The underlying premise of this book is weak (a criminal forced into a band in order to find a stolen item), but like I've said in the past the Stainless Steel Rat books are fun, and not really intended to make you a better person. This one is along those lines too -- its an enjoyable light read, with a much better plot twist than the other Stainless Steel Rat books I've read. I liked it, even with the weak premise. [isbn: 0533405012]
This book is another Stainless Steel Rat prequel, although it was written well after the original book. This book takes up from where A Stainless Steel Rat is Born ends -- with Jim arrested (of course), on a surprisingly low tech planet. Jim must then escape, and make his way in the universe once more. He has some unfinished business with some previous acquaintances if he finds a way as well... Harrison's writing is very easy to read, especially because his science fiction books always seem to require a good dose of suspension of disbelief, although some need more disbelief than others, so I read this book as a break from my quite a lot of Asimov. The book is 300 pages, but I managed to knock it over in a day, which I guess means I found it engaging. I liked this book. Its silly, and I'm not a better person for having read it, but it was entertaining. [isbn: 9994607332;0553273078;0553173510]
This series is a set of parodies of militaristic science fiction, and is excellently bad. 1965: Bill The Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison 1989: Bill, the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Robot Slavesby Harry Harrison 1990: Bill the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Bottled Brains by Robert Sheckley and Harry Harrison 1991: Bill the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Tasteless Pleasure by David Bischoff and Harry Harrison 1991: Bill the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Zombie Vampires by Jack C. Haldeman and Harry Harrison 1991: Bill the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Ten Thousand Bars by David Bischoff and Harry Harrison (was also published under the title: "Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of the Hippies from Hell") 1991: Bill the Galactic Hero: The Final Incoherent Adventure by David Harris and Harry Harrison
This book is an interesting read, but for unusual reasons. Its as if Harrison sets out to write a terrible book, and learns new techniques to achieve this terrible along the way. An example of his mastery of the art: A hundred bucks a month was good money, though, and Bill saved every bit of it. Easy, lazy months rolled by, and he regularly went to meetings and reported regularly to the G.B.I., and on the first of every month he would find his money baked into the egg roll he invariably had for lunch. He kept the greasy bills in a toy rubber cat he found on the rubbish heap, and bit by bit the kitty grew. It seems to me that this book is so terrible it has to be deliberate, and its good to see that Wikipedia agrees: Bill, the Galactic Hero is a satirical science fiction novel by Harry Harrison, first published in 1965. It is a response to Heinlein's controversially militaristic Starship Troopers. The overall plot is similar, the details rather less so; and Harrison makes the most of an opportunity to spoof the work of other authors including Isaac Asimov, "Doc" Smith, and Joseph…
This was another book I read as a kid and had fond memories of. When I found it at Powell's books for under $4 I just had to pick it up. Harrison seems to focus on "pulp science fiction" -- all of the stuff I have seen from him has been short and easy reading, as is the case with this book. What do you do if you're stuck on a farming planet, smart, and bored out of your brain? Apparently the answer is to turn to a life of crime for entertainment. That's what James DeGriz does, and he is a great anti-hero while he's at it. Great book. [isbn: 0553279424]