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Following on the heels of the first Red Dwarf book, I decided that I would continue my light, humorous reading with Better Than Life.
It was a nice walk down memory lane yet again. But this time there were considerable differences between my memory of the TV series and what the novel presented. Sections like Bedford Falls, Garbage World and entering into Backwards were bulked out with new or different material. A whole piece about Earth, cockroaches, and a sixty year old Lister was new to me. Talky Toaster, who in my memory, is only really a bit of a light-hearted cameo in the TV series takes on a much wider and influential role in the novel.
The book was quite cohesive and read well. I did find it slightly disconcerting as it was not quite what I was expecting. As a result I’m thinking I will have to get the DVDs out of the cupboard and reacquaint myself with the first few series again.
Once I’ve re-watched the shows I may have to come back and update the review with notations about my failing memory and how the novel was just like the series. Well. We’ll see.
