The Nightmare Stacks

Laundry Files, Book 7

By: Charles Stross

Narrated by: Gideon Emery

The Laundry Files' "fast-paced blend of espionage thrills, mundane office comedy and Lovecraftian horror" (SFX) continues as Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross assigns a day trader to a permanent position on the night shift....

After stumbling upon the algorithm that turned him and his fellow merchant bankers into vampires, Alex Schwartz was drafted by The Laundry, Britain's secret counter-occult agency that's humanity's first line of defense against the forces of darkness. Dependent on his new employers for his continued existence - as Alex has no stomach for predatory bloodsucking - he has little choice but to accept his new role as an operative in training.

Dispatched to Leeds, Alex's first assignment is to help assess the costs of renovating a 1950s Cold War bunker into The Laundry's new headquarters. Unfortunately Leeds is Alex's hometown, and the thought of breaking the news to his parents that he's left banking for civil service, while hiding his undead condition, is causing more anxiety than learning how to live as a vampire secret agent preparing to confront multiple apocalypses.

Alex's only saving grace is Cassie Brewer, a drama student appearing in the local Goth Festival who is inexplicably attracted to him despite his awkward personality and massive amounts of sunblock.

But Cassie has secrets of her own - secrets that make Alex's nightlife behaviors seem positively normal....

©2016 Charles Stross (P)2016 Recorded Books

fun and exciting, a great read to the last

wonderful new heroes to add to the series, highly looking forward to what ever comes next.

Returning to form

Alex, or Bob 2.0, is a far more intriguing and empathetic character here. The supporting cast of characters and entertaining and earn their places in the narrative. As ever lots of humour, references and some top action. Definite entertainment value for multiple listens.

I feel like we got back on the track with this book

I almost gave up on the last book which showed us just how bad of a person Dominique really is plus the the bad story line in the even worse narrator this book was a glad return back to the original storyline better narration and a better story it makes me want to finish the rest of the series

My favorite so far

I loved Rhesus Chart, but this one is probably even better! The secondary, "non-Bob" characters get the focus in this book. I loved Alex as a bumbling and awkward reluctant vampire, and Cassie as a whole complicated bundle of weird in her own way. This book is very funny, though it also gets pretty violent, so be advised. Pete the vicar appears again, along with Pinky and Brains. Now, if we can only get Gideon Emery to stop pronouncing "chitin" like "chit-tin" and say "kite-in" instead...

Brilliant

Fun, funny and action packed. Mr stress outdid himself in the nightmare stacks and as ever brilliantly narrated my Gordon Emery