Colony

by Rob Grant

Lifetimes ago, the generation ship Willflower set out, manned by the cream of humanity, on a mission to colonize the stars. But by the 10th generation, things are starting to go badly wrong. The only man who can save the ship is astrophysical Dr Piers Morton. Only he's not an astrophysical engineer, he's not a doctor, he's not even Piers Morgan, and all that remains of his body is his head, his spinal column and absolutely nothing else. Better yet, somebody on board is trying to kill what's left of him...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Comedy, Space, Speculative Fiction, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Grant

Writes under the name Grant Naylor when collaborating with Doug Naylor

Reviews

[Dan]

Eddie O'Hare, perennial loser, switches places with C.P. Gordon, a genius level social scientist, and embarks on a voyage to the stars aboard the Willflower, a colony ship designed to take the cream of the crop on an extended voyage to another world. Eddie ends up in deep freeze and awakens ten generations later, appalled at what's become of the crew...

So I bought this because Rob Grant was half of the team that wrote Red Dwarf. While Colony feels like an exceptionally dark episode of Red Dwarf, it's just not the same. For one thing, there isn't a whole lot of humor and what there is seems forced. While I got a few chuckles, I feel like there was a reason the partnership was called Grant Naylor and this book perfectly illustrates that. It's as if Dough Naylor ran off with the joke book and left Grant with what was left over. This feels like a Red Dwarf plot that wasn't funny enough to make the cut. I'd give it a 2.5 if I could but not a 3.

[Bruce]

I found this book frustratingly uneven. Loved how I was drawn into the story within the first few pages in a fashion reminiscent of a classic Heinlein opening. But just as the story had gained some momentum, it suddenly went off the rails morphing into a poor approximation of a Douglas Adams novel.

I have a feeling that with a good director, the story line could be turned into an interesting script for TV or film, but as a book, it didn't quite work for me.

[Johnny Andrews]

Darkly funny or just very British humour take your pick. It started off slow reading (plus for about a month I couldn't find the book) but it grows on you and it is indeed very very very funny. Simply put, fans of Red Dwarf or any other Sci-Fi Comedy will love it.

[Tony]

Starts rather well and remarkably relevent... would have liked Mr Grant to develop the theme rather more. Also needs a few hundred more pages!

[John Kirk]

I enjoyed reading this. However, I never really got the sense that the spaceship had 1000 people on board, because we don't really see any of them. Looking at the various Star Trek series, there's a core cast of about 7 people (typically the command crew) but we also see random extras in the background, e.g. walking along the corridors or standing in the shuttle bay. In this book, it might as well be Red Dwarf where the rest of the ship is deserted, and that undermines one of the plot points. When the ship's in trouble, there's an escape pod which can fit 10 people, and we've only met 6 named characters (if you treat the multiple Styx drones as the same character), so I don't really feel the moral dilemma of abandoning everyone else.

The lead character is sympathetic, but I'm surprised that an accountant would know so much about astrophysics. I studied that at A level, and I think I'd struggle to figure out some of the things that he does. More generally, the cover says that the crew are idiots, but that's not really fair: Styx is the only one who I'd really describe as stupid.

There are some interesting ideas in here, e.g. the implications of a caste system on a generation ship. The Battlestar Galactica reboot also addressed that. However, I'm not sure that the ending really makes sense, and it undermines the earlier parts of the story.

If Gordon hadn't won all that money on the roulette wheel, he would have joined the ship's crew on schedule, then Father Lewis would have stabbed him (rather than Eddie). So, either way, he wouldn't have been able to influence the rest of the ship with his philosophy.

Eddie's main contribution was realising that they were about to collide with a planet. However, since the ship was already reconfiguring its engines, they were never in any real danger. So, why did he actually need to be there? And why couldn't the ship/computer have stopped the assassin itself (since it clearly had control over the exoskeleton/suit)?

I think it only works if Eddie's real job is about to begin. So, I would like to see a sequel which explores that. I would also be interested to know how the ship/computer removed people's ability to read.

[Lynne Norman]

This book was read as light relief following a few heavier novels and - as such - it worked for me. Not as funny as I would have hoped, but certainly entertaining enough and with an interesting sci-fi concept/plot. The ending felt a little rushed and left me wanting a little more closure. What Grant and Naylor did well in Red Dwarf, and especially in the spin-off novels, was create great anti-heroes - people the viewer/reader felt great affection for in spite of them being everything a hero shouldn't be. There are glimpses of that here - Eddie the underdog being the lead we are asked to root for.

[Stacey]

The last quarter (or less) of the book was definitely the best. Too bad there was so much to slog through before that. While the synopsis on the book was not incorrect, it did omit almost the first 50% of the book. It was also somewhat gory and there was a lot of violence, neither of which I was expecting from the synopsis. It's too bad the first part was so bad, because the ideas at the end were actually pretty interesting. I wish more time had been spent there, and less on the rather extraneous bits at the beginning.

[Peter]

WOW - CLEVER - VERY CLEVER: After being a red dwarf fan, I was nervous about reading this with too much expectation but to my suprise it was fantastic. Clever idea and i didn't expect that ending. Couldn't help but think that "eddie" was asking for it!
Well done Rob Grant,. I am looking forward to purchasing more of his books in the future.

[Guy Walsh]

Great book in the vein of Red Dwarf. Just as funny and keeps you guessing. Characters aren't perhaps as likeable as the Red Dwarf crew, but this is far from a rehash of Red Dwarf so I'm going to stop harping on about it. Interesting twist at the end too. If there isn't a sequal, there should be.

[Gareth Park]

funniest book i have ever read. i love the character worrying about their green gloop. kept me up literally all night to finish it

[Peg Tittle]

Funny, and I'll be reading more from this person, but ...

And there it is again, this time in Rob Grant’s Colony: the belief that babies just … happen (they’re brought by a stork or found in a cabbage patch, perhaps?).

“Everyone finally agrees that global warming is a serious problem, now they’re up to their necks in water. And as the land masses shrink, as resources drown under the swelling waters, the world population has exploded. There are more people alive now than ever lived in the whole of human history. Billions and billions trying to scrape a life from the receding land and its dwindling supplies. More born every day.” (p25).

That SHOULD be “And as the land masses shrink, as resources drown under the swelling waters, men continue to impregnate women. … More made every day.”

‘Now’ is not the time to suddenly deny agency, control, power–all the thing you men so love.

[Stephanie (BookishVampirateLycan)]

I quite enjoyed this book. I usually enjoy anything Rob Grant (or Doug Naylor) so not entirely unusual.

What is unusual is that I enjoyed it despite not a single character in this book being likeable. Except maybe Bernadette, I liked her. Eddie grew on my like a mould, and I maybe liked him a little at the end. XD

I was genuinely a little disappointed that they all didn't die in a fiery death but enjoyed the twist of Father Lewis murdering Eddie/Gordon the first time around. I liked that the ship fixed itself and framed poor Eddie XD

All in all a fun little foray into sci-fi that has made me want to rewatch Red Dwarf again.

[Philip Guy]

I bought this on the basis that I really like Red Dwarf. However, about a quarter of the way through this book, I started to have concerns.
Eddie, a decent but deeply flawed person, finds themselves on a deep space ship, wakes up centuries later to find that things have gone very awry and the descendents of the original crew are less than competent. Sounds familiar...?
However, while the shared DNA with Red Dwarf is very present, the humour and pacing are enough to keep the reader entertained, and the plot differences enough to make the story stand on its own merits.
This is not going to win a Nebula Award, but it is worth reading if Red Dwarf is your kind of humour.

[Kaileigh]

3.75 stars

Quick read, overall really enjoyed the plot and world building. Wasn't sure I was going to like Eddie at the beginning, but he definitely grew on me throughout the book. However, without a doubt, Apton Styx (and all the Styxs) were collectively my favourite characters. I hope they all live long, happy, confused lives.

I would say that the ending felt a little rushed, and I would have appreciated it a lot more if the conclusion had been more "conclusive."

[Danny]

closer to 3 than 2.5. I think I expected more from it, maybe because KSR's Aurora still resonates in my mind, or that I really enjoyed the latter Incompetence more. The blurb really only covers the last 2/3rd of the book and it's....rather simplistic. I don't know. There are enjoyable parts and things that could have been explored more in depth.

[Russ Morgan]

First half of the book is fantastic, exactly what you want from one of the authors of Red Dwarf. Second half, not so much. Could or should have been expanded upon, maybe in two books. Bit of a hurried finish for me.

[David Day]

This is a cracking book - classic Grant. There are bits of it that are reminiscent of Red Dwarf, but that’s to be expected. If you like Hitchhiker’s, Red Dwarf etc. then you’ll like this. Witty, urbane, spacey, sarky - well recommended!

[Seagullslost]

I enjoyed the Red Dwarf books which is why I choose this.

I did spend a lot of the start wondering when it was going, but I kept reading to find out, so it had me hooked. enjoyable ans want to read more.

[Frank Davis]

Nawww, cute ending. This is absurdist scifi, with a plot that seems entirely pointless. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

An uncanny number of similarities to Red Dwarf, which I don't mind, but seems an interesting decision.

[Sarah]

Better than I expected, tbh. The beginning was actually pretty good, the whole was quite fun, but the ending was a bit 'meh'. I can release it into the wild, now! ;)

[Odhran]

I've read this so many times, and every time I literally blast through it and cannot put it down. A fun sci-fi bumble (kinda like a romp, but more manic and clumsy.)

[Sarah]

At times this is hilariously funny but it felt a bit like the author rushed to finish it and ended up coming to an abrubt end just as it was really taking off. All the same an amusing read.

[Martin Hall]

I enjoy Rob Grants writing style, nice details and intricacies that others may miss, good sense of world building.

[Damian Knight]

ok story

[Nick]

Loved the start but the ending is a bit naff

[Scott Gardner]

Not as funny as advertised , much prefer his Red Dwarf stuff

[Toastbrot123]

Very entertaining. I guess if you like Hitchhiker or Red Dwarf you will enjoy this.

[John Poulain]

A collection of different sci fi tropes from the Red Dwarf writer. Funny and interesting, showing the breakdown of a society on a generation ship who's succession planning is questionable at best.

[The Gemini Bookworm]

Loved this book would love it if there had been a sequel

[BurritoChris]

Interesting premise and largely really good writing. But I think the sheer quantity of Red Dwarf-esque quips tends to get a little tiresome after a while.