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Jennifer Morgue Paperback – Import, January 1, 2007

by Charles Stross (Author)

2,210 ratings

Book 2 of 14: Laundry Files

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Bob Howard must save the world from eldritch horrors, codenamed Jennifer Morgue. Bob's current mission is to stop the evil Ellis Billington from achieving world domination, but he must overcome obstacles including the Gravedust device, which permits communication with the dead.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Book Group (January 1, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 414 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1841495700
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1841495705
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.37 x 1.14 x 6.97 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #12,275,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,435 in Science Fiction Adventures

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2,210 ratings

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Charles Stross

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Charles Stross, 58, is a full-time science fiction writer and resident of Edinburgh, Scotland. The author of six Hugo-nominated novels and winner of the 2005, 2010, and 2015 Hugo awards for best novella, Stross's works have been translated into over twelve languages.

Like many writers, Stross has had a variety of careers, occupations, and job-shaped-catastrophes in the past, from pharmacist (he quit after the second police stake-out) to first code monkey on the team of a successful dot-com startup (with brilliant timing he tried to change employer just as the bubble burst).

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Customers find this book an absurdly fun read with a very intriguing plot and good amount of plot twists. The writing style is cleverly executed, and customers appreciate the cheerfully perverse humor and believable villain. The book receives positive feedback for its pacing, with one customer describing it as an "instantaneous read." While many customers enjoy the series so far, some find it not the best book in the series.

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Readability Intrigue Plot quality Humor Character development Writing style Pacing Series quality

51 customers mention "Readability"51 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable, describing it as absurdly fun and a great summer read.

"...Don't skip them because they're not fiction-- they are worth reading, even if they're somewhat dated by having been written before either Brexit or..." Read more

"...and drooling with praise, I will just briefly say that the first book was great and this one, even better...." Read more

"Lighter on the satire, heavier on the adventure, still a fun ride...." Read more

"...Bottom line: it's different, it's fun, and it's not one of those 200 page dealies you wonder why you still had to pay 5-10 dollars for." Read more

43 customers mention "Intrigue"40 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's plot intriguing, with one customer describing it as a clever adventure novel and another noting its interesting mixture of magic.

"...Not only are there multiple Bond and Lovecraftian references (and send-ups!),..." Read more

"...And, that's pretty much it. It's an interesting, well-written, fast-paced story that I'm rating at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5." Read more

"...Creative, intelligent (sentences a wee bit too long perhaps), but really get you thinking...." Read more

"...So yeah, there is still satire here, but it is more of a clever adventure novel that plays with the tried and true stereotypes and cliches...." Read more

39 customers mention "Plot quality"34 positive5 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, praising its spy thriller elements and good amount of plot twists, with one customer noting it starts with an outrageous action scene.

"...At the end of the novel there is an added on, delightful short story, plus three or four essays of the author's musings on Ian Fleming and the Bond..." Read more

"...And, that's pretty much it. It's an interesting, well-written, fast-paced story that I'm rating at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5." Read more

"...then you will find the short adventure at the end of the main story extremely amusing. I was chuckling all the way through...." Read more

"...The book also contains the short story, "Pimpf", wherein Bob gets an intern, not something Bob is geared to having...." Read more

29 customers mention "Humor"25 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor, particularly its cheerfully perverse style, with one customer noting its satirical take on government bureaucracy.

"...but there are computer hacker jokes, the comic and unlikely tricking out of a Smart Car with gadgetry even less likely than it is illegal, and a..." Read more

"...They are hilarious, Q eat your heart out. New to this book is a drop dead gorgeous mysterious woman and a maniacal bad guy...." Read more

"...Ramona is a wonderful character: intriguing, interesting, sympathetic, and sexy...." Read more

"...Stross really plays the humor card well as our nerdy hero stumbles through his role...." Read more

14 customers mention "Character development"14 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, particularly noting the believable villain and otherworldly bad guys.

"...New to this book is a drop dead gorgeous mysterious woman and a maniacal bad guy. You'll like them, I promise...." Read more

"...Ramona is a wonderful character: intriguing, interesting, sympathetic, and sexy...." Read more

"...the James Bond pantheon; complete with special gadgets, megalomaniac billionaire villain, tropical island, the "hot Bond girls", high society casino..." Read more

"...His characters and dialogue were funny, and the pacing was pretty good too...." Read more

14 customers mention "Writing style"14 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as cleverly written, with one customer highlighting the good touch with dialog and narration.

"...And, that's pretty much it. It's an interesting, well-written, fast-paced story that I'm rating at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5." Read more

"...book in this series, then honestly this book is probably better written than that one. That said, I liked the first one more...." Read more

"...There is also a glossary of terms in the back." Read more

"...It is very imaginative, blending secret agents, math jargon, weird aliens, ghouls and whatnot...." Read more

11 customers mention "Pacing"9 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, with one mentioning its non-stop action and another noting it's an instantaneous read.

"...His characters and dialogue were funny, and the pacing was pretty good too...." Read more

"...Fantasy, Sci-Fi, spy story that moves along at a good pace and yet stays strangely grounded by the mundane world of the english civil service...." Read more

"...An instantaneous read, with the good and bad that implies...." Read more

"While fast-paced and fun to read, it was too much of the "same-old, same-old." It was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, but made..." Read more

17 customers mention "Series quality"11 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the series quality, with some enjoying it while others find it not the best book in the series.

"...Charles Stross when I read The Atrocity Archives, and this sequel doesn't dissapoint...." Read more

"...Sadly, The Jennifer Morgue left me disappointed...." Read more

"I really liked this installment of the Laundry series. It was better, in my opinion, than the first book, The Atrocity Archives, as it was much more..." Read more

"...I managed to slog through it and the book got better. The last third of the main novel was a solid 4 stars...." Read more

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Portista
Double-O Something vs. It came From the Depths
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2017
Verified Purchase

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 some rather awkward situations. The villain is very much an evil construct from the Blofeld/Dr. No school of villainy, with a mind set on world domination.

Well, that's one of the villains. There is also the Total Quality Management-obsessed, paperclip counting bureaucrats for whom he works. And he can't even shoot them.

The book, although light-hearted, must be read carefully to get the full impact of Stross' cheerfully perverse humor. Not only are there multiple Bond and Lovecraftian references (and send-ups!), but there are computer hacker jokes, the comic and unlikely tricking out of a Smart Car with gadgetry even less likely than it is illegal, and a beautiful, deadly violinist.

At the end of the novel there is an added on, delightful short story, plus three or four essays of the author's musings on Ian Fleming and the Bond adventures, on the morphing of villainy from nation-state to the corporate world, on espionage post-World War II. Don't skip them because they're not fiction-- they are worth reading, even if they're somewhat dated by having been written before either Brexit or the most recent U.S. elections. I'd love to see him update them!

Recommended.

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illiandantic
Voyeuristic Demon Death Sex (VDDS)
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
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 can't be specific because of spoilers), but that falls apart and we're left wondering until a more refined explanation arises much later.
- There's no reason for the very existence of the Power Point presentation at the beginning which sets things in motion.
- After the second VDDS, Bob's partner mysteriously ends up in his hotel room despite locks and wards and there's never any explanation of how (or even why).
- While swimming naked (no doubt about it), Bob's partner somehow comes up with a dagger.

And, that's pretty much it. It's an interesting, well-written, fast-paced story that I'm rating at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.

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Carmen
Bob, the Bond Babe, & the sexy monster from the deep
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
For wont of gibberish madly and drooling with praise, I will just briefly say that the first book was great and this one, even better. If you are an RPG fan now or in your past (AD&D, etc.), then you will find the short adventure at the end of the main story extremely amusing. I was chuckling all the way through. The final words from the author are fascinating and not at all boring like many of the Afterword sections in books are. Creative, intelligent (sentences a wee bit too long perhaps), but really get you thinking. And they give you insight into the origins of the ideas for the story. Two thumbs up!

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Wirr
Best Laundry novel in my opinion
Reviewed in Germany on August 23, 2022
Verified Purchase

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.

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Hisham
A Fantastic Novel, A Brilliant Short Story & an Intriguing Essay! Triple Value!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
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 first 16 Bond movies for research before writing The Jennifer Morgue. This essay was probably his way of getting it all out of his system once he was finished. It's a very interesting read that mixes humour and fact to broaden your understanding of Bond movies and Spy thrillers in general - from the point of view of the Spy heroes, The villains and the real world from which their creators have drawn inspiration.

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FeydRautha
James Bond chez Cthulhu
Reviewed in France on October 26, 2017
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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 monde, la voiture bourrée de gadgets, et la bombe sexuelle qui accompagne notre héro. Sauf qu'on est dans les Laundry Files, que le héro n'est pas Bond mais Bob Howard, super geek de service, que la bombe sexuelle n'est pas tout à fait humaine, que la voiture n'est une Aston Martin mais une Smart (ce qui donne des pages assez hilarantes), et que la technologie ultime appartient aux grands anciens...D'autre part, le roman se base sur des faits historiques, à savoir l'opération Azorian (surnommée par la presse projet Jennifer) pendant laquelle en 1974 les américains ont tenté secrètement de remonter à la surface un sous-marin nucléaire russe échoué au fin fond du Pacific. On est donc pour le coup vraiment dans l'Histoire Secrète. (Je rappelle que le premier volume de la série, The Atrocity Archives, est faisait appel à des zombies nazis dans une autre dimension....) Personnellement je trouve que de par la cohérence du récit, l'histoire, l'humour, et l'écriture, The Jennifer Morgue est très supérieur à The Atrocity Archives. C'est un de mes préférés de la série, et je ne comprends pas les critiques si négatives qu'il reçoit. Sauf si évidemment on n'aime ni l'humour, ni Lovecraft, ni James Bond.

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Marino (marino_bibl@yahoo.it)
Esilarante gioco metanarrativo sul mito di James Bond
Reviewed in Italy on July 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
Il ciclo della Laundry è geniale nel mix tra spionaggio, magia (ma trattata come tecnologia in una inversione della legge di Clarke), mitologia di Lovecraft e informatica. In attesa del CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN Bob e Mo devono sconfiggere un genio del male che ha letto Thunderball, solo che qui non sono bombe atomiche, ma da recuperare c'è qualcosa di molto più potente. E che per di più il malvagio costringe i suoi scagnozzi a mettersi l'eyeliner, e c'è un ottimo motivo. Senza contare che c'è anche una autentica sirena... lo raccomando a chi si sente nerd dentro

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Kindle Customer
So much fun
Reviewed in Canada on May 13, 2024
Verified Purchase
Continuing the secret supernatural fight from the first novel. All the things that make a good yarn, great play on the Bond archetype, and a nice beefy, author's analysis at the end to f the novel

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Jennifer Morgue Paperback – Import, January 1, 2007

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Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

5.0 out of 5 stars Double-O Something vs. It came From the Depths

4.0 out of 5 stars Voyeuristic Demon Death Sex (VDDS)

5.0 out of 5 stars Bob, the Bond Babe, & the sexy monster from the deep

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Laundry novel in my opinion

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Novel, A Brilliant Short Story & an Intriguing Essay! Triple Value!

5.0 out of 5 stars James Bond chez Cthulhu

4.0 out of 5 stars Esilarante gioco metanarrativo sul mito di James Bond

5.0 out of 5 stars So much fun

Double-O Something vs. It came From the Depths

Voyeuristic Demon Death Sex (VDDS)

Bob, the Bond Babe, & the sexy monster from the deep

Best Laundry novel in my opinion

A Fantastic Novel, A Brilliant Short Story & an Intriguing Essay! Triple Value!

James Bond chez Cthulhu

Esilarante gioco metanarrativo sul mito di James Bond

So much fun