The Book of Ultimate Truths
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| Author | Robert Rankin |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Cornelius Murphy Trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Released | 1993 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 271 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-385-40413-1 |
| Followed by | Raiders of the Lost Car Park |
The Book of Ultimate Truths is a novel by British author Robert Rankin. The plot revolves around the adventures of Cornelius Murphy and his companion Tuppe. The novel was first published by Doubleday in 1993.
[edit] Plot summary
The book begins with Cornelius actively avoiding employment after leaving secondary school. He is subsequently hired by the mysterious Arthur Kobold, who claims to represent a publishing firm wishing to print a complete copy of The Book of Ultimate Truths, a set of great secrets which have eluded mankind, discovered by Hugo Rune, and then suppressed by unknown forces. On his journey to recover the lost papers which make up the book, Cornelius and his schoolfriend Tuppe encounter the evil Campbell, seemingly a wanna-be Scottish gangster at first, but later revealed to be a magical creature of great evil. The Campbell is also seeking to retrieve the lost book, to allow him to return to the Forbidden Zones, areas of the world hidden from humanity (excepting London taxi drivers) and discovered by Rune. The two heroes, after a series of dangerous and unbelievable adventures, return to the Murphy home in Brentford, where the Campbell is already waiting. At this point, it is revealed the Campbell is Cornelius' half-brother, and that their father is in fact Hugo Rune. The Campbell escapes, taking with him the key to the Forbidden Zones, a re-invented ocarina. Cornelius and Murphy pursue him to the nearest entrance to the Zones, but the Campbell's plans are foiled by the arrival of a large gathering of a cult devoted to Hugo Rune. The ocarina is destroyed, as is the Campbell.
With a complete copy of the Book of Ultimate Truths, Arthur Kobold presents Cornelius with a large cheque as an advance against royalties from the publication of the book. However, the next day the cheque is revealed to be a trick - Arthur Kobold was in fact working for the denizens of the Forbidden Zones all along. Seemingly foiled, Cornelius then realizes that the map of their journey forms a schematic for the creation of another re-invented ocarina, and along with a London A-Z map showing the locations of the entrances to the Forbidden Zones the heroes are left plotting their next adventure into the unknown.
