--- product_id: 24909950 title: "The Atrocity Archives (A Laundry Files Novel)" price: "FREE" currency: PLN in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pl/products/24909950-the-atrocity-archives-a-laundry-files-novel store_origin: PL region: Poland --- # Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 400 Protagonist: Bob Howard The Atrocity Archives (A Laundry Files Novel) **Price:** FREE **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Summary > 📖 Unravel the mysteries of the mundane! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Atrocity Archives (A Laundry Files Novel) - **How much does it cost?** FREE with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pl](https://www.desertcart.pl/products/24909950-the-atrocity-archives-a-laundry-files-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Engaging Plot Twists:** Experience a narrative that keeps you guessing until the last page. - • **Perfect for Book Clubs:** A great choice for sparking discussions and debates. - • **Blend of Humor and Horror:** Enjoy a unique mix that makes you laugh and shiver. - • **Richly Developed Characters:** Meet a cast that feels like friends and foes alike. - • **Unleash Your Inner Detective:** Dive into a world where the mundane meets the supernatural. ## Overview The Atrocity Archives is the first book in the Laundry Files series by Charles Stross, blending urban fantasy with espionage and humor. Follow Bob Howard, a computer programmer turned secret agent, as he navigates a world filled with supernatural threats and bureaucratic absurdities. ## Description The first novel in Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross's witty Laundry Files series. Bob Howard is a low-level techie working for a super-secret government agency. While his colleagues are out saving the world, Bob's under a desk restoring lost data. His world was dull and safe - but then he went and got Noticed. Now, Bob is up to his neck in spycraft, parallel universes, dimension-hopping terrorists, monstrous elder gods and the end of the world. Only one thing is certain: it will take more than a full system reboot to sort this mess out . . . Review: So magic is real, but it’s a branch of mathematics. - The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross is the first book in The Laundry Series, and introduces our hero, Bob Howard, and his contemporary bureaucratic super-secret anti-James Bondian occult government magic SWAT team of mathematicians, cryptographers, programmers, network administrators, paranormals, zombies, cosmologists, soul-eaters, and guardians of the United Kingdom, and hence all of Einsteinian spacetime, against the Lovecraftian Great Old Ones Who Sleep in the Drowned Cities. So magic is real, but it’s a branch of mathematics. But this is not “pull a bunny out of a hat” magic, it’s the kind where you solve N-th order differential equations and then a nameless horror from another reality in the multiverse comes through a portal and eats London. The Laundry is the UK government agency that prevents that from happening. This is really more fun than anyone should be allowed to have. Stross has created a slice of our contemporary world with a twist that sounds completely plausible, yet is so outside of the world of budget department meetings that their juxtaposition is simply hysterical. Bob Howard is a great protagonist. He has just the right amount of sarcastic wit, disrespect for the bureaucracy, and computer programmer frumpiness, leveled with dedication to get the job done, that you know that nothing is going to stand in his way. He’s a nerd, but he’s not bumbling, he’s totally competent. Being the introduction to the series, Stross does a good job of explaining this world without writing too many data-dumps, and the ones that are there are fun to read anyway. The plot follows Bob’s efforts to find they bad guys, stop them from unleashing a nameless horror into our world, and save the girl. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is a technical computer geek, Science Fiction or Horror fan, but Stross’ sentences and constructed metaphors (you’re not dead, you’re “metabolically challenged”) are so much fun to read, that anyone who likes puzzles and language will get a real kick out this world. Review: The One That Started It All - This, the first book in the Laundry Files series, is an interesting mixture of genres told from the point of view of Bob Howard. He's an IT guy who has been working for the Laundry for a few years - underpaid, shares a house in London with a couple of mad scientists, and looking to break into Field Ops out of sheer boredom. The Laundry is the super-secret government organization tasked with "defending the earth from the scum of the multiverse" and keeping the existence of magic hidden from the general public. He is sent to Santa Cruz, California to help out a professor at UCSC - a British national who isn't being allowed to leave the States, courtesy of the Dark Chamber (the US answer to the Laundry). Then things start happening... This book is a mixture of hard scifi, bureaucratic satire, alternative history, spy genre and a touch of romance. It's very enjoyable, but I found myself blipping over the detailed mathematics of it all (hence the four star review). Don't let this put you off the book, however. Bob is a very likable character and makes an excellent narrator. We are introduced to other characters who will play parts in future Laundry Files stories, most notably Angleton, Bob's scary and mysterious manager. He's my favorite character and he and Bob make a memorable team. "Atrocity Archives" is rather short and is paired with an excellent short story which serves as a follow up, "The Concrete Jungle." The short story form is very well suited to Laundry adventures and I hope Mr. Stross gives us more of them in the future. I'm a fan of this entire series and highly recommend that you start here and move on sequentially in order to get the most out of the series. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,689,542 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #312 in Hard Science Fiction (Books) #946 in Espionage Thrillers (Books) #950 in Science Fiction Short Stories | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 4,444 Reviews | ## Images ![The Atrocity Archives (A Laundry Files Novel) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/7122jutKRXL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ So magic is real, but it’s a branch of mathematics. *by K***7 on April 23, 2015* The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross is the first book in The Laundry Series, and introduces our hero, Bob Howard, and his contemporary bureaucratic super-secret anti-James Bondian occult government magic SWAT team of mathematicians, cryptographers, programmers, network administrators, paranormals, zombies, cosmologists, soul-eaters, and guardians of the United Kingdom, and hence all of Einsteinian spacetime, against the Lovecraftian Great Old Ones Who Sleep in the Drowned Cities. So magic is real, but it’s a branch of mathematics. But this is not “pull a bunny out of a hat” magic, it’s the kind where you solve N-th order differential equations and then a nameless horror from another reality in the multiverse comes through a portal and eats London. The Laundry is the UK government agency that prevents that from happening. This is really more fun than anyone should be allowed to have. Stross has created a slice of our contemporary world with a twist that sounds completely plausible, yet is so outside of the world of budget department meetings that their juxtaposition is simply hysterical. Bob Howard is a great protagonist. He has just the right amount of sarcastic wit, disrespect for the bureaucracy, and computer programmer frumpiness, leveled with dedication to get the job done, that you know that nothing is going to stand in his way. He’s a nerd, but he’s not bumbling, he’s totally competent. Being the introduction to the series, Stross does a good job of explaining this world without writing too many data-dumps, and the ones that are there are fun to read anyway. The plot follows Bob’s efforts to find they bad guys, stop them from unleashing a nameless horror into our world, and save the girl. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is a technical computer geek, Science Fiction or Horror fan, but Stross’ sentences and constructed metaphors (you’re not dead, you’re “metabolically challenged”) are so much fun to read, that anyone who likes puzzles and language will get a real kick out this world. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The One That Started It All *by D***3 on July 16, 2017* This, the first book in the Laundry Files series, is an interesting mixture of genres told from the point of view of Bob Howard. He's an IT guy who has been working for the Laundry for a few years - underpaid, shares a house in London with a couple of mad scientists, and looking to break into Field Ops out of sheer boredom. The Laundry is the super-secret government organization tasked with "defending the earth from the scum of the multiverse" and keeping the existence of magic hidden from the general public. He is sent to Santa Cruz, California to help out a professor at UCSC - a British national who isn't being allowed to leave the States, courtesy of the Dark Chamber (the US answer to the Laundry). Then things start happening... This book is a mixture of hard scifi, bureaucratic satire, alternative history, spy genre and a touch of romance. It's very enjoyable, but I found myself blipping over the detailed mathematics of it all (hence the four star review). Don't let this put you off the book, however. Bob is a very likable character and makes an excellent narrator. We are introduced to other characters who will play parts in future Laundry Files stories, most notably Angleton, Bob's scary and mysterious manager. He's my favorite character and he and Bob make a memorable team. "Atrocity Archives" is rather short and is paired with an excellent short story which serves as a follow up, "The Concrete Jungle." The short story form is very well suited to Laundry adventures and I hope Mr. Stross gives us more of them in the future. I'm a fan of this entire series and highly recommend that you start here and move on sequentially in order to get the most out of the series. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hadn’t read this in ages *by R***B on July 2, 2026* These days this book is very nostalgic, as well as being an excellent read. All sorts of tech and phrases I had almost forgotten! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pl/products/24909950-the-atrocity-archives-a-laundry-files-novel](https://www.desertcart.pl/products/24909950-the-atrocity-archives-a-laundry-files-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Poland* *Store origin: PL* *Last updated: 2026-09-06*