On Her Majesty’s Occult Service
On Her Majesty’s Occult Service
Written by: Charles Stross
Published by: Science Fiction Book Club
Page count: 576
ISBN-10: 0739481126
ISBN-13: 978-0739481127
Where to buy:
Amazon and other fine book retailersPublisher’s Comments:
Bob Howard was just a typical hacker until he accidentally re-discovered the darkest secret of computational math and nearly summoned an Elder God. He soon found himself working at The Laundry – a bureau so secret even the government barely knows it exists – trying to fight eldritch horrors while fending off the dreaded paper clip audits.This includes “The Atrocity Archives” and “The Jennifer Morgue.”
About the Author:
Charles Stross was born in Leeds, England in 1964. He holds degrees in pharmacy and computer science, and has worked in a variety of jobs including pharmacist, technical author, software engineer, and freelance journalist. He is now a full-time writer.
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
When our Minion (Reviewer) Lee Clark Zumpe said he had picked up a couple of books and wanted to review them I said sure… but if I had known this was one of them I would have been far more excited. Today we present you – On Her Majesty’s Occult Service. This Omnibus of Charles Stross’s work is sure to be gracing my bookshelf. But I won’t doddle, let’s get straight to Lee’s thoughts on the collection. Enjoy, my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert
Honestly, I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up a few months ago at a local used bookstore.
Mainly, I bought it because I liked the cover (compliments of artist John Picacio) and it wasn’t expensive. To my surprise, the store owner gave his own brief – but positive – review of the book while I was fishing for pocket change.
Did he say something about Lovecraft?
So, I crawled out from under the rock where I’ve been residing and read On Her Majesty’s Occult Service, a Science Fiction Book Club omnibus of author Charles Stross’ tales about Bob Howard and The Laundry. The collection includes the novels “The Atrocity Archive” and “The Jennifer Morgue” and the short stories “The Concrete Jungle” and “Pimpf.” There is an introduction written by Ken MacLeod, afterword by the author and an extensive glossary of spy terms.
The tales fuse H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror with Ian Fleming’s spy fiction. Alone, that would make for an entertaining read, but Stross also adds a dash of cyberpunk and a healthy dose of British humor aimed mainly at the inefficiencies of an overtaxed bureaucracy.
Bob Howard, the central character, works for The Laundry, a top secret British intelligence agency established to deal with “occult events,” including contact with alien entities as well as rival terrestrial species. It is explained that Howard stumbled upon the secret history of the world quite accidentally – and was given a choice of joining the agency or disappearing permanently.
With geekish glee, I devoured these stories which place a rather unremarkable – albeit highly intelligent – individual into dire, potentially world-ending scenarios. Howard is a compelling un-hero, the kind who will gripe endlessly while saving the human race from horrible doom.
For the Lovecraft fan, this is an innovative twist on the subgenre. Some of the technobabble may put off first-time readers, but wading through the terminology is well worth it. Stross’ most significant contribution to the canon is his adoption of applied science, electronics, and mathematics to give the illusion of authenticity.
While all of the work is enjoyable, “The Jennifer Morgue” clearly stands out as best developed concept in the collection. Howard faces a megalomaniac intent on recovering an undersea artifact presumably belonging to the Chthonians (code-named DEEP SEVEN) from territory governed by the Deep Ones (code-named BLUE HADES). The novel offers a heady mix of action, thrills, humor, and geek lore.
Final Thoughts:
For those who have not read Stross’ Laundry tales, this omnibus provides the perfect opportunity to become immersed in the author’s Lovecraftian spy thriller world. It’s a good time to catch up, incidentally: Ace will be releasing Stross’ new Laundry novel The Fuller Memorandum July 6, 2010. I give On Her Majesty’s Occult Service a solid 4 out of 5.Lee Clark Zumpe, Minion (Reviewer)
