Space Captain Smith - Toby Frost
Isambard Smith wants to be a space captain in the second British Empire, and battle the evil Ghast, giant ant-like creatures, and the religious fanatics of the Republic of New Eden. Instead he gets to pilot the John Pym, a damaged and weary freighter, on a mission to pick up Rhianna Mitchell, a new age hippy, from the laid back New Francisco territories and bring her back to the Empire.
His bold crew consists of an android pilot, Pollyanna Carvath, who is actually a sex toy on the run from her perverted owner, along with Gerald - her pet hamster, and Isambard's best friend Surak, an alien whose idea of a good holiday is sun, sea and slaughter.
They are pursued on their voyage by Ghast and New Edeners intent on stopping them and getting hold of Rhianna, and an android assassin called Dreckitt, assigned to terminate Polly. They face void sharks, attracted by the scent of rust of the ship, crash land on Paradis, which isn't quite as paradisical is it might appear, encounter 462 of the Ghast and Captain Gilead of New Eden and discover exactly why Rhianna is so - different.
This book actually made me laugh out loud in places. The humour is very similar to that of Hitch Hiker's Guide and may not appeal to everyone, but if you know what a Haynes manual is and understand that a cup of tea counts as foreplay in some parts of the universe, then you might enjoy this book. A nicely written, easy read that has left me really wanting to get into the second book. A good solid 4/5
posted 4 months ago. ( reply )
