Order of the Golden Sprout The New Robert Rankin Fan Club

Meh 2010-06-18

Reviewer: Eispeis

Not having read any other of Rankin's works I wasn't blown away by my first read. Maybe it would've helped to read some of his other works first, but in the end I found it to be a decent read, no more.

By reading other reviews here I got the impression that Rankin came close to the level of Pratchett when it came to comedy, but Rankin has a long way to go. He uses running gags and puns with decent success and the recurring barman Fangio was usually fun, but in the end I wasn't gripped by the story nor the characters.

It's not a bad book by any stretch, but it's not great either. Probably won't be reading any more Rankin any time soon as there are more compelling authors out there.

A bibliography turned in to a story 2010-03-15

Reviewer: Mr. G. Battle

Rankin takes you back to the 60's in Brightonomicon, yet it's only the decade that has changed. Still present are the running gags, the sly humour and the overtly British approach to farce and wordplay. For all the entertaining trademarks of Rankin it is the plot which fails to deliver here. The chapters are divided up in to mysteries to be solved by Rune and his new student, Rizla, and each chapter has little bearing to the vague plot that drifts through them. It feels like a scattergun approach, almost like a collection of short stories. Ultimately when the conclusion arrives it is difficult to assess whether there actually was a plot at all. That said, it's amusing to see Rankin shoehorn in as many refererences to previous books as possible, with a clear cavalier approach. Rankin fans will see some merit in this one, however newcomers might find it rather disjointed.

POOLEY RETURNS... 2010-02-15

Reviewer: Beau Nidle

...And with style.
I had to read the intro twice to be sure it was our lad from Brentford, making his appearance as a budding urban hero as the sidekick and acolyte Rizla.
The Hokus Bloke is on top form as he continues his fight against Count Otto Black, arch Nemesis and all-round bad egg.
Rankers blends urban myth with his outrageous imagination to great effect.
And, of course, the adventure is seasoned well with fine dining, clobbering cabbies, and a bit of transvestism.
One of my fave books featuring The Cosmic Dick and Ol' Jim Pooley.
You can't go wrong with this one, and not a bad one to start your collection of Rankin.
Buy it, buy it, buy it.
Do, do, do.
And buy another for someone without a sense of humour. It might just be the cure they've been waiting for...
Seriously frothy.

Elementary my dear Rizla... 2009-04-19

Reviewer: T. Bishop

A young man (whose story will be vaguely familiar to regular Rankin readers) awakes from a near death experience, and is swiftly employed by his saviour, the renowned Guru's Guru, Hugo Rune. Rizla must assist Rune (who taught Holmes everything he knew) on the twelve cases of the Brightonomicon, defeat the forces of darkness, and save the day. And talk a lot of toot with the barman.

In spite of a rather contrived plot device (and maybe because of it) Rankin wrestles a very entertaining read out of two of his best-loved characters, thrown together in unlikely circumstances. You are advised to read the Cornelius Murphy trilogy first (The Book of Ultimate Truths / Raiders of the Lost Car Park / The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived), and ideally tackle some of the Brentford Trilogy (which I won't bother to list, since a new one seems to be written every time I press a key) before you'll fully appreciate this one, but having said that, Rankin's no fool, and there's much to entertain (and comfort) the casual reader.

This isnt an audiobook 2008-07-09

Reviewer: H. Fairgrieve

This isnt an audiobook, where someone reads the text - this is an extended radio-play.

I was extremely disappointed