Space Captain Smith

Space Captain Smith: A Penny Dreadful Review

            You know it is going to be a wonderful book when you start chuckling on the first page. I laughed all the way through Space Captain Smith by Toby Frost, and I bet you will, too.

            Isembard Smith is a desk-clerk from the British Empire, which spans several planets. He is given a run-down spaceship, a pilot who is a sexbot who faked her credentials, and a mission he was never supposed to complete. He must transport a magical hippie chick to a safe location, despite aliens and cultists who want to use her for their own nefarious purposes.

            Toby Frost is a comic genius. He has an excellent grasp of the absurd. Space Captain Smith is loaded with satirical jibes and pop culture references. There’s a cyberpunk planet, there’s a War of the Worlds Martian, and there’s a chapter entitled, “Ho-Down Of The Damned.” This is a silly, silly book. It reminds me a bit of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with a Steampunk twist.

            I give this silliness four and a half gears out of five. It is an excellent addition to any adult’s library. Space Captain Smith is the perfect book-shaped companion for when you need a good laugh and feel like reading something with aliens in.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather