The Antipope

What would be your perfect environment? Attempts by people over the years to create theirs have led to everything from social awkwardness to particularly sticky war crime allegations (a sort of extreme social awkwardness, if you will). You start off thinking 'you know what this place needs? More hats!' and end up defending a burning compound while law enforcement and media helicopters circle overhead. Or you can pass a few minor local ordinances about, say, the way certain special days should be observed and end up arrested trying to cross the border into Switzerland in an attempt to flee the holy war you started.

A safer option, if you must landscape and socially engineer, is to at least do it and get high as a kite on glue fumes at the show more same time. Creating a model railway diorama allows you to exercise a kind of benign despotism over your world whilst at the same time meaning that the only symptoms of tyranny you exhibit are making the trains run on time.

Of course, if you're an author, you can think big. Then you can take all of that energy and confine the attention to detail to a specific location. And if it's a pleasant one, then so much the better. And if it has a pub, you may well be suspected of seeking to create the perfect environment.

In the Brentford of 'The Antipope' Robert Rankin has created a perfect tweed waistcoat pocket universe, a world, or rather town, or rather neighbourhood, of wonder, terror, delight and booze. A guide book to another reality.

Here is a world of public houses overseen by part-time landlords that rightly serve scrupulously kept real ale, the mythical 'Large', which is quite simply a fabulous name for an alcoholic drink, right up there with 'ale' and 'beer'. When a pint of Large is ordered, the reader can picture the perfect pint, the effect of sunlight falling through the fluid as divine as that falling on the floor of a chapel through a stained glass window depicting a wholesome scene, possibly featuring lambs. Landlords who live in fear of the villainous brewery (boo hiss) who wish to interfere with the smooth running of the pub with the introduction of promotions, theme nights and, horror of horrors, a till that actually works.

Here is a world with corner shops staffed by eccentrics who sell not just newspapers but also fine art publications of the sort that are delivered in plain brown wrappers.

Here is a world where decimalisation never happened.

Here is a world where a man can make a living from his allotment, the labour exchange, the bookies and various elaborate scams and schemes profiting from the mysterious events that occur with such regularity in this blessed corner of the world.

Here is a world where shift working husbands, ladders and opportunistic lovers mean romance and danger.

Here is a world where the extraordinary occurs on a regular basis. Rankin's Brentford is the perfect setting for a tale of supernatural horror and ancient evil pitted against a variously plucky, reluctant and eccentric band of residents united in their love of Brentford, and beer. There is something of the pantomime about the novel (oh yes there is!) and if the characters are larger than life it's because they have larger roles than most to inhabit. They may not be aware of it, they may not even want to, but they are here to save the world.

The book's plot is fairly straightforward; an ancient evil resurfaces and seeks to dominate the world starting, reasonably enough, with Brentford. The charm of the book lies in the depiction of a perfect corner of England. Even when ancient evil plots and schemes, it does so in an amusing and stylish manner. The attention to detail is impressive and this, together with the subtle differences to reader's world, make for an immersive, somewhat nostalgia tinged experience.

The Antipope is hugely enjoyable, it's also very funny.

The perfect environment? One might suggest an armchair, a pint of Large substitute to sip, and a copy of this book allowing one, if not to reside in Rankin's Brentford, then at least to visit. show less

Had my doubts about this at the beginning. The style of dialogue was a little, I don't know... unusual I think is how I'd describe it, but I soon forgot about that completely and simply really really enjoyed the ride. recommended highly to everyone that needs to escape this shite, unreasonable, ridiculous world for a while. excellent book. can't wait to dive into the rest of the trilogy.

'Outside the sun shines. Buses rumble towards Ealing Broadway and I'm expected to do battle with the powers of darkness. It all seems a little unfair ...'

The first novel in the now legendary Brentford Trilogy, in which we first encounter Pooley, O'Malley, Neville the part-time barman, the Professor and the other regulars of the Flying Swan. Comedy fantasy at its best, with added sprouty goodness!

I had very high hopes for this. I had read his The Hollow Chocolate Easter Bunnies of the Apocalypse and found it amusing, and been told The Brentford Trilogy was his magnum opus. In my opinion: no.

I found it very slow to get started—two-thirds of the book is devoted just to setting up the characters and the real story of long-deceased Borgia Pope Alexander VI rising from the dead as the semi-ultimate evil is jammed into the final 100 pages. Most of the scenes in the book...e.g., Cowboy Night at the bar with one character in a PVC cowboy suit...struck me as random, pointless events that did nothing for the plot, little to illuminate the characters, and which were glued together awkwardly with little regard for story flow.

About the show more only thing I enjoyed were the two main characters, Pooley and Omally. I can see that they would be hysterically funny people to know. However, they find themselves in a story bereft of plot and it makes it hard for them to shine.

I've heard Rankin called another Pratchett...not even close if this is what he writes. Does it get better in the now-7-book "Trilogy"? I don't think I'll find out. show less

Highly amusing - and with some genuinely scary moments too. Rankin's later work has (IMHO) grown a little lazy, too reliant on jokes and author-to-reader asides, but the original four-book 'Brentford Trilogy' (did Rankin or Adams do that one first?) is excellent.

The Antipope by Robert Rankin - average at best

I have no idea why I bothered finishing this, or why I spent a good two weeks forcing myself through such a disappointing book.

I seem to remember reading one of his books in the dim and distant past (before I kept a spreadsheet of my reading) and really enjoying it. I guess I kept hoping this one would improve, after all it is one of "the now legendary Brentford Trilogy". To be fair it was kind of amusing, but I was really looking for something actually funny.

The premise of the story is that Pope Alexander VI, last of the Borgias, has reappeared in Brentford and plans to reassert his power. It's down to a a couple of layabout drinkers and an old professor to thwart him. Cue various show more 'amusing' adventures and a lot of drinking.

The blurb on the back reckons that this is "a heady mix of Flann O'Brien, Douglas Adams, Tom Sharpe and Ken Campbell". My personal opinion is that he was trying to be like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett when they wrote Good Omens. Either way, it fails by a mile for me. show less

Came across this looking for an alternative to El Prat - and not disappointed.
A bit of a mix between fantasy and horror - twinges of King in there.
Not a belly laugh but certainly amusing - especially when you get to my age and start identifying with some of the more reprobate characters!
Be warned though: Pre-decimalisation money (and I loved it).