Off The Book Shelf #1

Book: The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin.

Blurb: Once upon a time Jack set out to seek his fortune in the big city - but when Jack finally gets there, it is Toy City, formerly known as Toy Town. And there is a serial killer loose upon the streets.

One by one, the old, rich nursery rhyme characters are being brutally slaughtered. The Toy City police are getting nowhere; Bill Winkie, Private Eye, has also mysteriously vanished, leaving only his sidekick, Eddie Bear, to take care of business.

But Eddie's ready, and when he teams up with Jack, the two set out on an epic adventure. Not to mention a lot of heavy drinking, bad behaviour, fast car chases, gratuitous sex and violence, bizarre toy fetishism and all-round grossness. Of a type not normally associated with Toy Town.

My Comments: Although he's no Terry Pratchett or Douglass Adams Robert Rankin's story-telling is hilarious. There are parts where you do wonder if he's taking a leaf out of the Douglass Adams tome of writing but you can't fault him for having his own unique style.

Rankin successfully taps into the stories we grew up with and presents them in an 'adult' light. It's odd at first but increasingly hilarious as he plays around with the very characters we grew to love.

There's no question that things can get a little strange at times but what do you expect in a novel where toys and nursery rhyme characters play the most predominate parts? Although I haven't read anything else by Rankin the titles and blurbs of his other novels (such as The Toyminator) suggests that these uniquely strange settings are not limited to this novel alone. If you're looking to start reading Rankin I highly recommend this as your first option.

Loved Who Framed Roger Rabbit? You'll love this!

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