Faster Than Light was published in the UK by Dedalus in January 2002. It's priced at £8.99, and should be available from all good bookshops, or online at amazon.co.uk. Unless of course it's already gone out of print, in which case you'll have to buy it secondhand, or settle for reading the first chapter on-line here.
The German edition (Die Bar am
Ende der Milchstraße) came out in August 2003.
Why are the galaxy's wealthiest and most powerful inhabitants plotting to destroy the entire universe, and replace it with a smaller and more convenient reality of their own construction?
What happens when an entire society devotes itself to alcoholic excess, elevating the pursuit of inebriation above all other goals?
And is it really possible that the most ruthlessly successful organisation in the whole of space and time could be outwitted by two young humans, members of a species previously regarded as noteworthy only for the inexplicable enthusiasm with which it destroys the ecosystems on which its own survival depends?
Answers to all these questions and more can be found in this unusual and dazzlingly funny novel.
Blending exuberant inventiveness with subtle satire, Faster Than Light is a novel that will appeal not just to fans of humorous science fiction, but to anyone looking for a quirky and original read.
Reviews of Faster Than Light
"A veritable successor to Douglas Adams, John Lucas has demonstrated with
his debut novel a capacity to fuse witty satire and the more inventive elements of science
fiction. If you liked Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy you will definitely like this
imaginative and humorous view of the place our planet has in the universal pecking order."
"Lucas could go far."
" 'Humorous science fiction' are three words to strike terror into
the bravest reader's heart. Very, very few people do it well. There's Douglas Adams and
Terry Pratchett, and there's...er... Thank God, then, for a promising newcomer
such as John Lucas. His debut novel does smack rather of Adams.
However, once one boldly goes a few chapters in, Faster Than Light seems to have more in
common with fantastical satire in the mould of Gulliver's Travels. And, somewhat unusually,
for science fiction that satire has a strong leftist bent. Jason and Alex are
two very ordinary human beings until they are abducted by an alien who bears a distinct
resemblance to a second-rate game-show host, but is actually a giant Krullen beetle.
The Krullen have been employed by the Total Trading Corporation to save
artefacts from this universe, to take to a new one they're creating because they don't
like the tax rates in the current time-space continuum. They will then destroy
anyone who isn't rich enough to buy their way into their prefab utopia."
"a keen satirical edge ... some excellent comic set pieces"