Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York : Ace Books, 2010.
Description
While recovering a missing top secret dossier that his boss is accused of stealing, British super spy Bob Howard must safely navigate Russian agents, ancient demons, and an undead entity called the Eater of Souls.
User reviews
LibraryThing member page.fault
Have you ever seen the xkcd comic about regular expressions? (If you don't read xkcd, you probably won't enjoy this book, so I'd advise skipping this review.)
Basically, the plot of The Fuller Memorandum is this comic strip, but in novel form and with an invasion of Lovecraftian beasties.
I'm not
--you like fantasy
--your sense of humour is slightly black around the edges
--you are a computer nerd.
The last is the most important. All urban fantasy books seem to use pop culture references heavily; in this case, all the jokes are math, computer science, and physics, from complexity theory to emacs to iphones (referred to as The JesusPhone) to recursion to Turing machines. For me, this was the first time I've ever read a UF novel and got all the jokes!
The plot: Bob Howard works at the Laundry, the top-secret magical police department in the UK, as a computational demonologist--think James Bond with a pocket protector, a desk job, and a gift for the occult. Other than constant incursions from Lovecraftian horrors, random cults (referred to by Bob as "the goatf*ckers"), and quite a few explosions, everything seems to be under control until Bob's boss disappears. Suddenly, Russian agents are everywhere, a mysterious occult object called The Teapot seems to have been taken, and Bob and his wife are under attack. It all looks like apocalypse has been rescheduled for quite a bit sooner, and Bob's one of the few people who can slow it down...
The story is fast-paced and often frenetic, with quite an enjoyable mystery component. To me, at least, it never quite left spoof territory, and if you're unfamiliar with James Bond and his ilk, Lovecraft, and a little background in math and computer science, I am not sure this is the greatest match for you. (I'm serious; two major plot points involve entanglement and dangling pointers.) The story is told in first-person present, and I really enjoyed Bob's wry, satirical narration. (I did wonder, however: why present tense? It's supposed to be a report for the Laundry. Who the heck ever tells a story in present tense in real life? I find it unnatural and quite irritating, but that's a minor detail in the overall story.) I liked, and could relate to, both Bob and his rather more terrifying wife, as well as his semi-sociopathic boss and his hyper-competent manager.
I've been told that the first novel in the series is a bit choppy, as it was written as a set of magazine short stories. I can attest that trying the third book out of context works fine, and it makes for a totally hilarious read.
Basically, the plot of The Fuller Memorandum is this comic strip, but in novel form and with an invasion of Lovecraftian beasties.
I'm not
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sure if this book is a 5, or just a 5 by comparison--I've somehow hit a batch of not particularly fun reads lately. In either case, I recommend this read iff (if and only if) you fulfil the following preconditions:--you like fantasy
--your sense of humour is slightly black around the edges
--you are a computer nerd.
The last is the most important. All urban fantasy books seem to use pop culture references heavily; in this case, all the jokes are math, computer science, and physics, from complexity theory to emacs to iphones (referred to as The JesusPhone) to recursion to Turing machines. For me, this was the first time I've ever read a UF novel and got all the jokes!
The plot: Bob Howard works at the Laundry, the top-secret magical police department in the UK, as a computational demonologist--think James Bond with a pocket protector, a desk job, and a gift for the occult. Other than constant incursions from Lovecraftian horrors, random cults (referred to by Bob as "the goatf*ckers"), and quite a few explosions, everything seems to be under control until Bob's boss disappears. Suddenly, Russian agents are everywhere, a mysterious occult object called The Teapot seems to have been taken, and Bob and his wife are under attack. It all looks like apocalypse has been rescheduled for quite a bit sooner, and Bob's one of the few people who can slow it down...
The story is fast-paced and often frenetic, with quite an enjoyable mystery component. To me, at least, it never quite left spoof territory, and if you're unfamiliar with James Bond and his ilk, Lovecraft, and a little background in math and computer science, I am not sure this is the greatest match for you. (I'm serious; two major plot points involve entanglement and dangling pointers.) The story is told in first-person present, and I really enjoyed Bob's wry, satirical narration. (I did wonder, however: why present tense? It's supposed to be a report for the Laundry. Who the heck ever tells a story in present tense in real life? I find it unnatural and quite irritating, but that's a minor detail in the overall story.) I liked, and could relate to, both Bob and his rather more terrifying wife, as well as his semi-sociopathic boss and his hyper-competent manager.
I've been told that the first novel in the series is a bit choppy, as it was written as a set of magazine short stories. I can attest that trying the third book out of context works fine, and it makes for a totally hilarious read.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Bob Howard, secret agent who works in a British bureaucracy fighting to protect humanity from the horrors that sleep beyond spacetime, has a problem. Several problems. His wife’s traumatized from her own duties at the agency; his superior (who turns out to be rather more than a mere sorceror) is
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missing, and he’s under investigation for screwing up a routine spell dispersal that turns out to have been rather more than that. And then the cultists show up. If you like toying with the Cthulhu mythos via MI5, these are enjoyable books; this one has a nice nod to The Prisoner along the way. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fledgist
The latest in the Laundry Files series, Bob Howard once more finds himself in deep. His boss, Angleton is missing (or is he?) and at the centre of the mystery. Stross, once more, straddles the intersection of fantasy (magic, occultism, zombies, spirit possession), spy thriller (the Laundry is a
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branch of the British secret service, and there are references galore to Russian and American secret agencies, not to mention to the history of spying going back to the nineteenth century and to the Russian Revolution), and science fiction (magic is actually a branch of mathematics and computer science, the Royal Air Force has a secret bomber squadron, number Triple Six, that flies to other planets). There are sfnal in-jokes (including the resurrection of the late Mike Ford, eyebrows and all; and he sandwiches in a deeply evil pun. Howard finds that efficient managers have hidden depths. Lovecraftian horrors, as usual, abound, with the usual interesting effects. Show Less
LibraryThing member grizzly.anderson
This installment of the Laundry novels is written, mostly, as a set of journal entries by Bob Howard, computational demonologist and defender of the realm against green luminous wormy things from another dimension.
Not quite as humorous as some of Stross's other books it is still very well written
There is no real need to start one place rather than another with these books, so jump in and enjoy a good thriller.
Not quite as humorous as some of Stross's other books it is still very well written
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and the pacing is wonderful. Where the previous novels have been about office politics and defeating the bad guys whileThe Laundry just kind of there in the background, The Fuller Memorandum gives a lot more depth to the Laundry as a whole. The mission of The Laundry is more fully explained, especially as it relates to CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN so often referred to in the other novels. It also fills in a lot of background on Bob's boss, Angleton, as well as a bit more on Bob's wife, Mo, and her demon-killing violin.There is no real need to start one place rather than another with these books, so jump in and enjoy a good thriller.
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LibraryThing member nicholas
The third Laundry novel by Charles Stross is, like its predecessors "The Atrocity Archives" and "The Jennifer Morgue", a hugely entertaining Lovecraftian spy thriller. Bob Howard is a technical field support officer for a secret government agency dedicated to preventing or at least ameliorating an
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event codenamed CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN: the End of the World at the blasphemous tentacles of alien elder gods from beyond conventional space and time. Shortly after Bob's colleague (and wife) Mo returns from a particularly harrowing mission to Amsterdam, his boss, the deeply sinister Dr Angleton, goes missing leaving only a few clues pointing to a conspiracy involving a mole inside the Laundry, and instructions to find a specific, highly secret, extraordinarily dangerous document: the Fuller Memorandum. Armed with only an iPhone (installed with some highly dangerous and illegal occult applications), Bob must discover the identity of the mole, defeat the cultists, locate the eponymous Memorandum, and save the world. Show Less
LibraryThing member NickCato
Stross' third Laundry novel takes a little bit to get going, but once it does it begins to deliver on a grand scale.
For newbies: The Laundry is a top secret British paranormal secret service unit. Bob Howard is under its employ as a computational demonologist . . . sort-of like a nerdy occult-savy
For fans of the series: With as much action and low-key giggles as the first two novels, THE FULLER MEMORANDUM is a fine entry into Stross' series. Horror fans can take note that the horror element is stronger here than in Howard's previous stories (a wicked demonic cult and an interesting take on zombies are a highlight, not to mention the ending takes place in the largest graveyard in England), and Howard's relationship with his wife Mo is explored a bit more deeply, proving you can still be a cool British secret agent without being a womanizer . . . or a martini addict.
With its (once again) fantastic take on the spy genre and clever use of "self-possession" during the edge-of-your seat finale, fans of Stross' Laundry series should leave this case quite satisfied. Hopefully the next installment will get here a bit quicker than this one.
For newbies: The Laundry is a top secret British paranormal secret service unit. Bob Howard is under its employ as a computational demonologist . . . sort-of like a nerdy occult-savy
Show More
James Bond. Along with his supernatural-violin-playing wife, Mo, Howard returns this time to what seems like an easy task: getting his files in order at the Laundry's massive underground archives. But when it's discovered that a top-secret document titled The Fuller Memorandum is missing (quite possibly stolen by his boss, Angleton) Howard is off on yet another cross-genre / earth-rescuing adventure.For fans of the series: With as much action and low-key giggles as the first two novels, THE FULLER MEMORANDUM is a fine entry into Stross' series. Horror fans can take note that the horror element is stronger here than in Howard's previous stories (a wicked demonic cult and an interesting take on zombies are a highlight, not to mention the ending takes place in the largest graveyard in England), and Howard's relationship with his wife Mo is explored a bit more deeply, proving you can still be a cool British secret agent without being a womanizer . . . or a martini addict.
With its (once again) fantastic take on the spy genre and clever use of "self-possession" during the edge-of-your seat finale, fans of Stross' Laundry series should leave this case quite satisfied. Hopefully the next installment will get here a bit quicker than this one.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Weird fun. Technically the third of a series, but pretty well readable in it's own right. There are a few instances of references to prior plot points, but it is all fairly clear what is going on - well given the weirdness of the plot, as clear as it could be.
Bob Howard is an operative for the
Bob dsicovers that there's a particularly desperate set of Cultists looking to perform a nasty ritual that will summon an ancient 'god' whose liekly actions will destroty the entire world. With a bit of aid and intereferance from the Russians, and office politics Bob attempts to subvert the Cult's grab for an ancient document of Summoning. Accidents never happen through just one mistake, but by a concatenation of events. By the time Bob's girlfriend Mo arrives with her seriously spooky violin (what? why?) it's zombie central.
A slightly odd style with lots of digressions. Supposedly the archived journal notes of the author. The digressions include some truly epic rants, especially the hatred Stross seems to bear for Steve Jobs' Apple brand technology. "JesusPhone" had me laughing every time ti came up, and I'm just disappointed that the Cultists didn't all turn out to be 'Mac users. The whole thing is fairly insane, but well worked. There's some good satire on the whole James Bond theme and british civil service in general, mostly though it just rushes along as fast moving action. There's quite a good build-up of tension along the way and some well crafted red-herrings amoungst the various political trails before the grand finale.
Highly entertaining and well worth reading
Bob Howard is an operative for the
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Laundry - a secret (UK) government department, originally established in a flat above a Laundry, hence the name. Now relocated to bigger premises, it still deals with the same theme - preventing and dealing with the aftermarth of occult occurances. For you see in Laundry's world, magic works, specifically summoning entities that surround us. And like all such things it works better faster and more reliably with computers doing the number crunchiong for you. Bob dsicovers that there's a particularly desperate set of Cultists looking to perform a nasty ritual that will summon an ancient 'god' whose liekly actions will destroty the entire world. With a bit of aid and intereferance from the Russians, and office politics Bob attempts to subvert the Cult's grab for an ancient document of Summoning. Accidents never happen through just one mistake, but by a concatenation of events. By the time Bob's girlfriend Mo arrives with her seriously spooky violin (what? why?) it's zombie central.
A slightly odd style with lots of digressions. Supposedly the archived journal notes of the author. The digressions include some truly epic rants, especially the hatred Stross seems to bear for Steve Jobs' Apple brand technology. "JesusPhone" had me laughing every time ti came up, and I'm just disappointed that the Cultists didn't all turn out to be 'Mac users. The whole thing is fairly insane, but well worked. There's some good satire on the whole James Bond theme and british civil service in general, mostly though it just rushes along as fast moving action. There's quite a good build-up of tension along the way and some well crafted red-herrings amoungst the various political trails before the grand finale.
Highly entertaining and well worth reading
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LibraryThing member elmyra
The ending drags a little, though some of the preceding scenes are by far the most horrific Stross has ever written (in a good way).
Bechdel: Pass, I think.
Bechdel: Pass, I think.
LibraryThing member Shrike58
In which our hero Bob Howard get's wrapped up in a mole hunt, learns more about just what his boss Angleton is, and get's more experience (lots and lots more!) at the sharp end of occult counter-operations in the process of saving the world; this time. CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN still looms like a dam
To elaborate further would be to give too much away but this time out Bob is much more on his own and has to depend on his own competencies.
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about to burst; good stuff.To elaborate further would be to give too much away but this time out Bob is much more on his own and has to depend on his own competencies.
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LibraryThing member gregandlarry
Great story with lots of action and excitement.
LibraryThing member jerevo
Darker and bleaker than than the two previous Laundry novels, but still sharply and wittily written, and difficult to put down.
LibraryThing member MartvdW
Charlie gives us another treat in his Laundry series.
After defeating a horror raised by Nazis and a Bond villain, Bob looks to be sent onto his next mission inspecting eldritch RAF planes. Unfortunately, something goes wrong, and Bob gets thrown into office politics and a couple of weeks off. Of
The office scenes may sound funny, but they're chillingly, horrifically real to anyone who's ever worked in a large organisation. CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN looming in the background adds to the atmosphere of suicidal despair, and when Bob finds out just what game Angleton has been playing, he chooses to go out with a bang.
Charlie is in fine form again, the writing is tight, and the plot stays up even on a re-read. He loses the half star that Atrocity Archives and Jennifer Morgue get for being far too obvious about the identity of TEAPOT, which felt a bit like a let-down, but otherwise this is still head and shoulders above the rest of the market in 2010.
After defeating a horror raised by Nazis and a Bond villain, Bob looks to be sent onto his next mission inspecting eldritch RAF planes. Unfortunately, something goes wrong, and Bob gets thrown into office politics and a couple of weeks off. Of
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course, even in the office all is not as it seems, and then Angleton goes missing...The office scenes may sound funny, but they're chillingly, horrifically real to anyone who's ever worked in a large organisation. CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN looming in the background adds to the atmosphere of suicidal despair, and when Bob finds out just what game Angleton has been playing, he chooses to go out with a bang.
Charlie is in fine form again, the writing is tight, and the plot stays up even on a re-read. He loses the half star that Atrocity Archives and Jennifer Morgue get for being far too obvious about the identity of TEAPOT, which felt a bit like a let-down, but otherwise this is still head and shoulders above the rest of the market in 2010.
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LibraryThing member WDBooks
The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross 06/21/2010
Late last week a box showed up at my door with a few new books in it and one of them was The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross. I have to admit to having heard the authors name in the past, but to knowing absolutely nothing about the series.
The cover blurb from the San Francisco Chronicle stated “Stross gives his readers a British superspy with a long-term girlfriend, no fashion sense, and an aversion to martinis.” I have to suspect the blurb was based on another book in the series and not this one since, well, he seemed to be married to this long term girlfriend at this stage…
The story is based around Bob Howard, who is an agent with the Laundry. The Laundry is a cross between the CIA, Men in Black and Ghostbusters (to be slightly over-simplistic), they are on the front line in keeping the dead … dead, the boogyman out of downtown London and in short keeping the UK (and the rest of the world) safe from all sorts of things that might go bump in the night. There is a ton of Evil out in the world and a lot more knocking at the door to get in.
Overall it was a fairly well written and truly enjoyable read. it’s the latest part in the Laundry Files series but I didn’t feel unduly lost by not having read the prior books. Howard is part bad ass, part geek and all fun, good characterizations, plenty of humor, solid action and enough plot twisting to keep you wondering.
Overall I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 stars!
Overall this book is in the same league as the prior installments. it’s a good read with quality characters and a decent plot. However it seems to be a bit darker in some ways, I also found it a bit shocking that there wasn’t more contact with the natives and/or other dragons.
For those of you have read the series and liked it, this is a good book for you. If you haven’t read the series yet, get to it!
7.5/10
The Killing Moon by Rod Glenn and Jamie Mitchell 06/24/2010
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Picture
Here is another offering from Wild Wolf Publishing in the UK. Once I read Rhone (my review is posted for it) by John Karr, I was interested to get my paws on anything else put out by Wild Wolf.
The Killing Moon is a post apocalyptic hell of a story. Rough, gritty, violent and all together crazy. The world has gone mad and out into it are tossed 5 friends and their dog after the outside intrudes upon their home.
The story is fairly well written, decently put together and fast paced. The story pulled me in nicely, though it is a very rough story. Though the editing is an improvement over the issues with Rhone, there are a couple issues and I think the story could have used a bit of "tweaking" to cull a few dead ends and improve the flow. The ending I feel is the weakest part. Towards the 4/5th mark of the book everything had fallen apart for the 5 friends, but then a few surprising twists of fate puts things back together (to some extent).
Overall it's a pretty good read, it however is NOT for the weak of heart. It is gritty and at time disturbing with a lot of blood and guts tossed in for good measure.
6.5/10
Song of the Dragon by Tracy Hickman 06/24/2010
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Song of the Dragon by Tracy Hickman
I have to admit that I haven’t read anything with Hickmans name on it for a pretty long time. I really have always wondered why his books do so well since I have found the books fairly sub-par compared to some of the greats in the genre. Of course since I have that view everybody else should also, right?!
That being said I decided to give his newest book, Song of the Dragon a shot.
SotD has the standard players, Dwarfs/Humans/Elves/Gnomes with a few add-ons such as Manticores and Chimerians (shape changers) along with a hint of Dragons to come.
I actually found the book to be fairly enjoyable, Drakis the main character is a fairly standard human warrior whose destiny isn’t that of a slaves, and try as he might, Hickman didn’t make it so I really felt anything for Drakis. So far the main Elf character is one of the most interesting “people” in the book. The Elves are not the high and mighty good guys, they are in fact “Dark” Elves who control most of the magic in the world and have dominated the other races reducing everybody else to the status of Slave. I found the magic fairly interesting in the way the characters travel and in the way the Elves use it to control their subject races. Plus I’m a sucker for magic in general.
Drakis unintentionally starts a chain of events that frees himself and many other slaves from the power of the elves. He also just happens to have a Dwarf and a Manticore on hand who know the prophecy and that some human named Drakis will save everybody and crush the elves. This of course starts of a chain of events that result in Drakis and friends running to get away for the elves so that Drakis can be proved to be the savior, though he of course is in denial and isn’t buying that he is anything special.
A fairly standard book with a few nice touches. If you want some lighter reading and don’t mind some tried and true ideas then this is for you. If you have liked Hickmans other books, then this will be a book you will like also!
I do feel that this book (the 1st of a series) has some promise. If Hickman delves into the Elves a bit more and works on making Drakis a character that one can feel for, then this series will really gather steam. I did enjoy it and am giving it 6.5 out of 10.
The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross 06/21/2010
0 Comment(s)
Late last week a box showed up at my door with a few new books in it and one of them was The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross. I have to admit to having heard the authors name in the past, but to knowing absolutely nothing about the series. Since the book I was reading was boring me to tears I decided to try this one.
The cover blurb from the San Francisco Chronicle stated “Stross gives his readers a British superspy with a long-term girlfriend, no fashion sense, and an aversion to martinis.” I have to suspect the blurb was based on another book in the series and not this one since, well, he seemed to be married to this long term girlfriend at this stage…
The story is based around Bob Howard, who is an agent with the Laundry. The Laundry is a cross between the CIA, Men in Black and Ghostbusters (to be slightly over-simplistic), they are on the front line in keeping the dead … dead, the boogyman out of downtown London and in short keeping the UK (and the rest of the world) safe from all sorts of things that might go bump in the night. There is a ton of Evil out in the world and a lot more knocking at the door to get in.
Overall it was a fairly well written and truly enjoyable read. it’s the latest part in the Laundry Files series but I didn’t feel unduly lost by not having read the prior books. Howard is part bad ass, part geek and all fun, good characterizations, plenty of humor, solid action and enough plot twisting to keep you wondering.
Overall I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 stars!
Late last week a box showed up at my door with a few new books in it and one of them was The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross. I have to admit to having heard the authors name in the past, but to knowing absolutely nothing about the series.
Show More
Since the book I was reading was boring me to tears I decided to try this one.The cover blurb from the San Francisco Chronicle stated “Stross gives his readers a British superspy with a long-term girlfriend, no fashion sense, and an aversion to martinis.” I have to suspect the blurb was based on another book in the series and not this one since, well, he seemed to be married to this long term girlfriend at this stage…
The story is based around Bob Howard, who is an agent with the Laundry. The Laundry is a cross between the CIA, Men in Black and Ghostbusters (to be slightly over-simplistic), they are on the front line in keeping the dead … dead, the boogyman out of downtown London and in short keeping the UK (and the rest of the world) safe from all sorts of things that might go bump in the night. There is a ton of Evil out in the world and a lot more knocking at the door to get in.
Overall it was a fairly well written and truly enjoyable read. it’s the latest part in the Laundry Files series but I didn’t feel unduly lost by not having read the prior books. Howard is part bad ass, part geek and all fun, good characterizations, plenty of humor, solid action and enough plot twisting to keep you wondering.
Overall I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 stars!
Overall this book is in the same league as the prior installments. it’s a good read with quality characters and a decent plot. However it seems to be a bit darker in some ways, I also found it a bit shocking that there wasn’t more contact with the natives and/or other dragons.
For those of you have read the series and liked it, this is a good book for you. If you haven’t read the series yet, get to it!
7.5/10
The Killing Moon by Rod Glenn and Jamie Mitchell 06/24/2010
0 Comment(s)
Picture
Here is another offering from Wild Wolf Publishing in the UK. Once I read Rhone (my review is posted for it) by John Karr, I was interested to get my paws on anything else put out by Wild Wolf.
The Killing Moon is a post apocalyptic hell of a story. Rough, gritty, violent and all together crazy. The world has gone mad and out into it are tossed 5 friends and their dog after the outside intrudes upon their home.
The story is fairly well written, decently put together and fast paced. The story pulled me in nicely, though it is a very rough story. Though the editing is an improvement over the issues with Rhone, there are a couple issues and I think the story could have used a bit of "tweaking" to cull a few dead ends and improve the flow. The ending I feel is the weakest part. Towards the 4/5th mark of the book everything had fallen apart for the 5 friends, but then a few surprising twists of fate puts things back together (to some extent).
Overall it's a pretty good read, it however is NOT for the weak of heart. It is gritty and at time disturbing with a lot of blood and guts tossed in for good measure.
6.5/10
Song of the Dragon by Tracy Hickman 06/24/2010
0 Comment(s)
Picture
Song of the Dragon by Tracy Hickman
I have to admit that I haven’t read anything with Hickmans name on it for a pretty long time. I really have always wondered why his books do so well since I have found the books fairly sub-par compared to some of the greats in the genre. Of course since I have that view everybody else should also, right?!
That being said I decided to give his newest book, Song of the Dragon a shot.
SotD has the standard players, Dwarfs/Humans/Elves/Gnomes with a few add-ons such as Manticores and Chimerians (shape changers) along with a hint of Dragons to come.
I actually found the book to be fairly enjoyable, Drakis the main character is a fairly standard human warrior whose destiny isn’t that of a slaves, and try as he might, Hickman didn’t make it so I really felt anything for Drakis. So far the main Elf character is one of the most interesting “people” in the book. The Elves are not the high and mighty good guys, they are in fact “Dark” Elves who control most of the magic in the world and have dominated the other races reducing everybody else to the status of Slave. I found the magic fairly interesting in the way the characters travel and in the way the Elves use it to control their subject races. Plus I’m a sucker for magic in general.
Drakis unintentionally starts a chain of events that frees himself and many other slaves from the power of the elves. He also just happens to have a Dwarf and a Manticore on hand who know the prophecy and that some human named Drakis will save everybody and crush the elves. This of course starts of a chain of events that result in Drakis and friends running to get away for the elves so that Drakis can be proved to be the savior, though he of course is in denial and isn’t buying that he is anything special.
A fairly standard book with a few nice touches. If you want some lighter reading and don’t mind some tried and true ideas then this is for you. If you have liked Hickmans other books, then this will be a book you will like also!
I do feel that this book (the 1st of a series) has some promise. If Hickman delves into the Elves a bit more and works on making Drakis a character that one can feel for, then this series will really gather steam. I did enjoy it and am giving it 6.5 out of 10.
The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross 06/21/2010
0 Comment(s)
Late last week a box showed up at my door with a few new books in it and one of them was The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross. I have to admit to having heard the authors name in the past, but to knowing absolutely nothing about the series. Since the book I was reading was boring me to tears I decided to try this one.
The cover blurb from the San Francisco Chronicle stated “Stross gives his readers a British superspy with a long-term girlfriend, no fashion sense, and an aversion to martinis.” I have to suspect the blurb was based on another book in the series and not this one since, well, he seemed to be married to this long term girlfriend at this stage…
The story is based around Bob Howard, who is an agent with the Laundry. The Laundry is a cross between the CIA, Men in Black and Ghostbusters (to be slightly over-simplistic), they are on the front line in keeping the dead … dead, the boogyman out of downtown London and in short keeping the UK (and the rest of the world) safe from all sorts of things that might go bump in the night. There is a ton of Evil out in the world and a lot more knocking at the door to get in.
Overall it was a fairly well written and truly enjoyable read. it’s the latest part in the Laundry Files series but I didn’t feel unduly lost by not having read the prior books. Howard is part bad ass, part geek and all fun, good characterizations, plenty of humor, solid action and enough plot twisting to keep you wondering.
Overall I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 stars!
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LibraryThing member BellaMiaow
Ooo, this one was a downer! Ok - it was every bit as hilarious as the rest of the series, but I think I could have stood not knowing quite that much about the overall philosophy of the universe. I do hope that we will be hearing more from Bob, although I'm not feeling optimistic at the moment. It's
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hard to be very optimistic after reading this book, to be honest. And I don't know how much more I can say without getting into spoilers - but I do still recommend it to anyone who has read the rest of the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member gbsallery
It's a Laundry book. What else can I say? I love Laundry books. I particularly liked the part where the [deleted] became entangled with the [deleted], recursively entering a situation of repetitive [deleted]-summoning.
If I had to say a word against it, I'd point my finger at the editor and claim
If I had to say a word against it, I'd point my finger at the editor and claim
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it was a little disjointed, compared to the other books in the series. But I do really, really like the way it's setting things up for some sort of Case Nightmare Green finale. Show Less
LibraryThing member ianjamison
This is good stuff; the eldritch horror of the Cthulhu Mythos meets the mundane grind, paranoia and double-think of the spy novels of Le Carre / Deighton. Like the other books in the Laundry series (The Atrocity Archive, and Jennifer Morgue), this continues the adventures of the engagingly nerdy
Stross’s stuff in this vein is particularly good because it doesn’t go too over the top with the Lovecrafticanism, and does manage to leaven the supernatural mayhem with some humour. (The exception being “A colder war” – a Mythos based short story which is not part of this series, and is as chilling as anything you’ll read). Although tempting, I won’t give away any of the plot – except to say that it is well-written and pacy, with some good unexpected twists, and some lovely pastiche elements. (I was enchanted to see that a Maths teacher at my old school, in this version of reality, was in fact a bound demon in human form).
There’s a lot of this rather tongue in cheek mixture of pulp noir and horror about at the moment – the Dresden files (pretty good), the Mike Carey stuff (very good), and the “repairman Jack” novels (pretty bad really), but Stross’ Laundry series is the daddy in my opinion.
If you’ve tried it and you like it, then I recommend Kim Newman’s “Tales from the Diogenes Club”
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Bob Howard – who works for the bit of the British secret service that doesn’t just keep us safe from the conventional forms of terror, but from the “squamous and rugose minions of the elder gods”. (If you’ve read Lovecraft, or any of his imitators, then you get the picture). Stross’s stuff in this vein is particularly good because it doesn’t go too over the top with the Lovecrafticanism, and does manage to leaven the supernatural mayhem with some humour. (The exception being “A colder war” – a Mythos based short story which is not part of this series, and is as chilling as anything you’ll read). Although tempting, I won’t give away any of the plot – except to say that it is well-written and pacy, with some good unexpected twists, and some lovely pastiche elements. (I was enchanted to see that a Maths teacher at my old school, in this version of reality, was in fact a bound demon in human form).
There’s a lot of this rather tongue in cheek mixture of pulp noir and horror about at the moment – the Dresden files (pretty good), the Mike Carey stuff (very good), and the “repairman Jack” novels (pretty bad really), but Stross’ Laundry series is the daddy in my opinion.
If you’ve tried it and you like it, then I recommend Kim Newman’s “Tales from the Diogenes Club”
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LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
Unspeakable horrors, bureaucratic brinksmanship, and the violin that eats souls. Again, totally sold. There's just nothing in these books for me to dislike.
LibraryThing member kevinashley
The third in the Laundry series by Stross, but only the second I have read. From what I can see, it isn't critical that you read them in order - but some things in this book will make more sense if you have read the Atrocity Archives first.
The Laundry is Stross's imagined cross between an
I'm ambivalent about this book, and it definitely doesn't rate with Stross's best work for me. There's lots of good ideas, and a plot that never stops moving, but at times I felt I was being shouted at. The voice of Bob becomes tiring after a while and the book needs considerable editing. Characters and situations are introduced and explained more than once, as if the book was originally written as a sequence of instalments that each needed to work as a standalone story. This sort of thing should get picked up and eliminated when it is all brought together, and it does get annoying at times.
If you liked the Laundry, you'll love this. If not but you want to try, start with the Atrocity Archives, not this one. If you haven't read anything by Stross, I would start with something like Singularity Sky.
The Laundry is Stross's imagined cross between an
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intelligence agency and police force whose task is to deal with magical and demonic entities. Magic, it appears, is really a consequence of advanced maths and computation and so the books are full of computing humour as well as spy spoof and Lovecraftian detail. I'm ambivalent about this book, and it definitely doesn't rate with Stross's best work for me. There's lots of good ideas, and a plot that never stops moving, but at times I felt I was being shouted at. The voice of Bob becomes tiring after a while and the book needs considerable editing. Characters and situations are introduced and explained more than once, as if the book was originally written as a sequence of instalments that each needed to work as a standalone story. This sort of thing should get picked up and eliminated when it is all brought together, and it does get annoying at times.
If you liked the Laundry, you'll love this. If not but you want to try, start with the Atrocity Archives, not this one. If you haven't read anything by Stross, I would start with something like Singularity Sky.
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LibraryThing member quiBee
A bit slow moving to start and then it ramped way up.
Things are not looking entirely encouraging for the future.
Things are not looking entirely encouraging for the future.
LibraryThing member jkdavies
funny and fast, a little confusing as ever but love the bureaucratic parts of The Laundry (probably more than the monster part)
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
Another fun installment in the series.
LibraryThing member Lindoula
Highly recommended, particularly if you're a fan of the Dresden Files. They're not the same story, obviously, but they have certain affinities and similar tone.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
I've liked the previous books in this series, the Jennifer Morgue is pure genius - but this book, was a slog. The universe that is created is lots of fun, but this book took into a direction that was too dark. Outside of the Iphone turned into powerful spell generator, I found most of it quite
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depressing - from the tone (The End is Near), to what happened to Bob. The mysteries were quite easy to figure out, and I had certain character fingered as soon as the clues were presented. Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
This is another solid entry in the Laundry Files series. I really like this series's blend of spooky horror, self-deprecating humor, and technology-based magic. Mo has really come into her own by this book, and is a significant player in its plot from the beginning. It was cool that we found out Angleton 's deal is.The reveal of the final villain was a complete surprise to me!
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LibraryThing member andrlik
I quite enjoyed this book. It takes place a couple years after the events of The Jennifer Morgue, and once again Howard is drawn into a dangerous and complex web of intrigue by his superiors. Armed with only his shiny new smartphone, Bob Howard is forced to face off against the undead, ancient
I think this book may even have flowed better than The Jennifer Morgue, and I was pleasantly surprised by the book overall. I was worried that Stross wouldn't be able to keep it entertaining without being able to parody the Bond mythos like he did in the previous book, but the book was fast-paced, well-written and quite funny.
He still does the occasional POV shift this time, but he does a better job of making it flow within the structure of the story.
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horrors, and worst of all, the bureaucrats within the Laundry itself.I think this book may even have flowed better than The Jennifer Morgue, and I was pleasantly surprised by the book overall. I was worried that Stross wouldn't be able to keep it entertaining without being able to parody the Bond mythos like he did in the previous book, but the book was fast-paced, well-written and quite funny.
He still does the occasional POV shift this time, but he does a better job of making it flow within the structure of the story.
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Subjects
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Fantasy Novel — 2011)
Locus Recommended Reading (2010)
Language
Original publication date
2010-07-01
ISBN
044101867X / 9780441018673