Wrath of the Lemming Men

Frost's space-faring British Empire, introduced in 2009's Space Captain Smith and God Emperor of Didcot, is running out of steam. Isambard Smith and his crew are given the task of finding the elusive Vorl as the war begun in the earlier books continues to spread. Frost not only includes Smith's nemesis, the Ghast 462, but also the Ghast's new allies: the sadistic Yull, also called the Lemming Men. Frost attempts a wider range of satire with this installment, from the Obi-wanesque George Benson ("Why don't you just put it on the tab?" "Why don't I just put it on the tab, dear?") to the Disney-like Lloydland, but while there are targets galore, few of them suffer direct hits, and the plot, a reasonably straightforward story of quest and vengeance, never fully coalesces. (July)