Politically correct is not a term you could use for Robert Rankin. Nor can you use it for Pádraig Naseby a hapless youth from Brentford with a passion for drawing tasteless comic strips. His next door neighbour hates him so much she sets traps for him. Pádraig or Porrig as its pronounced is used to this so steps over the trip wires set up by the front door for him. He isn't much concerned about the prone milkmen laying on the step either. To be honest nobody likes him that much. Even his friends probably wouldn't give him the time of day. His parent's try hard to deny his existence and his girlfriend dumps him by page 18. So when Porrig inherits a planet he thinks that thing seem to be on the up for him. Could it really be that someone has left him Alpha 17 or is that just a name for his deceased uncle's bookshop in Brighton. So after a long train journey Porrig ends up in Brighton. Where he gets beaten up by the being that is Wok Boy. So is this book about running a bookshop? Not quite, no. Introduce Sir John Rimmer and a buried UFO and you have the sub plot! Dilbert Norris is about to be revived from his hibernation in his space ship. And who is Dilbert? Well he is a giant vegetable of course. Who has the power to control minds. Dilbert is slightly miffed at being buried so he gets his revenge by taking over the world. So who's the man to save the world. It's Porrig of course. It looks like we are all doomed this time. Oh dear. Another great read from Robert Rankin with a truly obnoxious lead character who has about as much chance of being a charming person as a dog has of playing lead guitar in Ghandi's Hairdryer. Say that though Porrig has some great lines that will make you laugh out loud, so although he's a git. He's a sort of likeable git. Reviewed by David V.Baker | 
