Product Description

It is the year 2050 and the soap opera "The Earthers" is making big video bucks in the intergalactic ratings race. Alien TV executives know exactly what the old earth drama needs to make the off-world audience sit up and stare - a spectacular Armageddon-type finale.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #153602 in Books
• Published on: 1991-04-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From the Back Cover
From the point of view of 2050, you're history

Theological warfare. Elvis on an epic time-travel journey - the Presliad. Buddhavision - a network bigger than God (and more powerful, too). Nasty nuclear leftovers. Naughty sex habits. Dalai Dan (the 153rd reincarnation of the Lama of that ilk) and Barry, the talkative Time Sprout. Even with all this excitement, you wouldn't think a backwater planet like Earth makes much of a splash in the galatic pond.

But the soap opera called The Earthers is making big video bucks in the intergalactic ratings race. And alien TV execs know exactly what the old earth drama needs to make the off-world audience sit up and stare: a spectacular Armageddon-type finale. With a cast of millions - including you! DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL - IT'S GONNA BE A HELLUVA SHOW!

About the Author
Robert Rankin
Robert Rankin is the author of Web Site Story, Waiting for Godalming, Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls, Snuff Fiction, Apocalypso, The Dance of the Voodoo Handbag, Sprout Mask Replica, Nostradamus Ate My Hamster, A Dog Called Demolition, The Garden of Unearthly Delights, The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived, The Greatest Show Off Earth, Raiders of the Lost Car Park, The Book of Ultimate Truths, the Armageddon quartet (three books), and the Brentford trilogy (five books) which are all published by Corgi Books. Robert Rankin's latest novel, The Fandom of the Operator, is now available as a Doubleday hardback.

Customer Reviews

We're all going to Die..... (of laughter)
This is the first of the three Armageddon books, and the first dose of Rankin that I ever had, and what a way to start! Elvis time-travelling, Rex trying to avoid capture, and the now immortal Barry the Time Sprout.
The book is set in 2050 when the "Big Three" religions/television stations rule the world, the only way to earn money is to watch TV all day. Idealic as it sounds there is a down side to this world, the whole planet is radioactive after the "Nuclear Holocaust Event".
As an added spin on the whole surreal story it is revealed that in space we are not alone and further more they have been watching us, not with camaras but with plants that beam everything we do to their home world. As another twist in this tale "Earthers" is the highest rated show in the universe. But with viewers starting to stray the executives have one final publicity stunt up there sleeves, the total distruction of Earth!
This is a throughly funny book and should tickle most people in some strange places!

I can't understand the other poor reviews
I've read almost all Pratchett and Adams etc and maybe 10 or so Rankin novels and I just don't understand how fans of TP and the late DA don't find this side splittingly funny. It's rare I laugh out loud reading no matter how good the book is but RR seems to manage it regularly. Admittedly there is a lot of jumping around plots and characters but this is not unusual for the genre. My advice is buy this and then the two sequels although I reckon this is slightly better.

The Introduction
A very very strange world, but a slightly worrying one, that is to say. Somewhere in the back of my mind I imagined it could be true, or at least, that parts of it had the potential to become reality!

A terrible thing happened to the earth creating, as they very often do, the opportunity for some indivduals to grasp massive power over the downtrodden individuals of the world. Our hero is one of them, he gets a break and gets sent on a string of adventures allowing us to learn more and more about this world.

he even gets to canoodle with the daughter of the almighty! Not many of us can claim that on our CV's!

I was riveted to this read all the way though and finished it, put it down, had a drink and started the second one.

If you like Rankin and you have an imagination then you should enjoy this story. If you cant cope with the world being turned upside down and being forced to believe Rankins weirdness, I would give it a miss!