inverarity | Entries tagged with charles stross

The Office meets Lovecraft.

Ace Books, 2004, 345 pages

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. But for some reason, he is.

( You did not fill out your TPM report after saving the world from Cthulhu, Bob. )

Verdict: Fun and funny, The Atrocity Archives is a satirical spoof of spy agencies and chthonian horror, loaded with nerd humor. I'll probably read more Laundry novels, but this is a series most appreciated by those who can feel clever for getting the in-jokes. 7/10.

Also by Charles Stross: My reviews of Accelerando, Saturn's Children, Neptune's Brood, and Equoid.

My complete list of book reviews.

A Laundry novella about My Little Ponies from hell.

Tor.com, 2013, 65 pages. Available online at Tor.com.

"Equoid" is set shortly before the events of the "The Fuller Memorandum". It's the longest non-novel-length Laundry story so far. And it explains (among other things) precisely what H. P. Lovecraft saw behind the wood-shed when he was 14 that traumatized him for life, the reproductive life-cycle of unicorns, and what really happened on Cold Comfort Farm.

What happens when you mix unicorns, virgins, and Lovecraft.
( What happens when you mix unicorns, virgins, and Lovecraft. )

Verdict: As an homage and satire of Lovecraft, Equoid is both funny and repulsive; if you like gruesome monsters and British humor, it's a good read, but if the life-cycle of alien mollusks who depend on young girls to spread their spawn does not sound appealing, this may not be your cup of tea.

Also by Charles Stross: My reviews of Accelerando, Saturn's Children, and Neptune's Brood.

My complete list of book reviews.

Dear Respected Planetary Occupants, GREETINGS! Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. I got your reputation from highly respected interstellar contacts and it's esteeming nature informs me to entrust you with secret of profitable venture for our two civilizations...

Orbit, 2013, 337 pages

The year is AD 7000. The human species is extinct - for the fourth time - due to its fragile nature. Krina Alizond-114 is metahuman, descended from the robots that once served humanity. She’s on a journey to the water-world of Shin-Tethys to find her sister Ana. But her trip is interrupted when pirates capture her ship. Their leader, the enigmatic Count Rudi, suspects that there’s more to Krina’s search than meets the eye.

He’s correct: Krina and Ana each possess half of the fabled Atlantis Carnet, a lost financial instrument of unbelievable value - capable of bringing down entire civilizations. Krina doesn’t know that Count Rudi suspects her motives, so she accepts his offer to get her to Shin-Tethys in exchange for an introduction to Ana. And what neither of them suspects is that a ruthless body-double assassin has stalked Krina across the galaxy, ready to take the Carnet once it is whole - and leave no witnesses alive to tell the tale…

( The sequel to 'Saturn's Children' is full of Big Ideas and scale, but the fun and adventure isn't the same. )

Verdict: A good book, but not really a great book. Neptune's Brood is full of big space operatic ideas and showcases Stross's cleverness as an author, but I was not blown away and even the entertainment factor was lacking compared to Saturn's Children.

Also by Charles Stross: My reviews of Accelerando and Saturn's Children.

My complete list of book reviews.

A post-human space opera riff on a rather notorious SF classic. Tribute or parody? You be the judge.

Ace Books, 2008, 336 pages

In Saturn's Children, Freya is an obsolete android concubine in a society where humans haven't existed for hundreds of years. A rigid caste system keeps the Aristos, a vindictive group of humanoids, well in control of the lower, slave-chipped classes. So when Freya offends one particularly nasty Aristo, she's forced to take a dangerous courier job off-planet.

( The cover and the story makes a lot more sense if you know your Heinlein. )

Verdict: Entertaining, tongue-in-cheek sci-fi about a very sexy android that will amuse you more if you've read the Heinlein novel it's spoofing. Saturn's Children isn't truly brilliant, but it's a smart, fun space opera set in a post-human solar system.

Also by Charles Stross: My review of Accelerando.

My complete list of book reviews.

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Inverarity is not a Scottish village

Books, movies, and fan fiction

Entries tagged with charles stross

Book Review: The Atrocity Archives, by Charles Stross

Book Review: Equoid, by Charles Stross

Book Review: Neptune's Brood, by Charles Stross

Book Review: Saturn's Children, by Charles Stross

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