The iconic sci-fi comedy universe of Red Dwarf gets a bittersweet update with its first new novel in three decades. Co-written by original creator Rob Grant and comedy screenwriter Andrew Marshall, Red Dwarf: Titan serves as Grant’s final piece of writing following his sudden death in February, aged 70.
Stepping away from established television canon, the novel cleverly positions itself “one universe to the side”, serving as something of a prequel. The story finds Dave Lister and Arnold Rimmer babysitting each other on shore leave around Titan before the radiation leak that wiped out the crew. There, they receive a cryptic message from the distant future, warning that all realities face imminent collapse. This propels the feuding crewmates into a breakneck race against time against all manner of foes, including future versions of themselves.
As writers, Grant and Marshall work in perfect synergy – the latter keeping the universe feeling fresh and accessible, while preserving the signature sharp dialogue and sarcastic energy that we’ve come to expect. Grant takes the opportunity to give supporting characters like Kristine Kochanski some much-needed depth and breathe new life into the cast via, for example, overly helpful mechanoid Carzon.
The plot itself focuses on the series’ strengths and brings together everything we love about Red Dwarf in the first place, with dimension-hopping chaos and laugh-out-loud pacing played out by an incompetent cast of miscreants, muddling through impossible cosmic scenarios. Titan is a hilarious and very imaginative entry into Red Dwarf lore but could equally serve as an entry point to new fans of the show – and it’s a fitting farewell to a comedy legend.
