The Brentford Triangle
Robert Rankin
Corgi £7.99
I've deliberately avoided Robert Ranking until now - I wrongly lumped him in with all the humorist fantasists that sprung up after Terry Pratchett's initial success. And who can blame me? He's invariably placed in the shops next to Terry Pratchett, Robert Asprin and Tim Holt and whilst he shares some of these writers traits he clearly is working in a genre all of his own.
Far fetched fiction, he calls it and it's certainly that - it's a bizarre amalgamation of character comedy, science fiction, surrealism and a love for root vegetables.
The Brentford Triangle is the second book in a trilogy of five books (don't ask!) and although it's a second part it is very much a stand alone novel.
It all starts off with inventors of allotment golf, Pooley and Omally engaging in a few holes, whilst trying to avoid the runner beans. However strange things are happening - for a start there seem to be council officials everywhere, all of them almost identical and looking like a young Jack Palance. In the Swan public house, the Laser Alien Attack video machine refuses to switch off, even in a power cut and an alien invasion may be imminent.
Robert Rankin is great fun - a cross between Tom Sharpe and Terry Pratchett. The book is filled with knowing pop culture references and the insanity level is set to eleven. I found myself laughing aloud several times, earning me strange looks from my children.
RELATED - The Yorkshire Post has a great podcast called Out Loud - listen to their interview with Robert Rankin HERE
2 comments:
Yeah, he is like nothing else although the Tom Sharpe comparison is a good one. I tend to read one of his books about every two years. Going on to read the next book in the series immediately just doesn't work for me. I have to be in just the right silly frame of mind to enjoy and then he's a hoot.
Tainted Archive,
I'm sold. I'll check him out.
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