Product Description

There is big and evil magic abroad upon the face of the Earth. History has been changed. The Germans have won WWII. America is a nuclear wasteland. And worst of all, the breakfast menu at The Wife's Legs Cafe in Brentford is serving Bratwurst rather than the proper big boys' British banger. Something is Not Right. And when the world's all wrong and it needs setting right, who're you gonna call? Hugo Rune, that's who. A man who offers the world his genius, and asks only, in return, that the world cover his expenses. And so, with the aid of his faithful acolyte and companion Rizla, the guru's guru, also known as the hokus bloke, the Lad Himself and the Retromancer*, sets out to rewrite history the way it should be. Together they return to war-torn London, to solve the twelve cosmic conundra based on Hugo Rune's personal tarot deck, each one leading them closer to a final terrifying confrontation. They must match their wits against beautiful spies, advanced alien technology, killer robots and death rays, do battle with an ancient god, and come face to face once more with Hugo Rune's arch-enemy, the sinister Count Otto Black, all the while finding time to drink ale, talk the toot and dine out in some of London's swankiest eateries. Without ever paying the bill.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #669 in Books
• Published on: 2009-12-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 348 pages

About the Author
Robert Rankin is an unrepentant Luddite who writes his bestselling novels by hand in exercise books. He is the author of THE HOLLOW CHOCOLATE BUNNIES OF THE APOCALYPSE, THE BRENTFORD TRILOGY (5 books) and many more. He lives with his wife in Brighton.

Customer Reviews

Aaaaah....
...'Tis always a pleasure to read old Rankers.
Now, fans of his may be a little disappointed to find that this story closely resembles the Brightonomicon in plot. There is the usual gratuitous fine dining, drunkenness and running gags aplenty, as you'd expect from Hugo Rune (aka The Bloke Himself, the Hokus Bloke, the Logos of the Age, Cosmic Dick, Magus, etc) and his acolyte Rizla. Again, there is the Tarot deck designed by Himself, upon which the duo draw for inspiration and cues for their next case.
Rankers loves his time travel, and seems to pepper his novels with at least one character fiddling with world history (including, in at least three novels I can think of, Elvis Presley).
This nit aside, the humour is outrageous. But be warned; if you don't have a sense of the ridiculous, you may not appreciate Mr Rankin's novels until you read at least one (or possibly two) all the way through. When I first took up the Rankin habit (ee, urgh, sounds disgusting) I started with Raiders of the Lost Car Park. I put it aside, bemused and irritated, until I found it again and persisted out of sheer boredom (there being nothing else to read at the time). It is one of the most rewarding reads I ever had (To Kill A Mockingbird aside, natch), and led me to buy everything in print by the author. I've been collecting and enjoying his stories over and over.
Now, you might think that I've strayed from specifics, i.e. a review of the book in question.
Nuh.
What I'm doing is brow beating you into giving Robert Rankin a good go. He is, simply put, the funniest writer around - and home grown in Brentford, too.
I could do a blow by blow, chapter and verse review. I've no doubt that there are those who may do exactly that. Or not. Anyway, it won't be me. For one thing, it might just put you off reading the book itself, because if you're anything like me you'll refuse to do exactly that, having already got an overdose of it through reading it by proxy.
So, 'nuff said. If you love pseudo Sci-Fi, with Victorian high-tec, magic and comedy that has no shame and dare not speak its name, buy it. If you don't even know what I'm talking about, buy it. if you already own it, buy it and give to someone else. Better still, buy two.
No, I'm not related to the author.
This is seriously frothy. Try it. You only live once, and there are no replays.
Or something.