Let’s Talk About Red Dwarf: Titan (SPOILER-FREE) News Posted by Ian Symes on 13th July 2026, 09:43 We were planning on saving this until Thursday, but it seems that significant numbers of fans have managed to get hold of a copy of Red Dwarf: Titan before its official release on 16th July. These illicit copies have been obtained by such nefarious methods as going into a shop and asking for it, or even going as far as to order it as a click-and-collect online. While we somewhat lament the fact that we’ve been denied the opportunity to have the entire community reading and reacting at the same time, in a development somewhat reminiscent of the old UKTV Play days, we have to acknowledge that an awful lot of people are absolutely bursting at the seams to discuss what they’ve seen. So we thought it best to herd all you lucky early-readers into one thread, before anyone starts over-excitedly spilling their beans all over the forum. But please note that the comments on this post are to be kept free of any significant details of the book. You can share your opinions and emotions, but please don’t say anything about the plot, which characters are present, or anything else that risks spoiling any surprises for other people. On Thursday, there’ll be multiple threads in the forum for as much detailed discussion as you like, with a dedicated thread for each part of the book for everyone to jot down their thoughts and theories as they go. But let’s keep this particular thread safe for anyone who’s not yet got hold of the book please. With all of that said… what did you think of it?
I will admit I wasn’t sure about it at first. But the more I read of it, the more I started to appreciate it as its own thing, and the more I enjoyed it. In some ways it reminded me as much of Rob’s solo novels like Colony and Incompetence as much as it did Infinity, BTL or Backwards. I won’t say more other than to say that the best thing about it is that it feels like a genuinely new take on Red Dwarf, and I think that’s what it has going for it most of all.
I’m struggling to work out how to describe my feelings without giving away too much. I’d definitely second Dave’s comment and say it reminded me of Colony. Rob’s voice is very apparent throughout, and fans of gratuitous baroque violence and genital torture will not be disappointed. I thought the central conceit, the setting and the various plot twists and turns were really well done, it felt quite filmic, in a weird way. The pace was frenetic throughout, unlike some of the more sedate chapters of IWCD/BTL, but this is a very different book in a lot of ways. The dialogue feels a bit overwrought at points, the jokes are crammed into almost every line – but then this is a comedy novel first and foremost, so that probably makes sense. I think ulitmately it’s just quite different to the earlier novels, which isn’t necessarily a negative. There are some genius set pieces and ideas, and some fun additions and retcons to the canon, which can be handwaved through with the ‘one universe to the side’ rule. In conclusion, I liked it and if there are any publishers reading, I would happily buy any other Red Dwarf related books from Andrew, Doug or anyone else.
i’ll be try and be vague here: it’s the first time Red Dwarf has had women in it who actually are written as people with interiority and motivations and decision-making capacity. about bloody time.
I feel like it really needs to be a film/series, or at least is really suited to being one. Some scenes are very visual in a way that wouldn’t really work on radio, and only just work in book form. The twist at the end of a certain figure’s identity. I can’t wait to see the fandoms reaction to that. I feel like Rimmer’s first negative thoughts about Lister could be considered racially insensitive in these times. Look up what happened with Naomi Novik’s novel for example. But yeah…it’s really good. So fast and frantic
The pace was frenetic throughout, unlike some of the more sedate chapters of IWCD/BTL, but this is a very different book in a lot of ways. The dialogue feels a bit overwrought at points, the jokes are crammed into almost every line – but then this is a comedy novel first and foremost, so that probably makes sense. I think ulitmately it’s just quite different to the earlier novels, which isn’t necessarily a negative. Yes. I felt like you could tell it had been developed as/alongside a treatment for a TV show. Most of what is in the book feels external (dialogue and descriptions of action) and it wouldn’t take a huge amount of effort to convert it into a screenplay. The chapter titles even feel like scene descriptors. As a result, what it doesn’t have very much of – with a few small and enjoyable exceptions – is the kind of internal exploration of character and personality that was such a revelation in Infinity and BTL. This feels much more like a wacky page-turning caper without much time to stop for self-examination.
The bit at the end where someone asks the Cat’s name and he triumphantly says “Cat 2X4B-523P” as though that was ever the point of the story
Im getting more out of this than I thought. I set my expectations to “Colony / Quanderhorn” levels and i mean that as praise a bit below the level of Robs Red Dwarf era, as others have already compared it to. My experience 200 pages in though is that it is Red Dwarf. It’s Novel red dwarf, not as contained as episodes. It’s a thriller. Its charcter packed on the shore leave theme and i love all who are appearing both old and new and new angles. Ultimately the bantering between Rimmer and Lister is fresh and sparkling and has me grinning constantly. The plot is intriguing me. They are really getting into a very twisty situation and the stakes and pace are page turning awesome. Im loving it. I think rob has turned a situation of “that’s the bit your allowed, pre accident” and alternative universe thread into a compelling bonus. Whats both eyebrow raising, but pretty easy ultimately to reconcile is the modern world of now that Rob and Andrew weave into a world that’s so close to Series 1. (1988’s vision of the future is update to 2026s vision of that same future and then given the busget of the fifth element)
yeah, I really enjoyed it. It managed to fit some plot twists and genuine canon/character developments while still being silly and funny. There’s a super obscure possible influence which I want to mention after the 16th
i’ll be try and be vague here: it’s the first time Red Dwarf has had women in it who actually are written as people with interiority and motivations and decision-making capacity. about bloody time. That scene with the killer bikini vampire girls was actually quite progressive and thought provoking in a way. All I really have to say at the moment is that I enjoyed every single line of that book and it kept pulling me back for me. It’s got Rob’s voice all over it, it felt like Red Dwarf (albeit one reality to the side), the characters are really well written and their voices emanate from the page. This isn’t quite the Red Dwarf we’re used to but it is a version of Red Dwarf that works really well and just shows what putting Red Dwarf into this medium can do when unrestrained from the continuity of TV.
All I really have to say at the moment is that I enjoyed every single line of that book and it kept pulling me back for me. I agree. It has a real page-turner quality that makes it hard to put down.
Given my curmudgeonly attitude to the rapid pace of BTL and Backwards I can’t say you guys are wetting my appetite much. For the record, Colony was okay.
I loved it, diving back into the Red Dwarf Novel-verse was such a treat after so many years of rereading the same 4 books! Agree with the comments above that some of the gore/violence of Colony has snuck in, but I’d say things are far more tame than Last Human! So much more I want to talk about, but it’s so hard to gauge what will be considered a ‘spoiler’ so I’ll wait till the 16th! Anyhow, awesome work by Rob and Andrew… and also so sad to think of what future work we’ve been robbed of :-(
I’m about 70 pages in and am enjoying it, I have found some of the dialogue a little verbose as alluded to earlier and I’m a bit impatient to get to the point where it crosses over with the future but I have noticed that I am absolutely dying to know the whole story.
Agree with the comments above that some of the gore/violence of Colony has snuck in, but I’d say things are far more tame than Last Human! Was Last Human that gory/violent? I remember a sequence of Lister constantly being knocked out to the point I wondered how he wasn’t concussed. And he nearly drowned, got shot in the groin.
Last Human always felt cartoony in its violence, Backwards had the infamous Cat sex scene, the torture device descriptions, and Rimmer getting melted.
Here’s a question for you all, the kind of question my mind comes up with – are you picturing it in your mind as an episode of the TV show and, if so, have you also conjured up a studio audience to laugh at the right moments? I don’t remember doing this with the previous books but this one is so overtly comedy, so far, I can’t help but hear the laughs. (I’m aware that some people don’t “see” books when they read and I’m sure this sounds absolutely mental to them)
Last Human always felt cartoony in its violence, Backwards had the infamous Cat sex scene, the torture device descriptions, and Rimmer getting melted. Last Human does feature Lister getting raped by his GELF bride.
Agree with the comments above that some of the gore/violence of Colony has snuck in, but I’d say things are far more tame than Last Human! Was Last Human that gory/violent? I remember a sequence of Lister constantly being knocked out to the point I wondered how he wasn’t concussed. And he nearly drowned, got shot in the groin. I remember being quite horrified by the scene of them discovering the alt-universe Starbug with the dead crew when I read it as a teen.
Agree with the comments above that some of the gore/violence of Colony has snuck in, but I’d say things are far more tame than Last Human! Was Last Human that gory/violent? I remember a sequence of Lister constantly being knocked out to the point I wondered how he wasn’t concussed. And he nearly drowned, got shot in the groin. Well there was all the stuff about Lister being framed for the crew getting slaughtered horrifically, and there was the hideous prison guard creature that makes you vomit on sight! Plus by things being more ‘tame’, I was also including the sexual stuff in Last Human.
Last Human does feature Lister getting raped by his GELF bride. I can’t be disturbed by it when its written so patently comedic I’m more embarrassed it was put to print.
Here’s a question for you all, the kind of question my mind comes up with – are you picturing it in your mind as an episode of the TV show Well since its a book, id assume its best to picture it like another novel like the other 4. But having read some reviews of this book. And I haven’t read it yet so i could be wrong. But it sounds like a lot of the supporting cast characters have more to do in this book. Taking more center stage. Which does seem like a tv show to do. I dunno.
I can’t be disturbed by it when its written so patently comedic I’m more embarrassed it was put to print. Arguably worse to make light of arranged marriage and spousal rape than to play it straight when you think about it.
I just visualised it like a cyberpunk shanty town. Like Camden in London if it had neon lights. Most of the action seemed to take place in this one small area of cramped, busy streets and shops, so I could sort of imagine it on a BBC budget. On the scale of neverwhere or Dr who’s beast below.
Definitely some of the dialogue exchanges feel like clear “laugh lines” that would play well to an audience.
So my question is would this have worked as a single limited series or need multiple seasons? It’s a difficult question to answer without getting a bit spoilery, but I would say a single short season at most.
