Captain Isambard Smith and crew are back again, this time trying to stop the Ghast and their Edenite allies from destroying the planet Urn and its crops of tea - good for drinking and instilling the whole of the British Space Empire with with moral fiber and fighting spirit.

This one's full of great dialogue, character interaction and slightly more than a passing nod to Frank Herbert's "Dune" and William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" among other books. The exchanges between Carveth and Suruk are a joy to behold, being sharp, witty and at times quite biting in tone. Poor Rhianna finally has to almost bludgeon Smith to get him to do more than just kiss her and I got a great kick out of Suruk going around collecting money on bets about Smith and Rhianna's relationship.

The Grandmaster of the Collective Union of Plantation Production Associates: "The tea *must* brew."
(If that quote rings bells here is its "Dune" (film) equivalent: A member of the Spacing Guild: "The spice *must* flow.") ( )

A facetious romp in which aliens try to invade the planet on which the interplanetary British Empire grows its tea. There are some good jokes and turns of phrase, though it's rather on the level of slapstick and smut. I almost abandoned it partway through, but I did push on to the end - fortified by a cup of tea - and there were enough gags to raise a smile here and there. MB 10-iii-2018 ( )