Cool
A good intro to Stross (and Bob Howard the Occult Spy and IT Guy) is "The Atrocity Archives". Second Bob Howard novel is "The Jennifer Morgue", which is even better (and lighter), but to explain it would be to spoil it. I was thinking of starting a thread on OT about Stross, but haven't had a chance; if you pick up the book and want to post a review, I'll certainly be inspired to join in.