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Robert Rankin: The Brightonomicon

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Gollancz (13 Jul 2006)
ISBN-10: 0575077735
Category(ies): Science Fiction/Humour

This is not the first book I've read this year by someone I've met - that honour goes to Frances Hardinge: Fly By Night. It is, however, the first that has someone I've met as an important character.

This is, as far as I know (and I await corrections from the Sproutlore regulars), the first RR book that actually deals with Hugo Rune. Many of his other books mention Rune, but always as a background figure. In this one, however, we have Rune as a great WC Fields of a character in 1960s Brighton who, together with the point-of-view character, a naive youth who has lost his memory and been named Rizla, attempts to solve twelve crimes based round a zodiac of figures to be seen in the Brighton street map.

RR is very much his own writer - I don't know of any other writer who mixes a mad SF with a very local style of humour in anything like the same way. It's probably not surprising that he has an appreciative fan club, and that such as James [livejournal.com profile] jamesb Bacon and Tobes [livejournal.com profile] tobesv end up getting guest roles. I'll leave you to find out which turns out to be able to turn water into wine.

Both silly and sometimes surreal, with a post-modernist retelling of the 1960s.

Date: 2006-10-09 09:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sbp.livejournal.com
I dunno - I usually manage to get through his stuff and enjoy it, but this one was a bit hard going, and I only managed a few chapters. I think there's a reason that Rune has been a bit of a background character up 'til now i.e. you can attribute all sorts of things to him that don't really stand up and it doesn't matter. Anyway, just my thoughts.

Date: 2006-10-09 09:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bellinghman.livejournal.com
An interesting point of view. Now, I didn't have any difficulties with it, and found it easier than some earlier ones, but it's certainly a valid point that Rankin was taking a risk by bringing Rune out from behind the curtain.

Personally, I found Rune to pretty well match what he had to be to fit the references elsewhere. He is still fairly inscutable - he always seems to know the answer - and a lot of questions remain unanswered because we only see him through Rizla's eyes.

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