They say that nothing much ever happens in Brentford, the West London suburb, known mostly for nylons and a battle fought so long ago that few can even remember the date. But, when Neville the part time barman of The Flying Swan, encounters a tramp of dreadful aspect and sorry footwear, things change forever. An ancient evil stalks the streets and terror spreads across the borough. The evil in question proves to be a demonic incarnation of the notorious Borgia Pope, Alexander the Sixth. Who seeks to establish a new Vatican in the local Seaman’s Mission and raise an army of brain-washed slaves, in a bid to conquer the world (which is often the way with super-villains).



THE ANTIPOPE is Robert Rankin’s first novel, written more than thirty years ago and hailed as a classic of Far Fetched Fiction (at least by Rankin himself, who invented the genre in the hope that he would get his own shelf in bookshops and not have to compete with other authors).

It features the adventures of Jim Pooley and John Omally, unemployed bachelors of the parish, who prefer to spend their days in the un-heroic pursuits of drinking, betting and womanizing, but find themselves drawn into a series of epic adventures.

Here too is Archroy, whose wife has sold his Morris Minor to a gypsy in return for five magic beans; Professor Slocombe, Brentford’s mystically-inclined patriarch; Soap Distant, notable mole-man and hollow-Earth enthusiast; and corner shop-keeper Norman Hartnell (who is not to be confused with the other Norman Hartnell - look him up on Wikipedia!).

Together they form a glittering cast of uniquely eccentric, lovable and fantastical characters who stride, sidle across or explode onto the pages of seven Brentford adventures (or nine, if you include THE BRIGHTONOMICON and RETROMANCER, which feature a teenage Jim Pooley) fearlessly challenging all those who threaten the suburb, saving the world from aliens, town-planners and other monsters in human form or otherwise.



Many say that Robert Rankin is a bit like Marmite. You either love him or hate him. Or indeed cornflakes, as you might well have forgotten just how good he is.



Despite his reputation as an unrepentant Luddite (he really does still write his novels in exercise books with a biro) he has overcome his natural suspicion of 21st century technology to make his novels available to download and keep forever on your Kindle. All of his remaining early titles will be released throughout 2012 with new cover art and extra bits and bobs where possible. It is hoped that you will enjoy reading them as much as he enjoyed writing them. And if there are any typos or errors he offers his sincere apologies. He really is doing his best.



***NEWLY REVISED FOLLOWING FEEDBACK***