Dieser britische Autor schafft Werke, die von Hard Science-Fiction und Space Opera bis hin zu Lovecraft'schem Horror und Fantasy reichen. Seine Schriften tauchen oft in komplexe technologische und gesellschaftliche Konzepte ein und entführen den Leser in sorgfältig konstruierte Welten. Stross wird als eine bedeutende Stimme einer neuen Welle britischer Science-Fiction-Autoren anerkannt, die die Grenzen des Genres erweitern. Sein einzigartiger Stil und sein imaginativer Umfang bieten fesselnde Erzählungen voller Spannung und origineller Ideen.
Nach Singularität stellt Charles Stross auch mit seinem neuen Roman unter Beweis, dass er der modernste SF-Autor unserer Zeit ist: Eine rasante Achterbahnfahrt durch die ferne Zukunft, mit all den Zutaten, die sich die Leser wünschen. Was William Gibson für die 80er und 90er Jahre war, ist Charles Stross für das beginnende 21. Jahrhundert!
Im 27. Jahrhundert unterzieht sich Veteran Robin einem Eingriff in sein Langzeitgedächtnis, der seine Persönlichkeit neu definiert. Während der Orientierungsphase erkennt er, dass jemand ihn töten will. Er flieht in einen virtuellen Raum, der das 21. Jahrhundert nachbildet, und gerät dort in große Gefahr.
In dieser Fantasy-Okkult-Serie aus Großbritannien wird Bob Howard, ein einfacher Angestellter, überraschend zum Agenten befördert. Er muss die unwissende Menschheit vor dunklen Mächten retten, die durch Dimensionstore in unsere Welt eingedrungen sind und deren Einfluss bis in die Vergangenheit reicht.
Dies ist die Geschichte einer Welt - die Erde -, auf der die Entwicklung der Künstlichen Intelligenz zu einer radikalen Beschleunigung und Digitalisierung des Lebens führt. Es ist die Geschichte einer Spezies - Homo Sapiens -, die sich immer weiter von ihren biologischen Ursprüngen entfernt. Und es ist die Geschichte einer Familie, die den Schritt ins Ungeweisse wagt: in die Zukunft...
Vierhundert Jahre in der Zukunft: Die Menschen der Neuen Republik leben fern der Erde unter der Knute eines fundamentalistischen Herrschaftssystems, das alle bedeutenden technischen Errungenschaften ächtet. Doch eines Tages regnet es Telefone vom Himmel - und nichts ist mehr so, wie es einmal war ...
Mit diesem Buch beginnt die Zukunft 2.0Dein Name: Sue Smith. Dein Job: Police Sergeant in Edinburgh. Dein Auftrag: Herausfinden, was bei Hayek Associates, einer kleinen Softwarefirma, bei einem Einbruch gestohlen wurde. Dein Problem: Der Überfall wurde in einer Online-Spielewelt von einem Dutzend Orks ausgeführt – doch der Schaden geht in die Millionen. Je weiter du ermittelst, umso deutlicher wird dir, dass du hier auf eine hochbrisante Intrige rund um illegale Informationstechnologie und Industriespionage gestoßen bist. Und du begreifst: Dies ist kein Spiel ...
In ferner Zukunft haben die Menschen aufgehört zu existieren ... Zumindest in ihrer biologischen Form. Es gibt sie noch – auf Datenträgern, als abgespeicherte Bewusstseinseinheiten –, aber sie müssen sich die Welt nun mit ihren eigenen Schöpfungen teilen: Maschinenwesen, die das All kolonisiert haben und den letzten Geheimnissen des Universums auf der Spur sind. Freya Nakamachi-47 wurde als perfekte Konkubine gezüchtet, doch als ihre Produktionslinie auf den Markt kommt, gibt es bereits keine Menschen mehr. Sie nimmt einen Job als Botin an und soll ein Paket vom Merkur zum Mars bringen. Damit gerät sie jedoch in den Fokus mächtiger Wesen, die das mit allen Mitteln verhindern wollen ...
Brilliantly disturbing and funny at the same time Ben Aaronovitch, author of RIVERS OF LONDON
In The Atrocity Archive, English hacker and government agent Bob Howard, seconded to field-work with no training, tangles with a Nazi death-cult with access to parallel dimensions. In The Jennifer Morgue, a billionaire businessman, obsessed with a certain series of spy novels and movies, has concocted a fiendish scheme to raise a cyclopean entity from the ocean floor, and only Bob--in an ill-fitting tuxedo and a gimmicked econobox car--can stop him. Also includes the novellas "The Concrete Jungle" (a Hugo winner) and "Pimpf," along with an introduction by Ken MacLeod, afterwords by the author, and an extensive glossary of spy terms.
The third and fourth instalments of The Merchant Princes series - Charles Stross's ambitious thrill-a-minute saga of multiple worlds.
The arrival of vast, alien, inhuman intelligences reshaped the landscape for human affairs across the world, and the United Kingdom is no exception. Things have changed in Britain since the dread elder god Nyarlathotep ascended to the rank of Prime Minister. Mhari Murphy, recently elevated to the House of Lords and head of the Lords Select Committee on Sanguinary Affairs (think vampires), finds herself in direct consultation with the creeping chaos, who directs her to lead a team of disgraced Laundry personnel into the dark heart of America. It seems the Creeping Chaos is concerned about foreign relations.A thousand-mile-wild storm system has blanketed the midwest, and the President is nowhere to be found. In fact, for reasons unknown the people of America are forgetting that the executive branch ever existed. The government has been infiltrated by the shadowy Black Chamber, and the Pentagon and NASA have been refocused on the problem of summoning Cthulhu.Somewhere, the Secret Service battle to stay awake, to remind the President who he is, and to stay one step ahead of the vampiric dragnet that’s searching for him.
'Brilliantly disturbing and funny at the same time' -Ben Aaronovitch (author of RIVERS OF LONDON) The fifth Laundry Files novel by Charles Stross, but also a jumping-on point for readers new to the series, The Rhesus Chart sees hacker and supernatural spy Bob Howard take on the (literal) bloodsuckers running London's financial district. LONDON CAN DRAIN THE LIFE OUT OF YOU . . . Bob Howard is an intelligence agent working his way through the ranks of the top secret government agency known as 'the Laundry'. When occult powers threaten the realm, they'll be there to clean up the mess - and deal with the witnesses. There's one kind of threat that the Laundry has never come across in its many decades, and that's vampires. Mention them to a seasoned agent and you'll be laughed out of the room. But when a small team of investment bankers at one of Canary Wharf's most distinguished financial institutions discovers an arcane algorithm that leaves them fearing daylight and craving O positive, someone doesn't want the Laundry to know. And Bob gets caught right in the middle.
A new adventure begins in the bestselling world of the Laundry Files: a nightmarish vision of a Britain where magic has gone mainstream . . .
National bestselling author Charles Stross brings back Bob Howard-"a British super spy with a long-term girlfriend, no fashion sense, and an aversion to martinis" (San Francisco Chronicle) Bob Howard is taking a much needed break from the field to catch up on his filing in The Laundry's archives when a top secret dossier known as The Fuller Memorandum vanishes-along with his boss, who the agency's executives believe stole the file. Determined to discover exactly what the memorandum contained, Bob runs afoul of Russian agents, ancient demons, and the apostles of a hideous faith, who have plans to raise a very unpleasant undead entity known as the Eater of Souls...
A Merchant Princes Omnibus: The Family Trade & The Hidden Family
Set in a world where parallel universes intersect, the series follows a powerful family engaged in a bitter struggle for control and survival. The narrative intricately weaves themes of power, betrayal, and identity as characters navigate complex political landscapes and personal loyalties. With a blend of science fiction and fantasy elements, the omnibus edition combines the first two novels, offering readers a rich exploration of a unique multiverse filled with intrigue and adventure.
James Bond meets H. P. Lovecraft in the latest occult thriller from Hugo Award winner Charles Stross, in a series where British spies take on the supernatural
For outstanding heroism in the field (despite himself), computational demonologist Bob Howard is on a career fast-track within the Laundry, the branch of the Secret Service that fights otherworldly threats. But when he is called to investigate a miracle-working American televangelist who seems suspiciously interested in the Prime Minister, Bob finds an occult mess that even the Laundry may be unable to cleam up...
Set during the 1980s Satanic Panic, this collection features the short Laundry Files novel "A Conventional Boy" alongside two additional short stories. It serves as a festive tribute to the Laundry Files universe, appealing to fans of both Slow Horses and Stranger Things. The anthology offers a blend of nostalgia and intrigue, enriching the overall narrative landscape of the series just before the release of the final novel, "The Regicide Report."
A high-tech, inter-dimensional espionage thriller set in the world of the Merchant Princes series.
A new adventure begins in the bestselling world of the Laundry Files: in a nightmarish vision of a Britain where magic has gone mainstream . . .
The alternately chilling andhilarious sequel to The Atrocity Archives.
A Merchant Princes Omnibus: The Clan Corporate & The Merchants' War
Set in a world where parallel universes intersect, this omnibus edition continues the saga of the Merchant Princes. It delves deeper into the power struggles and political intrigue faced by the protagonist as she navigates the complexities of trade, family loyalties, and alternate realities. With a blend of science fiction and fantasy elements, the narrative explores themes of identity, ambition, and the consequences of wielding power in a multi-dimensional landscape.
An account of the life of Richard III. It studies the context of his violent age and addresses issues such as: why and how Richard Plantagenet usurped the throne; the belief that he ordered the murder of the princes in the Tower; and the events leading to the Battle of Bosworth.
When Robin wakes up in a clinic with most of his memories missing, it doesn't take him long to discover that someone is trying to kill him.It's the twenty-seventh century, when interstellar travel is by teleport gate and conflicts are fought by network worms that censor refugees' personalities and target historians. The civil war is over and Robin has been demobilized, but someone wants him out of the picture because of something his earlier self knew. On the run from a ruthless pursuer and searching for a place to hide, he volunteers to participate in a unique experimental polity, the Glasshouse. Constructed to simulate a pre-accelerated culture, participants are assigned anonymized identities: it looks like the ideal hiding place for a posthuman on the run. But in this escape-proof environment Robin will undergo an even more radical change, placing him at the mercy of the experimenters, and of his own unbalanced psyche . . .
A new adventure begins in the bestselling world of the Laundry Files: in a nightmarish vision of a Britain where magic has gone mainstream, a policewoman and a group of petty criminals are pulled into a heist to steal a book of spells that should never be opened . . .
This study places the reign of Edward IV in the context of late-medieval power politics, and analyzes the methods by which a usurper sought to retain his throne and re-assert the power of a monarchy weakened by the feeble rule of Henry VI.
'Fast-moving action' Asimov's Science Fiction
Two parallel versions of America are trapped in a cold war - and it's heating up fast. This is the extraordinary finale to Charles Stross's alternative- history trilogy.
Neptune's Brood is a brand new space opera from science fiction legend Charles Stross. Shortlisted for the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and the Hugo Award for Best Novel
From the Hugo Award-winning author of The Rhesus Chart comes another supernatural case from The Laundry Files... Dominique O’Brien—her friends call her Mo—lives a curious double life with her husband, Bob Howard. To the average civilian, they’re boring middle-aged civil servants. But within the labyrinthine secret circles of Her Majesty’s Government, they’re operatives working for the nation’s occult security service known as the Laundry, charged with defending Britain against dark supernatural forces threatening humanity. Unfortunately, one of those supernatural threats has come between Mo and Bob. An antique violin, an Erich Zahn original, made of white human bone, was designed to produce music capable of slaughtering demons. Mo is the custodian of this unholy instrument. It invades her dreams and yearns for the blood of her colleagues—and her husband. And despite Mo’s proficiency as a world-class violinist, it cannot be controlled…
When timelines collide, one reluctant spy will change the stakes in this novel set in the world of the Merchant Princes series.
Regular readers of Charles Stross's Laundry Files might have noticed Bob Howard's absence from the events of The Nightmare Stacks, and his subsequent return from Tokyo at the start of The Delirium Brief. Escape from Yokai Land explains what he was doing there. Bob's been assigned to work with the Miyamoto Group, checking the wards that lock down Japan's warded sites—a task previously handled by his predecessor Dr. Angleton, the Eater of Souls. This mostly involves policing yokai: traditional magical beings, increasingly grown more annoying and energetic. But then Bob's simple trip turns into a deadly confrontation with the ultimate yokai. It's massively powerful. It's pink. And it says "Hello."
Meet Edinburgh Detective Inspector Liz Kavanaugh, head of the Innovative Crimes Investigation Unit, otherwise known as the Rule 34 Squad. They monitor the Internet for potential criminal activity, analyzing trends in the extreme fringes of explicit content. And occasionally, even more disturbing patterns arise… Three ex-cons have been murdered in Germany, Italy, and Scotland. The only things they had in common were arrests for spamming—and a taste for unorthodox entertainment. As the first officer on the scene of the most recent death, Liz finds herself sucked into an international investigation that isn’t so much asking who the killer is, but what—and if she doesn't find the answer soon, the homicides could go viral.
Things are going badly for the Clan in this SF novel of the Merchant Princes, the immensely popular series by Charles Stross. Locked in a vicious civil war for control over the kingdom of Niejwein, their army is bottled up inside a fortress under siege in two parallel universes at once. Duke Angbard, the Clan's leader, has been laid low by a stroke: plotters are already conspiring in readiness for the deadly dance to come. Miriam, rescued from a tight spot in New Britain, finds the hopes of the young, progressive faction focused on her. But do they want her as a leader or a figurehead? She soon finds herself thrown into a desperate struggle for power. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the Clan, researchers working for the US government have achieved a technological breakthrough.
This science-fiction anthology collects together stories by some of the biggest names in the field including Stephen Baxter, Charles Stross and Greg Bear.
The six families of the Clan rule the kingdom of Gruinmarkt from behind the scenes, a mixture of nobility and criminal conspirators whose power to walk between their world and ours makes them rich in both. Braids of family loyalty and intermarriage provide a fragile guarantee of peace, but a recently ended civil war has left the families shaken and suspicious. Miriam, a hip tech journalist from Boston, discovered her alternate-world relatives with explosive results that shook the worlds. Now, as the prodigal Countess Helge Thorold-Hjorth, she finds herself ensnared in schemes and plots centuries in the making. She is surrounded by unlikely allies, lethal contraband, and, most dangerous of all, her family. With her modern American attitudes, she's not sure she can fit in, or if she even wants to, but to stay alive, she really has no choice . . . Praise for The Family Trade: 'Quirky, original and entertaining. . . could be The Godfather of all fantasy novels' Kevin J. Anderson 'Light, loaded with tongue-in-cheek humour and deftly plotted' Guardian
Miriam seeks refuge from the machinations of both the Clan and their opponents by escaping to yet another world, only to discover that there is a nasty war going on in the Gruinmarkt world of the Clan and that unexpected perils await her.
Boston reporter Miriam Beckstein receives a locket left by the mother she never knew, which transports her to a parallel Earth--a world where her true family runs things.
A dissident faction of the Clan, the alternate universe group of families that has traded covertly with our world for a century or more, have carried nuclear devices between the worlds and exploded them in Washington, DC, killing the President of the United States. Now they will exterminate the rest of the Clan and keep Miriam alive only long enough to bear her child, the heir to the throne of their land in the Gruinmarkt world. The worst and deepest secret is now revealed: behind the horrifying plot is a faction of the US government itself, preparing for a political takeover in the aftermath of disaster. There is no safe place for Miriam and her Clan except, perhaps, in the third alternate world, New Britain--which has just had a revolution and a nuclear incident of its own. Charles Stross's Merchant Princes series reaches a spectacular climax in this sixth volume. Praised by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman as "great fun," this is state of the art, cutting edge SF grown out of a fantastic premise.
Miriam Beckstein has gotten in touch with her roots and they have nearly strangled her. A young, hip, business journalist in Boston, she discovered (in The Family Trade ) that her family comes from an alternate reality, that she is very well-connected, and that her family is a lot too much like the mafia for comfort. In addition, starting with the fact that women are family property and required to breed more family members with the unique talent to walk between worlds, she has tried to remain an outsider and her own woman. And start a profitable business in a third world she has discovered, outside the family reach (recounted in The Hidden Family). She fell in love with a distant relative but he's dead, killed saving her life. There have been murders, betrayals. Now, however, in The Clan Corporate, she may be overreaching. And if she gets caught, death or a fate worse is around the bend. There is for instance the brain-damaged son of the local king who needs a wife. But they'd never make her do that, would they?
Drame écologique, guerre nucléaire, catastrophe naturelle... À plus ou moins long terme, toute civilisation est vouée à disparaître. Cela s'est d'ailleurs produit des millions de fois depuis la formation de notre planète. Pour préserver l'humanité de ces inévitables apocalypses, des agents venus d'un lointain futur voyagent tout au long de l'histoire de la Terre : à chaque fin du monde, ils sauvent ce qui peut l'être, et permettent ainsi à notre espèce de renaître de ses cendres. Mais toute intervention sur l'histoire a des conséquences, parfois tragiques... Pierce est l'un de ces agents, un patrouilleur du temps promis à une brillante carrière. Pourtant, sa vie bascule le jour où sa famille et l'époque qui l'abritait sont « effacées » par une nouvelle version de l'histoire, tel un palimpseste. Son seul espoir réside à la fin des temps, où sont archivés tous les pans disparus de l'histoire. Dans l'infini des possibles, retrouvera-t-il celle qu'il aime ?
