I *really* enjoyed this one. A tongue-in-cheek, James-Bond-style, spy thriller with techno-magic and eldritch horrors? What a wild combination this was. There's a lot of crazy hijinks going on, but never too much to get overly confusing.

Stross continues his experiments with strange tenses for storytelling, too. This one is told primarily in first-person *present*, which was a new thing for me. (A lot less annoying than the second-person perspective in Halting State, though --- I didn't notice Stross was using a strange tense until about halfway through the novel.)

A number of spots in this book had me laughing out loud as well. Some of the one-liners were fantastic. If you're a computer geek, especially a Linux hacker, there are a number of references that make it seem like this book was written just for you.

A hearty 5 stars.

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Terrific alternate universe thaumaturgic spy thriller written with a wry sense of humor. Highly recommended.

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That was fun! This was a re-read for me and unlike the first time I read it, I really enjoyed it more. The premise is that Bob (middle names Oliver and Francis) Howard is up to his neck in an attempt to take over the world, an IPO (Install Planetary Overlord). Thwarting it, not accomplishing it. Its a neat bit of Bond satire, and still stays true to the horrors beyond space and time roots of the series.

The book opens on the Glomar Explorer with its attempt to recover something from the deep ocean. This is a phenomenally bad idea because of something called the Benthic Treaty prohibiting the removal of items from 3km or below, or setting up installations there. Lovecraft fans can guess who that treaty is with.

From there, we're reintroduced to Bob, Mo, Pinky, Brains and Angleton in short order, as Bob heads to Germany for a conference. Everyone of us who's been to a business conference can identify with Bob there. Though he has the complications of a intelligence and security apparatus, the occult and an observer/partner from the Black Chamber by the name of Ramona Random.

Its a good book. If it had been the first in the series, it would have had rave reviews like The Atrocity Archives. As it is, it suffers a bit in comparison.

Likes: A very different look at two Lovecraftian staples codenamed AZURIAN HADES and JENNIFER MORGUE (ROT 13d to prevent spoilers Qrrc Barf and Pgubavnaf); Peering at the Black Chamber; Riffing on James Bond; Bob's love of Mo; Bondian bad guy on the right scale (he bought an decomissioned Russian Missile cruiser and the Glomar explorer)

Dislikes: Not enough poking fun at the office and policies (the Smart Car wasn't bad though); The reveal of why the bad guy did what he did; Maybe a bit to "meta" with the geas in the book.

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