Harry Harrison - The Stainless Steel Rat.

[Dave]

By Harry Harrison (legalized from Henry Maxwell Dempsey) (1925- )

The Stainless Steel Rat (1961)
The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (1970)
The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (1972)
The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You (1978)
The Stainless Steel Rat for President (1982)
The Stainless Steel Rat is Born (1985)
You can be the Stainless Steel Rat (an interactive book)(1985)
The Stainless Steel Rat gets Drafted (1987)
Golden years of the Stainless Steel Rat (in Stainless Steel Visions)(1992)
The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues (1994)
The Stainless Steel Rat goes to Hell (1996)

The life and times of slippery James (Jim) Bolivar diGriz. A cosmic criminal, the smoothest, sneakiest con man in the known Universe. He can take any bank in the Galaxy, con a captain out of his ship, start a war or stop one- whichever pays the most.
So who better to recruit for "The Special Corps" police service? When the Law finally catches up with him that's exactly what they do, and turn him loose on a villainous lady who is building herself a battleship. Angelina later becomes his wife, and a family of "Rats" appears. The stories become increasingly outrageous, as he liberates planets, time-travels, and runs for president. Then Harry Harrison returns to the formative years of the Rat.

"The Monty Python of the space ways" Daily Telegraph.

"The Rat can hold his head high amongst the most elevated superhero company- Bulldog Drummond, James Bond and Flash Gordon included." Times Literary Supplement.

"Fast-moving and very funny" Evening Standard.

Just tell me, in which other books would you find Coal-Powered Robots with Chimneys?

This is a Stainless Steel Rat website I've found http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/7318/books.html

 

[Red Queen]

Oh, I just love Slippery Jim DiGriz

I recently came in first in a Science Fiction Trivia Game thanks to him (and the fact that I could raise my hand so fast )

Admittedly, the stories are all told first person, so we don't know how reliable a narrator Jim is, but he does tell a fine story :rolly2:

He and Jame Retief were two of my favorite SF characters when I was growing up. They were always so confident, even when things looked grim. They outsmarted their opponents and left them with egg on their faces, and you always knew they'd come out ahead, usually smelling of roses! Very attractive traits to a shy teenager.

And though Jim DiGriz's wife had (ahem) her little problems (see? spoiler free!) she was a willing and equal partner in their business and personal relationship (well, after her little problems got fixed )

He's so--unabashed--in his slipperiness. He doesn't try to lie or hide the fact that he's a member of the criminal element. And he makes you root for him! How many "bad" guys can say that?

RQ

Gee, Dave...you and I seem to be frequenting the same book forums!

 

[Dave]

Well I didn't think anyone else had read the same books as me until now.

I thought I must be on an alternative reality Earth where Harry Harrison, Philip K Dick, Larry Niven and Michael Crichton don't exist, but maybe it's just my age.

 

[Rodders]

I thought i'd revive this old thread. Perhaps it could be moved to the Classic SF section. It's not always a good thing to mix humour with Science Fiction, but i think Harry Harrison really nailed it on these.

Anyone else read these? What do you think of them. I read them as a teenager and loved them all. Well, maybe not so much the later ones. Certainly better than Bill the Galactic Hero though.

 

[Dave]

Should it be in the Classic SF section?

I agree that the quality of series tails off. I'm not even sure that I've read them all now. He seemed to start knocking them out as a pension plan. Everyone should read the original.

 

[The Ace]

Well. my first exposure was when 2000 AD serialised, 'The Stainless Steel Rat,' and, 'The Stainless Steel Rat for President.' I later read and enjoyed most of them.

 

[Montero]

Got the earlier ones, really enjoyed them, some years since I read them. Must go and have a crawl around the shelves/boxes not unpacked since we moved.

 

[AE35Unit]

Rodders mate thanks for finding this thread! I love the Rat,one of my favourite anti heroes! I've read a few of them but will never forget that time when I found a reissue copy of the first one with a Jim Burns cover in the library,took it home and quickly read it. Then I got the second one out,loved that too and I think the next one I found was Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted which was written much later I think. Great books and I had a collection of stories too(Stainless Steel Visions i think it was called) Wish I still had it along with the other Steel Rat book I bought(Sings the Blues I think-long since gone)
Great memories!

 

[iansales]

I reread the first book in the series only last month. It has not aged well. See here.

 

[AE35Unit]

Its funny. It seems that everyone read the first book as a kid and now as an adult find it less endearing. I read it as an adult and enjoyed it,tho in hindsight I probably saw it as a springboard to the series.

 

[Urlik]

Well. my first exposure was when 2000 AD serialised, 'The Stainless Steel Rat,' and, 'The Stainless Steel Rat for President.' I later read and enjoyed most of them.

sadly that is my only exposure to Slippery Jim
one day I am really going to have to raid some of my local bookshops

 

[Rodders]

Go for it Urlik. I really felt that this was a great piece of SF comedy which, as we all know, is a very hard beast to nail down.

I think i'm going to have to re-read them though. buty as iansales says, as an adult, i'm not sure how they'd translate. Perhaps it is better to leave a once good book as a fond memory?

As for the old thread AE, thanks. I've been looking back. it's quite intersting to see what people thought in the day. It'd be interesting to see how people think about these books now. I also find myself getting a bit nostalgic. I've tried to revive some of the older TV/Film threads (B5, Farscape and Star Wars is where my heart is unfortunately.)

Would anyone have any objections if i went back and revived some other older but interesting threads?

 

[dask]

Would anyone have any objections if i went back and revived some other older but interesting threads?

Not at all. Go for it. I like the older threads but don't have the time to dig through them. Read THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT in my early twenties and thought it was really good. Wasn't that the one with the coal powered, exhaust spewing robot?

 

[Connavar]

I have heard good things about these books and since i have never read Harry Harrison or this series it will be a fresh read to me. Not something you liked as a kid and not as an adult. In my 20s most of old sf books,authors are new to me.

I have requested a copy of this from a UK bookmooch member and waiting for a reply.

 

[Rodders]

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did Conn.

 

[Connavar]

I just finished The Stainless Steel Rat and was pleasantly surprised. I expected it to be comic sf but i didn't expect a satirical humour, not that it was fun read characters,ingenious plot twists,worlds wise and not haha funny.

Slippery Jim himself was an awesome character to read and memorable. His strong narrative carried the book well. Every thought,word was something interesting. He made me smile by the kind of twisted criminal he was but who he still had morals unlike his enemy in the book. The adventure level was great, just what i needed a fun space adventure. The heist jobs,the action,his struggle against Angelina in Freibur.

Harrison impressed with his good prose. I hope the first few sequals are the same or near in quality. That Jim is a free spirit and not get stuck with the Corps as their Agent. They guy works his best when he is alone and suddenly thinks robbing a bank is a good easy way of getting money

 

[J-Sun]

I hope the first few sequals are the same or near in quality.

Glad you liked it. It's been eons since I last read it (and them) but I want to do so again. If memory serves, the first three at least are all quite good - I think I've only read one or two after that (one being a prequel) and those were more optional - not bad, but not on the same level. Still, if you liked the first, you may well enjoy the next couple.

 

[Connavar]

Good to know since i found an omnibus with book 1-3 in print for a pretty good prise.

I also saw that Harrison wrote serious sf books that are rated highly. Make Room,Make Room,Deathworld books sounded good to me.
Although for now he is needed most for quality fun adventure books. I need those much more than any serious sf books these days. I read too many of those usually.

I saw he was listed in American SFF Hall of Fame 2009 now i see why

 

[AE35Unit]

I also saw that Harrison wrote serious sf books that are rated highly. Make Room,Make Room

That one was filmed as Soylent Green in the 70s,or at least the film was based on that book.

 

[Connavar]

Yeah i saw that when i looked the novel. I was planning to see the movie since i have heard good things but only after the book now.