Product Description

The late Hugh Artemis Solon Saturnicus Reginald Arthur Rune, hailed as the guru's guru, penned more than eight million words of genius, but vital chapters which could have changed the course of history were suppressed. Two youths set out to recover them. By the author of the "Armageddon" trilogy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81062 in Books
• Published on: 1994-04-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 347 pages

From the Back Cover
He had walked the earth as Nostradamus, Uther Pendragon, Count Cagliostro and Rodrigo Borgia. He could open a tin of sardines with his teeth, strike a Swan Vesta on his chin, rope steers, drive a steam locomotive and hum all the works of Gilbert & Sullivan without becoming confused or breaking down in tears. He died, penniless, at a Hastings boarding house, in his ninetieth year.

His name was Hugo Artemis Solon Saturnicus Reginald Arthur Rune, and he was never bored. Hailed as the 'guru's guru', Rune penned more than eight million words of genius including his greatest work, The Book of Ultimate Truths. But vital chapters of The Book were suppressed, chapters which could have changed the whole course of human history. Now, seventeen-year-old Cornelius Murphy, together with his best friend Tuppe, sets out on an epic quest. Their mission - recover the missing chapters. Re-publish The Book of Ultimate Truths. And save the world.

About the Author
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

Surreal appeal
Cornelius (tall boy with big hair) and Tuppe (tiny boy with an active shadow) are waiting to be swept up into an epic adventure. They've just finished school and Cornelius is carefully avoiding employment, sure that some grand, heroic quest is in store for him and he must be alert and hold himself in readiness for when it begins. Then one day Cornelius receives an offer of employment that he recognises as the one he's been waiting for and only by his own inner magic or deep intuition can he find his way to the job interview. He's given a mission that involves a journey across the country via strange roads where he and Tuppe encounter weird and grotesque people and situations. They meet a dangerous and outlandish adversary who has extraordinary powers but fortunately the boys have some peculiar powers of their own. There's another world out there, hidden behind the everyday world of our experience. Cornelius and Tuppe are determined to find it.

Robert Rankin is bursting with ideas and this story is a trip. I recommend it to those who enjoy comedy fantasy/sci-fi books.

Brilliant!
Well, I never, really... I read this book (for some reason that I can't fathom I keep buying his books) in one night. My wife kept looking at be funny (she was wearing her clowns outfit!) as I kept giggling away. Yes... Tuppe, Cornelious and Jim... Very, very funny. Not as contrived as his other books, the humour seems effortless and runs consistnatly throughouot the book to the surprise ending. Not Pratchett, but better than Holt.

!
This was my first Rankin book and will not be my last. After reading about half the book thinking "what the hell is this?", I suddenly realised I was enjoying it immensely. Very funny in places, imaginative in others and fantastically corny in others. This book should come with a little drum roll and cymbal smash to follow each joke!