The Witches of Chiswick (Gollancz S.F.) (Hardcover)

Will Starling lives in a dystopian 23rd century where Brentford Utility Conurbation is crammed with 303-storey tower blocks and synthetic food has made everyone vastly obese. Except for Will, who's mocked for morbid slimness and eccentric tastes--art, for example. When he notices the digital watch in a well-known Victorian painting, a murderous cover-up begins. The sinister Witches of Chiswick are determined to erase all traces of the other past.

Time-travelling Terminator-style automata keep arriving, not from the future but from that lost Victorian age of Babbage supercomputers, flying cabs running on beamed power from Tesla transmitters and the imminent launch of Her Majesty's Moonship Victoria. Thanks to the convenient time machine of a Mr Wells, Will finds himself in that other 19th century, complicating the stories of his own ancestors.

There he's tutored by the flamboyant guru or conman Hugo Rune. He stands in for Sherlock Holmes--called away to a Dartmoor case--and investigates the Jack-the-Ripper murders. As tends to happen in the Rankin universe, he acquires a Holy Guardian Sprout called Barry. Will even meets himself, another Will from a very different future. Even aided by his best friend Tim, by the Brentford Snail Boy (raised like Tarzan by wild animals, not apes but snails), and by the deadly martial art Dimac, can Will hope to foil a witchy plan to reprogram time and send high-tech Britain back to gaslight as midnight strikes on December 31, 1899?

Other walk-ons include Queen Victoria, the Elephant Man, William McGonagall (Poet Laureate), Doctor Watson, the Invisible Man, Oscar Wilde (a notorious womaniser), Wells' Martians, and--in unfamiliar guise--Satan. It's all suitably dotty, larded with running gags and bursts of disarming frankness:

... Perhaps both futures always existed. I don't know. This is very complicated, Tim, and I don't understand it. I'm just making it up as I go along. Like the author," said Tim.

But rather than wrap-up this novel with any of a dozen deus ex machina possibilities, Rankin leaves his hero with a very tough decision indeed. The insane, goonish humour made more effective by a touch of grimness. --David Langford

Review
REVIEWS 'After five minutes of reading... you'll be too busy wetting your pants with laughter... Rankin's style is unique and very unlike his current contemporaries... if you're in the mood for a book that will deliver on the laughs (and proper belly laughs, mind you) whilst still being literate as any 'serious' fiction out there, the 'The Witches of Chiswick' is for you.'SF CROWSNEST TOUR/EVENTS Robert's tour will now be supported by Waterstones who will be producing their own POS and adverts. Roberts tour started on Saturday 2nd August with a signing at Waterstones in Chiswick. 80+ people turned up and they sold over 90 hb's. Further dates were: * Waterstones, Newcastle, Tuesday August 5th, 6.30pm, Event35 people, approx 40+ books sold* Waterstones, Leeds, Wednesday August 6th, 7.00pm, Event40 people, approx 45 books sold* Waterstones, Bradord, Thursday August 7th, 6.30pm, Event40 people, approx 50 books sold* Waterstones, Trafford Centre, Manchester, August 8th, 1.00pm, Signingslow start here, sold about 15 books* Waterstones, Deansgate, August 8th, Event, 7.00pm, Event45-50 people, books sold equalled about 55* Borders, Cheshire, August 9th, Signing, 1.00pm30-40 people turned up, a shocking turnout. We sold about 50 books in all.* Ottakar's, Milton Keynes, August 12th, 6.30pm, Eventcancelled* Waterstones, Coventry, August 13th, Signing, 1.00pm25 people turnedup and had books signed, some bought two.* Waterstones, Birmingham, August 13th, Event, 7.00pmvery good event, had about 45 people, all bought books and some reserves too.* Andromeda, Birmingham, August 14th, Signing, 12.00pmsigned lots of stock and had a few fans turn up.* Kulture Shock, Norwich, August 14th, Event, 6.30pm35-40 people, they hired a hall for us. Absolutely brilliant.* The Gamer's Guild, Redhill, August 19th, Signing, 1.00pm20 people got books signed.* Waterstones, Reading, August 19th, Event, 7.00pmgrat turn out, had about 50 people, all bought books.* Waterstones, Bristol, August 20th, Event, 7.00pmBiggest turn out, 60+ people. All bought books and some even bought two.* Ottakar's, Yeovil, August 21st, Signing, 1.00pmWhat I thought would be a slow signing turned out to be quite steady. We must have had about 35 people turn up, all of whom bought books and some bought extra.* Waterstones, Exeter, August 21st, Event, 6.30pmAround 28 people turned up here, not a good shop, but they were a nice crowd!

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