Backwards (novel)
First edition cover
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| Author | Rob Grant |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Red Dwarf |
| Genre | Sci Fi Comedy |
| Publisher | Viking Books |
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Publication date
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5 February 1996 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Hardback) |
| Pages | 352 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 35137434 |
| Preceded by | Last Human |
Backwards is the fourth Red Dwarf novel. It is set on the fictional backwards universe version of Earth.
The novel was written by Rob Grant on his own. It follows on directly from the second Grant Naylor novel, Better Than Life, ignoring Last Human (which was written by Doug Naylor). As well as continuing the general conceit from the episode Backwards, it contains minor elements from the episode Dimension Jump, and all of the plot from Gunmen of the Apocalypse.
An audiobook of Backwards was also produced, read by the author.
The Red Dwarf crew arrive on htraE (a version of Earth in a universe where time is running backwards) in order to rescue Lister, who has returned to life and the age of 25 (following his death at age 61 the end of the previous novel, Better Than Life) as a result of the crew depositing his body on the time-reversed Earth 36 years earlier. After failing to meet Lister at the arranged rendezvous, Kryten learns from the television that Lister and Cat are associated with a murder that, due to the backwards flow of time, has not yet been committed. Lister soon arrives injured and in the custody of the police who, after a backwards fight which restores Lister to health, promptly unarrest him. Lister then takes off in backwards pursuit of one of the officers, explaining to the others that due to the nature of reverse time he is forced to follow the policeman (who if time were running forwards would be chasing him) until he is 'unspotted'. After a harrowing backwards car-chase (especially for Rimmer, who is unable to trust that no harm can befall him while time is running backwards) the policeman unsees them, and the crew retreat to the mountain area where they landed their ship, the Starbug.
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