The Atrocity Archives
by Charles Stross
List Price:
Our Price: $6.62
You Save: $7.38 (53%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.25 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Charles StrossEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-01-03
ISBN: 0441013651
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Ace Trade
Book Reviews of The Atrocity Archives
Book Review: ISO-9000 Compliant Demonology
Summary: 5 Stars
I usually dislike the horror genre in any of its forms, and have no liking for Lovecraftian fantasy. Though _The Atrocity Archives_ could be said to belong to this genre, I found it by turns hilarious, creepy, and tense. In short, I enjoyed it immensely. There's a lot to like about this book, and if you don't like some of the things you encounter in its pages...well, there is still a lot to like. There's the Cthulhu mythos, evil Nazi necromancy, office politics, computer in-jokes, spy novel tropes, all leavened by a refreshing dry wit that is subtle enough to leave you wondering why you are laughing at this stuff.
I particularly like Stross' penchant for strewing about historical and technical allusions so that his narratives are a minefield for the curious. I would have sworn there was never an "Ahnenerbe" SS, dedicated to strengthening the Third Reich by ferreting out ancient Aryan and Teutonic mysteries. I really didn't know that the Nazi party was descended from an organization created by the mystical Thule Society, but apparently it was so. (At least Wikipedia tells me that both are true.)
Of course, Stross cleverly mixes the truth with the not-quite-true and the outright nutty (otherwise this wouldn't be fiction, but a classified government document, and one would have to be shot after reading it). One example of how Stross shades reality is one character's idiosyncratic use of a "Memex" machine (allegedly because it is more secure than a mere electronic computer). The Memex was a proposal made in the 1950s by Vannevar Bush for we would today call an implementation of "hypertext". It was based on the technology of the day--data was to be stored on microfiche, and its operation was entirely mechanical. As I said, this was merely a theoretical proposal--no such machine was ever built. Or so they tell us...
Summary of The Atrocity Archives
The national bestselling author takes a departure from his epic science fiction to craft this cross between Len Deighton-style espionage and H.P. Lovecraftian horror.Bob Howard is a computer-hacker desk jockey, who has more than enough trouble keeping up with the endless paperwork he has to do on a daily basis. He should never be called on to do anything remotely heroic.
Government Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Modern World. Modern Problems
The Secret History of the Iraq Warby Yossef Bodansky
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-05-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.97
Price in other shops:
Chechen Jihad: Al Qaeda's Training Ground and the Next Wave of Terrorby Yossef Bodansky
Harper; Published: 2008-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.68
Price in other shops:
The Illustrated Guide to Extended Massive Orgasm (Positively Sexual)by Steve Bodansky, Vera Bodansky
Hunter House; Published: 2002-06-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.72
Price in other shops:
Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on Americaby Yossef Bodansky
Prima Lifestyles; Published: 2001-09-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.93
Price in other shops:
From Pablo to Osama: Trafficking and Terrorist Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptationby Michael Kenney
Pennsylvania State University Press; Published: 2007-05-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $41.00
Price in other shops:
OSAA district wrangling steals the show in busy prep year.(Sports)(The redistricting drama is named the top local prep sports story of the year) : An article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)Thomson Gale; Published: 2006-06-07; Digital; Book
Best price: $5.95
Hitler, the Germans, and the Final Solutionby Ian Kershaw
Yale University Press; Published: 2008-06-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.25
Price in other shops:
Mein Kampfby Adolf Hitler
Educa Books; Published: 2006-06-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.39
Price in other shops:
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadowby Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Scholastic Nonfiction; Published: 2005-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.98
Price in other shops:
Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War": How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the Worldby Patrick J. Buchanan
Crown; Published: 2008-05-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.25
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
The Family Trade (The Merchant Princes, Book 1)by Charles Stross
Published: 2004-12-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.31
Price in other shops:
Blindsightby Peter Watts
Tor Books; Published: 2008-03-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.43
Price in other shops:
The Android's Dreamby John Scalzi
Tor Science Fiction; Published: 2007-10-30; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.43
Price in other shops:
The Last Colonyby John Scalzi
Tor Science Fiction; Published: 2008-07-29; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.69
Price in other shops:
The Ghost Brigadesby John Scalzi
Tor Science Fiction; Published: 2007-05-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.89
Price in other shops:
Old Man's Warby John Scalzi
Tor Science Fiction; Published: 2007-01-15; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.26
Price in other shops:
Accelerandoby Charles Stross
Published: 2005-07-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $33.89
Glasshouseby Charles Stross
Ace Hardcover; Published: 2006-06-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.09
Price in other shops:
Halting Stateby Charles Stross
Ace Hardcover; Published: 2007-10-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.50
Price in other shops:
The Jennifer Morgueby Charles Stross
Golden Gryphon Press; Published: 2006-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.16
Price in other shops: