The Atrocity Archives

I’ve been meaning to read this for a while and was pleased to find it delivered what I expected: an entertaining mix of technology, bureaucracy and eldritch horrors (you can decide if the last by definition encompasses the other two…)

The narrative is in Bob’s first person, present tense point of view. I wasn’t especially taken with him as a character, though I wasn’t so put off as to bail out. He always managed to have the skills or items needed to meet the challenges before him, or some associate intervening at the right moment.

The office politics were boldly drawn. I wouldn’t have minded more subtlety, a bit more behind the scenes manipulation and gaslighting rather than the (office equivalent of) straight-up moustache-twirliness that came across. We were never really left in doubt of the outcome.

Overall, a fun series starter.

The series was recommended by a friend. At very first I was groaning, ugh, what IS this? A hypercaffeinated public servant dealing with the beurocracy of summoning Lovecraftian horrors, whatever. Oh, look, some hilariously laboured popculture references for the 30-somethings. I never really understood the appeal of the Dunwich mythos and I despise being pandered to. Anyway. I slogged through - my friend would ask me about this and I should have a better grasp of what it was that I didn't like... And bugger me if it didn't get a lot better really quickly. I think it's the proper, deep and beautiful nerdery of the protagonist. The author knows nerds, he knows beurocracy and be damned (ahaha) if I'm not his exact target audience. Lovely stuff, after a fashion. If you're a 30 plus polymath who's ever had the delight of the public sector, get amongst it.