The Rhesus Chart

By: Charles Stross

Narrated by: Gideon Emery

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.…

©2014 Charles Stross (P)2014 Recorded Books

Stross best horror writer around today

I love this writer, he brings a touch of humor and great characters then weaves a blood curdling plot around them that is creepy, very detailed and realistic, that leaves you with the heebie jeebies at the end. This is his best laundry files book, in my opinion. I replayed the last two hours as soon as I finished, a first for me. Ingenious, funny, horrifying. He's created his own genre. Brilliant.

Bob works at middle management.

Another laundry file story that keeps going from start to finish with twist & turns.

Best in series!!!!

Amazing!!! Love the Laundry File books!!! Can't wait for the next one!!! Definitely recommend this book and series to anyone!!

A Little Different

Not the best one of the bunch, felt oddly.. repetitive? Also, wow, so much sex and office jargon. which has to be the weirdest additions to join together to a story ever.

One of the best Laundry Files yet!

Stross delivers again, with newly turned vampires using agile methodology to come to grips with their sudden lifestyle change, unspeakable horrors that range from soul-burning alien demons to officious bureaucratic committee meetings, and a wry wit we haven't seen the likes of since Doug Adams shuffled off this mortal coil.

wonderfully funny and evoatively read

Charles Stross is one of my favorite authors and this book as read by Gideon Emery showcases what is great about this series... wonderful satire, great wordplay, a fast paced pot and richly described characters both familiar and strange - bureaucrats and bankers, hackers and vicars, sorcerers and vampires, zomies and soul eaters, a violin that kills demons and a cat called Spooky.

Great story

Best book in the series by far. Would recommend this book and entire series to anybody.

I just plain loved this book

Would you consider the audio edition of The Rhesus Chart to be better than the print version?

Gideon Emery's performance is a major component of the book and it is a bit hard to imagine the book being quite as enjoyable on paper without him.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Rhesus Chart?

The book is among the funniest of the Laundry Files series, and very well plotted. For a funny book, however, the ending is surprisingly affecting, deep, and serious. In the best possible way, I mean.

What does Gideon Emery bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Every time Mr. Emery pronounces the name "Angleton" I can't suppress a smile. He is the perfect reader for this series.

Any additional comments?

I wouldn't recommend starting the series with this book, but it is probably my favorite so far. The comedy is refined and funny, but the ending kicks like a mule and left me in a kind of stunned silence for a good half hour. The ending was earned with every word on the way out though...and I appreciate a surprise that after a bit of thought doesn't seem like a surprise.

Highly recommended.

stross back in form

The previous one, Apocalypse Codex was, mmm, not my favourite ever. This returns the laundry files series to form with that Stross-classic mix of zeitgeisty parody and gripping plot. Really nice high-frequency-trading-meets-nsa-meets-management-jargon mashup. He loses grip a little on the climax, but only a little. Worth it.

Bob Howard Strikes again!

If you dig the rest of the series than you should check out this one. If you didn't like the rest I the series then don't.