Wrath of the Lemming Men (3) (Chronicles of Isambard Smith) Paperback – April 1, 2010

I'm not a book reviewer. I don't read a book, hoping to find a message, or pungent social comment. I read for the pleasure of reading, and to escape the stresses of life for a bit. Toby Frost's books allow me to do that, very well. The Chronicles Of Isambard Smith are light, fun reading. Funny and very British in humour (the "ou" there in homage), the books never get bogged down in exposition or dry narration. If you're a fan of light, fun Sci Fi, try these books. Get "Space Captain Smith" first, and go on from there.

Love the universe Toby has created here, Ill keep reading if he keeps writing. Definitely one to add to the collection.

The first two books in the SPACE CAPTAIN SMITH series established a very simple structure. Our hero, Isambard Smith, fights various alien menaces in defense of the British Space Empire, accompanied by his barely competent crew: the android/former sexbot Polly, the homicidal alien Suruk, and the hippie/superhuman Rhianna. Along the way, various science fiction standards are spoofed and parodied, including...well, just about anything. Even Thomas the Tank Engine (or Thomas the Difference Engine, as it is here).This book, the third in the series, actually manages to improve on the first two. The plot and action seem to have been thought out to a greater extent this time round, and the characters even start to grow and change. Puns and low humour abound, but the story is so good-natured and energetic that it's very hard not to enjoy it. I laughed out loud several times, and as I was reading I constantly had a smile on my face. The heroes are likable as ever, and the rampant spoofing is toned down a little in favor of actually telling the story.The plot is about the Lemming-Men of Yull, suicidally ferocious warriors whose one and only weakness is the compulsive desire to leap off any nearby ledges, who have declared war on the British and their allies (including the Morlocks, a race of warriors who have now devoted themselves to law, architecture, and other cultured pursuits) after the Battle of the River Tam (a shout-out to any "Firefly" fans in the audience). One of them is out to kill Suruk, and the fascist ant-like Ghast Empire is involved...Well, the plot is not all that important.What is important is that WRATH OF THE LEMMING-MEN is funny, silly, and generally a good time. If not quite to the level of Douglas Adams' work, it should still satisfy anyone in the mood for a defiantly British space adventure with its tongue in its cheek.

Wrath of the Lemming-men is the third, and currently final, volume in the adventures of Isambard Smith, hero of the British Space Empire. Once again there is action, humour and evil villians to overcome. Colonel Gilead has been replaced by General Vock, a disgraced leader of the lemming men who has a blood feud with Surok the Slayer: only by killing Surok can he regain honour in the eyes of his peace-loving war-god Popacapinyo. 462 is still his red-arsed self, but there is also the nefarious 8 for Smith to deal with.After his romantic success in God Emporer of Didcot, Smith has now broken up with Rhianna, and is even more repressed as a result. Can he win her back? Does he even want to? Will Polly Carveth find love of her own? Why did the Ghasts give up on females and move to genetic engineering? All these questions, and more, may be answered if you read the book.Don't even bother counting the literary influences here: to be blunt, if it exists, Toby Frost has ripped it off, and done so superbly. World of Warcraft, Doctor Who, Thomas the Tank Engine...you name it.This is pure fun to read: Smith is a perfect everyman action hero, brave, bold, and none too bright. If you can't enjoy this book - if it does not cheer you up and make you laugh out loud - then I pity the shrivelled excuse for a heart that beats in your sunken chest.

The third and to date most recent of the Chronicles of Isambard Smith, would it live up to the first two? Well my short answer is yes. Once again we return to the crew of the John Pym, the brave, honourable, and slightly dim Captain Smith, the cowardly reprogrammed sex-bot Polly Caveth, the murderous alien lunatic Suruk the Slayer and half human, space hippy Rhian Mitchell. In their hands lies the fate of the galaxy as the evil ghasts and their barking mad lemming men allies attempt to seize advantage over the British Space Empire.As with the earlier books this is by no means a classic but it is enjoyable. The main characters are likeable and well fleshed out, but the world around them remains a little sketchy. There are some fantastic one liners as well as some great pop culture references. So why then three stars from me?This is my first Kindle 'book' and unfortunately the editing was nothing short of shoddy. Several times the scene shifts without any line break, there are dashes that appear in the middle of words for no reason. All of which detracts and distracts from the story, and left me with the feeling that it was thrown together by someone who didn't know or didn't care what they were doing.So overall this is a story where the efforts of the writer have been somewhat undone by the apparent lack of effort from the publisher. Pity.

Another great book in the Space Captain Smith universe, this time with man-sized battle crazed Lemmings! Highly recommended!

I'm pleased to say that Toby Frost shows no signs of waning powers in the third of his hilarious 'British Space Empire' novels. Sure, it's not quite as funny as 'God Emperor of Didcot', and there's the odd loose end, but then again, how many books are as funny as 'God Emperor of Didcot'?What I liked about this one was that the author seemed to be getting into his characters more. Particularly Carveth, the sex-bot turned cowardly pilot / engineer, who is given a lot more coverage (which is good, because I've been fond of her since book one), with a number of scenes all of her own, including a hilarious confrontation with a Jane Austen-bot who has a thing for men in uniform. Also, Suruk the Slayer is becoming much more developed: now he's a full blown, three dimensional psychopath. And all the old favourites, like W and the insane commandos. Even 462 is becoming slightly less dislikable.But of course, there are the wonderful jokes. The Yull (aka the Lemming Men of the title) have gods whose names are a hoot. We learn that Suruk's ancestors faked evidence to make it look as if they had built the pyramids so as to confuse foolish Earth-people. And we're told where the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs really came from. And there's always Tar'kha the Death Otter.Anyway, what are you waiting for: buy it, and let's hope number four is as good.

I have been waiting for this since November (it was trailed in "God Emperor of Didcot") and the wait has been worth it.Smith and his chums are once again in the thick of things as the evil Ghasts and their suicidal allies the Yull attempt to create the ultimate Ghast soldier.The characters are becoming more and more real as each book goes by - so much so that Polly Carveth has now burnt herself into my brain - a sex-a-droid turned pilot, always afraid, but always manages to somehow pull through.Smith is becoming a true hero, even if he is a bit dim at times.Suruk tke Slayer is becoming funnier... and Rhianna? Well she's always been weird.Ghast commander 462 is a truly hissable villain, and with each encounter he has with Smith seems to result in yet another injury.And new villain, Yull General Vock - fantastically well written.Toby Frost has to be the finest writer of genre comedy out there, and these books deserve to be million sellers and win him some kind of reward.Come on BBC, adapt this into a series... it is just crying out for some sort of screen version - just don't let Hollywood get their mits on it.Well done Toby... now, give us another!

I read a few negative reviews on here and I was a bit reserved on getting this book. Glad I did because I loved it. I have read the series and have enjoyed every page. The toungue in cheek humour from the first two is less but it still made a cracking read. I finished it really fast which was my fault. I always felt part of the story and I loved the little bits where you read it and the writer has made a character sound like Kennith Williams or other tid bits where you have to re read a sentence to make sure you did read it right.If you like Firefly, Red Dwarf, HHGTTG, Steampunk and good old british humour you should enjoy this series. Roll on the next one..........hopefully

For some reason, this novel, the third in the series of Isambard Smith adventures, seemed to be delayed. However, once I got my hands on it I knew it was worth the wait, and once again I laughed like a drain and thrilled along with the busy adventure.Mr Frost is a seriously talented wordsmith tipping his hat to all sorts of sources and influences in the most enjoyable nudge nudge wink wink kind of way.He is, for my money, the funniest sci fi author since Douglas Adams. There is no competition.Oh and after 3 books, I now seriously want to marry Polly Carveth!