Space Captain Smith (Chronicles of Isambard Smith) [Paperback]

Toby Frost (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2009 | Series: Chronicles of Isambard Smith

In the 25th Century the British Space Empire faces the gathering menace of the evil ant-soldiers of the Ghast Empire hive, hell-bent on galactic domination and the extermination of all humanoid life. Isambard Smith is the square-jawed, courageous, and somewhat asinine new commander of the battle damaged light freighter John Pym, destined to take on the alien threat because nobody else is available. Together with his bold crew—a skull-collecting alien lunatic, an android pilot who is actually a fugitive sex toy, and a hamster called Gerald—he must collect new-age herbalist Rhianna Mitchell from the laid back New Francisco orbiter and bring her back to safety in the Empire. Straightforward enough—except the Ghasts want her too. If he is to get back to Blighty alive, Smith must defeat void sharks, a universe-weary android assassin, and John Gilead, psychopathic naval officer from the fanatically religious Republic of New Eden before facing his greatest enemy: a ruthless alien warlord with a very large behind.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Frost's debut, a light-hearted interstellar adventure, focuses on a second-rate captain, Isambard Smith. Plucked from a desk job in the bureaucracy of the 25th century British Space Empire, Smith, whose attitudes are straight out of the original British Empire, is sent on a simple mission to escort Rhianna Mitchell from her home on the hippie planet New Francisco to the spaceport Midlight. Naturally the mission isn't as straightforward as Smith is led to believe and he finds himself making mortal enemies of the alien 462 and the evangelical Captain Gilead. Sudden scene changes leave the reader momentarily confused, and offhand references to pop science fiction culture are more clichéd than clever. An ironic sense of British rectitude nicely contrasts with the satire of 1940s space opera, but Frost never quite finds his voice or pacing.
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About the Author

Toby Frost has written film reviews for the book The DVD Stack and articles for Solander magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Myrmidon Books; paperback / softback edition (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905802137
• ISBN-13: 978-1905802135
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #732,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cultists Filched My Trousers, December 27, 2008

By 

R. Sundquist (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Space Captain Smith (Chronicles of Isambard Smith) (Paperback)

"Space Captain Smith" is a work of science fiction comedy in the tradition of Harry Harrison and Douglas Adams. Captain Isambard Smith is given command of the HMS John Pym, a broken down old wreck, and sent to recover Rhianna, a hippie herbalist, from the clutches of the evil ant-like Ghast empire. His crew consists of Carveth, a fugitive pothead sex-bot, Suruk, a head-hunting alien, and Gilbert, the ship's hamster.

In some places "Space Captain Smith" reads like a straightforward spoof: of the "Alien" movies, "The Matrix", and a general smattering of pulp sf stereotypes and formulas. (Similarities to the TV show "Firefly" are particularly clear, down to the design of the junky old ship, and the shoot-first philosophy of our heroes). But it works because, like "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" before it, it's managed to create sympathetic characters who can stand on their own even as they lampoon the cliches of the genre. They are only barely competent at their jobs, and spend a lot of time drunk or stoned, but they're a fun and very likable bunch. Not only that, but they're definitely the good guys, standing up for freedom against the hordes of fascists and fanatics. The villains are suitably evil, starting with the evil-empire totalitarian ants and rounded out by the Republic of Eden, a nation of unmistakably American religious extremists.

The humour is very British, with Smith's deadpan public school delivery contrasted with Carveth's rampant double entendres and Rhianna's Californian stoner philosophies. I don't often find myself reading funny books, and this was an absolute delight. Highly recommended for high adventure and a good laugh.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than 300 pages of dick jokes, October 17, 2010

By 

John Middleton (Brisbane, QLD, AUST) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Space Captain Smith (Chronicles of Isambard Smith) (Paperback)

Actually, the title should more properly read "more than JUST 300 pages of dick jokes" although there is a dick joke or two to be found. Also, bum jokes, fart jokes, and single, double and triple entendres. But for all that, this is steampunk space opera set to flank speed.

Imagine every sci-fi movie, TV show, book and computer game ever. Mix them all up in a huge bubbling stewpot, throw in some British honour out of Flashman, and turn the dial up to 11. That sums up Space Captain Smith as best I can. Alternatively, you could try imagining what comes to mind with the simple phrase "British Space Empire".

To write a proper spoof of something, it has to work on the level that is being spoofed as well. Toby Frost does this: there is an evil alien empire (the insectile Ghasts), a square-jawed hero (Captain Isambard Smith), his sidekick (Suruk the Slayer, an alien), a love interest (Rhianna), and a henchmen. Henchbot. Henchsexbot (Polly Carveth). Oh, and a hamster called Gerald, but he does not have a lot to do. Without giving the plot away, there is adventure, derring do, and violence.

Smith is a bit of a cipher here - we are unsure if he is civilian or military, public servant or company man. He's a real hero - a dead shot, personally brave, terribly proper, and unlacking in moral fibre. He's also not terribly bright, hopeless with women, and thoroughly paternalistic. For all that, his best friend is an alien savage and he is horrified that his android pilot was designed as a sex toy for a degenerate (but escaped to freedom instead). Smith plays it straight all the way through: there is no winking to the audience, for all that the writer's tongue is planted firmly in cheek.

With so much going on, it's a wonder this works as well as it does. Don't bother trying to count all the influences being ripped off, you will give up in the first few pages even if you take off your shoes. I think myself there was only one plot thread too far, and I might have ditched the hamster. Probably other people take a different view as to which character and plot thread could have been cut, and all that goes to show how very well the damn thing works. Its less "ridiculous" than Red Dwarf or Hitchiker's Guide - it's a real universe, just filled with crazy, yet internally consistent, characters.

If you can handle humour in your sci-fi, or sci-fi in your humour, this is the book for you

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh Out Loud, March 5, 2009

By 

C. Alleyne - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Space Captain Smith (Chronicles of Isambard Smith) (Paperback)

I absolutely love Space Captain Smith. Sci-fi is not usually my thing but because of its deft humour and the wonderful tongue-in-cheek historical allusions, that didn't matter in the slightest. The Flashman-like throwback Isambard Smith is a brilliant character and his escapades aboard the John Pym spaceship with his motley crew are laugh out loud. The will-he-ever sexual tension between Smith and Rhianna, the woman he is trying to save, is also very funny. I'm half way through the second book in the series (God Emperor of Didcot which bizarrely Amazon says will be published on April 1, 2009 - or maybe that's there little joke?) and it's just as good.