Book Review
Copyright (c) 1995, Tommy Van Hook
All rights reserved


Red Dwarf:  Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers by Grant-Naylor
ROC Books, (c) 1989
1st ROC Printing, September 1992
ISBN 0-451-45201-1
Pages:  298


Take today's society.  Allow for two hundred years or more of the
inevitable moral decay that comes with civilization.  Focus on an
ore-mining ship called "Red Dwarf."  Add a degenerate punk with
an attitude problem.  Mix in an insecure, power-hungry buffoon. 
Stir generously with an on-board nuclear disaster, and allow to
sit for 3,000 years.  Top it off with a ship's computer that has
an IQ of 600 or more, and sprinkle gingerly over the first erect-
species of Feline.  What do you get?  The hilarious BBC-TV comedy
called "Red Dwarf."

While the book goes into a lot more detail than the TV show, I
found it lacking the constant hilarity on the show.  This does
not, however, take anything away from the book, which is one of
the most enjoyable books I have ever read.  The situations that
this cast of misfits gets into border on the totally insane.  I
found myself constantly trying to put this book down, and failing
to do so.  The characters of David Lister (the last surviving
human being), Arnold Rimmer (the totally obnoxious Hologram), Cat
(the very self-centered and lazy Feline Erectus), and Holly (the
sarcastic ship's computer) will have you on the floor begging for
more between the tears of laughter.  The banter between the
characters is lost a bit in the book (the TV show does a much
more vivid job of depicting their constant sniping), but
nonetheless it is VERY amusing.

If you liked "Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy," you will really
find this book to be a great treat.  Don't miss it.  A word of
caution though:  I had an extremely hard time finding a copy of
this book.  I located it at a local Comic Book shop (Lone Star
Comics).  I was lucky enough to find it in the second store that
I checked for it.  You might not have as much luck though.  Keep
searching for it, simply because it is very well worth your time
and effort.

Grade:  A+
