Charles Stross: The Atrocity Archives

Luckily for me, I listened to Andrew. He was right: if I'd read Declare it would have derailed me completely. And that would have been a shame, because in tone and attitude the two novels are very different. Declare is perhaps best read as an homage to John Le Carré, whereas the outlook of "The Atrocity Archive" is perhaps closer to Len Deighton, by way of Neal Stephenson. Declare is about disengagement and the abandonment of former responsibility; "The Atrocity Archive" is more interested in coming of age in a world of ghosts and shadows. Declare is about the secret services that waged The Great Game; "The Atrocity Archive" is about the agencies that fought the Wizard War. The two novels are sufficiently far apart that they stand on their own merit. I'll just leave the topic by saying, if you liked this book, you'll probably enjoy Declare.

About six months after the scare over Declare another friend said, "Hey, have you ever heard of Delta Green?"

I used to be big on role-playing games, but it's been close to two decades since I was last involved in the scene to any extent. So the whole Chaosium phenomenon had passed me by. It turns out that Lovecraft's horrors have found a fertile field (or swamp) in the shape of the game Call of Cthulhu. In Call of Cthulhu , gamers role-play their way through one or another 1920s-era scenario that usually involves solving bizarre mysteries before something hideous sucks their brains out through their ears with a crazy straw. "Delta Green" is an almost legendary supplement to Call of Cthulhu that attempts to bring the mythos role-playing game up-to-date. There's a rogue intelligence agency battling to prevent infestations of extradimensional horrors… sound familiar?

All I can say in my defense is, no: I hadn't heard of "Delta Green" when I wrote "The Atrocity Archive." "Delta Green" has such a markedly American feel that "The Atrocity Archive" is right off the map. (Which is odd, because in tone if not in substance they feel a lot closer than, say, Declare .) So I'll leave it at that except to say that "Delta Green" has come dangerously close to making me pick up the dice again.

Charles Stross Edinburgh, UK

April 2003

BABritish Airways [UK]

BLACK CHAMBERCryptanalysis agency officially disbanded in 1929, secretly retasked with occult intelligence duties [US]

CESGCommunications Electronics Security Group, division within GCHQ [UK]

CIACentral Intelligence Agency [US]

CMAComputer Misuse Act, the law governing hacking [UK]

COTSCheap, Off The Shelf-computer kit; a procurement term [US/UK]

CPUCounter-Possession Unit, a specialised team operating across departmental lines within The Laundry [UK]

DARPADefense Advanced Research Projects Agency, formerly ARPA, a government scientific research agency affiliated with the Department of Defense [US]

DEADrug Enforcement Agency [US]

DERADefense Evaluation and Research Agency, privatised as QinetiQ [UK]

DGSEDirection Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, the external intelligence organisation (French equivalent of CIA)

[France]

DIADefense Intelligence Agency [US]

EUINTELEuropean Union Intelligence Treaty-fictional [EU]

FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation [US]

FOForeign Office [UK]

FSBFederal Security Service, formerly known as KGB [Russia]

GCHQGovernment Communications HQ (UK equivalent of NSA) [UK]

GCSEGeneral Certificate of Secondary Education-high school qualification; not to be confused with CESG [UK]

GRURussian Military Intelligence [Russia]

HMGHer Majesty's Government [UK]

JICJoint Intelligence Committee [UK]

KCMGKnight-Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George-honours service overseas or in connection with foreign or Commonwealth affairs [UK]

KGBCommittee for State Security, renamed FSB in 1991 [Russia]

LARTLuser Attitude Readjustment Tool-see The New Hacker's Dictionary, edited by Eric S. Raymond, MIT Press, ISBN 0-262680-92-0 [All]

THE LAUNDRYFormerly SOE Q Department, spun off as a separate organisation in 1945 [UK]

MI5National Security Service, also known as DI5 [UK]

MI6Secret Intelligence Service, also known as SIS, DI6 [UK]

NESTNuclear Emergency Search Team (US equivalent of OCCULUS) [US]

NKVDHistorical predecessor organisation to KGB, renamed in 1947 [USSR/Russia]

NSANational Security Agency (US equivalent of GCHQ) [US]

NSDAPNationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei-National Socialist German Workers Party, aka Nazi Party [Germany]

OBEOrder of the British Empire-awarded mainly to civilians and service personnel for public service or other distinctions [UK]

OCCULUSOccult Control Coordination Unit Liaison, Unconventional Situations (UK/NATO equivalent of NEST) [UK/NATO]

ONIOffice of Naval Intelligence [US]

OSAOfficial Secrets Act, the law governing official secrets [UK]

OSSOffice of Strategic Services (US equivalent of SOE), disbanded in 1945, remodelled as CIA [US]

Q DIVISIONDivision within The Laundry associated with R amp;D [UK]

QINETIQSee DERA [UK]

RIPARegulation of Investigatory Powers Act, the law governing communications interception [UK]

RUCRoyal Ulster Constabulary, the paramilitary police force deployed in Northern Ireland during the Troubles [UK]

SASSpecial Air Service-British Army special forces [UK]

SBSSpecial Boat Service-Royal Marines special forces [UK]

SISSee MI6 [UK]

SOESpecial Operations Executive (UK equivalent of OSS), officially disbanded in 1945; see also The Laundry [UK]

TLAThree Letter Acronym [All]