The Mechanical Messiah and Other Marvels of the Modern Age

Robert Rankin is one of the great British eccentrics, standing alongside Viv Stanshall, Spike Milligan and Neil Innes, amongst others. 'To call Rankin irreverent doesn't begin to describe just how very good he is at playing with the rules', says the Mirror, while The Daily Express says: 'Everybody should read at least one Robert Rankin in their life' - and it's right. The Independent maintains: 'He is an author best read in large doses. His impressively individual style means that he becomes funnier the more you read him', The Observer admires ' the stark raving genius of Rankin...the plot comes together with alarming and deformed brilliance' and the Mail on Sunday claims 'Rankin does for England what Spike Milligan does for Ireland. There can be no higher praise'. Maxim calls him 'Fiendishly clever and joyously funny...a brilliant imagination', and SFX think he's 'Oscar Wilde meets Kurt Vonnegut in the genetics lab of classic fantasy humour'.

The newest opus from the Master of Far Fetched Fiction will enhance his reputation even further: it's time to stop Rankin being a hidden gem and make him the National Treasure his fans already believe him to be.

“"Rankin's traditionally in-your-face humour is fully in evidence in Retromancer, gearing it up to 11 and rarely, if ever, letting go of the reader's attention. We loved it and we suspect that you might too."”

"It's easy to see why Rankin has a huge cult following. Drawing on a rich vein of English humour that encompasses Python, Adams and Stanshall, his comedy-fantasies are filled with pop culture references, music hall wordplay and ironic quips galore." "BBC FOCUS" on "The Japanese Devil Fish Girl and Other Unnatural Attractions""
"SciFi Now" on "Retromancer""

Robert Rankin is an unrepentant Luddite who writes his bestselling novels by hand in exercise books. He is one our Great British Eccentrics.

Colonel Katterfelto has lately returned to London. He departed America under something of a cloud . . . of smoke, issuing from his Spiritual Laboratory, which the townsfolk of Wormcast, Arizona, marched upon with their flaming torches. This catastrophic conflagration caused considerable concern to the pious colonel, who had been engaged in the creation of 'Heaven's last and best gift to Mankind', The Mechanical Messiah. And he was, after all, being guided in this Great Work by holy angels, communicating to him through his monkey butler, Darwin. It is 1897, twelve years since The War of the Worlds and two since Worlds War Two. The British Empire encompasses Mars, and an uneasy peace exists between the peoples of Venus, Jupiter and Earth. In London there are many marvels of the modern age to be experienced. Amongst these is The Electric Alhambra Music Hall, where crowds thrill to The Earl Grey Whistle Test, a musical extravaganza featuring such top turns as Hayward's Acrobatic Kiwis, The Travelling Formbys and the newly-arrived Colonel Katterfelto's Clockwork Minstrels. But all is far from well in old Whitechapel, where a monster is once more abroad in the night-time streets, committing hideous acts of murder. Can this be the return of Jack the Ripper, or has something altogether unearthly materialised to spread fear, panic and mayhem? Something Hellishly evil? Famed consulting detective Cameron Bell is already on the case, but it may take nothing less than the New Messiah Himself to save London, The Empire and all of the solar system from the impending apocalypse! 'Stark raving genius' Observer 978 0 575 08638 8 7.99 See The Japanese Devil Fish Girl and other Unnatural Attractions .

Robert Rankin is one of the great British eccentrics, standing alongside Viv Stanshall, Spike Milligan and Neil Innes, amongst others. 'To call Rankin irreverent doesn't begin to describe just how very good he is at playing with the rules', says the Mirror, while The Daily Express says: 'Everybody should read at least one Robert Rankin in their life' - and it's right. The Independent maintains: 'He is an author best read in large doses. His impressively individual style means that he becomes funnier the more you read him', The Observer admires ' the stark raving genius of Rankin...the plot comes together with alarming and deformed brilliance' and the Mail on Sunday claims 'Rankin does for England what Spike Milligan does for Ireland. There can be no higher praise'. Maxim calls him 'Fiendishly clever and joyously funny...a brilliant imagination', and SFX think he's 'Oscar Wilde meets Kurt Vonnegut in the genetics lab of classic fantasy humour'.The newest opus from the Master of Far Fetched Fiction will enhance his reputation even further: it's time to stop Rankin being a hidden gem and make him the National Treasure his fans already believe him to be.

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