What do you think?
Rate this book
Eddie Bear #1
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse
A boy named Jack sets out to seek his fortune in the big city, but when he finally gets there, it is Toy City, formerly known as Toy Town. 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 is 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.
342 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
146 people are currently reading
6905 people want to read
About the author
Robert Rankin
73 books857 followers"When Robert Rankin embarked upon his writing career in the late 1970s, his ambition was to create an entirely new literary genre, which he named Far-Fetched Fiction. He reasoned that by doing this he could avoid competing with any other living author in any known genre and would be given his own special section in WH Smith."
(from Web Site Story)
Robert Rankin describes himself as a teller of tall tales, a fitting description, assuming that he isn't lying about it. From his early beginnings as a baby in 1949, Robert Rankin has grown into a tall man of some stature. Somewhere along the way he experimented in the writing of books, and found that he could do it rather well. Not being one to light his hide under a bushel, Mister Rankin continues to write fine novels of a humorous science-fictional nature.
(from Web Site Story)
Robert Rankin describes himself as a teller of tall tales, a fitting description, assuming that he isn't lying about it. From his early beginnings as a baby in 1949, Robert Rankin has grown into a tall man of some stature. Somewhere along the way he experimented in the writing of books, and found that he could do it rather well. Not being one to light his hide under a bushel, Mister Rankin continues to write fine novels of a humorous science-fictional nature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 575 reviews
April 25, 2008
The key thing that I have taken away from reading this book is that Titles cannot be trusted. Certainly the title of this book is brilliant; I even love the little chocolate bunnies on the cover, glaring at me as they plot. The concept presented on the back of the book is intriguing and will force those of you with unusual senses of humor to consider the purchase. This is the point that you need to stop yourself, because for all of the pretty packaging, this book does not deliver. I am a huge fan of Pratchett, Gaimen and Adams... Rankin does not belong anywhere near their ranks.
The premise of the story is simple, a young naïve boy travels to "The City" to find his fortune. What he finds is that he is now in "Toy City" and teamed up with a raggedy bear trying to solve a string of homicides. Seems interesting enough... the problem is that where this book should have been brilliant, it is not even mediocre. The dialogue is beyond irritating, pages and pages of dialogue where no one actually says anything. It's like listening to two pre-teens having a conversation... all of the key nouns are left out, the point is left out, and you have pages and pages of them babbling about things that don't have any meaning. The characters are flat, which I am sure many will argue "But they are toys, they shouldn't have huge personalities" What I am saying is that I shouldn't be able to interchange all of the characters names and get the same effect. Everyone talks the same, reacts the same, functions the same, they are all interchangeable.
Now they bill this book as having sex, violence and debauchery. Hmmm... okay they visit a brothel, and we're told that sex did happen... as far as violence, we get to see the aftermath sometimes, otherwise our main characters are just told by another bland character "such and such was killed" and that's the end of it. Debauchery, well we're told they drink a lot, but then when they are supposedly drunk, they proceed to act exactly the same as they did before other than we have to read a paragraph or nine about how the floor looked when they woke up.
The writing style may seem "cutesy" at first... as if you are being told this story by a 10 year old. Well let me enlighten all of you who don't have the pleasure of a 10 year old at home... they suck at telling stories. They go on and on and on and never actually get anywhere. The good thing is that you can tell your 10 year old "Okay get to the point" but you can't do that with a book. You have page after page of description about the moon or the floor, or a house... but have no idea what most of the characters actually look like. Was Eddie a fuzzy teddy bear or a sleek velveteen bear? Who knows? What kind of toy was TinTo actually supposed to have been? Was Humpty Dumpty actually an egg? Or a real person? At some points in the story they imply he was an egg, and then in others he was a regular human.
Then we get to the end... I won't spoil it other than to say... huh? Where did that come from and why?
I honestly wouldn't recommend this book to anyone I thought was of sound mind or menial intelligence. It's no page turner. 1 out of 5 stars.
The premise of the story is simple, a young naïve boy travels to "The City" to find his fortune. What he finds is that he is now in "Toy City" and teamed up with a raggedy bear trying to solve a string of homicides. Seems interesting enough... the problem is that where this book should have been brilliant, it is not even mediocre. The dialogue is beyond irritating, pages and pages of dialogue where no one actually says anything. It's like listening to two pre-teens having a conversation... all of the key nouns are left out, the point is left out, and you have pages and pages of them babbling about things that don't have any meaning. The characters are flat, which I am sure many will argue "But they are toys, they shouldn't have huge personalities" What I am saying is that I shouldn't be able to interchange all of the characters names and get the same effect. Everyone talks the same, reacts the same, functions the same, they are all interchangeable.
Now they bill this book as having sex, violence and debauchery. Hmmm... okay they visit a brothel, and we're told that sex did happen... as far as violence, we get to see the aftermath sometimes, otherwise our main characters are just told by another bland character "such and such was killed" and that's the end of it. Debauchery, well we're told they drink a lot, but then when they are supposedly drunk, they proceed to act exactly the same as they did before other than we have to read a paragraph or nine about how the floor looked when they woke up.
The writing style may seem "cutesy" at first... as if you are being told this story by a 10 year old. Well let me enlighten all of you who don't have the pleasure of a 10 year old at home... they suck at telling stories. They go on and on and on and never actually get anywhere. The good thing is that you can tell your 10 year old "Okay get to the point" but you can't do that with a book. You have page after page of description about the moon or the floor, or a house... but have no idea what most of the characters actually look like. Was Eddie a fuzzy teddy bear or a sleek velveteen bear? Who knows? What kind of toy was TinTo actually supposed to have been? Was Humpty Dumpty actually an egg? Or a real person? At some points in the story they imply he was an egg, and then in others he was a regular human.
Then we get to the end... I won't spoil it other than to say... huh? Where did that come from and why?
I honestly wouldn't recommend this book to anyone I thought was of sound mind or menial intelligence. It's no page turner. 1 out of 5 stars.
June 9, 2008
Oh, what fun!
A very smart, self aware book, that disguises itself well as a pulp detective novel.
Whilst clearly being a book for adults, it's the little bits that are written as if they are for kids that endear the reader most to the style of writing, and, ultimately, the book as a whole. For example, when we first meet Madame Goose, she is described thusly: "Madame Goose, who was a goose, and a very large goose was she." It's a style that not only fits perfectly with the characters and situations, but also sets the book apart from any would-be similar reads.
It's easy to bond with the main characters, and before you know it you'll be wishing you could join them standing on your head at Tinto's bar.
Perhaps the bunnies of the title could have played a bigger part, and sure the ending gets a bit silly, but that's the point. It's a tongue-in-cheek satirical look (sideways) at noir fiction.
And really, it's as good as.
A very smart, self aware book, that disguises itself well as a pulp detective novel.
Whilst clearly being a book for adults, it's the little bits that are written as if they are for kids that endear the reader most to the style of writing, and, ultimately, the book as a whole. For example, when we first meet Madame Goose, she is described thusly: "Madame Goose, who was a goose, and a very large goose was she." It's a style that not only fits perfectly with the characters and situations, but also sets the book apart from any would-be similar reads.
It's easy to bond with the main characters, and before you know it you'll be wishing you could join them standing on your head at Tinto's bar.
Perhaps the bunnies of the title could have played a bigger part, and sure the ending gets a bit silly, but that's the point. It's a tongue-in-cheek satirical look (sideways) at noir fiction.
And really, it's as good as.
February 20, 2015
This is now the third investigation into the mysterious circumstances involving Humpty Dumpty's demise that I've read, and I honestly think Jasper Fforde did it best in The Big Over Easy.
Here we have Jack, a 13-year-old boy, and Eddie, a button-eyed teddy bear who's an aspiring gumshoe, attempting to nab the culprit in a string of nursery rhyme character murders.
I can't exactly say what went wrong here, but everything seems a little flat. The fact that Eddie and Jack can't scrape up a personality between them may have something to do with it. They're just not enchanting and their scenes together bored me to tears.
If you like plot driven, mildly amusing fiction, then have at it.
I prefer SOLID chocolate bunnies.
Here we have Jack, a 13-year-old boy, and Eddie, a button-eyed teddy bear who's an aspiring gumshoe, attempting to nab the culprit in a string of nursery rhyme character murders.
I can't exactly say what went wrong here, but everything seems a little flat. The fact that Eddie and Jack can't scrape up a personality between them may have something to do with it. They're just not enchanting and their scenes together bored me to tears.
If you like plot driven, mildly amusing fiction, then have at it.
I prefer SOLID chocolate bunnies.
July 23, 2017
Such a clever book - loved Eddie Bear - who is the MC and an alcoholic teddy bear who has to carry out the investigation after the real detective disappears.
Humpty Dumpty is was boiled alive in his pool, Mother (actually "Madame" as she runs a brothel in this story) Goose was roasted and poor Little Boy Blue - I just can't relive his death again!
It does descend into utter silliness from time to time - and puns abound - but that's the point. It's a tongue-in-cheek satirical look at pulp fiction.
Humpty Dumpty is was boiled alive in his pool, Mother (actually "Madame" as she runs a brothel in this story) Goose was roasted and poor Little Boy Blue - I just can't relive his death again!
It does descend into utter silliness from time to time - and puns abound - but that's the point. It's a tongue-in-cheek satirical look at pulp fiction.
September 9, 2007
How could you possibly resist a title like The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse? I was thrilled when the library finally got a copy & read thru it in about a day. [I've since bought my own copy]
Jack, a rather gangly young man, seeks his fortune. After a rather harrowing encounter with a farmer, he makes it to The City... not realizing it is Toy City, where the majority of the residents are living toys, while the humans are nursery rhyme characters, grown rich from their royalties. Jack meets up with Eddie, the alcoholic teddy bear of Detective Bill Winkie, who went missing after investigating the murder of Humpty Dumpty. As more of the Old Rich are slaughtered, Jack and Eddie get wrapped up in the plot.
A wondrous mix of fantasy and mystery, Rankin lets his imagination run wild in populating the semi-seedy Toy City. Jack starts out as a naïf, but learns quickly as Eddie leads him through the investigation. The writing is quite entertaining, and while the characters may be a bit one-dimensional, it fits well with the overall theme. Some of the British slang might trip up US readers, but if you're familiar with Douglas Adams, Pratchett and even Rowling, you should do just fine. I've seen several comparisons to Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series; I suppose in terms of the mystery plot and the literature references, but this had a bit darker feel to it, IMHO. I saw more of a semblance to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
Recommended to fans of unusual premises with a sense of humour; however, I can't speak to how effective the mystery plot is.
Jack, a rather gangly young man, seeks his fortune. After a rather harrowing encounter with a farmer, he makes it to The City... not realizing it is Toy City, where the majority of the residents are living toys, while the humans are nursery rhyme characters, grown rich from their royalties. Jack meets up with Eddie, the alcoholic teddy bear of Detective Bill Winkie, who went missing after investigating the murder of Humpty Dumpty. As more of the Old Rich are slaughtered, Jack and Eddie get wrapped up in the plot.
A wondrous mix of fantasy and mystery, Rankin lets his imagination run wild in populating the semi-seedy Toy City. Jack starts out as a naïf, but learns quickly as Eddie leads him through the investigation. The writing is quite entertaining, and while the characters may be a bit one-dimensional, it fits well with the overall theme. Some of the British slang might trip up US readers, but if you're familiar with Douglas Adams, Pratchett and even Rowling, you should do just fine. I've seen several comparisons to Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series; I suppose in terms of the mystery plot and the literature references, but this had a bit darker feel to it, IMHO. I saw more of a semblance to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
Recommended to fans of unusual premises with a sense of humour; however, I can't speak to how effective the mystery plot is.
July 7, 2018
Are feeling deppresed?
Are stuck in rut?
Are you looking for inelegant book ?
Well two out of three isn't bad.
The Lonny as Chocolate tea pot brings another insane book. The title along gives you an idea that is NOT series book but side splitting wet your knickers book.
If this does not cheer you up you seriously need hospital help.
Eddie Bear number 1 Toy Town Detective & his friend Jack are hitting a disposable brutal murder.
This Toy Story parody on acid.
But it's Robert Rankin so what F##kn hell do you expect!
Are stuck in rut?
Are you looking for inelegant book ?
Well two out of three isn't bad.
The Lonny as Chocolate tea pot brings another insane book. The title along gives you an idea that is NOT series book but side splitting wet your knickers book.
If this does not cheer you up you seriously need hospital help.
Eddie Bear number 1 Toy Town Detective & his friend Jack are hitting a disposable brutal murder.
This Toy Story parody on acid.
But it's Robert Rankin so what F##kn hell do you expect!
August 10, 2010
This is the third Rankin book that I have read, and I still don't know if I like him.
Rankin's ideas and titles are great, brillant, wonderful, yet there is something off about the books, something that doesn't quite fit, something that doesn't work. Perhaps it is the length, maybe if the book was shorter there wouldn't be a problem. Perhaps it because it feels as if Rankin is trying too hard to be funny and uses running gags that run too far.
This book makes good use of nursey rhymes and toys. At times it is almost as good as Terry Pratchett, but only almost and then only for a couple pages. The age of Jack, 13, doesn't make sense unless, Rankin is trying to shock people or make use feel icky. It doesn't work. If a character is going to have underage sex, and if you are going to use underage sex as a selling point, than make the character act underage, not 25.
There are some good parts, like how the some people are killed, Jack's reaction to the city, the use of plot and what should happen. The book is a somewhat amusing read, but not great.
Rankin's ideas and titles are great, brillant, wonderful, yet there is something off about the books, something that doesn't quite fit, something that doesn't work. Perhaps it is the length, maybe if the book was shorter there wouldn't be a problem. Perhaps it because it feels as if Rankin is trying too hard to be funny and uses running gags that run too far.
This book makes good use of nursey rhymes and toys. At times it is almost as good as Terry Pratchett, but only almost and then only for a couple pages. The age of Jack, 13, doesn't make sense unless, Rankin is trying to shock people or make use feel icky. It doesn't work. If a character is going to have underage sex, and if you are going to use underage sex as a selling point, than make the character act underage, not 25.
There are some good parts, like how the some people are killed, Jack's reaction to the city, the use of plot and what should happen. The book is a somewhat amusing read, but not great.
January 12, 2016
You can't quite put your finger on what it is about this novel that is very entertaining, which I find often to be the mark of a great read. Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse is set in a pseudo fairy tale world where English nursery rhymes and their ilk are meshed together within a logical, sensible world. It is a perfect mixture of fantasy, lunacy and the mundane worries of fairy tales. Consider the sidekick Eddie's main problem throughout the novel: Eddie is a stuffed bear with an analogy problem who can say "as clever as" but can not complete the analogy. His principal concern is drink and the stuffing of his bear body. One could make comparisons to Who Framed Roger Rabbit and other "best of" story settings but I'm confident that those who have read this book would no longer feel the need to. Hollow Chocolate Bunnies stays true enough to itself that a reader could only after completing the novel compare it to itself and that, I think, is the mark of a memorable story.
March 16, 2008
Brilliant.
I read this book in a matter of hours. I couldn't put it down. It wasn't brain candy, (sweet, light, fun but if you read too much you run the risk of mental cavities), and this wasn't great literature, but it was fun, innovative & well written. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.
I read this book in a matter of hours. I couldn't put it down. It wasn't brain candy, (sweet, light, fun but if you read too much you run the risk of mental cavities), and this wasn't great literature, but it was fun, innovative & well written. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.
April 2, 2007
Robert Rankin is my favorite author who isn't distributed in the US.
While this may sound like faint praise, I really do enjoy his work. It's silly, surreal, and thoroughly British; riddled with in-jokes and ex parte asides to the reader. If someone dipped into my head and wrote books based on what I thought funny ought to be, the result might look like Hollow Chocolate Bunnies or Waiting for Godalming.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Big M, and always listen to your Holy Guardian Sprout.
While this may sound like faint praise, I really do enjoy his work. It's silly, surreal, and thoroughly British; riddled with in-jokes and ex parte asides to the reader. If someone dipped into my head and wrote books based on what I thought funny ought to be, the result might look like Hollow Chocolate Bunnies or Waiting for Godalming.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Big M, and always listen to your Holy Guardian Sprout.
April 12, 2020
A surprisingly innovative tale of a teenager finding himself working as a detective alongside a bear called Eddie, hunting a nursery rhyme serial killer! Yes, it's a Toy Town reality, but alas the story itself just isn't all that. 4 out of 12.
June 5, 2010
Following in the tradition of fine police procedurals and thrillers, “Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse” offered a great story with mystery and intrigue. The rich are being methodically murdered and two detectives are trying to solve the crimes before anyone else, or themselves, get killed.
It should probably be mentioned that the book takes place in Toy City. The two detectives are a teenager named Jack and Eddie, the Teddy Bear Private Investigator. The rich victims included Humpty Dumpty who was boiled alive in his pool, Mother (actually "Madame" as she runs a bordello in the story) Goose was roasted and Little Boy Blue who was killed in such a heinous fashion that it can’t be mentioned here. (It involved his shepherd’s crook.)
One of the most entertaining facets of the story are the authors use of unusual language tricks throughout the book. Eddie has a verbal tick in that he can’t use collaborative nouns. Alliterations are peppered profusely in scenes dealing with food and dining. Finally, some sentence structures plays on the toy theme in being reminiscent of childrens’ books. (The sentence "Eddie was in trouble deep, and such trouble troubled him deeply" for example.) At first, I was put off, but then started enjoying the the flavor it added to the setting and plot.
The plot was amazing and it remained true to the thriller genre. The final 15 pages had so many plot turns that you’re literally spinning (maybe it was supposed to elicit thoughts of the sit-and-spins we had as kids?) but it was simply a lot of fun. I didn’t expect much going into this book at first but now it may actually be one of my top 10 casual reads.
It should probably be mentioned that the book takes place in Toy City. The two detectives are a teenager named Jack and Eddie, the Teddy Bear Private Investigator. The rich victims included Humpty Dumpty who was boiled alive in his pool, Mother (actually "Madame" as she runs a bordello in the story) Goose was roasted and Little Boy Blue who was killed in such a heinous fashion that it can’t be mentioned here. (It involved his shepherd’s crook.)
One of the most entertaining facets of the story are the authors use of unusual language tricks throughout the book. Eddie has a verbal tick in that he can’t use collaborative nouns. Alliterations are peppered profusely in scenes dealing with food and dining. Finally, some sentence structures plays on the toy theme in being reminiscent of childrens’ books. (The sentence "Eddie was in trouble deep, and such trouble troubled him deeply" for example.) At first, I was put off, but then started enjoying the the flavor it added to the setting and plot.
The plot was amazing and it remained true to the thriller genre. The final 15 pages had so many plot turns that you’re literally spinning (maybe it was supposed to elicit thoughts of the sit-and-spins we had as kids?) but it was simply a lot of fun. I didn’t expect much going into this book at first but now it may actually be one of my top 10 casual reads.
April 15, 2009
Well, I tried, not once but twice. I found this book via the "if you like this author, you may like this author" type recommendation. Well, I love Terry Pratchett and I do not like Robert Rankin. It's interesting because the reviews of this book are so spilt. People either really like it or don't, and what's interesting is that the same people likely agree on other books. I think you either enjoy Rankin's verbose style or you don’t - it's that simple. For me, there is way too much dialogue in this book and not enough plot. I love dry English humor, satire, tongue-in-cheek, witty banter etc, HOWEVER not when it’s the ENTIRE novel without any break. In that case it's simply tiresome and forced. Apologies to those who really enjoyed this book, I really wanted to like it but my recommendation is to skip it and go straight to Jasper Ffore's The Big Over Easy which also covers the tragic death of Humpty Dumpty in a much more entertaining style.
The Big Over Easy
The Big Over Easy
February 13, 2008
F*cking great. I guess some of the honeymoon feel of finding a new author is wearing off, because now I'm starting to see the formula in his books. This was still a hysterical read, though. I'm really not into murder mysteries as such, but the idea of a serial killer loose in Toy City, killing off fairy tale characters, was pretty fun. This was another totally gratuitous bit of mind candy, but I guess that's okay sometimes.
May 6, 2012
Okay, unlike a lot of the other reviewers of this book, I didn't pick this up because somebody suggested it might remind me of Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman. (In which case I might very well have been disappointed.) I got this book because I was perusing the stacks of my local library and the title caught my eye. I checked the book out without ever looking at the blurb or the inside cover and I had no earthly idea whatsoever what it was about until I opened it. Note that I do like Pratchett and Gaiman very much and that the reason I was in Robert Rankin's section of the library to start with was that I was looking for Ian Rankin, who writes Scots police procedural mystery novels ("tartan noir"), so by happy coincidence I am probably part of the target market for a surreal and humorous mystery novel of the British and pseudo-noir variety. Which is what this is.
Coming to this book with no expectations whatsoever, not knowing the author or anything else about him or about the book: I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it was clever and funny as all get-out. Probably not great literature, no, but then what is? I will be looking for Robert Rankin books in future.
Coming to this book with no expectations whatsoever, not knowing the author or anything else about him or about the book: I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it was clever and funny as all get-out. Probably not great literature, no, but then what is? I will be looking for Robert Rankin books in future.
April 28, 2013
Fun and sometimes funny, and really good for a light read that doesn't take itself seriously. I'm not an enormous fan of Robert Rankin based on this book, but I'm certainly willing to pick up another should it cross my path. Which it will, since there's one on my shelf already.
The overall idea isn't that unusual: nursery rhyme characters being murdered, nursery rhyme characters investigate. (Hi, Jasper Fforde!) But this is a more cynical, more adult version, with a certain sting in the humour sometimes.
The overall idea isn't that unusual: nursery rhyme characters being murdered, nursery rhyme characters investigate. (Hi, Jasper Fforde!) But this is a more cynical, more adult version, with a certain sting in the humour sometimes.
April 4, 2011
4.5 stars. Incredibly clever story chock full of parables and more than a few analogies comparing the fictional Toy City of Bunnies and the way we live today..even though the book was written almost ten years ago. This is my first Rankin read; I am certain to read more of his work. Silly on it's surface (in a good way) but sardonic in wit and humor. Rankin knows how to spin a fluid tale.
November 12, 2007
From the witty and twisted mind of Robert Rankin, we revisit the nursery rhymes of our childhood in a most gruesome way. From the death by boiling of Humpty Dumpty to the brutal shepherd's-crook-in-unspeakable-places killing of Little Boy Blue, Eddy Bear and Jack must search Toy Town to find a serial killer. The book is a satire of war, celebrity, religion, and probably some things I missed, and the ending will truly surprise you.
October 21, 2011
I love British humor and this book excels in it! Dry, witty, and so very interesting!
January 4, 2011
My first book of 2011 is Robert Rankin’s “The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse.” The book was definitely overflowing with creativity, but I didn’t really find it to be too compelling. I think it’s more that the book just wasn’t my cup of tea, rather than it being flat out bad.
It felt a bit too quirky, like Rankin was trying too hard. If it had not been recommended by both my boyfriend and his son, I don’t think I would have stuck with it. Good thing it was a very quick read! One bonus, I love the title! Also, I did enjoy reading the chapters that involved the detectives going to the television taping. It is obvious that Rankin has been part of a studio audience! The book provided a few good laughs, but failed to really grab my attention.
It felt a bit too quirky, like Rankin was trying too hard. If it had not been recommended by both my boyfriend and his son, I don’t think I would have stuck with it. Good thing it was a very quick read! One bonus, I love the title! Also, I did enjoy reading the chapters that involved the detectives going to the television taping. It is obvious that Rankin has been part of a studio audience! The book provided a few good laughs, but failed to really grab my attention.
May 30, 2015
And where did Jasper Fforde steal his ideas for the Nursery Crime series from? Why, this book. It is a nutty thing, and fun. A lad travels to the city to try and make his fortune and it turns out the city is full of characters from nursery rhymes, faerie tales, and myths. He runs into a drunk teddy bear searching for a detective and soon becomes embroiled in the case. And just why do chocolate bunnies turn up everywhere?
this book is fucking crazy.
this book is fucking crazy.
March 8, 2015
If you've seen the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? or read the book upon which it was based, Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary Wolf, then I think you've had a better experience.
At first glance, the idea of Rankin's novel seems entertaining. I was especially intrigued by the notion of a live teddy bear detective, who drinks too much beer and asks to be stood on his head so it will make him drunk before it runs out through his feet. In practice, I found the parody quickly became repetitive and the jokes started to fall flat. Picture a Roger Rabbit type story, but substitute a city of live toys and nursery rhyme characters for the Toontown in Wolf's story. A series of unexplained murders, told from the viewpoint of a naive and rather insensitive human boy who stumbles into the plotline and is recruited to serve as Eddie Bear's assistant while masquerading as the bear's missing boss. It had potential, but the execution just didn't quite work for me.
Perhaps you'll have better luck than I did. If not, there's always the real Roger Rabbit. If you like this one, there is a sequel entitled The Toyminator.
At first glance, the idea of Rankin's novel seems entertaining. I was especially intrigued by the notion of a live teddy bear detective, who drinks too much beer and asks to be stood on his head so it will make him drunk before it runs out through his feet. In practice, I found the parody quickly became repetitive and the jokes started to fall flat. Picture a Roger Rabbit type story, but substitute a city of live toys and nursery rhyme characters for the Toontown in Wolf's story. A series of unexplained murders, told from the viewpoint of a naive and rather insensitive human boy who stumbles into the plotline and is recruited to serve as Eddie Bear's assistant while masquerading as the bear's missing boss. It had potential, but the execution just didn't quite work for me.
Perhaps you'll have better luck than I did. If not, there's always the real Roger Rabbit. If you like this one, there is a sequel entitled The Toyminator.
January 31, 2015
I don't know what it is, but Robert Rankin is one of those authors I wish I enjoyed more than I do. He's inventive with a good turn of phrase - in this book he makes excellent use of the repetition of words and phrases with slightly different meanings - but, somehow, I just don't find his writing style very engaging.
This is the story of young Jack heading to The City to seek his fortune and finding a city entirely unlike the one he had expected - a toytown filled with clockwork bartenders and jack-in-the-boxes and teddy bears, and finding himself embroiled in a noir detective tale involving the murders of Humpty Dumpty and other fairy tale luminaries. For such a light book (albeit with murders and underage drinking and sex) I found it a bit of a slog, and far less fun than it should have beem.
2.5 stars
This is the story of young Jack heading to The City to seek his fortune and finding a city entirely unlike the one he had expected - a toytown filled with clockwork bartenders and jack-in-the-boxes and teddy bears, and finding himself embroiled in a noir detective tale involving the murders of Humpty Dumpty and other fairy tale luminaries. For such a light book (albeit with murders and underage drinking and sex) I found it a bit of a slog, and far less fun than it should have beem.
2.5 stars
February 5, 2011
This book is tons of fun. I was having too much fun to realize until about halfway through what an awesome allegory it was too. I'd describe it as a lighter, wittier, but easier Wicked
Two of my particularly favorite moments:
"'As real as." said Eddie
'As real as what?' said Jack
'Wish I knew,' said Eddie 'But I can't do corroborative nouns. None of us are perfect, are we?'"
"Yet another theory is that there was more than one Humpty Dumpty, but no wall involved: one Humpty fell from the side of a grassy knoll and another from the window of a book depository. This is known as 'The Particularly Stupid Theory'."
Two of my particularly favorite moments:
"'As real as." said Eddie
'As real as what?' said Jack
'Wish I knew,' said Eddie 'But I can't do corroborative nouns. None of us are perfect, are we?'"
"Yet another theory is that there was more than one Humpty Dumpty, but no wall involved: one Humpty fell from the side of a grassy knoll and another from the window of a book depository. This is known as 'The Particularly Stupid Theory'."
January 14, 2016
Brilliant book, reminded me a lot of Roger Rabbit, but much darker. Somebody it brutally killing off the inhabitants of Toy Town, those inhabitants are the characters from nursery rhymes who are now rich.
This book is a great place to start reading Robert Rankin, the well known characters helps you to get a grip on the totally mad style of Rankin. One of my favourite authors and this is one of his best books. There is a sequel that I've never got around to reading so will have to try that this year.
This book is a great place to start reading Robert Rankin, the well known characters helps you to get a grip on the totally mad style of Rankin. One of my favourite authors and this is one of his best books. There is a sequel that I've never got around to reading so will have to try that this year.
November 28, 2008
How I loved the title. Too bad the book wasn't my cup of tea.
May 7, 2014
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse is an epic title. That would be why this book jumped off the shelf at the library, into my hand, and insisted that I needed to take it home with me. Which I did. Sadly, the book did not quite live up to its epic title. The book is good. The book is funny--as I expected it to be. But it's not that good. And it's not that funny. There are places in it where I am sure there are jokes and I'd get that feeling that I was supposed to laugh--like Robert Rankin had paused expectantly waiting for the audience to provide the laugh track. But then I'd be like Sherman in the Mr. Peabody & Sherman movie (which we just saw at the drive-in last Saturday) and I'd look up and think to myself I don't get it.
Rankin has created an interesting premise. A young man named Jack is on his way to the big city to seek his fortune--he's heard stories that that's where all the fortunes to be made are made. But when he gets there, all is not as glamorous as he's been given to believe. First off, the "big city" is really Toy City (aka Toy Town). Everybody is a toy except for the rich and famous nursery rhyme characters like Little Miss Muffet and Little Tommy Tucker and Ole King Cole, etc. And there is a serial killer loose who is knocking off the Mother Goose celebrities one by one in rather gruesome methods based on their rhymes. The Toy City police are stumped and Bill Winkie, a Private Eye who has starred in his own series of crime novels, has mysteriously vanished.
Jack runs into Winkie's sidekick, Eddie Bear, and Eddie convinces him to partner with him to solve the murders and collect a fabulous reward. Because you know, Eddie was the real sawdust--er, brains behind the P.I. business. Eddie leads Jack into underage drinking, high-speed car chases, in and out of jail, and into encounters with mysterious spider women. There will be quite a few more deaths and some high-tension drama before Eddie and Jack can find out who's really behind the nursery rhyme murders.
The book is a fantasy-style riff on the noir genre and private eyes in general. It is very self-aware and that is part of the fun. Jack and Eddie discuss how "if this were one of Bill Winkie's private eye books" then "we'd have met all the important characters by now" or "we'd have gotten hold of the MacGuffin by now." They also talk about whether or not the decisions they make along the way would be what a true detective in a crime novel would do. Lots of in jokes (and, as discussed, plenty that go right over my head) and plays off of the nursery rhymes. Excellent premise that manages to fall just short of being a fantastic story. Good solid entertainment, but not extraordinary. Three Stars.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Rankin has created an interesting premise. A young man named Jack is on his way to the big city to seek his fortune--he's heard stories that that's where all the fortunes to be made are made. But when he gets there, all is not as glamorous as he's been given to believe. First off, the "big city" is really Toy City (aka Toy Town). Everybody is a toy except for the rich and famous nursery rhyme characters like Little Miss Muffet and Little Tommy Tucker and Ole King Cole, etc. And there is a serial killer loose who is knocking off the Mother Goose celebrities one by one in rather gruesome methods based on their rhymes. The Toy City police are stumped and Bill Winkie, a Private Eye who has starred in his own series of crime novels, has mysteriously vanished.
Jack runs into Winkie's sidekick, Eddie Bear, and Eddie convinces him to partner with him to solve the murders and collect a fabulous reward. Because you know, Eddie was the real sawdust--er, brains behind the P.I. business. Eddie leads Jack into underage drinking, high-speed car chases, in and out of jail, and into encounters with mysterious spider women. There will be quite a few more deaths and some high-tension drama before Eddie and Jack can find out who's really behind the nursery rhyme murders.
The book is a fantasy-style riff on the noir genre and private eyes in general. It is very self-aware and that is part of the fun. Jack and Eddie discuss how "if this were one of Bill Winkie's private eye books" then "we'd have met all the important characters by now" or "we'd have gotten hold of the MacGuffin by now." They also talk about whether or not the decisions they make along the way would be what a true detective in a crime novel would do. Lots of in jokes (and, as discussed, plenty that go right over my head) and plays off of the nursery rhymes. Excellent premise that manages to fall just short of being a fantastic story. Good solid entertainment, but not extraordinary. Three Stars.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
March 22, 2014
I was trapped under my purring giant black cat one morning last week and this novel was within reach without disturbing him. Yet once started I found that I was enjoying it so much that I kept on reading even after my cat had wandered off and finished it in a single sitting only stopping for refreshments.
It was very enjoyable and an easy read. Some of the humour was a bit laddish, such as obvious jokes about bears and the woods, but it was less gross-out humour than the cover blurb suggested. The same with the promised gratuitous sex and violence, though maybe I've been hardened by too many crime novels on the latter. Eddie the Teddy Bear was a brilliant character as was spotting the presence of various Maguffins.
It struck me quite early on that the plot did sound similar to Jasper Fforde's Nursery Crimes books though looking at the publication dates Rankin's was published first. This week I also began reading Fforde's first Nursery Crimes novel, The Big Over Easy, and it is very different in style even if it shares a number of nursery rhyme characters with The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies.
This was selected by one of my library reading groups and I wasn't expecting it to be that well received given its genre. As it turned out there was a broad spectrum of responses with a few of us loving it and others being disinterested and a couple not reading beyond the first chapters. This this was pretty much what I had expected given the composition of the group. Another difficulty with a comic novel for a reading group is that aside from whether we enjoyed it or not there wasn't a great deal of issues or themes to discuss. Instead, we shared what scenes we'd enjoyed and compared it to other comic fantasy writers such as Fforde and Pratchett.
It was very enjoyable and an easy read. Some of the humour was a bit laddish, such as obvious jokes about bears and the woods, but it was less gross-out humour than the cover blurb suggested. The same with the promised gratuitous sex and violence, though maybe I've been hardened by too many crime novels on the latter. Eddie the Teddy Bear was a brilliant character as was spotting the presence of various Maguffins.
It struck me quite early on that the plot did sound similar to Jasper Fforde's Nursery Crimes books though looking at the publication dates Rankin's was published first. This week I also began reading Fforde's first Nursery Crimes novel, The Big Over Easy, and it is very different in style even if it shares a number of nursery rhyme characters with The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies.
This was selected by one of my library reading groups and I wasn't expecting it to be that well received given its genre. As it turned out there was a broad spectrum of responses with a few of us loving it and others being disinterested and a couple not reading beyond the first chapters. This this was pretty much what I had expected given the composition of the group. Another difficulty with a comic novel for a reading group is that aside from whether we enjoyed it or not there wasn't a great deal of issues or themes to discuss. Instead, we shared what scenes we'd enjoyed and compared it to other comic fantasy writers such as Fforde and Pratchett.
![Profile Image for [ J o ].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1673171874i%2F4639825._UY200_CR4%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 1, 2017
Jack sets off for The City, little knowing that The City is Toy City: a place where toys are alive and drink alcohol in great quantities. There he meets Eddie, Eddie the Bear, and together they form an unlikely Private Detective partnership to solve the case of Humpty Dumpty and Little Boy Blue: it would seem Toy City has a serial killer on the loose.
If you've never read a Robert Rankin Far-Fetched fiction novel before, I'd kindly like to ask you not to start with this one. Whilst humorous, well-written and full of all the trademark Rankin humour and running gags, the plot falls very short and barely do the characters stretch beyond anything other than bring characters.
It is not without humour, but not as full of it as many of his others are. The characters, whilst likable (who does not enjoy an alcoholic teddy bear?) are fairly standard stuff, but they lack the depth I know Rankin can achieve. It is a very interesting plot, but I do not think he executed it very well here. It still made me laugh out loud during the interval at The Pirates of Penzance, though.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Shop | Etsy
If you've never read a Robert Rankin Far-Fetched fiction novel before, I'd kindly like to ask you not to start with this one. Whilst humorous, well-written and full of all the trademark Rankin humour and running gags, the plot falls very short and barely do the characters stretch beyond anything other than bring characters.
It is not without humour, but not as full of it as many of his others are. The characters, whilst likable (who does not enjoy an alcoholic teddy bear?) are fairly standard stuff, but they lack the depth I know Rankin can achieve. It is a very interesting plot, but I do not think he executed it very well here. It still made me laugh out loud during the interval at The Pirates of Penzance, though.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Shop | Etsy
April 20, 2011
Because Easter is coming up, I thought that I would try one of the many "chocolate cozies" listed by other members. This one, The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse, reminded me of chocolate loving Erma Bombeck's confession from one of her books, that went something like this...
"My children were eighteen before they learned that chocolate Easter Bunnies had ears."
This book will be well liked, by those who like things well; and the use of simile is as artful as.
If these two assessments make you want to read more, then this silly book is for you. I’ll be waiting at Tinto’s Bar, reading Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession.
"My children were eighteen before they learned that chocolate Easter Bunnies had ears."
This book will be well liked, by those who like things well; and the use of simile is as artful as.
If these two assessments make you want to read more, then this silly book is for you. I’ll be waiting at Tinto’s Bar, reading Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 575 reviews