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caitsidhe's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy the work of Toby Frost. Space Captain Smith is an enjoyable pastiche of the Flashman groups, only set in a future where there is the British Empire In Space.
You'll recognise a lot of details and pop-culture references. A lot of fun.
You'll recognise a lot of details and pop-culture references. A lot of fun.
chramies's review against another edition
4.0
First in the "Space Captain Smith" series but the third I've read (after books 2 and 5). In this one Smith is cooling his heels back at base when he is given a ship and a mission: go and collect a certain individual and bring her back before the Ghasts (an ant-like race of hivemind aliens) get to her.
Introducing the crew of the 'John Pym' including the Predator-like Suruk (already friends with Smith so we don't get so much of his past), Rhianna (who has a deeply-hidden secret not even she knows all about) and Polly - where we get into full "Blade Runner" territory. Frost is obviously fond of "Blade Runner" and a lot less so of "The Matrix" which gets a bit of a kicking here.
Introducing the crew of the 'John Pym' including the Predator-like Suruk (already friends with Smith so we don't get so much of his past), Rhianna (who has a deeply-hidden secret not even she knows all about) and Polly - where we get into full "Blade Runner" territory. Frost is obviously fond of "Blade Runner" and a lot less so of "The Matrix" which gets a bit of a kicking here.
alext73's review
Half of this book is original, swashbuckling adventure with good characters and hilarious dialogue. However, the other half is an homage to classic films, and I would have rather had complete originality.
koboldskind's review against another edition
4.0
Victorian Englishmen IN SPACE! Captain Smith is everything a Victorian adventurer hero should be: stoic, heroic, somewhat repressed and while not xenophobe as such he is utterly certain that anyone who is not British is inferior to everyone who is. To his credit, that doesn't stop him from being best friends with a proud warrior alien. Together with their not at all repressed android pilot, they rescue the damsel causing distress and take on insectoid alien empires and religious fanatics.
If that doesn't make it clear enough, this is pulp science fiction of the highest order. Fortunately, that genre is my guilty pleasure, and I enjoyed the book a lot. References to everything from Blade Runner to The Matrix and a general, generous dash of humor make it even better. Looking forward to the next book already.
If that doesn't make it clear enough, this is pulp science fiction of the highest order. Fortunately, that genre is my guilty pleasure, and I enjoyed the book a lot. References to everything from Blade Runner to The Matrix and a general, generous dash of humor make it even better. Looking forward to the next book already.
veronica87's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, well that was weird...and cheesy...and fun. Like Mystery Science Theater 3000 type fun.
kellswitch's review
2.0
A very awkward start, and over all a fairly awkward book it did improve as it went on. Overall not horrible book but not great book either.
The conceit of the book, Victorian era British colonialism played out in the future and with star systems vs. the continents on Earth could end up being an enjoyable one, but at least in this first book it was handled so clumsily and one dimensionally at times that it took me right out of the story, the characters and situations were just to unbelievable to get very involved in and care about.
This is the first book in the series as well as the authors first book in general and I can see potential in it the concept, I'm just not sure I'm interested enough to try the next book.
The conceit of the book, Victorian era British colonialism played out in the future and with star systems vs. the continents on Earth could end up being an enjoyable one, but at least in this first book it was handled so clumsily and one dimensionally at times that it took me right out of the story, the characters and situations were just to unbelievable to get very involved in and care about.
This is the first book in the series as well as the authors first book in general and I can see potential in it the concept, I'm just not sure I'm interested enough to try the next book.
realbooks4ever's review
3.0
A rollicking, humorous (albeit juvenile) space adventure! First in a series.
latepaul's review
3.0
Very readable fun SciFi spoof. I guess it's mainly a "Flashman in space" riff but it also has specific sequences that spoof things like Bladerunner.
The tone was a bit uneven, sometime going for satire, sometimes the quick laugh. Overall though not bad.
The tone was a bit uneven, sometime going for satire, sometimes the quick laugh. Overall though not bad.
hteph's review
1.0
This is a parody of space opera and SF in general. It is fun a chapter or two but then it turns out it is just a endless numbers of oh so funny references to movies and books...
tykewriter's review
4.0
A quickie review this, as I hasten to fill up my shelves with books I read a while back, but Space Captain Smith is an enjoyable romp, with it's tongue firmly in its cheek.
This is the British Empire as we've seen it before; an Empire of starships and colony worlds, with an unabashed steampunk chic that pokes some gentle fun at some old imperial tropes, as well as a host of popular science fiction movies of recent times.
It's up to Space Captain Smith and his motley band -- a sex-bot turned pilot, a refined but psycho alien predator -- to save the empire from a plot by the evil Ghasts.
With stiff upper lip and lashings of tea, Smith and crew embark on a thrilling, yet highly amusing, set of adventures. And when they are joined by the decidedly New Age Rhianna, there's a lot more than the stiff lip the Captain must contend with.
Toby Frost's novel is highly entertaining. The same can be said of the follow up novels too.
This is the British Empire as we've seen it before; an Empire of starships and colony worlds, with an unabashed steampunk chic that pokes some gentle fun at some old imperial tropes, as well as a host of popular science fiction movies of recent times.
It's up to Space Captain Smith and his motley band -- a sex-bot turned pilot, a refined but psycho alien predator -- to save the empire from a plot by the evil Ghasts.
With stiff upper lip and lashings of tea, Smith and crew embark on a thrilling, yet highly amusing, set of adventures. And when they are joined by the decidedly New Age Rhianna, there's a lot more than the stiff lip the Captain must contend with.
Toby Frost's novel is highly entertaining. The same can be said of the follow up novels too.
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