Review: Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers

Published under the name Red Dwarf, most fans refer to this book by its joke road sign on the original cover, which is the title seen above. The book only very loosely follows the canon of the television series, mixing up episode plots to create a competent story in its own right, despite having many of the lines from the series. It also provides a little bit of a prologue to the series as a whole, that could easily be brought into the back of the TV series.

            The book is split into three miniature segments, themselves cut into very short chapters. The first segment is a prologue, the second is a mix-up of some early episodes and the third is after a supposed return to Earth. The prose is easy to read and easily blends in to the personality of the character being described, the narrator having almost no personality of its own. This makes the characters much more identifiable, as well as being a slight bonus for watchers of the series who can now see the interactions in a much deeper manner.

            Of course, it all boils down to this: is it a good book on its own? For me, the answer is yes. It’s got decent prose, a funny and enlightening story and the same deep sense of human understanding as the series. Does watching the series help? Yes as well, but it may be slightly annoying when one sees the differences in canon, one must realise that this is probably what the producers had intended in the first place.

Thanks.