Normanghast

Brentford #12

by Robert Rankin

The third book in the final Brentford Trilogy.
The End is Nigh and things are going from bad to worser in London's
favourite borough. Is there a ray of hope?
Well...........

This special, signed hardback edition is limited to 2000 copies.

321 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2023

About the author

"When Robert Rankin embarked upon his writing career in the late 1970s, his ambition was to create an entirely new literary genre, which he named Far-Fetched Fiction. He reasoned that by doing this he could avoid competing with any other living author in any known genre and would be given his own special section in WH Smith."
(from Web Site Story)

Robert Rankin describes himself as a teller of tall tales, a fitting description, assuming that he isn't lying about it. From his early beginnings as a baby in 1949, Robert Rankin has grown into a tall man of some stature. Somewhere along the way he experimented in the writing of books, and found that he could do it rather well. Not being one to light his hide under a bushel, Mister Rankin continues to write fine novels of a humorous science-fictional nature.

Reviews

[Andrew Lawston · Rating 5 out of 5]

In some respects, Robert Rankin's Brentford has come a long way since The Antipope. In other respects, the main thing that's changed is the exact cost of a pint that John Omally or Jim Pooley push across the bar in The Flying Swan.

In Normanghast, Rankin brings in elements from some of his other books (most notably the Armageddon trilogy) to draw his 12 volume Brentford Trilogy to an apparent close. It's a lot of fun - although the presence of one character drawn closely from real life may raise a few eyebrows given very recent events.

I hope it's not the final Brentford book - but then I do still have to read 2, 3, and 4, so it's not the end for me!

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book of Rankin's final Brentford Trilogy (at least for now) continues the trend of the first two with having a title that parodies a fantasy classic. The shopkeeper Norman Hartnell plays a major role, having developed an app that can distinguish good from evil. The nasty fairy Dundledots is revived by means of a new mobile phone network, and Elvis returns with Barry the Sprout. As usual with Riordan, the plot is pretty convoluted, and the book contains a lot of jokes about little sense it makes. There are a lot of references back to the author's other books, and a fitting end to the exaggerated version of the London borough.

[Sean Keefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

In terms of Rankin’s Brentford books, this is the most far fetched gubbins of them all. Thoroughly enjoyable for anyone who’s ever followed the exploits of Pooley and Omalley. And an ending, of sorts…
Loved it!

[Andrew Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Rankin as ever.