The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse
Encyclopedia
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse is a novel
by the British author Robert Rankin
. It is Rankin's 24th novel and his first for new publishers Gollancz
. It is set in Toy City (formerly Toy Town), a place where toys are alive and the characters from nursery rhyme
s are local celebrities. It is followed by a sequel, "The Toyminator
". The novel is expanded from a throwaway line in Rankin's previous novel The Fandom of the Operator, which refers to recurring character Lazlo Woodbine
investigating the murder of nursery rhyme characters in Toy City.
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 behavior, fast car chases, gratuitous sex and violence, bizarre toy fetishism and all-round grossness of a type not normally associated with Toy Town.
When he reaches the city he realises that it is populated by toys. He meets a wooden chef at a bar and realises his horse has been stolen. Jack sets to search for his horse, however he is hit by someone unknown and he faints on the ground. He is awoken by a teddy bear
, Eddie, who is a private detective and the assistant of Bill Winkie (Wee Willie Winkie
). Eddie offers Jack partnership in his detective firm, as Bill Winkie is missing.
Jack is still shaken by the fact that toys can actually talk and walk and feel like humans, but eventually he comes on terms with it. Eddie informs him that something is wrong in Toy City - someone is killing the rich and famous PPPs: Preadolescent Poetic Personalities.
These PPPs have become rich due to the royalties they receive for their poems, like Humpty Dumpty
, Little Miss Muffet
, Mary Mary Quite Contrary and Old King Cole
. While on their quest to find the murderer, several PPPs are killed. Humpty Dumpty is boiled with a lens above his pool, Bill Winkie- cheated out of the rights to his nursery rhyme by the writer but a natural detective- simply vanishes while investigating the case, Little Boy Blue
is pierced with his crook- the crook impaling him in the rear and exiting through his mouth-, Jack Spratt
is fried in his ex-wife's diner, Little Tommy Tucker
explodes when a bomb is dropped down his throat as he sings a high note, Little Jack Horner
is stuffed with jam and Mother Goose
is slit open. In all the cases the only clues are hollow chocolate bunnies left at the scene.
In their investigation, Eddie and Jack realise that the killer is an evil twin
of God like figure 'Anders Anders' and is called 'Sredna Sredna'. He is the one who had absconded with 'The Manual' (Holy Scripts) and 'The Maguffin
', which lets the person get entry into the Toy City from other dimensions.
When Jack is confronted by the killer, Sredna reveals that he manufactures life-like toys who do as their owners command. He plans to rule the world, as he feels that God is too busy creating new worlds and has forgotten this one. He has created toys of Hitler and the President of the USA in order to achieve these aims. Sredna almost kills Eddie and Jack. However, they are saved by Jack's lover, Jill.
In the end Jack is made a prince and paid a hefty sum by the royal PPPs and Eddie is made the Mayor by Anders Anders.
Best Novel Award.
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 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 24th novel and his first for new publishers Gollancz
Victor Gollancz Ltd
Victor Gollancz Ltd was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century. It was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz and specialised in the publication of high quality literature, nonfiction and popular fiction, including science fiction. Upon Gollancz's death in 1967, ownership...
. It is set in Toy City (formerly Toy Town), a place where toys are alive and the characters from nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
s are local celebrities. It is followed by a sequel, "The Toyminator
The Toyminator
The Toyminator is a novel by the British author Robert Rankin. It is the sequel to The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse, winner of the 2003 SFX Magazine Best Novel Award. It follows the adventures of Eddie Bear and his sidekick Jack....
". The novel is expanded from a throwaway line in Rankin's previous novel The Fandom of the Operator, which refers to recurring character Lazlo Woodbine
Lazlo Woodbine
Lazlo Woodbine is a fictional character in some of Robert Rankin's novels - generally portrayed as a metafictional character, being in the novels themselves the creation of mystery writer P.P...
investigating the murder of nursery rhyme characters in Toy City.
Back of the book
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 killerSerial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
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 behavior, fast car chases, gratuitous sex and violence, bizarre toy fetishism and all-round grossness of a type not normally associated with Toy Town.
About the Book
Jack is all set to discover the city beyond his small town. He meets a farmer on his way who warns him against going to the city. Jack however turns a deaf ear and continues his journey. The farmer tries to kill him for his meal, but Jack eventually escapes with his horse, leaving the hungry farmer in the pit.When he reaches the city he realises that it is populated by toys. He meets a wooden chef at a bar and realises his horse has been stolen. Jack sets to search for his horse, however he is hit by someone unknown and he faints on the ground. He is awoken by a teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
, Eddie, who is a private detective and the assistant of Bill Winkie (Wee Willie Winkie
Wee Willie Winkie
"Wee Willie Winkie" is a Scottish nursery rhyme, whose titular figure has become popular the world over as a personification of sleep. The poem, written by William Miller and titled "Willie Winkie", was first published in Whistle-binkie: Stories for the Fireside in 1841...
). Eddie offers Jack partnership in his detective firm, as Bill Winkie is missing.
Jack is still shaken by the fact that toys can actually talk and walk and feel like humans, but eventually he comes on terms with it. Eddie informs him that something is wrong in Toy City - someone is killing the rich and famous PPPs: Preadolescent Poetic Personalities.
These PPPs have become rich due to the royalties they receive for their poems, like Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English language nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an egg and has appeared or been referred to in a large number of works of literature and popular culture...
, Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
"Little Miss Muffet" is a nursery rhyme, one of the most commonly printed in the mid-twentieth century. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20605.-Lyrics:-Alternative Lyrics:...
, Mary Mary Quite Contrary and Old King Cole
Old King Cole
"Old King Cole" is an English nursery rhyme. The historical identity of King Cole has been much debated and several candidates have been advanced as possibilities...
. While on their quest to find the murderer, several PPPs are killed. Humpty Dumpty is boiled with a lens above his pool, Bill Winkie- cheated out of the rights to his nursery rhyme by the writer but a natural detective- simply vanishes while investigating the case, Little Boy Blue
Little Boy Blue
"Little Boy Blue" is a popular English language nursery rhyme, often used in popular culture. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 11318.-Lyrics:The most common version of the rhyme is:...
is pierced with his crook- the crook impaling him in the rear and exiting through his mouth-, Jack Spratt
Jack Spratt
Jack Spratt is the protagonist in a series of alternate history science fiction fantasy novels by Jasper Fforde. He is the same character from the English nursery rhyme. As revealed in The Big Over Easy, for example, he hates eating fat, and was once married to a woman who ate nothing else .Spratt...
is fried in his ex-wife's diner, Little Tommy Tucker
Little Tommy Tucker
‘Little Tommy Tucker’ is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19618.- Lyrics :Common modern versions include:*Was played by Russell Coles in Babes in Toyland ...
explodes when a bomb is dropped down his throat as he sings a high note, Little Jack Horner
Little Jack Horner
"Little Jack Horner" is a popular English language nursery rhyme. It has the Roud Folk Song Index number of 13027.-Lyrics:The most common modern lyrics are:Little Jack HornerSat in the corner,Eating a Christmas pie;He put in his thumb,...
is stuffed with jam and Mother Goose
Mother Goose
The familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
is slit open. In all the cases the only clues are hollow chocolate bunnies left at the scene.
In their investigation, Eddie and Jack realise that the killer is an evil twin
Evil twin
The evil twin is an antagonist found in many different fictional genres. They are physical copies of protagonists, but with radically inverted moralities. In filmed entertainment, they can have obvious physical differences with the protagonist—such as facial hair, eyepatches, scars or distinctive...
of God like figure 'Anders Anders' and is called 'Sredna Sredna'. He is the one who had absconded with 'The Manual' (Holy Scripts) and 'The Maguffin
MacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
', which lets the person get entry into the Toy City from other dimensions.
When Jack is confronted by the killer, Sredna reveals that he manufactures life-like toys who do as their owners command. He plans to rule the world, as he feels that God is too busy creating new worlds and has forgotten this one. He has created toys of Hitler and the President of the USA in order to achieve these aims. Sredna almost kills Eddie and Jack. However, they are saved by Jack's lover, Jill.
In the end Jack is made a prince and paid a hefty sum by the royal PPPs and Eddie is made the Mayor by Anders Anders.
Awards
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse was the winner of the 2003 SFX MagazineSFX magazine
SFX is a British magazine covering the topics of science fiction and fantasy.-Description:SFX magazine is published every four weeks by Future Publishing and was founded in 1995. The magazine covers topics in the genres of popular science fiction, fantasy and horror, within the media of films,...
Best Novel Award.