Red Dwarf Omnibus: Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers & Better Than Life

Red Dwarf genus premise of merging sitcom and Sci-Fi is an enduring one and the fact it's still going after 32 years with the majority of the original cast/creative team is impressive. Book tie in's were quite common in the pre-video age though mostly these were novelisations/scripts of the show and added little. These books go beyond that level, attempting to change the series' episodic nature into a bigger narrative [ala Hitchhikers Guide] and the lack of budget restraints allows the writers to expand the shows scope.Infinity:Like the first two series, it's primarily focused on Lister and Rimmer, though Holly, the Cat [who's species background is expanded on] and Kryten [who's pre-crew life is darkly funny] get moments to shine. The episodes 'The End', ;Future Echo's' and 'Kryten' are quite close to the tv episodes but we get more background on the leads, quite a few scenes set before the show's beginning and a new spin on Me2 and better than life. Not every gag translates well but Grant-Naylors wit comes across well in novel form. The chapters are quite short and it moves along well.Better than Life:The opening section, the part relating the title, is by far the weakest, expanding on a tight and short section in the previous novel but ends up dragging and is pretty pointless while not being a patch on the tv episode. Once the crew are back on Red Dwarf, the book picks up nicely. 'White hole' [which was actually made after this book was published] and 'Polymorph' are quite close to the TV episodes and Talky Toaster is over exposed, but there are plenty of fantastic ideas [such as Garbage World], the supporting characters get more to do and some poignant scenes [rivalling the ones in 'Stoke me a clipper'.The writers would go there separate ways to write the two follow ups [which act as alternative sequels] but these are a must read for fans, though newcomers would be advised to watch some of the show first.

Probably my favorite book, if you love Red Dwarf but are hesitant to buy this - do it! improves upon some of the different episodes from the show, expanding them and exploring the different themes a bit more than they could fit into the episodes. If you haven't seen or read any Red Dwarf, but love Sci-Fi and comedy, get it anyway!Dare I say it i actually preferred how they transferred the concepts of some of the episodes into the book! Worth giving a chance for old fans/new fans and people who just want a funny Sci-Fi Comedy book!

I read Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers when I was a young teen and it left a big impression on me, I've always been a Red Dwarf fan but the books allow the characters more room to breathe and the details are excellent. The humour is exactly as you would expect from Red Dwarf and very well written. I've bought this again for my son to read as he is now a similar age as I was at the time I read it. He's already a fan of the show so I hope he gets as much enjoyment out of this as I did.

Second hand, cheap, good condition, quick delivery and a great read ... what could be better?I've only seen Red Dwarf 137 times and I thought it was a great read and added to the Red Dwarfiness of my life! "Backwards" next ... or would that be first? :-)

Why oh why didn't Rob Grant and Doug Naylor write more of these together ?! These first two novels are infinitely better than their solo efforts. Sometimes I guess people just don't know when they've got a good thing going on.

Just purchased this on a whim for a light bit of holiday reading. I remember reading and enjoying it back in the Red Dwarf heyday and was curious to see how it would stand up after all these years.Well it hasn't dated at all. I still laughed out loud several times. As has been mentioned it fleshes out the TV characters well, there are some wonderful stories and some fantastic one liners.It is a bit like Hitchikers Guide for the 90s - I really do believe it stands comparison with Douglas Adams' masterpieces.Highly recommended!

Bought for my daughter who is a big fan of the TV programmes. She was very pleased with the book and how much is packed in there.

Some of the story does differ from them taken from Episodes of the TV show, but a very funny red regardless.