The Jennifer Morgue (Laundry Files Book 2)

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. Life's too short to read bad books!

The Jennifer Morgue, the second novel in Charles Stross’ LAUNDRY FILES, is a science fiction spy thriller that’s an obvious homage to Ian Fleming and H.P. Lovecraft. Bob has been sent to the Caribbean to try to find out why Ellis Billington, an evil megalomaniac billionaire, is interested in The Jennifer Morgue, a place deep in the ocean which may be an access point into our universe by tentacled eldritch horrors. For this assignment, Bob is paired up with someone from the American agency that deals with this kind of supernatural stuff — a gorgeous woman possessed by a succubus.

As usual, Bob has been insufficiently briefed about his mission, so he’s bewildered most of the time. What is he doing wearing a tuxedo to a casino and ordering vodka martinis (shaken, not stirred)? Why does his nemesis have a fluffy white long-haired cat and insist on giving long-winded monologues every time he captures Bob? Bob doesn’t get to drive an Aston Martin, but his Smartcar swims and has an eject button. Eventually Bob discovers that he’s been hooked by a Hero Trap and he’s destined to play a role he doesn’t feel suited for.
Unpredictable and amusing all the way through, The Jennifer Morgue is a strange blend of genres that manages to work in Charles Stross’ hands. The plot is extremely far-fetched (just like a James Bond story), but that’s part of the fun. There are the usual geek culture references (e.g, Thinkgeek, and the famous 1984 Mac ad), comical office scenes (such as when all the attendees of a meeting are hypnotized by a Powerpoint presentation), and cool technology that seems more like magic (e.g., cosmetics used for surveillance). There are also undead seagulls, minions with mirrored shades and machine guns, and Bond babes. There are several plot twists and a reveal that turns the whole misogynistic James Bond trope on its head (thank you, Mr. Stross!).

At the end, The Jennifer Morgue contains some bonus material. There’s a hilarious short story called “Pimpf” in which Bob has to rescue a new intern from inside a MMORPG. Gamers will love it, I think. Then there’s an essay by Stross about the culture of the James Bond franchise which includes an interview with Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Again, I listened to the excellent audio version produced by Recorded Books and read by the perfectly-cast Gideon Emery. I recommend it.

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea everyday!

Book- The Jennifer Morgue
Author- Charles Stross
Voice- Gideon Emery
Book- ~$8 http://www.the store.com/Jennifer-Morgue-Laundry-Files-Novel/dp/0441018149/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420067745&sr=1-1&keywords=the+jennifer+morgue
Audiobook- ~$15 http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Jennifer-Morgue-Audiobook/B003E8AA2I
TL; DR- A twisty turny international affair 95%%

Basics-Bob Howard still works for the laundry. Now instead of fighting domestic terrorists and interoffice politics, he's dragged into the world of international super spies by being paired with sexy she sea devil trying to stop a plan that will not only fight a crazy American billionaire but the most devious of evils-POWERPOINT!

Characters- Stross writes some great characters. The sexy she spy Ramona Random is well done. She starts off standoffish, but through some show/don't tell you learn a ton of her background. The second main character Bob Howard is done well. There are a few moments where he does some stuff that seem out of his character. It's not horrible by any means, but there are a few moments like when Bob and Ramona go swimming together that I feel he doesn't feel quite right. 4.75/5

Setting- The setting is the Caribbean. Bob doesn't spend a ton of time at the office, and that really only helps the setting. Bob gets to go somewhere without florescent lights, and he takes us with him. Since this place is new to me, I felt like I was taken on a new and exciting trip. 5/5

Story- The story of this book is a fun one. It's full of all kinds of twists and turns following all the old cliché's of a Bond novel. Some of these twists you won't see coming, and that makes it all the more fun. There are a few dull moments that are not as fun, but overall you will enjoy this one. 4.5 /5

Summary-I love the Laundry books. Stross does a great job of bringing the Lovecraft and mixing it with the science. That's a fun combination. This story has several different perspectives that all build a great cohesive tale together. It's a fun romp that will twist and turn, and you will enjoy every minute of it. 95%.

Audiobook Extra- Gideon Emery does a good job being Bob Howard. He sounds English enough and as much of a technogeek as Bob is. Well done. 5/5

The Jennifer Morgue (2006) is the second SF novel in The Laundry Files series, following The Atrocity Archives. It contains two stories, a glossary of acronyms, and an afterword.

In the previous volume, Bob got a chance for a field assignment from Andy and found it wet and boring. He waited until everybody left a building and crawled through an unlocked window, knocking CDs all over the floor. Then he cracked into a desk computer and erased another discovery of Turing's Theorem.

Bob got back to his flat at 2:30 in the morning and slept through his alarm clock. He was awakened by a call from Andy asking when he was coming to work. Bob suggested eleven o'clock and Andy agreed.

Bob met with Andy, Boris and Harriet in room B4. Andy said that he had accomplished the objective despite the poor fieldwork. Harriet mentioned his timekeeping problems and lack of prior notification.

In the second story, Bob was working for Angleton. He got a call at 4:00 AM from his boss. Angleton was calling a Code Blue.

Bob was outside his flat within ten minutes and was delivered to the Laundry fifteen minutes later. As Bob enters the boardroom, Angleton tells him that he was late. Bob pointed out that the police driver had not wasted any time.

Angleton, Boris and Andy briefed him on GAME ANDES REDSHIFT. It seemed that the techies in Q Division had developed basilisk software for CCTV units around Britain. Now there was a ninth stone cow in Milton Keynes and Angleton wanted to know why.

In this novel, Robert Howard is a man recruited by the Laundry after almost releasing a powerful being into his environment. Bob works as a computer technician in the Laundry, but has been working as a field agent for three years.

Angleton is Secretary of the Director. He has been Bob's boss for the past three years.

Andrew is an operation manager supervising magical activities. Bob usually works for Andy, but sometimes he works directly under Angleton.

Boris the Mole is a security officer and an old hand in the Laundry. He works for Angleton.

Dominique O'Brien is a Professor of Philosophy in the University of California at Santa Cruz. Now Mo also works for the Laundry.

Pinky and Brains are Laundry agents. They are a homosexual couple.

Ramona Random is an agent from the Black Chamber. She is not totally human.

Ellis Billington is a multibillionaire. He made his original fortune with TLA Systems, but has since diversified.

Emma MacDougal is senior vice-superintendent, Personnel Management (Operations). She is an ambitious bureaucrat.

Peter-Fred Young is a games designer recruited into the Laundry. Pete is the son of the Deputy Director for Human Resources in the Laundry.

Slug Johnson worked in Accounts within the Laundry. He had made a lot of enemies.

In "The Jennifer Morgue" story, Operation JENNIFER was funded by the CIA to build the Hughes Glomar Explorer and a 3000 ton mining barge for the raising of a sunken Soviet submarine. In 1975, after years of careful preparation, the mining barge was lowered to the sea floor. The tension aboard the Glomar Explorer was rising as the barge neared the abyssal mud.

The submerged cameras eventually spotted the sub and the crew steered the barge over it. The grabs were deployed and the barge slowly raised the damaged craft from the mud. Then tentacles arose from the mud and followed the barge.

In the present, Bob goes to a joint-liaison meeting as a substitute for Andy. The meeting is being held in Darmstadt, Germany. He flies to the nearest airport and picks up a rental car. It is a Smart Fortwo.

Bob take A45 to Darmstadt. The Smart car has a top speed of a hundred fifty kph, but everybody else on the autobahn is driving much faster. Bob's car is swaying from the jet wash and a red Audi TT almost rams it.

When he finally arrives at the hotel, Bob finds a parking place next to a red Audi TT like the one that almost hit his car. Inside, he finds his room and then checks his messages. He has one from Ramona telling him to meet her in the Lacuna Bar.

Bob is not sure who Ramona is. After meeting her, he is not sure what she it. But she is wearing a level 3 glamour. And she is the driver of the red Audi TT.

Bob calls Angleton and leaves a voice mail about his problems (no, not about the Smart car; that will be in the debriefing). Angleton calls him back shortly thereafter -- which surprises Bob -- and gives him instructions to go to the room past his own. He will be briefed there.

Bob pauses by his own door and notes that the knob is super cold. Then he goes to the next room and finds Pinky. Then Brains walks out of the closet, where he had been drilling holes into Bob's room. Boris comes out of the lavatory and puts a DVD on the player for Bob's briefing.

Meanwhile, Pinky duct tapes Bob's arms to the chair and constructs a pentacle about him. The DVD starts the briefing with a self-destruct notice. The briefing is interrupted before completion and the DVD self-destructs, taking the lap-top with it.

Bob learns that Ramona is going to be his partner for a while. The rite being prepared will -- hopefully -- entangle their destinies and keep her from devouring him. It also allows them to exchange thoughts and feelings.

Ramona is also within a pentacle in Bob's room. She can't get out of it until he releases her. She is not very pleased with the situation, but now anything that happens to one of them is felt by both.

Mo has been attending training course for weeks and Bob is definitely missing her. He calls her on a secure connection and discusses his mission. He tells her that he is working for Angleton. Then he mentions Ramona and asks Mo to research destiny entanglement.

That night, Bob dreams that he is an overweight fiftyish German sale executive. He is drawn to his room by a seductive woman, who sucks the soul out of him. Bob awakes realizing that the dream was from Ramona, who has found her evening meal.

Bob can't sleep the rest of the night. He dresses and goes downstairs for breakfast. Afterward, he heads toward the conference room.

The meeting is headed by the Italian delegate. Everything is normal and Bob is fighting to stay awake. Then the German delegate starts a Power Point presentation from TLA Systems GMbH.

Bob hates Power Point, because it puts him to sleep. But Ramona pokes him mentally to call his attention to the dissolve from slide number twenty-six to twenty-seven. Everyone in the room except Bob and Ramona become raving zombies.

Bob yanks the projector power cable and helps Ramona overcome the wild German delegate. They exit the room and lock the door behind them. The German delegate dies in the corridor.

Bob is upset by the death and destruction and asks why Ramona didn't stop the conference before reaching the deadly dissolve. Ramona points out that this is the first time anyone had escaped from the trap. The delegates were a necessary sacrifice.

GSA interrogates Bob for hours, but lets him go. Pinky and Brains make adjustments to his Smart car and then crate it for transit. They are off to Juliana Airport in Saint Martin.

During the flight, Bob dreams that Angleton continues his briefing. He learns about JENNIFER, BLUE HADES and DEEP SEVEN. He also is told that Billington is after another at JENNIFER MORGUE site 2. His mission is to keep Billington from irritating the benthic aliens.

In the "Pimpf" story, Bob is called into HR for playing computer games on his computer. Emma asks him about the hours that he has spending on games, Apparently he should had put in more hours than he has.

Bob has a dedicated server running Neverwinter Nights. It is a trap for passing aliens. But it is an unfinished work.

Emma suggests that he might use an assistant. When he gets back to his office, someone is using his computer. Upon confrontation, the lad says that he is an intern. Bob takes the issue to Andy.

It seems that HR has started a new training method, assigning newbies to veteran mentors. Pete is his intern to learn how to survive within the organization. He is to be Bob's shadow for an undefined time.

The first order of business is to find a larger office. Bob looks in the segregated section and picks Slug's old office. The office is large enough, but is infested with an aura from its prior inhabitant.

Bob and Pete go through a frenzy of requisitions to furnish the office and to clean the lingering influences. The next day, Bob gives Pete a box of CD-Rs and tells him to install the latest updates in his new laptop. He orders Pete to avoid his machine and leaves for a meeting.

Luckily, Bob gets called out of the meeting. Unfortunately, Pete has been sucked into the Neverwinter Nights game. Bob leaves the mindless body in the hands of Pinky and Brains while he reports the problem to Angleton.

These tales are much like the works of Len Deighton and John Le Carre, with an element of monsters and magic. Bob is a Civil Servant with a typically low salary. He and Mo have to worry about forms and other administrative practices. They are saving for a holiday, maybe to Crete.

Yet the first tale features a James Bond plot. Of course, the tale twists the plot in unconventional ways. It also brings Mo into the storyline.

The second tale is about a youngster who strayed into Laundry territory and was inducted into the organization. Bob sees himself in his new intern. Unfortunately, Pete wasn't as lucky as Bob.

Bob and his friends (and lover) survive for further adventures. The next installment in this sequence is The Fuller Memorandum.

Highly recommended for Stross fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of technical magic, covert operations, and a touch of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

In The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross delivered a short novel, a longish novella, and an essay about the intersection between horror and the spy novel. In The Jennifer Morgue, Stross delivers a medium-ish novel (The Jennifer Morgue), a medium-ish short story (Pimpf, which apparently means "little squirt" in German), and an essay (The Golden Age of Spying, which features an "interview" with Ernst Blofeld) about James Bond and the nature of Big Evil. Strictly comparing the two novels, while The Atrocity Archive had novelty and a weightier plot on its side, The Jennifer Morgue is better written and just feels more like a novel. It is also a *silly* novel, although not as silly as "Pimpf", where Stross really turns on the geekspeak. Most Stross readers will be satisfied with this one. Others are welcome to start here; while readers of The Atrocity Archives will be more up to speed, I don't think the earlier book is a prerequisite to reading this one.

The sequel to "The Atrocity Archives" and part of the omnibus "On Her Majesty's Occult Service," "The Jennifer Morgue" consists of the title story, the short story "Pimpf" (first published on-line Jim Baen's Universe in June, 2006) and "The Golden Age of Spying," which is basically an afterword to "Jennifer Morgue." Well written, witty and gripping, this book has a bit of everything - Lovecraftian-esque horror, Monty Python-esque humor and Bond-esque spy thriller suspense.

Bob has been sent on a standard trip to a convention - he expects it to be pretty boring, as the conventions are generally just a chance for the various occult groups from different countries to meet and mingle. However, things begin to get weird quickly as he first is met by a Black Chamber operative, and then is told he is supposed to be on a deep cover operation where he is to work with her. In fact, they are to be "destiny entangled" for the duration of the mission. As time goes by, we discover that the person who Bob is supposed to stop from destroying the world, somehow, has created a terribly involved geas field, involving all actors in this situation and placing them into a James Bond-type situation, wherein only a specific person, under a specific set of circumstances, has a chance to even approach him. He then hopes to short-circuit the geas so that he can complete his mission, which is to raise a cthonian device from JENNIFER MORGUE, which is on the abyssal plain, where humans, by treaty from the Deep Ones, are banned from going.

Obviously, things just get worse from there.

In "Pimpf" Bob is saddled with an intern, who ends up getting himself stuck inside a MMORPG which Bob had been designing in order to capture dungeon designers who have accidentally designed programs that would lead to problems - thereby bringing them into the Laundry. Bob therefore has to go into the game himself and save his intern, Pete, before it is too late.

In "The Golden Age of Spying," Charles Stross interviews Ernst Blofeld, Bond's arch-nemesis to get his side of the story, as well as generally musing about the cultural phenomenon that is James Bond.

I can definitely recommend this book to just about anyone who enjoys a)Lovecraftian works, b)Monty Python, c)spy thrillers, d)British humor in general or e)basic, undefinable books that create a fun and interesting world. Don't miss this one!

This was very enjoyable. Immensely silly, but in a good way.

This is a pretty amusing novel and there were moments when it seemed slightly obvious and maybe a little ridiculous but despite that it is very cleverly constructed.

The actions scenes were surprisingly impressive and the whole background of his laundry series of books is very well done. Angleton is a great character.

At times I thought that maybe it was a smidgen too long and conversely, that the ending was a trifle rushed. Despite these minor quibbles I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

He is a very entertaining writer and I thought that this was just as inventive as the atrocity archives but was significantly better written.

The afterword was very interesting and thoughtful.

Entertaining second book in the solid, sarcastic, satirical series (of espionage meets the occult). The intertwining, quite literally, of the James Bond pastiche with the techno-Eldritch-comedic-thriller works really well and keeps the plot amusing and moving. Looking forward to continuing the series whenever I need a funny and not-too-serious pick-me-up.

Charles Stross continues the adventures of Bob Howard (The Atrocity Archives) with The Jennifer Morgue. Bob Howard is an agent of The Laundry, a deeply secret British intelligence agency

which is focused on saving the world from the supernatural. Bob Howard is not your average agent, however. He is no James Bond. Rather, he is a computer hacker type guy who just has happened to stumble on to a skill set which has involved him in demonology.

The Laundry has set Howard up with an agent from the American Black Chamber (or perhaps it is the other way around) to stop billionaire Ellis Billington from raising something from the Pacific Ocean and in turn piss off at least one of the supernatural species inhabiting our planet which are much older and more powerful than we are and allow humanity to exist mostly because we have not inconvenienced them.

Where The Atrocity Archives was something of a combination of H.P. Lovecraft, Len Deighton, and perhaps Neal Stephenson, The Jennifer Morgue goes in a different direction. The Jennifer Morgue still takes the possibility of Lovecraftian creatures and introduces a send up of Ian Fleming's Bond novels. This is a Bond style adventure with good humor, high adventure, and clever, clever writing.

Stross has shown growth from The Atrocity Archives to The Jennifer Morgue and shows once again that this style of writing and the Bob Howard novels are very much in his wheelhouse and are shining examples of the talent and gift of Charles Stross. This is very original fantasy fiction which pays homage to the spy novels of yesteryear and yet takes it into an entirely new direction.

The hardcover also contains another Bob Howard story: "Pimpf" which deals with video games and the Laundry bureaucracy. "Pimpf" is decent enough, but lacks the heft of The Jennifer Morgue.

The only question left at the end of The Jennifer Morgue is probably what readers of Fleming's Bond or even viewers of the Bond series once asked: When will Bob Howard return?

And who will Stross send up in his next outing? LeCarre? Clancy? It doesn't matter. I trust that Stross will deliver once again.

-Joe Sherry

Alan Turing discovered that mathematics can do Lovecraft-style magic-- hence his subsequent suicide. Now it's ten years before the "stars are right," a.k.a. codename GREEN NIGHTMARE, and Capital Laundry Services, the UK's anti-supernatural government agency, is on the job. The main character is Bob Howard, a hacker who stumbled into the realm of magic and was given a job offer he couldn't refuse by Capital Laundry. Turns out, his middle names are Oliver Francis. B.O.F.H. Yeah. He's reading Tanenbaum for fun. And some fun quotes: "Just as it's possible to write a TCP/IP protocol stack in some utterly inappropriate programming language like ML or Visual Basic, so, too, it's possible to implement TCP/IP over carrier pigeons, or paper tape, or daemons summoned from the vasty deep." "...and while I know all the POSIX options to the kill(1) command, doing it with my bare hands is beyond my sphere of competence." Hah! What a hoot. It's still worth reading even if you don't get a lot out of the geek jokes, though. The main plot is very X-Files, with a dash of James Bond (and Kernighan and Ritchie!)

If you liked The Atrocity Archives, you'll love The Jennifer Morgue. If some of the more geeky computer references confused you, you'll still enjoy the basic story here (everybody's seen James Bond movies, after all) but again you'll be missing half the fun.

As another reviewer has indicated, to get full appreciation of every little nuance, you need to be an old school UNIX geek, preferably with a familiarity with the Internet that stretches back a decade or two, who still yearns for the days when USENET ruled, and before The Eternal September began.

Not meeting all these criteria doesn't mean you won't find this hugely enjoyable, but the more of them you meet, the more you'll enjoy the book. Having known Charlie since before he'd had anything published and used to hang out in some of the seedier USENET groups, I think I fall fairly firmly into the target audience, and even I missed one or two of the cleverer references first time round. However, I read the book cover to cover in a single sitting and enjoyed every page. Multiple re-reads are a must, the cover's as superb a homage to the book's influences as the story itself, and the story itself leaves an impressive number of openings for more Bob Howards books, from direct tie-ins to the implications of GREEN NIGHTMARE, which Charlie seems to have put in place specifically to give him a way to shut down the Bob Howard universe completely should he ever tire of writing about the character.

Personally, I hope he doesn't tire of writing about Bob for a long, long time. Haven't enjoyed a book so much in years. In fact, although it's a very different sort of book, the last thing I read that established a permanent niche for itself in my mind so quickly was Pratchett/Gaiman's Good Omens in the early 90s. I'm picky about what I read, and I place these two books in a separate little league, all of their own.

This is the sequel to The Atrocity Archives, but is quite different from the first book. Here Bob finds out the true evil in PowerPoint presentations, more than he really wanted to know about the American Black Chamber ruthlessness and an introduction to James Bond mythology. This book consists, like the other book in the series, of a novel and a short story to finish it off. I enjoyed Bob's outing in this story of cross and double cross, where Bob's IT skills are not necessarily the ones which save the day. I'll still be looking out for any more books in this series, although for me this instalment was a bit more uneven and a touch less funny than the first book.

The Jennifer Morgue is Charles Stross' sequel to 2004's The Atrocity Archives. It is a masterful sequel and a foot stomping good read. Like AA, JM is published by Golden Gryphon Press. The first edition hardcover lists at $25.95 but is heavily discounted to $17.13 from the store, as well as free shipping if you order $25 worth of stuff. Like all of Golden Gryphon's hardcovers, production qualities are superb; JM is a slip cased hardcover, running 313 pages. The first 267 pages are devoted to the title novel JM (please take note all ye purveyors of door stop weight genre fiction!). Also included were a 21 page novella Pimpf, a very entertaining 11 page essay on James Bond and a brief glossary of terms and acronyms. Editing was flawless. The cover art by Steve Montiglio was very attractive and very appropriate, showing a deep one damsel clutching an oversized revolver - very James Bond-like! Mr. Montiglio also did the artwork for AA. I'll let you know my biases right up front: I think this book was terrific! I mainly read Lovecraftian fiction so this was a natural fit for me. But the neat thing is, this is a highly atypical use of old mythos tropes. Usually in this genre, the awful truth is only known or suspected by a few who are derided as eccentrics and madmen by an ignorant society. In the Delta Green world, there is an organized shadowy group in the know, who work within and around the government to oppose Cthulhu et al, but without the knowledge or sanction of the government. Stross turns all that on its head! Here all the governments are perfectly aware of the existence of alien entities lurking in unknown dimensions. They actively keep their populations in the dark and actively seek to learn how to manipulate and oppose these extradimensional threats, that may not or may not be wilfully hostile but sure can be dangerous. If any lay person gets uncomfortably close to understanding reality they are drafted willingly or not by into the bureaucracy created to manage outré horror. This dispenses with just about all the usual plot devices near and dear to mythos writers' hearts. For example there are regular meetings among the sister agencies of European governments about how to deal with CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN, due about a decade hence when the stars reach their proper alignment. Relations between human and Deep One society (BLUE HADES) is strictly governed by the benthic treaties. The rights of humans to use the oceans and explore the depths are carefully proscribed. The basic premise of the novel is that a scheming billionaire has discovered an ancient artifact (code named JENNIFER MORGUE) on the ocean floor and intends to raise it as salvage, in direct violation of the benthic treaties, risking war between BLUE HADES and the unsuspecting human populace. Enter our hero Bob Howard. Bob Howard is a midlevel manager and field operative for the Special Operations Executive, aka the Laundry, Britain's secret service for dealing with the eldritch and occult (Hands of Glory are standard operating issue for these guys). He is a combination computer geek and James Bond (this keeps coming up) excepy not particularly suave. His mission, should he decide to accept it (not that he has any choice) (and not that anyone bothers explaining his mission to him), is to partner up the gorgeous Ramona Random, a something other than human assassin (not that she tells him that). They will meet up with billionaire Ellis Billington, attempt to gain his confidence and garner a visit to his yacht (a converted Soviet destroyer) to nose around a bit. As might be suggested by the essay on James Bond, this is a cloak and dagger kind of spy novel in a world where the mythos is real and feared by all governments.

This lengthy explanation of the background and plot outline does no justice to this corking good read. Instead of being a mythos fan who is trying to write, Stross is a fearsomely talented author who happens to enjoy Lovecraft. The prose sparkled, the dialogue crackled, the pages practically bristled with in jokes and scholarship, and the plot flew along at light speed. Charles Stross knows how to craft a clever and complicated plot in a sharply drawn world peopled by fascinating characters. I could not put it down; once started I was condemned to insomnia for the duration. Hugely entertaining, thrilling and hilarious, any fan of the mythos, spy fiction science fiction or reading in general must read this book. And the fact the CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN comes to pass in about a decade leaves me desperately hoping for another sequel. And not to worry; while a passing acquaintance with beasties from HPL's mythos is helpful, it is by no means necessary.

The novella Pimpf was another adventure of Bob Howard, this time in a virtual reality world he has created to catch computer geeks who accidentally stumble into the truth before they can summon up some shoggoths. This was reminiscent of William Mark Simmons' Dreamland

Chronicles as well as many similar concept stories. Stross leaves all competitors in the virtual dust.

What else can I say? Highly recommended!

Is kind of the point in this spoof/thriller/black comedy. And it succeeds. Bob is still staggering through impossible situations with nothing more than his PDA or cell phone to protect him (the one time he briefly carries a handgun, it's promptly taken from him), while zombies and regular people with guns are all over. I thought the Atrocity Archives were a little better, as here the villains seem too comical, and the bureaucrats a little less threatening as well, and everything is tied up too neatly and quickly at the end, with one major character (and problem) completely disappering from the last couple chapters with little explanation, rather than having a satisfactory resolution.

As others have mentioned, this book tries to force the supernatural setting from the Atrocity Archives into a James Bond take-off.

It could have worked as a short story, but over and over again the book feels forced, as it tries to cram in yet another Bond reference or cliche.

The background Stross creates, with Lovecraft references, old ones, deep dwellers, etc., could be fascinating if it was used as more than a cardboard backdrop for an uninteresting story.

I kept feeling there was a good novel in here somewhere, but I couldn't find it. If Stross hadn't crammed a potentially good story into an unsuccessful attempt at a spoof/pastiche, this wouldn't be so frustrating a book.

As others have mentioned, this book tries to force the supernatural setting from the Atrocity Archives into a James Bond take-off.

It could have worked as a short story, but over and over again the book feels forced, as it tries to cram in yet another Bond reference or cliche.

The background Stross creates, with Lovecraft references, old ones, deep dwellers, etc., could be fascinating if it was used as more than a cardboard backdrop for an uninteresting story.

I kept feeling there was a good novel in here somewhere, but I couldn't find it. If Stross hadn't crammed a potentially good story into an unsuccessful attempt at a spoof/pastiche, this wouldn't be so frustrating a book.

By the time you have finished a Charles Stross book you are a believer in all things accult and the multiverse and it takes a few days to decompress and look at reality as one should. Still it sets the nerves jangling and the laundry gives us enough belly laughs to see us through to another edition that is sure to be in Charle's to do list. I for one cannot wait; AGAIN! Peter Eerden

I really enjoy the Laundry series -- a mix of spy fiction and Lovecraftian horror, where mathematics, philosophy and computer programming can get your brain eaten.

This book is sort of a parody or deconstruction of the iconic James Bond film/movie. After an EU meeting goes sour, Bob ends up linked to a dangerous American femme fatale and on assignment to the exotic Caribbean investigating an amoral billionaire and a doomsday object.

It probably says something about Bond that I have never seen a Bond movie in my life, but I knew most of the tropes in the book. And the contrast drawn between 'real spies' and 'James Bond' was noted, and why an antagonist might want Bond (because, face it -- he's not subtle).

It was also an entertaining story all around, even without the meta-narrative.

Plus, Bob's girlfriend, Mo, is totally awesome in this book, as are his (former) roommates, Pinky and Brain serving as his gadgeteers on the mission. And a short story involving the Laundry's Human Resources department and MMORPGs and why having Interns for Occult IT people is not a good idea.

Awful. Not one but two extremely contrived plot devices (one of which an excuse to include kinky telepathic demon sex), and the main character's constant mental refrain of "I would totally cheat on my girlfriend if only this sex demon wasn't a sex demon who would kill me if I slept with her) made him completely unsympathetic.

An hilarious combination of Lovecraftian horror, spies with the initials "JB", and hacker culture, this second book in Stross's "Laundry" series takes up where the first left off, but also easily stands alone.

If you like your cross-genre-espionage shaken (not stirred!) then this is worth checking out and a whole lot of fun, too.

This is an enjoyable and clever pastiche mixing HP Lovecraft, Ian Fleming, and Neal Stephenson. In a way, this is a very complex and well executed insider joke. Characterization and quality of writing are secondary to the articulation of plot devices.

I enjoyed this episode in the continuing adventures of Bob Howard, computational demonologist, dealing as usual with a mortal threat to the world from a mixture of H.P. Lovecraft horrors and weird science. It's both a good sci-fi/action story and a clever use of literary archetypes. (Can't say much more without spoiling things.) I wouldn't recommend it for anyone new to the series -- start with The Atrocity Archives by the same author.

I really enjoyed a lot of Atrocity Archives. From the characters and story to the humor and ideas. It was very apparent while reading Atrocity Archives that it was based at least loosely on spoofs of James Bond and other movies. 'The Jennifer Morgue' takes a large step in the direction of 'spoof' and plays down everything else. And I think that this just kills the story.

When I was a kid, I read this series of books, 'Xanth' by Piers Anthony. The books took place in this magic land where every human had one magic power. Be it the ability to make great cheese or the ability to cheat in cards. Silly stuff. The ruler of the land would have the strongest magic. The main character of the first couple of books had a unique power. Nothing bad could happen to him. Thank god this wasn't something you found out til the end of the book. The sequel really blew in a lot of ways because you knew he was going to escape. After all nothing bad would happen to him. I sort of felt like Bob Howard falls into this 'boring' category. You know everything is going to be ok because he's not going to die and thus all of the suspense falls out of the story. The fun should just be in watching it unfold. Only its really boring. The conversations, ruminations, and everything else is messy. The story lacks any focus and jumps around haphazardly.

I would not recommend this story to anyone. Its dull, the story is broken, and Stross has already explored the characters, so nothing is new.

Stross can just flat write, whether in its neo-Cyber Punk, World Hopping fantasy, or a mashup of the classic spy thriller. If you know Stross, you'll like it. If you don't know him, this isn't the Genre where he made his name, but it is a light-hearted way to get to know him.

This was apparently intended to be a Maxwell Smart type send up of a James Bond style plot featuring Stross' computer geek/occult wizard cartoon character dealing with a mad billionaire out to conquer the world by retrieving an injured alien super warrior from the deep Bermuda trench (populated by another alien species) using a parallel universe demon/mermaid hybrid entwined with the Smart-type antihero using a surveillance network with visual sensors provided by magic eye makeup sold worldwide as cosmetics. Fittingly, the plot is trasahed ultimately by the antihero's girlfriend armed with a magic violin. This inedible Mulligan stew claims to emulate the ian Fleming superhero, with perhaps Batman & Wonder Woman ancestry. The plot is fast paced raggedly coherent with sexually explicit interludes, characters are obsessively one dimensional, and the story is unredeemed by excessive satirical attempts at humor. In short, much ado about nothing.