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Title: THE ATROCITY ARCHIVES |  |
Bob Howard is a spook. Well, he works for a super secret government organisation, but mainly as a computer tech, keeping anti-virus software up to date and fielding calls about lost passwords. That was until Andy decides to give him a try out in the field. Field operations aren't living up to Bob's expectations though, as his extra-curricular activities have so far been standing about in the rain waiting for the opportunity to climb through a window and destroy a hard disk. Hardly the stuff of James Bond.
Nothing stays quiet forever though, and when you work for an organisation that is there to protect Joe Public from the reality of multiple universes along with the possibility of crossover between them of, well, less than savoury elements, the opportunities for an interesting life are endless. Magic may not exist, but certainly the opportunity for occult mathematics does, and that can be even more strange.
THE ATROCITY ARCHIVES poses the question, what if Turing had managed to complete the theorem he was looking for to tie spirit and mathematics together? What if there was a mathematical basis for magic? What would the world look like? Part of the answer is that there would be a secret government organisation dedicated to protect us from that world, along with all that entails.
Charles Stross manages to make magic believable, and gives enough mathematical background to keep you wondering if it isn't all a bit too close for comfort. With more action than your average spy thriller, more gadgets than a hollywood blockbuster, and more belly laughs than your average comedy festival, THE ATROCITY ARCHIVES is pure entertainment. From cover to cover there is never a let up in the pace and the humour, even when it is bleak, is pervasive.
This is a stellar piece and one that marks Charles Stross as a great exponent of SF.