The Witches of Chiswick
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| Author | Robert Rankin |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Gollancz |
| Released | 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 336 pp (hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-575-07314-4 (hardcover edition) |
| Followed by | Knees Up Mother Earth |
The Witches Of Chiswick is a novel by the British author Robert Rankin, the title parodying that of The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike.
[edit] Plot introduction
We have all been lied to. A great and sinister conspiracy exists to keep us from uncovering the truth about our past. Have you ever wondered how Jules Verne and H.G. Wells dreamed up all that fantastic futuristic fiction? Did it ever occur to you that it might just have been based upon fact? That The War Of The Worlds was a true account of real events? That Captain Nemo's Nautilus even now lies rusting at the bottom of the North Sea? That there really was an invisible man? Now you can learn how a cabal of Victorian Witches from the Chiswick Townswomen's Guild, working with advanced Babbage super-computers, rewrote 19th Century history, and how a 23rd Century boy called William Starling uncovered the truth about everything.
[edit] Plot Summary (Spoiler Alert)
The start of "The Witches of Chiswick" trilogy, The Witches of Chiswick is a time travelling adventure story taking place primarily in the 19th and 23rd Centuries. In it, William Starling finds a painting from the 19th Century with the image of a digital watch hidden within it. When he reports these findings to his superiors, William is told the painting is to be destroyed. After saving the painting, he is confronted by his best friend Tim, who in turn tells him the truth about a cabal of witches controlling their world. In an effort to find the truth, William takes a psychotropic drug with a rather interesting effect: the ability to tap into ones' ancestral memories. After learning of events occurring in the 19th century, William and Tim are attacked by a Babbage robot sent from the past, and William escapes to the past via the robot's time machine. Stuck in the 19th Century, William is greeted by Hugo Rune, who explains to Will that he is his direct descendant several dozen times removed. Will also finds out everything concerning the 19th Century history is a lie: Charles Babbage's difference engine was a huge success, providing the growing British Empire with robots, digital watches, airships, and even the first rocket to the moon. As they travel the world, Hugo Rune teaches Will many important lessons to help defeat the witches. After returning to London, Will and Hugo begin searching for the true identity of Jack the Ripper in an effort to discover more about the witches' cabal. In an unfortunate event, Hugo becomes the Ripper's next victim, and Will is left trying to find out where to proceed. He finds a box in Hugo's trunk containing Barry, the Sprout Guardian. After several adventures, ending with Will being accused of being Jack the Ripper, Will uses Barry to return to the future to enlist the aid of Tim, who is actually Will's half-brother and descendant of Hugo Rune. Will and Tim return to the past, meeting an invisible H.G. Wells, the Elephant Man, the Brentford Snail Boy, and even another Will from an alternate future. After finding Hugo's true residence in the Butts Estate, Will and Tim set out to save the 19th Century and the future from the influence of the Witches of Chiswick. After several more time travelling adventures, Will and Tim finally confront the leader of the witches, Count Otto Black, at a circus held in honour of the Queen. Will discovers that Count Otto is actually a Babbage robot, controlled by the Will from the alternate future. "Anti-Will" faces Hugo Rune, travels back in time to prevent the Babbage Difference Engine from being recognized, then returns to the circus to finish his goal of controlling the world. Will lunges for "anti-Will" and the pair are destroyed due to the temporal paradox.
[edit] Literary significance & criticism
'Rankin's whimsically dense sing-song patter reads like Douglas Adams crossed with Aaron Sorking by way of Mother Goose.' - Entertainment Weekly
'Rankin's prose is like a mind-expanding drug... beware, lest you find yourself addicted.' - SFX
