Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail: Can a Punk Rock Legend Find What Monty Python Couldn't? [Paperback]

Christopher Dawes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2005

Christopher Dawes lives in a quiet English village. His neighbor is Rat Scabies, former drummer with the Damned, best noted for setting his drums on fire while still playing them at a live concert. Life with Rat as a neighbor isn't run-of-the-mill, but things turn even stranger when Rat announces that he (and Christopher) are going on a search for the Holy Grail. The saga begins in Rennes-le-Chateau in France, where in 1891 a local priest discovered a treasure whose mystery remains unsolved. Once Christopher and Rat have written a list of things to do ("Buy metal detectors!"), they need only unravel a tale involving the Cathars, the Knights Templar, the Man in the Iron Mask, and Louis XIV—and along the way, visit Paris, Rome, Glastonbury, and Tintagel—and perhaps join the Masons (Rat thinks they know something). The legend of the Holy Grail is far from unknown, but this is the first time the quest has been given the punk rock treatment. Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail is a psychedelic, Pythonesque road trip, a testimony to the sometimes odd nature of friendship, and a rich historical yarn.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–A semi-retired rock-music critic in the midst of a midlife crisis, Dawes moved into a new home in the quiet suburbs of Brentford, England and discovered that one of his neighbors was Rat Scabies, drummer for the uber-important punk band The Damned. The two began to bond over afternoon tea and trips to the local pub, discussing everything from neighborhood gossip to music. As he got to know Scabies better, Dawes learned that the man was obsessed with a story of conspiracy and treasure that began in 19th-century France, in the town of Rennes-le-Château. The local priest suddenly transformed from a man of limited means into a multimillionaire. The general theory was that he had stumbled onto a fabulous treasure that may or may not have included the Holy Grail. Dawes didn't believe the tale at first, but with nothing better to do he dove into the odd books, videos, and Web sites trying to explain the source of the riches. The memoir turns into a combination travel narrative and buddy book, taking the men across Europe as they investigated different sites, uncovered clues, and attended bizarre conventions populated with occultists, psychics, and members of esoteric societies. But in the end, the book is really about a friendship, how it was built on a mutual obsession, and how the men finally moved on. Witty, funny, and often downright off-the-wall, this book contains just enough heart to make it a real reading pleasure.–Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

English music journalist Dawes, who has interviewed everyone from Nirvana and New Order to Guns n' Roses and NWA, also lived across the street from former Damned drummer Rat Scabies, considered the best punk-rocker this side of Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious, who guarantees that this quirky account, salted with Monty Pythonesque antics, is not your typical travelogue. Because of Scabies, Dawes was drawn into a wild search for the Holy Grail, the mystery of which apparently centers around a remote French village in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Like all serious Grail hunters, Scabies compiled a list of things to do, including boning up on historical research and attending appropriate meetings. Lacking anything better to do and in the throes of a low-level midlife crisis, Dawes tagged along. Despite its rather off-putting title (which punk rockers of all stripes will unconditionally love), the resulting picturesque picaresque is rather sweet. Dawes has a droll humor and a winning style that make the book bounce along nicely. Very weird and goofy and quite irresistible. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (June 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560256788
• ISBN-13: 978-1560256786
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The DaVinci Code"-- told with a big smile and a bigger heart!, July 2, 2005

By 

Joseph F. Pauswinski (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail: Can a Punk Rock Legend Find What Monty Python Couldn't? (Paperback)

You can classify this book many ways: road trip story; buddy book; coming of age tale; psychic mystery; historical quest; hysterical slice of life. Whichever you seek, you will find it within these pages.

But how can that be true? Did Christopher Dawes set out to wrap all of these genres into one? Or is he just an excellent story teller, recounting his life in a small British town, where he is suddenly drawn into a fantastic treasure hunt across Europe by the kind of person we would all love as both a neighbor and a friend?

What do you like in your books? Is it a good mystery, unsolved over centuries? How about unforgettable characters who pop up when you least expect them? Care for car crashes and attacks by killer bees? And do you like laughing out loud while you read?

The author's greatest gift is his ability to see the events that unfold before him with a clarity that most of us lost when we were children. He describes people, places, and events in a way which gives the reader a chance to evaluate everything without the author's manipulation. Although the tale is sometimes earthy, it never loses its innocence.

The book was a page-turner where I laughed at each new event and welcomed each new comrade on the journey. I really felt the friendship that was discovered during the trip.

And I even learned some history about the Holy Grail along the way!

We could all use a neighbor like Rat Scabies. We could also use a friend like Christopher Dawes. You will enjoy their adventures. And you will regret when the book comes to an end.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are interested in the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau, there are only 2 books you really need., November 22, 2005

By 

C. Smith "Ghost Book Collector" (USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail (Hardcover)

"Holy Blood Holy Grail" - and this one.

The first because - despite the fact that other books on the subject preceeded it - it's the one that really put the subject on the map. And Dawes' book because it's the only one I've read that really seems to pick up where the first one leaves off, with a very entertaining and comical, yet touchingly personal, spin. Is there anything to the mystery after all? Who knows? But with a book like this, the quest is just as beguiling a read as any blockbuster revelation could be.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, February 9, 2006

By 

Stephen Traylen (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail: Can a Punk Rock Legend Find What Monty Python Couldn't? (Paperback)

What happens when a journolist and a punk rock legend go off to find the Holy Grail? Well read this to find out. An hilarious account of adventuring in the misty world that most people have only heard of due to The DaVinci Code. A good travel book and mystery book. Highly recommended.