Review of 'The Rhesus Chart'

The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross
5th book in the 'The Laundry Files' series

the_rhesus_chart.jpg Bob Howard works for “The Laundry” - A secret British government agency protecting it's citizens from occult threats. A group of investment bankers from Canary Wharf make a discovery that results in their being transformed into vampires (which, of course, do not exist) so The Laundry has no choice but to recruit them into it's rank. There are forces at work both within and without The Laundry that are threatening it's very existence…oh, and Bob has to deal with an aggressive new lodger.

I have to admit this one sort of snuck up on me after the initial recruitment of the vampires into The Laundry things seemed to tick along at a slow pace but then the final 50 pages (or so) are really full of a number of shocks and surprises. The vampires are dealt with in a very matter of fact way though I suppose this should be no surprise in an agency that deals with the occult. They offer only a low threat though there is a particularly nasty side effect of their meals on their victims…The practicality of how to actually survive as a vampire in the modern world is amusingly portrayed by the investment banker yuppies. Bob is as Bob has always been though seems somewhat more in control of his fate now as he becomes more senior within the organisation which is good to see though there are some things that no one saw coming…

Another off-beat tale of the weird and unusual Government agency by Stross whose comfort in the characters and setting is very evident as the books pile up. I can't say this is laugh-out-loud funny but it is certainly entertaining making the unbelievable very down to earth and practical. There are also flashes of ingenuity throughout with the finale likely to be a surprise to most. It will be interesting to see where things go from here.

New readers will be able to pick this up without any problems as previous books are only briefly eluded to. A lot of fun.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2017-12-09


Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Orbit

Publication Date: 2014

ISBN: 9780356502533


Other reviewed books in the 'The Laundry Files' series:

Other reviewed books by Charles Stross:

Other reviewed books by Cory Doctorow, and Charles Stross: