Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
New York: Ace Books, 2014
Pages
359
Description
"As a newly appointed junior manager within the Laundry--the clandestine organization responsible for protecting Britain against supernatural threats--Bob Howard is expected to show some initiative to help the agency battle the forces of darkness. But shining a light on things best left in the shadows is the last thing Bob wants to do--especially when those shadows hide an occult parasite spreading a deadly virus. Traders employed by a merchant bank in London are showing signs of infection--an array of unusual symptoms such as superstrength and -speed, an uncanny talent for mind control, an extreme allergic reaction to sunlight, and an unquenchable thirst for blood. While his department is tangled up in bureaucratic red tape (and Buffy reruns), debating how to stop the rash of vampirism, Bob digs deeper into the bank's history--only to uncover a bloodcurdling conspiracy between men and monsters.."--… (more)
Awards
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Science Fiction and Fantasy — 2014)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2014-07-01 (US)
2014-07-03 (UK)
Physical description
359 p.; 9.5 inches
ISBN
9780425256862
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User reviews
LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
"Some people aspire to necromancy; others have necromancy thrust upon them; me, I just didn't scream and run away fast enough when it kicked down my office door. I'm slow that way." (127)
"Slow" or not, this fifth volume of the Laundry Files series sees IT geek-cum-sorcerer "Bob Howard" going
The nature of Bob's principal antagonist in The Rhesus Chart is unusually traditional. Although the story still presumes computational demonology of Cthulhoid consequences, it's vampires that are the problem this time. These vampires are re-imagined according to the rules of the Laundry universe, and they happily fall nowhere near Twilight vampires in their features and motives. As in the prior installments, a book that is presented as Bob's classified "journal" in his voice also includes interspersed third-person accounts of events that he could only become aware of later, through informed speculation. And, as before, such a strain on the narrative form doesn't interfere with the fun of reading it.
I'm left with the same downside as I was at the end of the previous volume: I read these books much faster than Stross can write them, and I'm ready for the next one now.
"Slow" or not, this fifth volume of the Laundry Files series sees IT geek-cum-sorcerer "Bob Howard" going
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through more changes than any of the others to date. It kills off long-standing characters, cripples Bob's marriage, and advances his role within Capital Laundry Services (the deep black British intelligence agency concerned with occult phenomena) to the point where I wonder if further volumes will see the role of narrator passed to some junior character. And while much of the outcome -- as foreshadowed in the first chapter -- is terribly negative (though far short of what regular readers will know as CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN), the book is full of the sardonic joking that suffused the previous volumes. The nature of Bob's principal antagonist in The Rhesus Chart is unusually traditional. Although the story still presumes computational demonology of Cthulhoid consequences, it's vampires that are the problem this time. These vampires are re-imagined according to the rules of the Laundry universe, and they happily fall nowhere near Twilight vampires in their features and motives. As in the prior installments, a book that is presented as Bob's classified "journal" in his voice also includes interspersed third-person accounts of events that he could only become aware of later, through informed speculation. And, as before, such a strain on the narrative form doesn't interfere with the fun of reading it.
I'm left with the same downside as I was at the end of the previous volume: I read these books much faster than Stross can write them, and I'm ready for the next one now.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Bob Howard, civil servant and part of Britain’s silent war against Lovecraftian horrors, this time around faces new challenges including vampires (which no one, even in his branch, believes in), his wife’s increasing stress given the terrors of her own job playing a death-dealing violin, and
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the return of an ex-girlfriend, which connects to both of the previous problems. I very much enjoy the Laundry Files, and the ending left me extremely agitated for Bob and Mo—I want those crazy kids to work it out, and also to survive the coming apocalypse. Show Less
LibraryThing member nnschiller
This was Stross' strongest Laundry Files novel yet. Or, it was my favorite of his Laundry Files novels. I'm still not clear on which.
Here's what he does well:
* Angleton is fantastic
* New characters are added well
* Especially this: personal relationships are handled in a clear and adult manner,
Freaking great read w/ perfect (dammit) timing on the closing sentence.
Here's what he does well:
* Angleton is fantastic
* New characters are added well
* Especially this: personal relationships are handled in a clear and adult manner,
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making them a great medium for showing values and reflection on our lives.Freaking great read w/ perfect (dammit) timing on the closing sentence.
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LibraryThing member Shrike58
Having had his fun with the canon of British espionage fiction, in this newest installment of the adventures of Bob Howard, Journeyman Necromancer, Stross has taken to messing with the tropes of modern urban fantasy. For the first time out it's the turn of vampires to take it in the neck (or was it
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unicorns? (see "Equoid")) and, in the process, a whole hell of a lot of narrative dynamite is detonated. The result, presumably, is that we are now on the fast track to Code Nightmare Green; at the very least one also suspects that our guide and good friend Bob Howard has been essentially promoted out of the role of being the main narrator. It remains to be seen who is the new victim. Show Less
LibraryThing member cissa
I love Stross's Laundry series, and this is no exception.
Things get more complicated. As they do.
As someone who has second-hand experience with Scrums and Agile Development, I really enjoyed these aspects. Totally plausible! Vampires? Well no one actually believes in them, right?
...And the plot
Excellent character development, as well as the wonderfully twisty plot, with references to an over-arching plot that is impacting current realities.
This is not the book to start with if you are intrigued, though; I think it'd be hard to get traction. I'd adviose, if you find the premises interesting, starting at the beginning-you won't regret it.
Things get more complicated. As they do.
As someone who has second-hand experience with Scrums and Agile Development, I really enjoyed these aspects. Totally plausible! Vampires? Well no one actually believes in them, right?
...And the plot
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proceeds.Excellent character development, as well as the wonderfully twisty plot, with references to an over-arching plot that is impacting current realities.
This is not the book to start with if you are intrigued, though; I think it'd be hard to get traction. I'd adviose, if you find the premises interesting, starting at the beginning-you won't regret it.
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LibraryThing member Steven.Riedel
This is to date the worst book I've ever read. It's supposed to be written as a declassified brief that the reader has been given access to, but it is not written that way at all. The cause of vampirism that the main characters detection of it is ridiculous, and there is a obvious circular
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causality flaw in the plot. It reads like an IT geek relaying a D&D session. Show Less
LibraryThing member grizzly.anderson
This is probably my least favorite of the Laundry Files series. Mostly because the writing didn't seem as polished and the tempo of the story was very inconsistent. Of course, Bob is still at the center of it all, but Mo is off-stage almost the entire time, and Bob's (maybe not quite as bad as we
As it stands, this is a decent Laundry Files novel, but not a great one, that mostly sets the scene for whatever is coming next. To that extent the whole book reads like exposition for the NEXT novel. Certainly not a good place to start with the series, or one to read if you aren't hooked and planning to follow the series all the way. Hopefully Stross got all of the random bits out of the way and the next one will be back to the usual standard.
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though) psycho ex has a major part. There is less tongue-in-cheek humor as Stross dials up the dark and nasty the closer things get to CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN (aka the coming apocalypse). Even so, an unnecesarilly large amount of time is spent re-introducing characters, and then re-reintroducing them. The relationship between Angelton and Bob, and Bob's status as apprentice eater-of-souls comes up 3 or 4 times, and each time no new information is added to what came before. I know some background has to be provided for folks that haven't read, or don't recall, the previous books, unfortunately it was so repetitive and clearly jammed it that the exposition took me right out of the story every time it happened.As it stands, this is a decent Laundry Files novel, but not a great one, that mostly sets the scene for whatever is coming next. To that extent the whole book reads like exposition for the NEXT novel. Certainly not a good place to start with the series, or one to read if you aren't hooked and planning to follow the series all the way. Hopefully Stross got all of the random bits out of the way and the next one will be back to the usual standard.
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LibraryThing member SChant
Not one of his better Laundry novels. Very repetetive - characters and plot points were described over and over again as if the author has forgotton what he's told us. Also, some of the plot seem to be crowbarred-in a bit abruptly, without any in-universe logical reason. Anyway, a quick read but
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unsatisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member andreas.wpv
Lame, too much like the earlier laundry files books, nothing really new. Nice idea for a story, but too much repetition and self referencing.
LibraryThing member amymyoung
I'll admit it. I'm hooked on the Laundry series. So while at LonCon3 I picked up the hard cover... and the eBook for reading on the plane home if I didn't get a chance to finish it (who am I kidding. I ripped through this in three days).
While it does recap a lot of what has happened in the previous
The series is getting darker as Nightmare Green approaches, and this is no exception to the increasing darkness.
Bob deals with Vampires --- which don't exist... leading to Angelton's demise and Bob's assumption of the role of Eater of Souls . With a twist at the end of the book that left me wanting more, I'm gladly an addict.
While it does recap a lot of what has happened in the previous
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books and reintroduces a character from The Atrocity Archives, making it a suitable place for someone who hasn't read the series to jump in. That said, you're cheating yourself if you do.The series is getting darker as Nightmare Green approaches, and this is no exception to the increasing darkness.
Bob deals with Vampires --- which don't exist... leading to
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LibraryThing member Magentawolf
Quite boring, actually. Take your usual Laundry bureaucracy and twist the dial two notches higher and you've got this novel.
LibraryThing member orkydd
Everybody knows that vampires don't exist. That's the prevailing view in the Laundry. Bob Howard wonders just why everyone seems so adamant....
Because a nest of vampires in a City trading house. That would never happen, would it....
Because a nest of vampires in a City trading house. That would never happen, would it....
LibraryThing member AstonishingChristina
I started Stross' Laundry Files series in the middle, so I'm doing a quick re-read of the titles in sequence before proceeding to his latest installment. On second reading, it becomes clearer just how much stress The Laundry is under -- they can no longer contain everybody with supernatural
And in this novel, Stross decided it was time to eliminate some surplus characters and move Bob Howard and Mo O'Brien up another level of monstrousness. (But I think I'm going to miss Angleton...)
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capabilities just by rounding them up and giving them civil service jobs: there are just too many of them, and the number keeps increasing as "the stars come right." Even the supposedly unbreakable "oath of office" hasn't been able to keep enemy moles out of the organization.And in this novel, Stross decided it was time to eliminate some surplus characters and move Bob Howard and Mo O'Brien up another level of monstrousness. (But I think I'm going to miss Angleton...)
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LibraryThing member jmkemp
The Laundry series is moving on, and this was a thoroughly enjoyable instalment. The canon was well added to and the universe expanded darkly. However what currently loses it the fifth star is the rather abrupt end and the feeling that there is more that is as yet untold. I know this forum certain
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having read the spoiler thread on Charlie Stross's website. He's already written the next in the series and it comes out next year. Show Less
LibraryThing member nwhyte
a vampire novel, and therefore ineligible. Great fun though.
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
The fifth book in the series has Bob handing investment banker vampires [which don't exist] and dealing with the personal fallout of getting one of his and Mo's few non Laundry friends involved with the Laundry [from the previous book]. His take on vampires fits great with the overall universe he
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has set up. I do have to say that as amusing as bits of these books are there is the overwhelming dread that the end is coming as it does get referenced by most of the regular characters at some point in the story. The story ends with the main story arc going forward instead of just being hinted at. But with how things ended in this one I'm not sure if I'm ready to grab the next one as soon as it comes out. I think I'll have to make sure I'm ready for the grim story line. Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
This is an exciting story, and I thought the pacing was much better than the previous book in the series. The layers and different viewpoints of the story mesh together well. The reveal at the end was a big surprise! I'm glad that both Pete and Alex survived; I hope Alex can catch a break soon! So
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sad about Bob and Mo. I really like Mo as a character, and I hope this isn't the end of their relationship. Show Less
LibraryThing member jercox
Excellent addition to the laundry files - vampires aren't real, right?
LibraryThing member KittyCunningham
This does not have a happy ending. Bob isn't dead, though. So, there is hope for the world.
LibraryThing member andrlik
I'm enjoying this series more and more with each volume.
LibraryThing member JudyGibson
Second time for this one, not because it's great lit but because I didn't have a book handy so I grabbed this one off the top of the bag of books waiting to be traded in. Still, entertaining, as Stross always is.