The Brightonomicon
Book 8 of the Brentford Trilogy
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Our teenage hero, having been thrown from Brighton Pier by the leader of The Canvey Island Mod Squad, narrowly escapes drowning thanks to the Perfect Master, Cosmic Dick and self-styled Logos of the Aeon (not to mention the reinventer of the Ocarina), Hugo Rune Himself.
Our hero has lost his memory, and, in desperation, agrees to join The Lad Himself in the solving of twelve cases based upon The Brightonomicon, the new zodiac signs formed by the alignment of Brighton streets and discovered by Rune: carriageway constellations.
And together they must find the Chronovision before it falls into the wrong hands and affords ultimate power to the would-be world dictator. And this being an adventure most exciting, they must find it before the sinister Count Otto Black, would-be World Dictator and all-round bad guy. Or the whole world will all go to pot.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A secret zodiac patterned on forgotten Brighton byways is the springboard for the comic misadventures of an occult adept and his apprentice in this screwball fantasy from British author Rankin (The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse). The zaniness begins when Count Hugo Rune saves Rizla, a feckless teen, from drowning. Deprived of his memory and identity, Rizla grudgingly partners with the mysterious Rune on a mission to track down the Chronovision, a device that can replay private scenes from the past. The roundabout route to the Chronovision lies through picaresque escapades linked to the 12 astrological signs of the Brightonomicon, which bring the befuddled Rizla into contact with crablike aliens, patrons of a nudist restaurant, and opposing teams of priests and nuns competing in a violent croquet match. The loose plot accommodates an endless parade of oddball characters as well as exchanges of wordplay and giddy banter as likely to put readers in mind of Lewis Carroll as Terry Pratchett. As humorous fantasy goes, this novel is a triumph of gleeful nonsense.
