THE WITCHES OF CHISWICK

Britain's Robert Rankin doesn't practice the "less is more" school of writing. He overloads his books with puns, alliteration, and groan-producing bad jokes. Rankin's bestselling Will Starling series continues with WITCHES. Will, our gaunt, young hero, lives in the day-after-the-day-after tomorrow, among an obese citizenry that scorns "slims." When he discovers a conspiracy to alter history, he relies upon a pill to access ancestral memory and uncover the truth. With the help of a time machine and a talking sprout, Will runs into a coven of Victorian witches and some monstrous killer robots (reminiscent of The Terminator). Rankin's narration is frenetic and frequently Python-esque. (His women sound like Terry Jones in drag.) While Rankin's silliness is an acquired taste, acquiring it can be mind-bending fun. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]