Review of ‘The Toyminator’ by Robert Rankin

The outrageously silly sequel to The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. This was my third time reading the book and it confirmed my opinion that a sequel wasn’t necessary. It’s a typically bizarre read but once the action switches to our world (albeit 1950s Hollywood) it’s not as interesting, because most of the characters are humans rather than magically alive toys.

Eddie Bear and Jack team up again to solve a mystery. Toys are apparently spontaneously combusting across Toy City and the villains are doubles of Eddie and Jack. If the real Eddie and Jack don’t figure out what’s going on, they’ll be arrested by the laughing rubber policemen. Things get weirder, involving conspiracies, movie parodies and fast food.

The Toyminator is still pretty funny, crude and random like its predecessor, but it just doesn’t hook me, particularly the latter half of the book. The ending does leave room for another sequel, but for whatever reason, there hasn’t been one.

I found this signed edition in a charity shop. It has a sticker from Ottakar’s on the front. Ottakar’s was a chain of bookshops which were taken over by Waterstones in 2006, the same year that this book was published.

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