Robert Rankin
Born	July 27, 1949 (1949-07-27) (age 58)
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	British
Writing period	1981-present
Genres	Fantasy

Robert Fleming Rankin (born July 27, 1949) is a prolific British humorous novelist. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Born in Parsons Green, London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with Snuff Fiction in 1999. Parsons Green is an area in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. His books are a mix of science fiction, fantasy, the occult, urban legends, running gags, metafiction, steampunk and outrageous characters. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine hidden secret referring to "knowledge of the hidden" An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them The running gag is an often amusing Joke or reference that appears repeatedly throughout a work or series of works Metafiction is a literary term for a type of Fiction that systematically and self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction including the relationship between fiction and Steampunk is a subgenre of fantasy and Speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s According to the (largely fictional) biography printed in some Corgi editions of his books, Rankin refers to his style as 'Far Fetched Fiction' in the hope that bookshops will let him have a section to himself. Many of Rankin's books are bestsellers.

Most of Rankin's books are set in Brentford, a suburb of London where the author grew up, and which, in his novels, is usually infested with ancient evil and/or alien conspiracies. Brentford is a suburb in the London Borough of Hounslow at the Confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent in West London London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

In addition to his novels, Rankin held a position as the Writer in Residence of Brentford's Watermans Arts Centre during the 1980s^[1] , and organized a regular poetry event there which he claims was the largest in Britain. Watermans Art Centre is a multipurpose Arts centre. It is located in Brentford, alongside the banks of the River Thames overlooking Kew Gardens He also has performed on stage with a variety of bands.

Named after Rankin's fixation with the vegetable, there is a fan club called SproutLore who maintain a web site (see external links below) and arrange events, many around Brentford.

Contents 1 Bibliography 2 Recurring characters and running gags 3 Awards 4 References 5 External links

Bibliography

• The Antipope (1981) (see also The Brentford Trilogy)
• The Brentford Triangle (1982) (see also The Brentford Trilogy)
• East of Ealing (1984) (see also The Brentford Trilogy)
• The Sprouts of Wrath (1984) (see also The Brentford Trilogy)
• Armageddon: The Musical (1988)
• They Came and Ate Us (Armageddon II: The B Movie) (1991)
• The Suburban Book of the Dead (Armageddon III: The Remake) (1992)
• The Book of Ultimate Truths (1993)
• Raiders of the Lost Car Park (1994)
• The Greatest Show Off Earth (1994)
• The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived (1995)
• The Garden of Unearthly Delights (1995)
• A Dog Called Demolition (1996)
• Nostradamus Ate My Hamster (1996)
• Sprout Mask Replica (1997)
• The Brentford Chainstore Massacre (1997) (see also The Brentford Trilogy)
• The Dance of the Voodoo Handbag (1998)
• Apocalypso (1998)
• Snuff Fiction (1999)
• Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls (1999) (see also The Brentford Trilogy)
• Waiting for Godalming (2000)
• Web Site Story (2001)
• Fandom of the Operator (2001)
• The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse (2002)
• The Witches of Chiswick (2003)
• Knees Up Mother Earth (2004) (see also The Brentford Trilogy)
• The Brightonomicon (2005) (see also The Brentford Trilogy)
• The Toyminator (2006)
• The Da-da-de-da-da Code (2007)
• Necrophenia (2008)

Recurring characters and running gags

Rankin is known for his seemingly endless use of running gags and characters across most of his novels. The Antipope is a Comic fantasy Novel by the British author Robert Rankin. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The Book of Ultimate Truths is a novel by British author Robert Rankin. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Raiders of the Lost Car Park is a novel by British author Robert Rankin. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived is a novel by British author Robert Rankin. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Garden Of Unearthly Delights is a novel by British author Robert Rankin. A Dog Called Demolition is a 1996 fantasy novel by British author Robert Rankin. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Nostradamus Ate My Hamster is a fantasy novel by British author Robert Rankin. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. The Dance of the Voodoo Handbag is a Novel by the British author Robert Rankin that incorporates elements of Fantasy and Science fiction Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Robert Fleming Rankin (born 27 July 1949) is a prolific British humorous novelist The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. Waiting for Godalming (2000 is the 22nd book by Robert Rankin. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies Of The Apocalypse is a Novel by the British author Robert Rankin. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Witches Of Chiswick is a novel by the British author Robert Rankin, the title parodying that of The Witches of Eastwick by John Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Knees Up Mother Earth is the seventh book by Robert Rankin in The Brentford Trilogy, as well as the second book in the The Witches of Chiswick "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. The Brightonomicon is a novel by British Fantasy author Robert Rankin, the title parodying that of the fictional grimoire the Necronomicon Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. The Toyminator is a Novel by the British author Robert Rankin. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Da-da-de-da-da Code is a Novel by the British author Robert Rankin. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The following are some of the more common:

• Characters:
  • Hugo Rune (Hugo Artemis Solon Saturnicus Reginald Arthur Rune), re-inventor of the ocarina - a somewhat nefarious, but generally well-meaning, self-styled 'Guru's Guru', whose character and appearance is largely extrapolated from that of Aleister Crowley. Hugo Rune, full name Hugo Artemis Solon Saturnicus Reginald Arthur Rune is a fictional character appearing in most of Robert Rankin 's novels generally being portrayed as a The ocarina ( is an ancient Flute -like Wind instrument. While several variations exist an ocarina is typified by an oval-shaped enclosed space with four to twelve Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (ˈkroʊli (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947 was a British Occultist Writer, mountaineer He typically avoids paying for anything despite his wealth, claiming that he offers the world his genius and it can thus afford to cover his expenses. His works and activities are often referred to or quoted in plots where he doesn't appear as a character. References to him usually mention his faithful and devoted acolyte, Rizla, who rarely appears with Rune when he is in the books in person.
  • John Omally and Jim Pooley - see The Brentford Trilogy for details of characters from that series. James Arbuthnot Pooley ( Jim Pooley) is a fictional character in The Brentford Trilogy written by fantasy/humour writer Robert Rankin. The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. They also make guest appearances in other books, usually any time anyone visits the Flying Swan. ^[2]
  • Professor Slocombe - The mysterious guardian of Brentford, the Professor is regarded as an authority on the occult, but there is a great deal of mystery about him. There are constant hints that he is far older than he appears- indeed, one book suggests that he was once Merlin and another that he was the Count of St Germain - but nothing has ever been expressly stated as to how this can be. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the The Count of St Germain ( fl 1710–1784 has been variously described as a Courtier, Adventurer, Charlatan, Inventor, ^[2]
  • Lazlo Woodbine - Private detective. Lazlo Woodbine is a fictional character in some of Robert Rankin 's novels - generally portrayed as a Metafictional character being in the novels themselves the creation Always written in the first person even when the rest of the book isn't. Only appears in four different settings- his office where clients meet him, the bar where he talks toot with the barman (Never described as this allows him to be anywhere), an alley where people get killed, and a rooftop for the final showdown with the villain- as supposedly classic detective stories only ever needed four settings. ^[3]
  • Barry the Time Sprout - first appeared in Armageddon: The Musical, subsequently becomes fused with Lazlo Woodbine's mind (after a stint working with an alternate Elvis Presley), where he acts as his Holy Guardian Sprout. Barry the Time Sprout, also known as Barry the Holy Guardian Sprout is a fictional character who appears in some of Robert Rankin 's novels as an assistant to the main characters His origin, however, is conflicted; he was either genetically engineered on another planet who watched Earth history as a TV show or is a holy guardian vegetable from God's garden, who had to be used when God ran out of guardian angels due to demand outstripping supply^[3]
  • Fangio - the barman that 'talks toot' with Lazlo and Rizla, and is inexplicably behind every bar that they end up in. He commonly serves Lazlo Pastrami on Rye.
  • Rex Mundi - saviour of the world, formerly married to Christeen – the daughter of God and twin sister of Christ – who had been giving him GBH of the earhole about the need for a cesspit in the back garden in Utopia, now retired and living in the Sherwood area growing quality cannabis.
  • Sir John Rimmer - famous paranormal investigator and biographer of Hugo Rune. 7ft tall and famed for his very long beard (a fake). (Sir John and companions are loosely based on the Fortean writer John Rimmer and fellow contributors to the paranormal magazine Magonia. Magonia is also a genus of plants in the family Sapindaceae and a skeptical website in El Correo newspaper (see Magonia )
  • Dr. Harney - companion of Sir John Rimmer, Fellow Of The Royal Society and government advisor.
  • Danbury Collins - Companion of Sir John Rimmer, the psychic youth, and perpetual masturbator. Often has very useful bad feelings about things. Rumoured to be based on a "griffinologist" or somesuch.
  • Sandy, the sandy-haired barman - Bartender at the Flying Swan, one of three bartenders to often appear.
  • Neville, the full time part time barman - Another regular bartender and eventual owner of the Flying Swan. ^[2]
  • Norman Hartnell - Often accompanied by the line "Not to be confused with the other Norman Hartnell". Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell, KCVO, (b 12 June 1901 in London - 8 June 1979) was an English Fashion He runs the corner shop, and is an eccentric inventor, often achieving impossible feats such as perpetual motion and time travel. The term perpetual motion, taken literally refers to movement that goes on forever ^[4] He is often noted as constructing many if not all of his contraptions using Meccano. Meccano is a model Construction kit comprising re-usable Metal strips plates angle Girders Wheels axles and
  • Soap Distant - First seen attempting to access the subterranean world he was convinced existed beneath our own. It was hinted that he had in fact tunnelled straight into the canal and was drowned, although it transpired in later books that he had in fact succeeded in living "Below", and as a consequence his skin and hair were completely white when he finally returned to the surface. ^[2]
  • Inspectre Sherringford Hovis, a Scotland Yard detective, who appears in several novels. New Scotland Yard or Scotland Yard, informally known as The Yard and NSY, is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible Hovis insists on the unconventional spelling of his rank.
  • The lady in the straw hat - often appears in crowd scenes and causes trouble by making bizarre statements, often resulting in large brawls, and described as being barking mad. She has two sons named Malkuth and Shibboleth but her family surname is unpronounceable (Web Site Story).
  • Samuel J. Maggot - a police officer/chief who is often described as having 'a rough one'. Appears in the Armageddon trilogy, the Toyminator and the Witches of Chiswick. However, his description often changes, this includes his skin colour.
  • A casual observer - An inherently anonymous character who is often present in many different scenes throughout Rankins novels, who regularly offers an opinion on the events being described by the narrator.

• Settings:
  • Brentford - often the setting for most, or at least part of, Rankin's novels. Brentford is a suburb in the London Borough of Hounslow at the Confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent in West London
  • Mornington Crescent - Home of the Ministry Of Serendipity, a fictional agency whose main activity is to ensure the British Empire rules the globe, via dealings with Alien activity and suchlike.
  • Skellinton Bay, Brighton A small seaside town occasionally used as a setting (although there was usually a mention of Brentford in the same books).
  • Penge - A location that is never actually visited, but is constantly referred to by many different characters throughout the novels. Penge is a place in the London Borough of Bromley. It is a suburban development situated south east of Charing Cross.

• Gags:
  • 'It must be a tradition, or an old charter, or something. '
  • Bizarre footnotes - Lazlo Woodbine book titles and nonsensical remakes appear as footnotes in most of Rankin's novels.
  • References to whether or not a phrase is going to become a running joke - 'If that's a running joke, it's lost on me. '
  • Non-starter running jokes - 'I hope that's not going to become a running gag, it's a pretty crap one'.
  • The (M134) General Electric mini-gun. The minigun is a multi-barrel Machine gun with a high rate of fire (several thousand Rounds per minute) employing Gatling -style rotating barrels and an Every character that is about to go into battle expresses a desire for this particular weapon, usually referring to it as "one of those amazing rotary machine guns like the one Blaine had in Predator"; even a newsreader refers to it in this way. Predator is a 1987 science fiction, action and Horror film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger This is put to a stop when Elvis actually knows what it's called. ^[5]
  • Obviously fictitious biographical details about the author himself, though these seem to be absent from more recent novels.
  • Author pictures in various poses/modes of attire e. g. Aleister Crowley, gangster or Pagan priest. Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (ˈkroʊli (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947 was a British Occultist Writer, mountaineer Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical
  • An affected ignorance of what is going on, often then corrected by the characters. For example, losing track of which character is which in a group, then having the characters introduce themselves to establish that they know, even if he does not.
  • The catch-all technobabble explanation of things powered by 'the transperambulation of pseudo-cosmic antimatter'. ^[5]
  • Various characters revealed to be masters of the deadly martial art 'Dimac' (possibly inspired by Dim Mak), with which a single fingertip can disfigure and dismember the opponent. For the American Death metal band see Dim Mak (band Dim Mak, ( Jyutping: dim2 mak6 alternatively diǎnxuè ( ^[5]
  • The liberal application of 'stout sticks' or 'knobkerries' in a violent manner. 'stout sticks' is a clever pun referring to the book At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien. At Swim-Two-Birds is a 1939 novel by Irish author Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien Brian O'Nolan (Brian Ó Nualláin (5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966 was an Irish novelist and satirist best known for his novels An Béal Bocht, At
  • "The keeping of the now-legendary low profile"
  • "It is a well-known fact to those who know it well. . . " followed by a statement which may either be a true fact, or something completely absurd
  • Explaining things that cannot possibly be true in a plausible way, as when Hugo Rune demonstrated that it is impossible to work eight hours a day, and in fact his calculations proved that no-one ever does any work, as there is not time, or when he pointed out that the population of Earth must be decreasing as you require two parents, four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents just for yourself to exist.
  • In some books, someone at some time will produce an "oversized red gingham handkerchief".
  • 'A vindictive grudge-bearing wee bastard' as a description of Small Dave, the Brentford postman. Brentford is a suburb in the London Borough of Hounslow at the Confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent in West London
  • People dying in a 'freak accident', always involving two unusual objects.
  • References to lyrics of Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and others. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director Don Van Vliet (born Donald Glen Vliet on January 15 1941, in Glendale California, U
  • Positively dwarf like possibly Welsh- a gag running through some of his books, used to tell the reader how small that particular person is.

Awards

• British Fantasy Society Best Novel nominee (1997) for The Brentford Chainstore Massacre
• SFX Best Novel Award Winner (2003) for The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse
• British Fantasy Society Best Novel nominee (2006) for The Brightonomicon
• Coventry Inspiration Book Awards (2007) Lost Worlds: for The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse

References

1. ^ Watermans | About :: Our Approach History
2. ^ ^{a b c d} The Antipope@Everything2.com
3. ^ ^{a b} Lazlo Woodbine@Everything2.com
4. ^ Norman Hartnell@Everything2.com
5. ^ ^{a b c} Running gags in the books of Robert Rankin@Everything2.com

External links

• Sproutlore - The Now Official Robert Rankin Fan Club
• Robert Rankin author info
• Brentford Triangle Fan Site
• Rippington!-Apocalypso Fan Site
• Brightonomicon the Radio Series official website
• Robert Rankin Hallucinated (1999 interview article)

Persondata
NAME	Rankin, Robert Fleming
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	British author
DATE OF BIRTH	July 27, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH	Parsons Green, London
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

The British Fantasy Society (BFS began in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar SFX is a British Magazine devoted to Science fiction and Fantasy subjects especially media-related topics but not containing fiction Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The British Fantasy Society (BFS began in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Parsons Green is an area in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

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