The Jennifer Morgue: A Laundry Files Novel by Charles Stross

Wirr: Well, everything about the content would be a Spoiler.

Ok, just say a computer-nerd (and Anti-James-Bond) faces Lovecraft's Mythos. Grotesque Mythos Horror meets the Madness of Office-Humor.

Germany on Aug 23, 2022

FeydRautha: Je me dois de faire une critique de ce livre pour rétablir un peu l'équilibre par rapport à celles, très négatives, que l'on trouve ici sur Amazon et ailleurs. The Jennifer Morgue est un des très bons volumes de la série des Laundry Files de Charles Stross. Cette série relève de l'Histoire Secrète et propose une relecture du monde sous la forme d'enquêtes d'agents très spéciaux dans un univers où la magie est une branche des mathématiques appliquées et les Grands Anciens de Lovecraft sont une réalité cachée par les gouvernements. En d'autres termes, c'est James Bond chez Cthulhu à l'époque moderne. Une fois l'idée de base acceptée, tout le reste en découle. Le caractère humoristique de la série est très marqué, mais on y trouve aussi certains éléments qui relèvent de l'horreur. Pour les 4 premiers volumes, Charles Stross s'est amusé à écrire "à la manière de". Le deuxième volume, The Jennifer Morgue, est écrit à la manière de Ian Fleming et que ce soit dans l'histoire ou la structure du récit, on est dans du pur James Bond. Tout y est : le milliardaire mégalomane qui cherche à metre la main sur une technologie ultime pour dominer le...

France on Oct 26, 2017

illiandantic: Charles Stross' 2006 novel " The Jennifer Morgue (Laundry Files Book 2) " actually contains a 30 page short story tacked on to the end ("PIMPF"). But, it's completely unrelated to the vast bulk of this book, so I'm treating it as a free add-on and ignoring it (it's OK). In this 2nd entry in his "Laundry Files" series, Stross has changed the tone a bit by reducing the Science Fiction aspect (mathematics and computers) and emphasizing the Spy Thriller (in this case, a la James Bond). But, in general, the story is just as well-written as the previous book. My biggest issue with it is the two fairly graphic instances of voyeuristic demon death sex he's included. I really could have done without reading those. But, on the other hand, Stross has a some very good reasons (plot, theme, and structure) for including them (i.e., they're not gratuitous). So, I'm not dinging the book for them. On the OTHER other hand, there is a problem with the point of view in those scenes which is never explained. My other issues with the book are even more minor:

- The nature of Bob's partner isn't well-explained until about a third of the way through the book. The early implication is one thing (I...

United States on Oct 16, 2017

Portista: Charles Stross, whose protagonist, Bob Howard, is an underpaid British civil servant (redundant, I know) working for the Laundry-- an organization with a remit very similar to that of the better known MI6. However, where MI6 is responsible for the U.K.'s security against international threats, the Laundry works to protect Britain from inter-dimensional and extraterrestrial threats. The Laundry's work is made yet more difficult, as it must protect Britons not only from incursions by those beings pressing to invade our dimension, but must also try to keep hidden the very knowledge of the eldritch Cthulhoid monstrosities lurking beyond this dimension, below the earth's mantle, and at the depths of our seas.

If Stross' first Laundry book, The Atrocity Archives, was reminiscent of a 21st Century thaumaturgic Len Deighton, this second novel is an unlikely mash-up of Ian Fleming's James Bond (both books and especially films), and the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Our protagonist finds himself in a mind-meld with a beautiful female spy from the very darkest depths-- the CIA. Yes, and she's also a mer-creature, complete with gills. And has a daemon, a succubus, riding her, which creates...

United States on Aug 30, 2017

Eric Whitmore: Found the laundry files books a couple of years ago but wasn't sure if I would like them, after the first one I was hooked and quickly found others to read,. still 1 or 2 to read but i will carry on with them.
The Author has created some very believable characters and you could quite easily believe that there was a government department that exists like this, plenty of adventure and some comedy bits thrown in. Bob the main character is almost a victim of his own good luck and the stories are mostly told from his viewpoint which makes it easy to sympathise with him. Not strictly SF but an excellent read.

United Kingdom on May 09, 2017

Ralf: If you like British humour and tongue in cheek you will enjoy this series. A little predictable but fun

Canada on Mar 08, 2017

Hisham: The Jennifer Morgue is book two of the Laundry Files series by Charles Stross. In this second outing, Bob Howard finds himself dragged into the machinations and conspiracies of a Megalomaniac multi-billionaire, The Black Chamber and The Laundry...

Someone has a hard-on for certain fictional spy and world domination, and unfortunately for Bob, he's been cast in the role of the Hero British Agent. Can Bob survive the convoluted plot in which he has been dragged? Will he get the girl? Why the hell does he have cravings for a certain gin based beverage? Riffing on the Bond movie formula, The Jennifer Morgue takes all that is amazing and absurd from 007 and twists it into a pretzel that will keep you entertained for the entire ride.

This edition of The Jennifer Morgue also includes a bonus short story - Pimpf.
Pimpf is an entertaining tale of Computational Demonology, MMORPG's and Internal backstabbing. A fun read.

Also included in this edition - An essay by Charles Stross "The Golden Age Of Spying", where Charles Stross explores and examines the phenomena that has become the James Bond franchise. Stross has said that he watched and thoroughly flowcharted the...

United Kingdom on Jun 28, 2016

DED: In The Jennifer Morgue, the second Laundry novel, Stross has once again perfectly blended Lovecraftian horror with a spy thriller. This time out, he mines the James Bond pantheon; complete with special gadgets, megalomaniac billionaire villain, tropical island, the "hot Bond girls", high society casino and a tricked out car. But our hero, Bob Howard, is really an anti-Bond. He's more at home wearing a Nine Inch Nails t-shirt and drinking a beer than donning a tux and quaffing vodka martinis.

Unlike the Bond films, our "hot Bond girls" (maybe I should call them "Bob girls") are given depth of character. The drop dead gorgeous Ramona Random isn't the cold seductress she's made out to be and Dominique "Mo" O'Brien is far from being naive and innocent, though she is sweet, unless you piss her off.

Stross really plays the humor card well as our nerdy hero stumbles through his role. It's not that he's clueless; he's just more at home dispelling demonic intruders using glyphs and wards generated by apps on his Treo or hacking someone's network than embarking on car chases or gambling away the equivalent of his annual salary in less than an hour. Bond never had to deal with...

United States on Aug 02, 2012