2008 humorous science fiction; first in its series. In the 25th
Century the British Empire will soon be fighting the insectoid Ghast;
but Captain Isambard Smith, square-jawed, courageous, and perhaps a
bit dim, is called on to take an elderly refitted freighter on a
courier mission.
Most humorous stories fail for me because they subordinate plot
and character to getting the jokes in. This book doesn't have a
terribly sophisticated plot, though there's plenty of action, and
sometimes it descends into farce; but (unlike say Red Dwarf) the
characters never act as though they know they're comedic characters,
and that's what made it work for me.
"In layman's terms, this ship probably used to fly like a pig. Now
it flies like a pig with a firework up its bum. I'm not sure which
is better."
The humour is on occasion disappointingly puerile (when told that the
ship's android pilot is female, someone comments that she'll be unable
to reverse or read maps, which almost caused me to give up on the book
in the first chapter), but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.
These aliens need to be taught a lesson, preferably one that they
will be unable to learn from on account of being very dead at the
end of it.
As well as Smith, the principals are Polly Carveth (that android
pilot, who turns out to have forged her credentials as part of an
escape from the job she was built for), Suruk the Predator-ish
warrior alien, and the passenger Rhianna Mitchell, space hippie chick
who's more than she appears.
Lights flashed above a connecting tube on which were painted the
words "Peace — friendship — understanding". This was going to be a
tough place to stomach.
All right, so "I suggest we just get back to repairing the ship and
forget all this made-up science-fiction stuff. The positronic
versifier won't transfibulate itself, after all" may not have quite
the same pithy ring as "We live on a spaceship, dear", but it'll do.
"You know I said we were going to cut and run? Well, we've done the
running part. Get your knives."
This isn't a great book by any means, but it's a comedic work I
actually enjoyed, which at least scores it points for rarity.
Followed by God Emperor of Didcot. (The tea must flow.)
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