing in the belly of a sunken Soviet sub lying deep on the ocean floor from being recovered.
Ellis Billington will stop at nothing to obtain and use the Jennifer Morgue, even if doing so breaks old covenants and draws the attention of an ancient race capable of destroying humanity. It falls to Bob and an oddball collection of acquaintances to keep Ellis from achieving his goal while staying a step ahead of the dreaded bureaucracy that would like nothing better then to subject him to a detailed audit, surly a fate worse then death.
In a world where all the governments are aware of the frequent intrusions of interdimensional beings, they keep their largely ignorant populace in the dark by the expedient means of employing anybody who suspects the truth. Stross’ sequel to The Atrocity Archives dives back into madcap universe where just about anything can and does happen. That of course is the appeal of this quick paced, clever mix of Lovecraft meets klutzy superspy. One can hardly wait to see what proverbial cat Stross pulls out of his vivid imagination next.
Your Talkback on this Story