Red Dwarf

I first read this when I was a teenager because I loved the TV show. But though the book has a lot of cleverly mad humour, there is more of a melancholy undercurrent here. The science fiction ideas are creatively insane, but they are always brought down to Earth by the palpably flawed characters, which give the whole book a reality it would otherwise lack. This elevates it from whimsical science fantasy to something solid and substantial. For smeg’s sake, give it a read!

This book is the first one based on the Red Dwarf TV series. There have been twelve series to date, and they provide a glut of delightful sci-fi comedy – quirky, ingenious, and always very funny. Great for binge-watching if you can put your life on hold for a bit. The books are great, too. Possibly even funnier? The first, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, expands on the backgrounds of Lister, Rimmer, The Cat, Holly, and Kryten. What a gang, eh? In real life, you’d probably end up strangling them.

Don’t worry, I’m not just rattling off books by British writing duos. Except the previous one. And this one. I promise that’s it!

If you’re old(ish) like me, you might have seen the Red Dwarf TV show. I loved it, but I enjoyed the books even more. They follow the story of Dave Lister, a total slob who finds himself floating through space with a small gang of misfits, a hologram, a robot butler, a malfunctioning A.I., and a guy that evolved from cats. Hijinks ensue. The books deal with some really interesting concepts, like time travel, loneliness, and that… show more.