Rat Scabies and The Holy Grail

Rat Scabies And The Holy Grail is a book written by Christopher Dawes and published in 2005 by Sceptre Books in the UK (ISBN 0-340-83211-8) and by Thunder’s Mouth Press in the US (ISBN 1-56025-678-8). It is a gonzo-esque quest to find the Holy Grail by punk rock legend Rat Scabies, the one-time drummer of The Damned, with whom Dawes strikes up a friendship when the two become neighbours in the London suburb of Brentford.

The book, which has been described as "The Da Vinci Code gets the punk rock treatment" (The Bookseller), begins with Scabies introducing Dawes to the alleged mystery of Rennes-le-Château, a remote French village associated with all manner of esoteric conspiracy theories. Scabies and Dawes make several trips to Rennes-le-Château and also visit a number of other places said to be linked to the Holy Grail, including Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. The book is an often hilarious account of the pair’s adventures - they even manage to wangle themselves an invitation to a Knights Templar initiation ceremony - and its supporting cast of characters includes Henry Lincoln (the author of Holy Blood, Holy Grail) and a CIA operative, plus assorted treasure hunters, occultists, alien channelers, reincarnated medieval heretics, and more members of secret societies than you can shake a stick at. It also has a rather useful set of instructions for building your own Ark Of The Covenant.

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