Have you ever wondered what would happen if the contents of a shared house based in the heart of deepest darkest Cornwall get caught up in a plot to rid the universe of inefficiency?
Colin was drifting through life, not so much part of the slacker generation, as positivley flaccid. He shared a house in a forgotten village in deepest darkest Cornwall, as some people do. He had a crush on Sally, his man-hating saucepan wielding housemate, as only he did. He also lived with Gregg who had aspirations to be a world famous alternative stand-up comedian without actually being funny at all. Again, Colin was in a field of one there too.
Life was safe, predictable, some would even say dull.
Then Colin had an encounter in a toilet that would change his life forever.
Watch out people, the health and safety police are coming. Can Colin and his friends save us?
Life's A Gas - a comedy sci-fi love story with rude words and a few naughty scenes. Nothing that would shock Mary Whitehouse though. Well... More > not now obviously.< Less
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By Dan Marvin
Aug 17, 2009
"Comedic romp through the Galaxy" It’s interesting that Life’s a Gas was published on the 25th Anniversary of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy because it will appeal to the same, slightly ‘off’ sense of humor as the Guide but it includes more modern innovations as cell phones and Eminem. It also has a bit more implied (and actual) sex, usually with holograms or shape shifting aliens, so don’t say that I didn’t warn you. You’ll probably even recognize the premise, chronically repressed Englishman caught up in an inter-Galactic adventure to save Earth from destruction. However, it’s not like a cover band playing a Led Zeppelin classic, Life’s a Gas is its own story. In this case, the main character is named Colin instead of Arthur, so that’s different right there. For me, the humor isn’t in the slapstick situations as much as the clever turn of a phrase such as this gem: "It was a warmish Friday night – the birds had just sung their last song, put away their hymn... More > sheets and were now tucked up in the trees with a nice hot cup of cocoa." Colin gets whisked away from his mundane existence by his roommate who isn’t really a bad comedian named Gregg but is in actuality a space traveler named Syd who hasn’t traveled through space much. However, he has a nice spaceship that one accesses by getting a keycard to the local port-a-potty. When they enter the ship, Colin discovers that Syd has configured his room to be exactly like his room on earth, complete with his dirty clothes and his goldfish, Eddie. "Colin arrived at the door and noticed Syd had installed a doorbell just like the one at home. Colin pressed it, it sounded liked the home one too - like a bee caught in a pensioner’s colostomy bag." Other interesting characters include Blossom, another earth woman with an uncanny knack for getting hired for desk jobs, her best friend (and Colin’s love interest) Sally, and Scatter, the onboard computer from a spaceship Colin and Syd use to escape from the Bureaucracy Robots seeking to make the Galaxy conform to the code book. There is also Komfort, the shape shifting nymphomaniac alien whom we meet with this description: "‘Oh really! Do be careful there, I’ve just had these manicured.’ The disgruntled alien pointed to his feet. Manicured was probably a bit strong, unless the manicurist had been a blind lumberjack. There was pink nail polish there, but most of it was over his toes. A small proportion had made its way onto the actual nails, but more by luck than judgment." It is descriptions like these scattered throughout the book that give it the charm and feel reminiscent of The Hitchhiker’s Guide. If you’ve read the whole series of books by Douglas Adams, Dave Holland’s book will have the comfortable feel of a favorite sweater to you, or perhaps a well traveled towel. While it’s not the same, it FEELS the same, and from my perspective that’s a huge compliment to Dave Holland and his writing style. I also enjoyed the differences. There is a soundtrack to this book, an ebb and flow of music from the ubiquitous Beatles to T. Rex to Randy Tinglebush. What? You don’t recognize that name? Randy is another character that stops by for a cameo, think of Tom Jones but more willing to get out of Las Vegas to see the rest of the galaxy. And possibly the President of a planet. If you enjoy English humor with some sci fi thrown in for good measure, if you enjoy going along for a journey where the ride is more important than the destination, or if you’re a Randy Tinglebush fan, you will enjoy Life’s a Gas by Dave Holland as thoroughly as I did.< Less
"You'll want to read this!" The book description had me laughing before I even read the actual book. Then I looked at the back cover and two words grabbed me: Oh dear. "Colin had really got it all. Crap job. No money. Invisible love life. Dust strewn room in a shared house. Crush on a man-hating housemate. And then one day everything changed. We have been under scrutiny you see. Our way of life and Planet Earth is under threat. Only Colin and his friends can save us. Oh dear.” Life’s A Gas is an imaginative, comedic plot set in a bizarre and interesting galaxy, peopled by characters you have to like, even the (usually inept) bad guys; a rollicking adventure with a clever twist at the end. There may even be a profound message in this story - beware of those who want to censor and control your life. And it’s non-stop humor; in turn dry, ribald, understated, droll, innuendo and outright laugh out loud. Colin’s life is one of total, drab boredom; his job is terrible and the... More > girl he has a crush on is a saucepan wielding virago. Things start to look up when Sally gets friendlier and life gets very interesting when, after an encounter with a Men’s lavatory and an apparently intelligent ATM machine, Colin discovers his housemate Gregg is in fact Syd, an alien from another world. Syd invites Colin aboard his spaceship and off they go to visit Syd’s home world Dextrus. As they voyage, Colin and Sally fall in love via the magic of text messaging. Can you text message in outer space? In this book, anything’s possible. But something has blown up Dextrus. Our heroes and heroines are on an epic quest during which Colin and Syd are marooned, rescued, marooned again, rescued again, meet up with their pals, and end up on Cowncil, held captive by its robotic population. The galaxy is about to be cleaned up by robots whose MO is remarkably like—okay, exactly like—the department of Health and Safety and their next stop is Earth. It’s up to Colin, Syd, buxom Blossom, Sally, Bob the computer (who masquerades as an Aussie), shape-shifting Komfort who can be anything (he thinks) you desire, and assorted intelligences to save Earth. OH DEAR. Get this book or download. You won’t be disappointed.< Less
"Life's a gas by Dave Holland" The description and detail in this book takes you away to another world, deepest darkest space. It makes you feel you could be part of the story, its so real. The author has a great imagination and sense of humor, far out there but believable. Its a real easy read, hard to put down as you get involved in the story and the action is none stop,you need to know whats going to happen next!. Its funny, lighthearted and a little bit racy. Good twist at the end as well. Cant wait for the sequel!
"Life's A Gas" I don't normally read science fiction, but the humour of the preview appealed to me, and I wasn't disappointed. The story is very imaginative, the humour quirky and surreal, yet draws from easily recognisible aspects of modern life. The "enemy" will strike a chord with anyone who has had any dealings with the twin scourges of bureaucracy and political correctness prevalent in Britain today. Like the previous reviewer I look forward to the sequel, and recommend this book whether you like sci- fi or not.And the naughty bits are funny too!
