I have been reading Robert's books for 2 years...he is my own personal Tolkein! His books always seemed destined for bigger things and here, at long last, one of his best books has been brought to life in full-cast audio drama splendour. The cast is a veritable who's who of top British acting & comedic talent, led by the kind of names any Hollywood movie would be proud of. David Warner plays self-styled Guru's Guru HUGO RUNE...and after hearing him do so I can't hear any other voice as Rune (one of Rankin's finest characters!)...who rescues a young lad from drowning. This lad is named RIZLA and played extremely well by Rupert Degas. As a double act (and a great deal of the series hangs on their performance) Warner & Degas work extremely well...managing to portray the growing depth of relationship between Rune & Rizla while never forgetting the ridiculousness of the whole adventure. Through the following 12 adventures they are joined by the likes of Andy Serkis (Gollum from LOTR), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter), Ben Miller (from ITV's Primeval & Moving Wallpaper), Martin Jarvis OBE, Mark Wing-Davey (Zaphod Beeblebrox from Hitch Hiker's Guide), Sarah Douglas (from Superman 1 & 2) and Rich Fulcher (Bob Fossil from The Mighty Boosh) among many others.
Every episode contains one adventure, often dovetailing into the next. The series has been produced to the sort of high quality you would only expect to get from a Radio 4 drama...with full soundscapes, music and SFX. Everthing a Rankin fan could ever want is here...from the running gags, recurring characters, self-parody, in-jokes, movie references, surreal situations, rock n roll, far-fetched fiction, tall tales and at least one old charter in there somewhere...oh, and a whole heap of spaniels!
Believe it or not, this is almost 7 hours of audio adventures, and there are even some bonus extras thrown in for good measure. A beautiful box-set with new Rankin-made sculptures as well. It is a great way in to the fantastic world of Robert Rankin's books...you certainly don't need to be a fan to enjoy these adventures. And if yo are a fan already, this is a great addition to your existing Rankin collection.