The Antipope
Encyclopedia
The Antipope is a comic fantasy
novel
by the British
author Robert Rankin
. It is Rankin's first novel, and the first book in the Brentford Trilogy
(which, , consists of 8 novels). The book was first published in 1981 by Pan Books
, and from 1991 by Corgi books, an imprint of Transworld Publishers. Although typically found in the Science Fiction
section of bookshops, it is a difficult novel to categorise; Rankin himself wanted to create a new genre
of fiction, called "Far Fetched Fiction", so that he would have his own book shelf in Smiths
.
anti-heroes'
(Jim Pooley
and John Omally) drinking, work avoidance, drinking, womanising, and further drinking as they try to foil the eponymous antipope
in his demonic attempt to establish a new Holy See
.
Pope Alexander takes up residence in the local Seaman's Mission, and eventually there is a final showdown between the forces of good and evil, with Alexander and his bean-men on one side, and the massed might of Brentford on the other, including Pooley and Omally, Professor Slocombe, Father Moity, and Archroy, now a master of Dim Mak, a deadly martial art. Before the denouement, though, there are numerous sub-plots such as Channel-wading, a cowboy night at the Flying Swan, a trip underground with Soap Distant, and meetings with several other interesting characters, like builders Hairy Dave and Jungle John, and the elusive Other Sam.
, then at Aurelia Entertainment, he submitted some of those stories in the hope of getting a publishing deal. Despite liking the work, Aldridge was of the opinion that the short stories couldn't be published, and asked Rankin to write a novel. Rankin spent the next 6 months merging several of his short stories, resulting in The Antipope, which Aldridge took to Pan Books
who bought and subsequently published the novel.
In spite of Aldridge's and Pan's initial enthusiasm, Pan declined to publish any novels beyond the first 3 books of The Brentford Trilogy. Rankin's editor moved to another publisher, and his writing career came to a halt until 1988 when Sphere Books
(under the Abacus imprint) reprinted the original trilogy in one volume (ISBN 978-0-349-10028-9).
Despite this inauspicious start, Rankin and The Antipope have since attained something of a cult status, with the following two review extracts printed on the back cover of the Corgi edition:
There remain little in the way of "professional" reviews of the novel, however there are many fan's reviews to be found on-line, such as the one at the Sproutlore web site http://www.sproutlore.com/reviews/reviews.php?review=8.
release of the novel features a different front cover, shown to the left, by artist Alistair Graham. It depicts five of the main characters of the book, with The Flying Swan in the background and the figure of the resurrected Pope Alexander VI
looming ominously over everything.
The stylized drawing of a bull on the more recent Corgi cover represents the red bull of the Borgia
coat of arms
, with Archroy's five magic beans
scattered across it, and was designed by the author for the later edition.
, first published by Smartpass Ltd in October 1993 (ISBN 978-1-903362-24-2) and narrated by Rankin himself. The audio book stars David Gooderson
, Lucy Robinson
, and Nick Murchie.
Oneword Radio
broadcast the Smartpass production of the novel, read by Robert Rankin, in 21 instalments, during November 2006.
In 2004, the Dreaming Theatre Company produced the first ever stage adaptation of The Antipope; the production toured across the UK playing in venues and festivals. It was adapted by Scott Harrison and Lee Harris, and starred the following cast:
It toured as a double bill with Eric
, the first ever stage adaptation of this Terry Practchett Discworld novel, also by writers Scott Harrison and Lee Harris. Both plays featured the same actors.
, some of which are introduced in this novel:
Comic fantasy
Comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Usually set in imaginary worlds, comic fantasy often includes puns on and parodies of other works of fantasy. It is sometimes known as Low fantasy in contrast to High fantasy, which is primarily serious in intent...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Robert Rankin
Robert Rankin
Robert Fleming Rankin is a prolific British humorous novelist. Born in Parsons Green, London, 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...
. It is Rankin's first novel, and the first book in the Brentford Trilogy
The Brentford Trilogy
The Brentford Trilogy is a series of eight novels by writer Robert Rankin. They humorously chronicle the lives of a couple of drunken middle-aged layabouts, Jim Pooley and John Omally, who confront the forces of darkness in the environs of West London, usually with the assistance of large...
(which, , consists of 8 novels). The book was first published in 1981 by Pan Books
Pan Books
Pan Books is an imprint which first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers owned by German publishers, Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
, and from 1991 by Corgi books, an imprint of Transworld Publishers. Although typically found in the Science Fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
section of bookshops, it is a difficult novel to categorise; Rankin himself wanted to create a new genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of fiction, called "Far Fetched Fiction", so that he would have his own book shelf in Smiths
W H Smith
WHSmith plc is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is best known for its chain of high street, railway station, airport, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment products...
.
Plot introduction
The Antipope charts Brentford'sBrentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
anti-heroes'
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
(Jim Pooley
Jim Pooley
James Arbuthnot Pooley is a fictional character in The Brentford Trilogy written by fantasy/humour writer Robert Rankin. Jim tends to avoid regular employment, preferring to make his living by his wits and constantly seeking to make the perfect bet on racehorses that will give him all the wealth...
and John Omally) drinking, work avoidance, drinking, womanising, and further drinking as they try to foil the eponymous antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
in his demonic attempt to establish a new Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
Plot summary
Jim Pooley and John Omally live in the London borough of Brentford, spending much of their time drinking in the Flying Swan, backing horses, womanising, and being generally feckless. Their problems start when Archroy's wife sells his beloved Morris Minor for five magic beans. Or perhaps they start when a hideous tramp appears in the neighbourhood, putting the wind up Neville the part-time barman something rotten. To cut a long story short, the tramp is none other than Pope Alexander VI, the last of the Borgias, and the beans grow into hideous homunculi, whose only purpose is to serve their dark master, the Antipope.Pope Alexander takes up residence in the local Seaman's Mission, and eventually there is a final showdown between the forces of good and evil, with Alexander and his bean-men on one side, and the massed might of Brentford on the other, including Pooley and Omally, Professor Slocombe, Father Moity, and Archroy, now a master of Dim Mak, a deadly martial art. Before the denouement, though, there are numerous sub-plots such as Channel-wading, a cowboy night at the Flying Swan, a trip underground with Soap Distant, and meetings with several other interesting characters, like builders Hairy Dave and Jungle John, and the elusive Other Sam.
Characters in "The Antipope"
- John Omally
- Jim PooleyJim PooleyJames Arbuthnot Pooley is a fictional character in The Brentford Trilogy written by fantasy/humour writer Robert Rankin. Jim tends to avoid regular employment, preferring to make his living by his wits and constantly seeking to make the perfect bet on racehorses that will give him all the wealth...
- Professor Slocombe
- Neville, the part-time barman
- Archroy
- Norman Hartnell
- Soap Distant
Literary significance & criticism
During the 1970s, Rankin wrote a number of short stories. Having been introduced to cultural icon Alan AldridgeAlan Aldridge
Alan Aldridge is an English artist, graphic designer and illustrator.-Personal life:Born in 1943 in east London, he currently resides in Los Angeles...
, then at Aurelia Entertainment, he submitted some of those stories in the hope of getting a publishing deal. Despite liking the work, Aldridge was of the opinion that the short stories couldn't be published, and asked Rankin to write a novel. Rankin spent the next 6 months merging several of his short stories, resulting in The Antipope, which Aldridge took to Pan Books
Pan Books
Pan Books is an imprint which first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers owned by German publishers, Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
who bought and subsequently published the novel.
In spite of Aldridge's and Pan's initial enthusiasm, Pan declined to publish any novels beyond the first 3 books of The Brentford Trilogy. Rankin's editor moved to another publisher, and his writing career came to a halt until 1988 when Sphere Books
Sphere Books
-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...
(under the Abacus imprint) reprinted the original trilogy in one volume (ISBN 978-0-349-10028-9).
Despite this inauspicious start, Rankin and The Antipope have since attained something of a cult status, with the following two review extracts printed on the back cover of the Corgi edition:
'Wonderful…A heady mix of Flann O'BrienFlann O'BrienBrian O'Nolan was an Irish novelist, playwright and satirist regarded as a key figure in postmodern literature. Best known for novels such as At Swim-Two-Birds, The Third Policeman and An Béal Bocht and many satirical columns in The Irish Times Brian O'Nolan (5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966) was...
, Douglas AdamsDouglas AdamsDouglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, Tom SharpeTom SharpeTom Sharpe is an English satirical author, best known for his Wilt series of novels.Sharpe was born in London and moved to South Africa in 1951, where he worked as a social worker and a teacher, before being deported for sedition in 1961...
and Ken CampbellKen Campbell (actor)Kenneth Victor Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian known for his work in experimental theatre...
, but with an inbuilt irreverence and indelicacy that is unique - and makes it the long-awaited, heavy smoker's answer to The Lord Of The Rings'
- Time Out
'Wonderfully entertaining…reads like a Flann O'Brien rewrite of Close Encounters'
- City LimitsCity Limits (London magazine)City Limits magazine was founded in 1981 in London by former staff members of the weekly London listings magazine Time Out, after its owner Tony Elliott abandoned running Time Out on co-operative principles....
There remain little in the way of "professional" reviews of the novel, however there are many fan's reviews to be found on-line, such as the one at the Sproutlore web site http://www.sproutlore.com/reviews/reviews.php?review=8.
Cover art
The original Pan BooksPan Books
Pan Books is an imprint which first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers owned by German publishers, Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
release of the novel features a different front cover, shown to the left, by artist Alistair Graham. It depicts five of the main characters of the book, with The Flying Swan in the background and the figure of the resurrected Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
looming ominously over everything.
The stylized drawing of a bull on the more recent Corgi cover represents the red bull of the Borgia
Borgia
The Borgias, also known as the Borjas, Borjia, were a European Papal family of Italian and Spanish origin with the name stemming from the familial fief seat of Borja belonging to their Aragonese Lords; they became prominent during the Renaissance. The Borgias were patrons of the arts, and their...
coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, with Archroy's five magic beans
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
scattered across it, and was designed by the author for the later edition.
Other media
In addition to the paperback novels, The Antipope has been released as an audio bookAudio book
An audiobook or audio book is a recording of a text being read. It is not necessarily an exact audio version of a book or magazine.Spoken audio has been available in schools and public libraries and to a lesser extent in music shops since the 1930s. Many spoken word albums were made prior to the...
, first published by Smartpass Ltd in October 1993 (ISBN 978-1-903362-24-2) and narrated by Rankin himself. The audio book stars David Gooderson
David Gooderson
David Gooderson is a British actor who has appeared in several television roles. As well as portraying Davros, creator of the Daleks in the Doctor Who serial Destiny of the Daleks, he has appeared in Lovejoy, Mapp & Lucia and A Touch of Frost amongst other roles...
, Lucy Robinson
Lucy Robinson (actress)
Lucy Robinson is a British actress working mostly in television. She has had roles as Robyn Duff in the fifth series of Cold Feet, Mayoress Christabel Wickham in season two of The Thin Blue Line and Pam Draper in Suburban Shootout....
, and Nick Murchie.
Oneword Radio
Oneword
Oneword Radio was a British commercial digital radio station featuring books, drama, comedy, children's programming, and discussion. The station was available in the UK via digital radio and digital television and was streamed on the internet 24 hours a day worldwide...
broadcast the Smartpass production of the novel, read by Robert Rankin, in 21 instalments, during November 2006.
In 2004, the Dreaming Theatre Company produced the first ever stage adaptation of The Antipope; the production toured across the UK playing in venues and festivals. It was adapted by Scott Harrison and Lee Harris, and starred the following cast:
- John Omally - Aidan McCarthy
- Jim Pooley - Andrew Welch
- The Antipope - John Buckeridge
- Professor Slocombe - Roger Andrew
- Neville, the part-time barman - Scott Harrison
- Archroy - Matthew Freeman
- Norman Hartnell - Jamie McKeller
It toured as a double bill with Eric
Eric (novel)
Eric, also known as Faust Eric, is the ninth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. It was originally published in 1990 as a "Discworld story", in a larger format than the other novels and illustrated by Josh Kirby...
, the first ever stage adaptation of this Terry Practchett Discworld novel, also by writers Scott Harrison and Lee Harris. Both plays featured the same actors.
Trivia
Robert Rankin's books feature a recurring set of in jokesIn-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
, some of which are introduced in this novel:
- "The keeping of the now-legendary low profile";
- The obviously fictitious biographical details about the author himself are illustrated by the entry in the fly leaf of the Corgi edition:
Magus to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Sprout, 12th Dan Master of Dimac, poet, adventurer, swordsman and concert pianist; big game hunter, Best Dressed Man of 1933; mountaineer, lone yachtsman, Shakespearian actor and topless go-go dancer; Robert Rankin's hobbies include passive smokingPassive smokingPassive smoking is the inhalation of smoke, called secondhand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke , from tobacco products used by others. It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any environment, causing its inhalation by people within that environment. Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke causes...
, communicating with the dead and lying about his achievements. He lives in Sussex with his wife and family.
External links
- Sproutlore, the "now official" Robert Rankin fan club.