Elite: Mostly Harmless (Elite: Dangerous)

One of the wonderful things about Elite, both the original and Elite Dangerous is the atmosphere that the game manages to create, creating not only a modelled physical universe but an entire backdrop, hugely enriched by the fiction that has supported and been supported by. Mostly Harmless is one of those books, and I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audible version whilst palying the game with the (wonderful) music muted. It contains lots of characters who are well drawn and relatable and beautifully walks the line between remaining believable and being abit more light hearted and tongue in cheek, making it a genuinely fun story with some genuinely funny moments. That said there's defintiely enough gore and violence as befits a story about assassins and pirates in the Elite Universe. A great book, definitely worth reading or listening too if you're familiar with elite, probably if you're not as well (but that's harder for me to judge!). I wonder if the hint at the end will actually lead to a sequel?

I enjoyed reading an Elite book with a bit of gallows humour. I had just read Drew Wager's books which I also enjoyed and Mostly Harmless was a good change of tone. I only clipped off a star for it being a bit of a grind at the start.Obviously this book is very niche for Elite Dangerous players so within that context I'd recommend it.

I bought this book based on my interest in the Elite universe, my love of sci-fi and the incredible reviews it's got. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. This story (for there is only one, no sub-plots or interwoven tales here) is simplistic and unrealistic, and characters lack depth. The author has some good concepts, but execution is rushed and at points, childish - the 'puzzle' at the end being a particular example.I'm now unsure whether to read any more of the Elite:Dangerous story spin-offs. They all have good ratings, but this seemed to be the best - it makes me worried for the quality of the others....

Years ago I used to devour science fiction like there was no tomorrow. Then I was stung by a few bad books and went off it for years. The short story anthology, Fusion, brought me back on board, and wow am I glad about that or I might have missed this one. Elite: Most Harmless is a gem. It’s fast moving and funny. It’s one of those who-needs-legal-highs-with-books-like-this-about sort of books. And a pearler of a twist at the end. Quite a few twists along the way. It had me gripped from page 1. The thing is that I could so easily have passed this one by. I don’t play computer games and this is authorised Elite fiction, and I did wonder if I would need to be an Elite aficionado to get it. Not at all. Once it had hooked me (which was well before the end of page 1) I never gave computer gaming a thought. A great read.

For anyone into the Elite: Dangerous video game, you will automatically be familiar with the references in this book. The story draws on the lore, factions, locations, ships, starports, etc and weaves a wonderful tale of the lead character's life. Well crafted and well thought out with enough action to keep anyone interested, but not so grounded in the game that anyone into the sci-fi genre will feel left out.

I remember the original Elite, which I played endlessly on my ZX Spectrum, my imagination roaming alongside the vector graphics into far away galaxies. So not only was I delighted to hear of the games latest incarnation, I was intrigued to see there was a whole series of novels set in the Elite universe.Elite: Mostly Harmless was something of a lighthearted read for me but what an enjoyable novel it was. It reminded me of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel rat series. There was action and adventure enough to appeal to younger readers and adult humour for older readers. Kate did a great job bringing the setting to life, the characters were well drawn and the plot was pacy, exciting and always interesting. A five star read that will appeal to gamers and sci-fi fans alike. The space opera is reborn.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Who doesn't dream of owning a little cargo ship of their own and zipping about the galaxy?Had time life allowed I could happily have devoured this in one sitting. A very enjoyable story, with some well rounded, and multidimensional characters. A number of references to some Sci-Fi classics brought more than one welcome smile to my face.Needless to say I'm off to pay for beta access to the game, and will be reading the other Elite ebooks available.Bravo Kate, I look forward to the sequel.

Funny and engaging tale of a regular bloke stuck on a backwater world trying anything to escape his dull life and make a name for himself in a cold and cruel universe... but most of all, he wants a girl.

A história demora um pouco para ficar interessante, mas depois cativa a atenção. Boas ideias e um humor decididamente não comum rendem belas surpresas.

Copy of my Goodreads review:Set in the Universe of the Elite computer games, 'Mostly Harmless' is a wonderfully compelling story featuring a blend of humour that nods to Douglas Adams, gritty life tales that nod to Stieg Larsson and a story worthy of Agatha Christie.Kate Russell has a gift for creating characters that are flawed and believable, yet somehow larger than life and sympathetic. The world feels substantive and requires no prior knowledge of Elite to feel real. The story, characters and setting are gripping from the get go and the tale is packed with action, twists and suspense. I cannot recommend it highly enough.Although the book assumes no prior knowledge of the Elite games, there are many nods and references for those who have played them. Equally, this book would serve as a great primer for anyone wanting to become familiar with that Universe.A thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. Absolute 'must read' stuff!

I really cannot understand how others can give this book a good review.It seems written for children (but I'm sure books for children are far better than this): characters are flat and without any personality, the plot is boring and foregone, the protagonist is plain dumb and gets carried on by external events from the beginning to the end. I'm a huge fan of Elite: Dangerous the videogame and this novel is a real (and someway painful) disappointment.In all honesty I cannot recommend it.

Fun and easy

Note: This book features very detailed gore and extreme violence on multiple occasions, and also features a sexual assault that lasts multiple pages, as well as drug usage. I'm surprised that there's no mention of that anywhere in the book's description, considering the Elite Dangerous game itself is rated 8 years old and up.Anyhow, I was expecting to read a mostly comedic story setup in the Elite universe, but what I received instead was a strange tale to say the least.I cannot really go in specific details without spoiling the unusual story progression (the book's greatest interest in my opinion), but I can outline a few general things.Positives:- There are some genuinely funny moments in the book, especially the parts about a quiz, and another about a reporter and the following results.- The book features the biggest "troll" moment I've ever read in any book, and I found it great. I can easily see it annoying some readers, however.- A lot of the story progression is unexpected and there's some interesting bait-and-switch.- While reading, there's a lot of things I believed to be plotholes, either from the universe lore or from the story itself. All the things I thought being plotholes were actually legitimate and made sense later in the story.Negatives:- The main character Angel Rose is very dislikeable. She's constantly rude, self-centered and nasty to nearly everyone, but the story is trying to depict her as "caring" and "nice". We are supposed to sympathise for her since she's so unlucky (she actually is), but in truth she's usually the cause of her own problems, constantly gets drunk and/or drugged with no remorse and does absolutely nothing to help herself throughout the entire book.Another main character, Katherine, was shaping up to be interesting but her quirks kind of disappeared past the middle of the book and became just flat.- The big-bad plan is utterly stupid and makes no sense. It pans out in the book, but there's no logical reason why it should, and it's so full of holes that it's absolutely laughable.- Angel Rose is blind to extreme degrees to what is happening around her, to the point it's hard to believe. When some characters become her allies, they become just as oblivious. It gets frustrating to read.Overall, I'd give it around a 2.5, rounded up for a few amusing moments.