Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 One in the eye for the Ghast empire! August 26, 2008
Utterly brilliant! I loved every page turning moment of this un-put-down-able debut novel from Toby Frost.
I picked this book up by mistake thinking it was a Flashman book, but after reading the cover notes I thought "that's just about the cut of my jib"! Full of daring do and masculine British bravado but most of all downright silliness!
Brilliantly written, can't wait to get stuck into the sequel (hopefully the first of many?)
A great and refreshing space adventure August 24, 2008
Isambard Smith has been drafted for a mission - to collect a passenger, Rhianna, for one planet and take her to another. He's given a small, pretty pathetic ship, the John Pym, a pilot in Carveth, an android and former sex-bot that is on the run, and he brings along his alien friend, Suruk the Slayer, an M'Lak with an unhealthy obsession with collecting skulls.
With this mission, and representing the British Empire, he goes off with tea in his cup and not much of a clue. Picking up Rhianna he ends up running into the Ghast, who want nothing more than to destroy humanity, and John Gilead from the religiously fanatical Republic of Eden.
Can Captain Smith complete his mission, can he put the Ghast in their place for interfering in his mission, and can he have biscuits with his tea?
Space Captain Smith is Toby Frost's debut and a thoroughly enjoyable and very British space adventure, somewhat describable as a high seas British Empire novel in space. Despite how this sounds, it just works so well. The humour, which is decidedly British, is prevalent throughout and not a page goes by without a smile coming to my face in some way. It comes from not only the dialogue, which is witty and fun, but also from the scenarios that the crew are put in.
Talking about the crew (and characters in general): they are so well suited to exactly this sort of situation. Isambard Smith is completely British, right to the bone, and some of his views of the universe and other life living within is completely ridiculous - but it just works. Carveth is great to read simply because you don't know what you'll get next, but it's sure to be amusing. And Suruk, well, he steals the novel. Completely obsessed with war, killing and collecting skulls he can turn any situation in to an opportunity for battle and glory.
Space Captain Smith is a great, refreshing read and is very highly recommended.
Excellent Stuff! August 18, 2008
Well I've just finished reading Space Captain Smith for a second time and must admit I love it!
With a good mix of humour, derring-do and some really entertaining characters this book is great fun and doesn't take itself too seriously but still manages to have a really great story!
I am really looking forward for the sequel to come out in September and would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good light hearted adventure story!
I do believe that the books could make a great setting for a red dwarf style of tv show as it could very well be fantastic!
 Oh dear... August 10, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Going against the flow I found this book pretty tedious, the premise seemed good and some of the characters were quite likeable but the most annoying thing about the book was that the it just ran like a load of other peoples ideas all stuck together - Dan Dare, The Matrix, Blade Runner, Starship Trooper, Predator, Red Dwarf and many others. I know everyone borrows, reuses and uses new paradigms for existing ideas but I felt they were the glue holding this book together.
Add to this dialogue that seems to be aimed at creating really bad puns and it really becomes quite intolerable, I won't be rushing to buy the second Chronicle of Isambard Smith.
Lord Flasheart meets Captain Mainwaring August 3, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
The Victorian British Empire survives in the future and its safety lies in the hands of a space captain with the arrogant bravery of Lord Flasheart from the Blackadder stories, the stiff upper lip winning despite incompetence of Captain Mainwaring and Bertie Wooster's success with women. It works as a comic novel and if you can spot just some of the sci-fi references, it works as a comic sci-fi novel as well. Amazon said that this book was a good partner with James Delingpole's "Coward on the beach." I like that one as well. Yes, I will be queuing to buy The Emperor God of Didcot.
|
