Necrophenia

From Publishers Weekly British humorist Rankin's latest journey into absurdity manages, sometimes in spite of itself, to be a entertaining read. Teen narrator Tyler spends the 1960s alternating between playing glam rock with his band, the Sumerian Kynges, who signed a fame-and-fortune contract in blood with the mysterious Mr. Ishmael, and working as a private detective. His adventures eventually lead to encounters with the Spirit of the Nineteen-Sixties, the Rolling Stones and the evil Papa Keith Crossbar. Frequent Rankin readers will recognize '50s private eye Lazlo Woodbine and the secret Ministry of Serendipity (last seen in The Brightonomicon ) as well as plot twists involving time travel and parallel worlds. The narrative occasionally gets muddled—notably during the mid-book scenes with Elvis and the hurried denouement—but fans of Rankin's zany style will find more than enough humor to outweigh their quibbles. (Dec.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review "Rankin is so bloody good... you can't help but laugh along with him. Rankin pulls it off with impish glee. Congratulations on the big Three-Oh to the self-proclaimed father of far-fetched fiction. He's still on top form." -- Phil Kelly DEATHRAY "Necrophenia is epic, laugh-out-loud funny. There's also some very clever writing. After all these years, Rankin is still as fresh and inventive as ever." -- Martyn Casserly SCI FI NOW "For all the comedy, Necrophenia is a dark book. Fans will love it anyway." -- David Langford SFX "Rankin [has a] gift for surreal dialogue. His back-and-forth, off-kilter banter attains a truly Marx Brothers level of wit and intensity at times. You won't be able to put down this rambunctious, giddy tale of supernatural musicology. If Mike Mignola and Terry Gilliam had scripted and filmed the Beatles in Help! (1965), the results might have resembled this book." SCi-FI WEEKLY "Robert Rankin is the Frank Zappa of the SF and Fantasy World: an undoubted genius, if something of an accquired taste." FORTEAN TIMES "Rankin's legion of fans will be delighted by this gallimaufry of silliness, told with the author's hallmark fragmented, rapid-fire prose." -- Eric Brown THE GUARDIAN ONE IN EVERY THREE PEOPLE LIVING IS ACTUALLY DEAD!It is a matter of historical record that during the latter part of World War II, England''s top-secret Ministry of Serendipity enlisted the services of arch-magician Aleister Crowley to create a Homunculus. Why? Well that''s a long story, spanning almost seven decades as it follows the life and career of Tyler, rock star, private eye - and notable for the fact that he almost saved Mankind. The cast of millions also includes ukulele maestro George Formby, Mick Jagger, Mama Cass, Elvis Presley and Lazlo Woodbine. And Tyler''s brother, Andy, who impersonates animals (and who single-handedly brought about the Swinging Sixties). And a lady named Clara from Croydon, who unlocked the meta-phenomena of the Multiverse. And a corner shopkeeper from Brentford, who created a sitting room for God. And a great many living dead.Oh yes, and it also involves a monster in human form whose intention it is to turn the Earth into a Necrosphere, a planet totally devoid of life ... ONE IN EVERY THREE PEOPLE LIVING IS ACTUALLY DEAD! It is a matter of historical record that during the latter part of World War II, England's top-secret Ministry of Serendipity enlisted the services of arch-magician Aleister Crowley to create a Homunculus. Why? Well that's a long story, spanning almost seven decades as it follows the life and career of Tyler, rock star, private eye - and notable for the fact that he almost saved Mankind. The cast of millions also includes ukulele maestro George Formby, Mick Jagger, Mama Cass, Elvis Presley and Lazlo Woodbine. And Tyler's brother, Andy, who impersonates animals (and who single-handedly brought about the Swinging Sixties). And a lady named Clara from Croydon, who unlocked the meta-phenomena of the Multiverse. And a corner shopkeeper from Brentford, who created a sitting room for God. And a great many living dead. Oh yes, and it also involves a monster in human form whose intention it is to turn the Earth into a Necrosphere, a planet totally devoid of life ...