Retromancer [Hardcover]

Robert Rankin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

There is big and evil magic upon the face of the Earth, and history has consequently been changed. The Germans have won World War II; America is a nuclear wasteland; and worst of all the breakfast menu at The Wife's Legs Café in Brentford is serving bratwurst rather than the proper British sausage. When the world is all wrong and it needs setting right, the only hope left is Hugo Rune, a man who offers the world his genius and asks only that his expenses be covered. Hugo, also known as the hokus bloke, the Lad Himself, and the Retromancer, sets out to rewrite history the way it should be, with the aid of his faithful acolyte and companion Rizla. Together they return to war-torn London to solve the 12 cosmic conundrums based upon Hugo's personal tarot deck, each mystery leading them closer to a final terrifying confrontation. They must match their wits against beautiful spies, advanced alien technology, killer robots, and death rays; do battle with an ancient god; and come face to face once more with Hugo Rune's arch-enemy, the sinister Count Otto Black.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mr. Hugo Rune, Rankin's rambunctious occult adventurer, and his fervent acolyte, Rizla, return for another fear-lessly far-fetched escapade (after 2008's Necrophenia). One morning, they awaken to a 1967 that's harrowingly differ-ent. Nazis rule the U.K., the U.S. was nuked during WWII, and Rizla can't find a satisfying full English breakfast. Rune pulls Rizla back to 1944, where they must suss out the Twelve Cosmic Conundra in order to defeat the Nazi peril, save America, save Mankind, [and] secure a future for England that is free and liberated. A dozen Tarot cards lead them into the madcap weirdery that Rankin excels at, though his extremely British jokes (such as Alan Tur-ing's pet robot going haywire and deciding he's King Arthur) may baffle American audiences. Rune's explosive and satisfying smackdown with his eternally evil nemesis, Count Otto Black, will please his longtime fans. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Once again, you're in for a Robert Rankin rollercoaster ride." TOTAL SCI FI "Retromancer does at least tell a ripping yarn. " SFX "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." -- Jonathan Wright BBC FOCUS "Simultaneously funny, silly, clever, linguistically deft and sometimes very childish. A fine slab of silliness." BOOK GEEKS "When an author is enjoying himself this much you can't help but go along for the ride and what a ride it is! I couldn't stop laughing the whole way through." GRAEME'S FANTASY BOOK REVIEW "Spies, robots and death rays make an appearance, with a lashing of vibrant humour. If you have a vivid imagination, you'll love this." SCARLET "If you like this sort of silliness, you'll like this because, well, this is that sort of silliness. There really is no point asking Rankin to grow up. It's way too late." WHARF "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." SCI FI NOW

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 348 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575078723
• ISBN-13: 978-0575078727
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,933,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A tough book to review., August 2, 2010

By 

Delamaine "Formerly Belacane" (Seattle Eastside) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Retromancer (Paperback)

This is a toughie. I picked it up locally because (a) it was filed after Pratchett, and I'd been mentally moaning how there were no new Discworld books for me to read, and (b), the artwork and title seemed vaguely steampunk. I didn't have my glasses on, but could read enough of the back jacket to see something about Nazis and WWII, which is always interesting in fiction, so I bought it. I'd never read anything of Rankin's before.

Now, the story is quite interesting, as stories go. It does seem a little bit boy-oriented in the manner of George Macdonald Fraser or William Dietrich. As a middle-aged woman there were times when I found it simply too cloak-and-dagger for me. It was a bit worrying to read Rizla's prologue - the name made me think the character was a young girl mentee, and I dislike that older man/young girl mentor relationship - but then I learned Rizla was a teenage boy, so it was all right. The characters of Rizla and Rune are interesting; the evil Count Black is a bit too stereotyped, but it was OK for this boy-tone story.

The problem I have writing the review is Rizla's dialogue. He's supposed to have been a teenager in the UK in 1967, but his jargon sounds excessively forced and twee, a bit like Stephen Fry's characters in "Making History" and "The Liar." Perhaps that's how teenagers spoke in those days, but to me here in the US it's just as jarring as reading 1920s slang like "the bee's knees" or "the berries." He says he doesn't want to "go on the Work" (i.e., get a job), for example. This is why I take off a star, because I spent a lot of time grimacing at the dialogue.

Naturally there are lots of mystical things happening to save the heroes' bacon at various times.

On the whole I prefer Discworld books; Pratchett's characters seem more grounded and real, even if they are trolls and other species. But I might pick up some more Rankin books next time I need something to read.

NB - if you aren't thinking of Rune and Rizla as Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, the only other man who leaps to mind for Rune is George Sanders. Sigh.