Battle beyond the Dolestars by Chris McCrudden Review (Gifted)

Hello Readers,
Thank you, Jamie for sending me a copy of Battle beyond the Dolestars by Chris McCrudden for free in exchange for an honest review.

So, I will be honest I LOVE Red Dwarf so this series is right up my street. This is the second book in series and not one to let old habits die OBVIOUSLY I have read the second one first. Credit to Chris’s writing despite joining the story here I felt perfectly comfortable and there wasn’t a section I was unsure about. Chris has included enough backstory to not feel lost.

I loved the Red Dwarf books and this is in the same comedy stream. Chris has a slightly different humour but good heavens, the puns flow like a mighty river. I’m sorry, not sorry I love a really bad pun. Despite all the puns and humour, there are also some interweaving of subtle, and less subtle references to the total shambles that is our current political climate and the plastic problem that is plaguing the oceans.

It's wacky and more than a little weird but as soon as I got into the mindset of a world where sentient machines have taken over I didn't want to leave.  There is no Terminator-style human-robot instead lamps, photocopiers, and a particularly evil smartphone lead the machine charge. There are genuinely funny moments and the pacing is frenetic and relentless. The bad guys are boo-worthy, the good guys are courageous and funny.

This is a fascinating premise and the machines aren’t quite as you may have imagined them as mentioned above. There are ever parlours where machines can go, in private, to have their buttons caressed by humans and we’ll leave that there!

One of my favourite concepts Chris has is on Earth, there’s a gap between the virtual and the physical world where passage into the Internet is possible making it tourist destination. The Internet cats are absolutely hilarious.

This is a great story not only is it mad and quirky it’s a fun read that will lighten your mood and make you smile. The first book has been added to my ever-growing TBR pile and I can’t wait to see what Chris comes up with next.

L x

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