My favourite ever book... 

A guest post by Ricky White (@EndlessTrax)

What makes a book your favourite book? To me it's one that no matter how many times I read it, I never tire of the story or characters. However my favourite book is much more than that. It's a book that elevates me regardless of my mood. It's a book that makes me howl with laughter even before I've read the punch line. It's a book that makes me feel a particular way, a book for every occasion. My favourite book is not a literary great, it's the underdog, the relatively unread (albeit at one point a best seller), and a book with cult following.

The book can only be the epic beginning to the Red Dwarf series ‘Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers’ by Grant Naylor. If you have ever seen the TV series Red Dwarf you will understand its uniqueness. I love the TV shows, but this book is worlds apart (see what I did there?).

In 2180, waking up after his birthday Monopoly-board pub crawl around London, Lister found himself on one of Saturn’s moons, Mimas. In a desperate bid to try and earn enough money for a ticket home, Lister begins to steal taxis to pick up the fares, all while sleeping in a bus station locker. Once he realises he is not getting home anytime soon he comes up with a plan - to join the space corps. More specifically to join the crew on the mining ship Red Dwarf, which by a stroke of luck was Earth bound. Unfortunately it never made it. Following a series of unfortunate and indulgent antics, Lister ends up in stasis (suspended animation), finding himself the last human alive some three million years later upon his release. With just a dead man in the form of a hologram, a highly evolved cat, and the ship’s now senile computer for company, they embark on adventures that are beyond belief – as they break the light barrier, discover alternate realities, meet Einstein and God.

This book doesn't really fall into the sci-fi category for me; it's a comedy through and through. You don’t have to be a sci-fi geek to enjoy this book. I do warn however: it is somewhat addictive, and you will then feel compelled to follow it up with the sequels Better than Life, Last Human and Backwards.

If you haven't read this book, and are in need of cheering up, I thoroughly recommended this book to do the job. If you aren't in need of cheering up, well then I'd recommend you read it anyway.

If you have read this book, I encourage you to post a your favourite quote or passage in the comments below, so those that are yet to read see what they are missing. ;)