“Sequel to "The Atrocity Archives": kind of magic/spy/computer nerd crossover books, about a guy who works as for the British government's secret magical spy department.
The first book was quite low-key and gritty, but this one uses a somewhat over-elaborate excuse to go all James Bond. Still quite entertaining, but naff-James-Bond humour is pretty much a worked-out seam, and metafictional plotting has been done pretty heavily as well.
Even so, the details are entertaining, the nerdery suitably detailed, and the plot's pretty fast moving if predictable. Also this book feels like more of a novel than the predecessor, which seemed a bit of a fix-up. There is a kind of coda that might be meant to fit in with "Halting State."
Worth a look if you like Charles Stross, but not unmissable.
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