Science Fiction Books > R Science Fiction Books

He's Not Selling Any Alibis

Advantages: A decent, entertaining piece of fiction
Disadvantages: None really, but a little strange -ooooooooh

...sure it’s very nice. Certainly the picture Robert Rankin paints of it in his novel, “The Antipope”, depicts an extremely interesting place to visit - full of places of interest and colourful (to put it mildly) local characters. I’m guessing the book is set in the very early seventies, the only clue we get is that two pints of “Large”, the preferred local draught, costs 10/6 (10 shillings and sixpence – ask ...
...that one of the central characters has been dead for a few hundred years the exact timing of the novel's “present day” seems a trifle irrelevant. Much of the action takes place in The Flying Swan, a local pub run by Neville, the part-time barman. Although never actually stated, we are left with the impression that Neville has been, and will be, a fixture in the bar for many years. Two of his work shy regulars, John O’Mally, a drunken ...

Thamisgith 18.02.2003 · Read full review
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Review of The Antipope - Robert Rankin

The Hatchet-job of Wimbledon

Advantages: Easy reading
Disadvantages: But so's 'Where's Spot?' and I won't recommend that to you either

...lied to and that all the fantasy fiction of the Victorian era was in fact true. That 19th Century England was in fact full of airships and automata, where Oscar Wilde was a notorious ladies' man and Queen Victoria was the Empire Bike. Airships and automata are familiar enough to any reader of alternative histories. They crop up in anything where Rome didn't fall or the Nazis weren't defeated. To combine this kind of earnest but far-fetched academic ...
...people getting him confused with the man who created Rebus, Rankin is the slow-thinking man's Terry Pratchett. The author of a string of 'comedy' novels set around the London borough of Brentford, these books lure you in with admittedly brilliant punning titles such as '101 Damnations' and things. The contents are generally (I've read three or four over the years, hopefully I've learned my lesson now) meandering tales full of one-note characters, ...

Olly_Plimsoll 26.06.2006 · Read full review
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Review of The Witches of Chiswick - Robert Rankin

It's the closest thing to having Russell T Davies in your house.

Advantages: Really honest and insightful
Disadvantages: None

Originally posted on dooyoo. Before buying this I read the write ups and they all said something like "Any aspiring writer should read this book" or "Any Who fan should read this book" And yes, they should, but The Writers Tale is just as relevent for anyone who has ever wondered what goes on in TV, or is simply interested in the way other people think. This is one of those all too rare books where you get true insight into not just a person but ...
...I have ever read being as it is just a collection of emails sent between Ben Cook and Russell T Davies. Davies pulls no punches when talking about the processes of writing, admitting that there is no right way to write, and expressing his dislike of those who say that there is. It is fascinating to see TV royalty struggle with the same doubts that we all have, and wrestle with his perpetual procrastination, and google himself to be met with spirit-sapping ...

rhiannonalwen 05.10.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - Russell T. Davies & Benjamin Cook

Robert Heinlein, First and Best

Advantages: A very entertaining thoughtful reat
Disadvantages: Not to every ones liking

Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein. Published in 1959. Very brief synopsis:- With this book you follow the life of one Juan (Johnny) Rico from his enlistment in the Federal Service, Mobile Infantry, up to his command of a platoon of these troops in an Interstellar war. Mankind is facing a Bug like alien species, something like a giant ant crossed with a spider. Johnny Rico comes from a background of wealth and privilege and through peer pressure ...
...who has completed a minimum two year service has the Right to vote. Not everybody wants to serve and thus vote. A good part of the book is taking up with his time at boot camp and the training he undergoes. Running in the background that we are not aware of is the situation that is getting steadily worse, going from normal peace time through a state of emergency to a full war. The reasons for this we are not told. This book is written in the third ...

Coloneljohn 18.04.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein

The second book in the Brentford trilogy

Advantages: Well written, good characters, some superb scenes.
Disadvantages: You'll want to collar friends and read bits out to them

...he returns to Brentford, and the characters from the first novel. This time, it's an alien invasion that threatens the peaceful borough - but much more relevent to Pooley and Omally, the brewery has installed a space invaders machine in their beloved local! How can they get rid of it? And incidentally, stop aliens from taking over the planet. The characters from the Antipope are back, stranger and more lovable than ever, and they're joined by a ...
...The ending is superb, set during the local darts championship - the team from the Flying Swan (the good guys) and the one from the Four Horsemen (the bad guys) battle it out, using every dirty trick in the book - and quite a few that aren't - to try to win the coveted trophy. Quite fantastic. ...

andrewsi 15.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of The Brentford Triangle - Robert Rankin