Robert Fleming Rankin (born 27 July 1949) is a prolific British author of comedic fantasy novels. Born in
Parsons Green,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with ''Snuff Fiction'' in 1999, by which time his previous eighteen books had sold around one million copies. His books are a mix of
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
,
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
, the
occult,
urban legend
An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
s,
running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...
s,
metafiction,
steampunk and outrageous characters. According to the (largely fictional) biography printed in some Corgi editions of his books, Rankin refers to his style as 'Far Fetched Fiction' in the hope that bookshops will let him have a section to himself. Many of Rankin's books are bestsellers.
Most of Rankin's books are set in
Brentford, a suburb of London where the author grew up, and which, in his novels, is usually infested with alien conspiracies and ancient evil.
In addition to his novels, Rankin held a position as the Writer in Residence of Brentford's
Watermans Arts Centre
Watermans Art Centre is a combined arts centre. It is located in Brentford, England alongside the banks of the River Thames overlooking Kew Gardens in West London, England.
It includes a 239-seat theatre, a 125-seat cinema two galleries and tw ...
during the 1980s,
[Watermans , About :: Our Approach History](_blank)
and organised a regular poetry event there which he claims was the largest in Britain. He also has performed on stage with bands.
Rankin's fan club, The Order of the Golden Sprout (named after Rankin's fixation with the vegetable), maintain a website and arrange events, many around Brentford. In 2009 he was created the first Fellow of The Victorian Steampunk Society in recognition of his contribution to the genre.
He lives in Brighton with his wife, Dr. Rachel Hayward-Rankin.
During 2012, Rankin published his first 23 novels (up to and including ''Fandom of the Operator'') on Kindle through his own publishing enterprise, Far Fetched Books, with new cover artwork, making them available to a wider audience, despite many of them being out of print.
Bibliography
*''
The Antipope'' (1981) (First book of
The Brentford Trilogy)
*''
The Brentford Triangle'' (1982) (Second book The Brentford Trilogy)
*''
East of Ealing'' (1984) (Third book of The Brentford Trilogy)
*''
The Sprouts of Wrath'' (1988) (Fourth book of The Brentford Trilogy)
*''Armageddon: The Musical'' (1988) (Armageddon Series)
*''They Came and Ate Us (Armageddon II: The B Movie)'' (1991) (Armageddon Series)
*''The Suburban Book of the Dead (Armageddon III: The Remake)'' (1992) (Armageddon Series)
*''
The Book of Ultimate Truths'' (1993) (Cornelius Murphy Series)
*''
Raiders of the Lost Car Park'' (1994) (Cornelius Murphy Series)
*''The Greatest Show Off Earth'' (1994)
*''
The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived'' (1995) (Cornelius Murphy Series)
*''The Garden of Unearthly Delights'' (1995)
*''A Dog Called Demolition'' (1996)
*''
Nostradamus Ate My Hamster'' (1996)
*''Sprout Mask Replica'' (1997)
*''
The Brentford Chainstore Massacre'' (1997) (Fifth book of The Brentford Trilogy)
*''
The Dance of the Voodoo Handbag'' (1998)
*''
Apocalypso'' (1998)
*''Snuff Fiction'' (1999)
*''
Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls'' (1999) (Sixth book of The Brentford Trilogy)
*''
Waiting for Godalming'' (2000)
*''Web Site Story'' (2001)
*''Fandom of the Operator'' (2001)
*''
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse'' (2002)
*''
The Witches of Chiswick'' (2003)
*''
Knees Up Mother Earth'' (2004) (Seventh book of The Brentford Trilogy)
*''
The Brightonomicon'' (2005) (Eighth book of The Brentford Trilogy)
*''
The Toyminator'' (2006)
*''The Da-da-de-da-da Code'' (2007)
*''Necrophenia'' (2008)
*''Retromancer'' (2009) (Ninth book of The Brentford Trilogy)
*''The Japanese Devil Fish Girl and Other Unnatural Attractions'' (2010)
*''The Mechanical Messiah and Other Marvels of the Modern Age'' (2011)
*''The Educated Ape and Other Wonders of the Worlds'' (2012)
*''The Chickens of Atlantis and Other Foul and Filthy Fiends'' (2013)
*''The Abominable Showman'' (2015)
*''I, Robert'' (2015)
*''The Lord of the Ring Roads (2017)'' (The Final Brentford Trilogy Book 1)
*''The Chronicles of Banarnia (2019)'' (The Final Brentford Trilogy Book 2)
Anthologies containing stories by Robert Rankin
*''The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy'' (1998)
Short stories
*''The Boscombe Walters Story'' (1996)
Illustrated works
*''The Bumper Book of Ficts'' Neil Gardner, illustrated by Robert Rankin (2010)
*''EMPIRES'' written and illustrated by Robert Rankin (2011)
*''ALICE ON MARS'' written and illustrated by Robert Rankin (2013)
*''THE DIVINE COMMODORE (or 'THE KIWI CHRONICLES')'' written and illustrated by Robert Rankin (2014)
*’’THE BOOK WITH NO WORDS’’ ‘written’ and illustrated by Robert Rankin (2021)
Awards
*
British Fantasy Society
The British Fantasy Society (BFS) was founded in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society, an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. The society is dedicated to promoting the best in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. ...
Best Novel nominee (1997) for ''The Brentford Chainstore Massacre''
* ''
SFX'' Best Novel Award Winner (2003) for ''The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse''
*
British Fantasy Society
The British Fantasy Society (BFS) was founded in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society, an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. The society is dedicated to promoting the best in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. ...
Best Novel nominee (2006) for ''The Brightonomicon''
* Coventry Inspiration Book Awards (2007) Lost Worlds: for ''The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse''
*
The Hub Best Comedy (Audio) Award for "The Brightonomicon - Audio Series"
* Fellow of The Victorian Steampunk Society (2009)
[
]
Other media
In 2008, '' The Brightonomicon'' was adapted into a 13-part full-cast audio drama by Hokus Bloke Productions and BBC Audiobooks starring David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Oth ...
, Andy Serkis
Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Go ...
, Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs (born 6 June 1963) is an English actor.
Isaac's film roles include Col. Tavington in '' The Patriot'' (2000), Michael D. Steele in '' Black Hawk Down'' (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2002–2011), Ca ...
, Ben Miller
Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English actor, comedian, and author. He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two serie ...
, Rupert Degas
Rupert Joel Degas (born 17 August 1970) is an Anglo-Australian actor. He is best known for his voice work in animation and audiobooks. Since the 1980s, he has worked in audiobooks, film, podcasts, radio productions, television, theatre, and vid ...
, Mark Wing-Davey
Mark Wing-Davey (born 30 November 1948) is a British actor and director. He portrayed Zaphod Beeblebrox in the radio and television versions of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''.
Early life and career
The son of actor and actress Pete ...
, Martin Jarvis and Sarah Douglas. Initially released as a 7-CD boxset and as a digital download, the series has now been re-edited for radio transmission, and Robert's first ever radio series aired on BBC7 from 23 August to 15 November 2008. Rankin has also had his novel '' The Antipope'' dramatised for audio, and has also read unabridged versions of many of his novels as audiobooks. He recorded eleven of his titles for Audible
Audible may refer to:
* Audible (service), an online audiobook store
* Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks
* ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player
* Audible finish or ru ...
. His free, full colour webcomic called ''Robert Rankin's Empires'' for Beyond Reality Media in New Zealand, can be viewed online, and illustrated work
Alice on Mars
' will also be released via the same website.
* '' The Brightonomicon'' - audio drama & radio series ( BBC7)
* '' The Antipope'' - audio drama & audiobook
* '' The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse'' - audiobook
* '' The Toyminator'' - audiobook
* ''The Fandom of the Operator'' - audiobook
* '' Nostradamus Ate My Hamster'' - audiobook
Art and illustration
Rankin studied at Ealing School of Art
Ealing Art College (or Ealing Technical College & School of Art) was a further education institution on St Mary's Road, Ealing, London, England. The site today is the Ealing campus of University of West London.
History
In the early 1960s the Sch ...
, where he was a contemporary of Freddie Mercury and Alan Lee. He worked for ''Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...
'' magazine and illustrated a book about The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
before his portfolio was stolen and he abandoned the idea of working as a professional illustrator. However he created many of the sculptures which feature on his book covers, many of which were on display at The Collection, a gallery in Lincoln during September 2010. Some of these works were previously exhibited in Waterstones, Brighton, and at Gunnersbury Park Museum in 2007-8. In 2009 Rankin was commissioned by his publisher to provide a series of new illustrations for his back catalogue of books (from '' The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse'' to the present), he also created new internal illustrations for '' The Brightonomicon'', ''Retromancer'' and ''The Japanese Devil Fish Girl and Other Unnatural Attractions''. A cartoon by Rankin "The Robot and the Elongated Author" was published in Issue 13 of '' Murky Depths'', and 2010 also saw the publication of his first illustrated book, written by Neil Gardner, ''The Bumper Book of Ficts'', which was launched on 18 September 2010 in Brentford. A limited hard-back edition of ''Empires'' was launched in the UK mid-2012 which is now sold out. In July 2013 Rankin's own publishing house Far-Fetched Books launched ''Alice on Mars'', in a limited edition of 3000; this book is being made into a full-length feature film by award-winning independent film-maker Martin Gooch. July 2014 saw the release of his next illustrated book, ''The Divine Commodore'', also published by Far-Fetched Books in a limitied run of 3000. He has recently completed writing his memoirs which were published in the autumn of 2015 under the title ''I,Robert''.
References
External links
Far Fetched Books - Official website of Robert Rankin's publishing company
Order of the Golden Sprout - The new Official Robert Rankin Fanclub
Robert Rankin Hallucinated (1999 interview article)
FantasticFiction.co.uk, Authors R, Robert Rankin
Rankin Bibliography and Biography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Robert
Absurdist fiction
English fantasy writers
1949 births
Living people
People from Parsons Green
People from Fulham
Steampunk writers
English male novelists