Book Description
In the vastness of space, the crimes just get bigger and Slippery Jim diGriz, the Stainless Steel Rat, is the biggest criminal of them all. He can con humans, aliens and any number of robots time after time. Jim is so slippery that all the inter-galactic cops can do is make him one of their own
Customer Reviews:
Classic likeable master-thief in comic but workable SF environment.......2007-10-07
Slippery Jim Degris is a bit of a James Bond stereotype, sure, but Harrison is well aware of the conventions and is celebrating them. It's not as easy as it looks, and a lot of writers get the humour, suspense and credibility mix wrong. Not so Harrison: the scenarios are ludicrous but often clever; it doesn't get too self-aware, nor does it take itself too seriously. It is just a bit of fun, but the core idea of a rat running about in a sanitised Star Trek future is appealing. I was actually disappointed that Harrison doesn't stick with this: in contrast to the idea that crime (and excitement) have been essentially erased - hence the justification for an intelligent non-violent criminal - most of the places Jim finds himself in are characterised by petty crime. Rather than Degris being qualitatively different - which is the claim - it's sometimes more a difference of skill and scale.
I also felt a tension between the usual SF dismissal as unjustifiable that a government should reprogram a criminal's brain - something abhorrent to Jim for himself - and the happy ending of doing exactly the same thing to mass-murderer Angelina.
Still, these are relatively minor criticisms. Overall the classic character of a likeable, cunning thief is well-realised within a workable SF environment.
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
The Stainless Steel Rat is a character that is most definitely in the Arsene Lupin mold, although perhaps not quite so flash. A rogue and a super-thief if you like.
He runs into a problem when he meets an organisation of ex-super thieves and rogues just like him, and they beat him at his own game.
Co-opted, he has no choice but to help them out.
Shocker.......2006-09-25
This book was referred to me by an old friend, so as a courtsey I picked it up and read it...WOW. It was great, I've always seen myself in a life of crime, and this book really gave me something to identify to. It's a short read, I finished it in a few days so if your considering it, just get it. it's fast, fun, and full of adventure.
Simply one of the best "fun" sci-fi series.......2005-10-11
The Stainless Steel Rat is simply one of the best sci-fi series ever.
It combines a loveable criminal, and beautiful psychopath, and lots of fun technology in a light-hearted package.
Can't recommend it enough, one of those books I go back and read over and over again.
Much, Much Fun.......2005-08-23
The Stainless Steel Rat is the first tale of Slippery Jim DiGriz, interstellar thief, conman, and general scoundrel, and tells how he is unwillingly coopted onto the side of the angels to hunt down the builders of a vastly powerful starship.
The early Rat books should really occupy a higher position in the science-fiction strata than they do; they are unique, frequently brilliant, and very funny. Slippery Jim is a narrator of wit and considerable charm, but is nevertheless a convincing and likeable character. Harrison's future now looks a little out of date (hardly his fault), but is only the more charming for that.
This book is great entertainment written with pace, style, and brio rarely found in science-fiction, and I recommend it to everyone.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
The Rat gets busted robbing a mint, and gets put on trial for his life. His only problem is that the trail comes after the execution.
However, the League has a job for him, and used the Life Model Decoy gambit to get him out of it, and promptly poisons him.
He has to track down an alien artifact on a prison planet. So, as a cover for being a prisoner type, he forms a rock band, the Stainless Steel Rats, natch.
An extensive send-up of Iron whassisname in the woods guy in the latter part of the book, as well.
Amusing as usual.
Outrageous Reviews.......2001-01-07
The Stainless Steel Rat is not to be mocked. This man knows where you live... This book is, just like the other books excellent. I have read all of the SSR books, in and out of order and this one holds up just as well as the others. Dont just buy this one, buy them all. Bolivar
Rat Fans REJOICE!.......2000-06-27
Whaddaya mean this is the worst of the bunch? Now, I'm a serious rat fan; I've read almost all the SSR books, and this one fits in very nicely! It's got a fairly good plot, altheough characters don't really need to pop out of nowhere like that.
A sequel to a sequel to a prequel:.......2000-04-27
First there was "The Stainless Steel Rat", our introduction to Slippery Jim DiGriz, aka the Stainless Steel Rat, a high-tech, futuristic conman and thief who is caught, after a long and successful career, by the galactic special corps, and recruited to join them because it takes a thief to catch a thief. Then followed four more books in chronoligical order, "The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge", "The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World", "The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You", and "The Stainless Steel Rat For President". Then, apparently growing bored with the direction his stories were taking, Harrison retreated to the beginning, and wrote the prequel, "A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born". Then he followed that with "A Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted", a story following immediately on the heels of the prequel. This story follows that one chronologically.
There are dangers to writing prequels, and this book fails to avoid them entirely. In a prequel, it is necessary to make it plausible that a character's experiences could lead to him being the person he is at the beginning of the book the prequel precedes; this is reasonably well accomplished in this book, if not perfectly well. But it is also necessary, in a prequel, that the story be interesting without having anything happen so major and potentially relevent to events in later stories that it seems impossible that the character never referred back to those experiences in chronologically later, but previously written, stories. Here, this book fails miserably; given that DiGriz has experiences in chronologically later books with both time travel and visitors from his time's far future, both of which also come into play in this book, it seems incredible that we've never "heard" him mention the experiences in this book before.
But perhaps this is all too stringent a set of complaints to make about a book that, like the rest of the series, is never intended to be taken seriously; like a James Bond story, or an action movie, the "Stainless Steel Rat" stories are all meant as merely fun romps, plot-driven and action-intensive, without worrying about whether those plots will stand close scrutiny for internal consistency.
So let's review it on its own terms: yes, it's a fun romp, with plenty of action. As usual in these books, the dialogue is rather stilted and artificial, the characters are two-dimensional, and if it enhances the potential for action and drama in the plot, Harrison doesn't let a little thing like consistency of character stand in his way. (DiGriz is supposed to be brilliant, but makes enough stupid mistakes to keep himself in constant danger, so that the pace of the action can stay high.)
This book, like the rest of the books in the series, is fun brain candy, but don't expect careful plotting or a serious story, and don't examine things too carefully for plausibility or internal consistency; it won't stand up to even passing examination.
Snooze!.......1999-04-29
A definate disappointment from an otherwise excellent author and tremendously entertaining series. I've read all the SSR books, and was very excited when this one came out. However, the story was rather flat and much of the "life" has slipped out of Slippery Jim. Many parts were entirely too predictable, while others were just plain not believable. I really got the impression that Harrison decided to do this book just for a bit of added revenue, as it seemed his heart really wasn't in it. Overall, I'd say you're better off skipping this particular entry in the tale of Slippery Jim and keep your fond memories of him intact.
Book Description
Slippery Jim DiGriz. The galaxy's greatest thief and con artist: the Stainless Steel Rat. For novel upon novel, Jim DiGriz has outfoxed the forces of conventionality, cutting a stylish swathe through dozens of star systems. Now, Slippery Jim and his beautiful wife Angelina find themselves becalmed on a painfully boring backwater planet, with nothing to do but practice their skills at computer crime.Then they meet a billionaire who claims to be 40,000 years old--who offers them millions of credits to investigate a string of unsolved interstellar bank robberies. Robberies which, it turns out, always happen when the circus is nearby. . . .In a sense, The Stainless Steel Rat has always been a high-wire performer. Now, as he infiltrates the world of the galactic big top, he's taking the role to extremes . . . and drawing the attention of more dangerous ringmasters and strongmen than he ever expected. Will this be his final show? Has Slippery Jim finally leapt for his last trapeze? Naaah.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
This Rat adventure is a bit better. The richest man in the universe comes to Jim and asks him to find out who is robbing all his financial institutions.
It is not all that simple, though, but luckily Jim has his whole family with him, and has recently received some training from a master magician as part of his new employment.
Sneakiness, doublecross and scamming ensue.
The End?.......2006-03-09
This book is a somewhat disappointing end to the Stainless Steel Rat series. It is really only disappointing because the others are so good. This book is worth a read because it may be the last one written and it does an okay job of wrapping up the series.
Light-hearted sci-fi comedy, emphasis on light. =).......2004-03-24
Hello, fellow readers!
This book was purchased mainly to complete my current SSR collection, and although decent at a few places, it lacked the comedy "punch" that the others in the series had. In my opinion, the comedy aspect in this book compared to the others in the series is the worst, but then again it did provide a nice mystery, which I reluctantly followed. Still, it was worth the few bucks I paid. Don't get if you don't follow the SSR series, though, it'll be a waste of time.
New Rat Not So Rusty.......2004-01-26
I must admit that I was a little hesitant about reading SSR Joins The Circus. As a big rat fan of many years I had been disappointed by Harrison's last couple of attempts. SSR Sings The Blues and Goes To Hell were both pretty poor in comparison to earlier rat books so it was with almost reluctance that I read his latest chapter in the life of Jim DiGriz.
However SSR Joins The Circus is a pretty good rat book. The story is well paced and exciting enough to keep you interested and the world of Fettorr is well developed and interesting. Not as good as Harrison's earlier ones but non the less a quite enjoyable read. The main villain in very menacing and has poor old Jim on the ropes for the majority of the tale, but this is also one of the books major flaws. DiGriz doesn't seem anywhere near as sharp as he used to be, yes he pulled off a couple of nice capers to appease his blackmailer but you get the distance feeling that poor old Jim is getting a little dim witted in his later years.
Once again he is forced to rely upon the twins to get him out of tight scrapes. I have personally never been a fan of the twins as they provide Jim with an easy escape route anytime things get tough instead of doing it himself. That plus the fact that Harrison can't tell them apart anymore and gets them mixed up towards the end of the book. Also the book has a number of typos and you get the feeling that it was thrown togeather very fast.
Yet despite these shortcomings SSR Joins The Circus is a pretty good read if you enjoy the exploits of the Stainless Steel Rat as I do. Not Harrison's best effort of behalf of good old Jim, but certainly not his worst either.
3 out of 5
The SSRat not on his highest wire........2001-11-19
Throughout the years, I have always been a rat fan at heart. I read and re-read all of James diGriz's! adventures over and over. (for a factual statement, his last name is spelled like that! diG not DiG!) They are a master mind of work, until this one came. It's a great book with a good story line, but it has so many errors and loop-holes, you could drive a station wagon through them.
But, if we were to look past all the errors and all the grammer points, we can see the old rat shining through. It's a great book, but a lousy book to end on. I'm 100% sure that this is not the last of the rat. That I will bet my life on! If you were a true rat fan you would remember that old diGriz will vacation for a while, but then find that boring and have an itch for action. Let's just hope that the Stainless Steel Rat hasn't gotten rusty.
Customer Reviews:
Welcome To The Rat Race.......2005-11-19
Meet the great James Boliver "Slippery Jim" DiGriz, the Stainless Steel Rat himself, a pre-eminant scofflaw and star of ten 'Rat' novels. This ficitional futuristic thief proves himself to be an expert burglar, cool con man, and consumate liar. Out conned into working for the Special Corps, an elite government law enforcement and spy agency, DiGriz puts his talents to use all in the name of justice ... except, that is, when he's using them for his own self-benefit by breaking the very laws he should be upholding. Of course, Slippery Jim rationalizes this by claiming he is doing society a favor by committing crimes. Though a rascal, Jim is a humanist at heart and takes great care to ensure no injury befalls anyone as a result of the mischief he creates. In the three novels here, "The Stainless Steel Rat", "The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge" and "The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World", DiGriz encounters the sociopathic femme fatale Angelina, a military society bent on conquering the universe, and the time traveling megalomaniac known known as He. Humor and action blend seemlessly in a tongue-in-cheek style that is thoroughly endearing to the loveable rapscallion the Stainless Steel Rat.
The Rat Rules!.......2004-06-24
I first read this book in the summer of 1977, and the Rat has endured as my alltme favorite fictional character since. Slippery Jim is easily one of the funniest and most endearing characters I have encountered in my literary adventures. Sure he's a scoundrel of sorts, but he does it for all the right reasons, of course! If you are looking or a futurstic psuedo-James Bond/Flint type character with great humor galore, the Rat is your man! I recommend the Rat highly to any sci-fi or action/adventure fan. Or for that matter, anyone with a sense of humor! I keep hoping for a Rat movie...
Looking for Deep, Thought Provoking SiFi?.......2002-10-25
THIS ISN'T IT! But if you're looking for a good romp through space with a quasi-vigilante, Jame Bond sort of character, you will thoroughly enjoy this material. An excellent read when you just want to have some fun!
A Decent Romp.......2001-02-14
This paperback omnibus collects the first three volumes of the nine volume (so far) Stainless Steel Rat series: "The Stainless Steel Rat," "The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge," and "The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World." Never having read any of this legendary space cowboy series, I found that a little of this stuff goes a long way. The stories feature a charming rouge con-man who gets turned into an agent for the elite Special Corps. The first story is fun and mindless, the second is still fun, but by the end of it I was wondering if the formula was to be repeated in the third, which it was. There are some fun moments to be had, but this is writing by the numbers.
Best Book Ever Written........2000-09-05
I can say this after reading it about 12 times over the last 20 years. If you ever feel bad, just wonder 'what would Jim do?'
Average customer rating:
- Lightweight Fun
- Adequate SciFi Adventure
- Slippery Jim is what Mitnick wanted to be
- Not A Bad Book, But Not Terribly Great Either
- A So-So So-n-So
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STAINLESS STEEL RAT IS BORN, A (Stainless Steel Rat Books (Paperback))
Harry Harrison
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Harrison, Harry
| ( H )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
| Alternate History
| Anthologies
| Arthurian
| Contemporary
| Epic
| General
| Historical
| History & Criticism
| Magic & Wizards
| Series
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0553279424
Release Date: 1985-09-01 |
Customer Reviews:
Lightweight Fun.......2007-05-15
"A Stainless Steel Rat is Born" provides an interesting and entertaining starting point for the saga of "Slippery Jim" Digriz, The Stainless Steel Rat: Space Age Rogue and Crook Extraordinaire; Anti-Hero and Master Criminal.
While not the first, or best written, book in the series, there's something you just have to like about this unapologetic and extremely capable, irreverent, alcoholic thief.
In this episode, we learn how 17 year old Slippery Jim graduated from his roots as a small time and frustrated thief to the big leagues - learning how he found his mentor - the Bishop: learning the finer points of "the craft" from him, then leaving the planet with him for new horizons when the local scene gets a bit too hot for the pair.
Unfortunately, they are sold into slavery by the captain of the ship they had bribed to help them escape from their decidely un-heaven-like home planet, "Bit O'Heaven". As in all of the Stainless Steel Rat novels, Jim's efforts to extricate himself from this predicament has wide ranging consequences. And, as in many of the novels, he is again an unwitting tool of the Space League's efforts to bring sanity to yet another dysfunctional culture - all the while lampooning fast food and various human foibles, and outsmarting or outmanuevering all authority figures who attempt to keep Jim and The Bishop from horning-in on their own profitable scams.
Even though decidedly cut from the same cloth as previous books in the series with little innovation in terms of plotline or themes, the book is a pleasant read: lightweight fun for "rat" fans. It is not as rich as some of the "rat" novels in terms of inspired zaniness, outlandish technology, and the humorous juxtaposition of themes and cultural icons - all of which are hallmarks of the series. Even so, I feel it is a worthwhile contribution to "Rat Lore" for Harry Harrison Fans. Three Stars!
Adequate SciFi Adventure.......2004-11-12
A STAINLESS STEEL RAT IS BORN is my first Harry Harrison novel. I would be willing to try another, but this novel did not send me rushing to the nearest bookstore for the next installment.
A STAINLESS STEEL RAT IS BORN tells you how Jim DiGriz embarked on a life of crime. DiGriz is 17, and the novel does do a good job of giving him a believable smug, smart voice. I would have liked this novel a lot if I had read it when I was about 15, I think.
Jim grew up on a planet called Bit O'Heaven. The fat, tame, insular, unimaginative adults that live on this "piggy planet" are most notable for their expertise at producing incredibly fattening fast food. Jim actually camps in an automated fast-food drive-though at one point. All of this lands as commentary on Americans, but there's no unpleasant bite to it. This is one of the funniest bits of the novel.
Our ambitious young hero decides that to become a Master Criminal, he needs a mentor. Master Criminals are hard to come by on Bit O'Heaven, but he does finally locate one. First, he has to notice that Master Criminlas would be the ones who don't get caught, and then figure out a way to connect. Once he does, he gets off planet. He is off on his first adventure, and things should heat up, but instead they slow down, as if Harrison had lost interest.
Overall, A STAINLESS STEEL RAT IS BORN comes across as lacking energy and inspiration. Probably the novels written earlier had more of that. I am willing to give the series another try, but I will find a fan and make sure I pick a really good one before I spend any more time on it.
Slippery Jim is what Mitnick wanted to be.......2003-06-24
I've read tons of Sci-Fi but somehow missed the Stainless Steel Rat series. Only read this one so far. It was a lot of fun. Made a guy want to take up a life of crime for fun and frolic! Bit 'O Heaven sure reminded me of Wisconsin or Iowa, complete with McSwiney's and big ornery farm critters to chase you around.
When he lands in that godforsaken warlord land, it made me wonder if Harry had ever been to Chechnya, Dagestan or Afghanistan. Except that if he had, I'd guess he'd have made the characters intervening with the warlords much less idealistic and a lot more clueless and idiotically bureacratic, as only the CIA can manage. In real life, nobody has a clue except the field ops guys and they can't make a decision.
I've met characters along the lines of Jimmy Digriz. They are alive and stealing millions from the World Bank in the Balkans and other places like that, arranging to have themselves kidnapped in the Caucasus, etcetera. Can't say as I like them - they do terrible damage, but Jimmy Digriz certainly makes it seem like the way to go.
Maybe ... :-)
Not A Bad Book, But Not Terribly Great Either.......2003-05-22
There is some information in this review which may be considered Spoiler information. You stand warned.
The book started off well, and I think that Harry Harrison had a good premise...for a short story. Attempting to turn this plot into a whole novel, let alone a series of them, is somewhat foolish. The material just isn' t there for a whole series of books about Slippery Jim. The first book alone seemed to stretch over one hundred pages past where it should have. I can't, offhand, think of any particular place that it should have stopped, but after Jim met the Bishop and he got turned down, or after the Bishop was captured and freed, or even after they left Bit O' Heaven would all have been good stopping places with a slight rewrite to give a conclusion. Even at the end of the book the way it is, though, there is relatively little conclusion, and the reader is left dissatisfied.
Not a bad book, but probably not one you should pay full price for, either.
Harkius
A So-So So-n-So.......1998-03-13
Not a great book, and not the best of the Rat pack. Harrison has a lot of fun making fun of modern foibles in the future, but the story is overly episodic, the technology of the future seems less advanced than our own (but for space travel), and the author's ideas about authority and responsibility come across as identical to those of a thirteen-year-old slacker. But the story is rapid, the cliffhangers well constructed, and the Bishop is a joy of a character.
Customer Reviews:
Classic science-fiction short stories........2000-05-09
This is a collection of science fiction shorts from Harry Harrison, the creator of The Stainless Steel Rat and Bill The Galactic Hero; 13 of what he considers to be his best. (The rear cover blurb claims 14, but either they can't count, or I can't.)
These are the kind of science fiction short stories that got me interested in the genre, over twenty years ago when I was a kid. Some of them have aged better than others; I find myself shaking my head at some of the stock plots and characters. And some of the ideas that are addressed seem a bit dated, 25 years later. But all of them DO address ideas, ideas that were fascinating to a 14 year old 25 years ago, and would probably be fascinating to one today. Some of them, of course, are fascinating to a 41 year old today.
If you're a fan of old-fashioned science fiction, you'll love this book. If you're not, but are curious about what kind of stories cause those who are to be so, this book is for you. And if you're an inquisitive youngster who HASN'T read a lot of science fiction, this book is perfect for you. But if you've read a lot of classic science fiction, and have gotten a bit jaded, you may find this book a bit too reminiscent of an old copy of Analog magazine.
Book Description
Brand new adventure of slippery Jim DiGriz, the SF superhero the TLS compared to James Bond and Flash Gordon and the Daily Telegraph, called the Monty Python of the spaceways. While our anti-hero is taking it easy on the resort planet Lussouso, his wife Angelina and her cavorting pals are at the temple ofEternal Truth, being bamboozled into believing that at last they can buy their way into heaven. When Angelina asks 1 pertinent question too many, Slippery Jim suddenly finds himself without a wife. Within the Temple of Eternal Truth lie the doors to Heaven and Hell - to find Angelina, Jim and his twin sons will have to break down those doors and explore the worlds behind them. In outer space, the devil makes work for idle hands.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
This is clearly the weakest Stainless Steel Rat Novel The Rat most of the time treats this investigation as an extended family holiday.
He was really bored anyway on the stultifying planet of rich people getting rejuvenated.
He has plenty of backup. "As head of the Special Corps, the most secret of secret forces that defended the peace and protected the galaxy, his powers were awesome."
Jim is pretty confident in dealing with the alternature universe crossing, Hell creating, self-duplicating madman. "One super-agent of superlative talent and experiment, a lone wolf, he who slinks by night, lithe, hand-some, unbeatable--the galaxy's best agent."
Another in the Great Series.......2007-06-10
Harrison is one of the very few Science Fiction writers that can mix humor with action. By this time he is getting a bit formulaic, but he's still very readable and leaves you wanting still more. I hope to eventually get the whole set of adventures in hard cover. I have many old paperbacks but they are disintegrating in the basement. Sic transit gloria mundi.
Stainless Steel Rat Goes Downhill.......2006-05-03
Slippery Jim, with wife and sons, is back saving the universe again. It starts with an apparent scam, a store-front preacher promising heaven to anyone who can pay enough. The funny thing is, he seems to be delivering on his promise, and not in the form of a one-way trip.
The ins an outs from universe to universe are amusing, as are some of the side-comments. ("Atomic bomb. Keep out of reach of children.") Some scenes would work well in animation, like two hundred Marines storming the gates of Hell, armed with salami. The plot is largely driven by magical saves, though, relying the superscientist on the good guys' team to whip up a hyper-interdimensional-thingie after a few minutes of rewriting the fundamental laws of the universe. It's entertaining enough, but the freshness is definitely off the series.
//wiredweird
Glad I found it at the Library.......2005-06-04
I couldn't imagine spending money for this barrel of dung.
This is the first Harry Harrison novel I've ever read. It will be the last. Is this typically how he writes? I've read hints that the Stainless Steel Rat novels are parodies of sci-fi pulp, which is fine. In that case, I got the joke. I got the joke five pages in; the rest was just extraneous. If it was a joke, it was spread awfully thin. A tattered plot filled with guys constantly "growling menacingly" and dames "husking seductively" (sorry, tossed it and am writing from memory)? Full of people otherwise otherwise engaging in all sorts of off-putting and utterly unverisimilitudinous behavior and speaking dialogue that would make Isaac Asimov blush? Sure, that might be funny in a short story. A whole novel full of it makes the reader feel cheated.
Sorry, the Stainless Steel Rat Goes To Hell is less mature and thought-provoking than crud I used to write in elementary school.
The tanking of the series.......2002-06-23
This book is what I consider the terminal end to the series. I've been a die-hard fan of Slippery Jim for around... two decades (and I'm only 26). This book, however, is a phenominal whiffle of bunk. I can't believe that the series has become this corny. It's terribly insulting that Mr. Harrison would do this to one of my most beloved literary memories. Not that I want to give away any spoilers, but I have one word for those of us that have already read the book... SAUSAGES!
So lets say that you don't believe me. Just have a look at the cover. That pretty much sums up the feel of this book. Corny. It made me irate for days.
I'd still like to recommend the first 7-8 books in the series to you folks, though.
Average customer rating:
- Super Reader
- Slippery Jim DiGriz is more himself than ever
- One of the funniest books in a very amusing series
- Stainless Steel Rat Still Untarnished
- Light-hearted sci-fi adventure book, can't really go wrong.
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STAINLESS STEEL RAT FOR PRESIDENT, THE (Stainless Steel Rat Books (Paperback))
Harry Harrison
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Harrison, Harry
| ( H )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0553276123
Release Date: 1988-06-01 |
Book Description
The Stainless Steel rat is back! Slippery Jim diGriz, the future's most lovable, laughable, larcenous conman tumed counterspy, retums for yet another high-tension mission.
This time the Special Corps has given the Rat a daring assignment - liberate a backward tourist planet from the clutches of an aging dictator. With his lovely but lethal wife, Angelina, and his two stalwart sons, James and Bolivar, diGriz pits ballots against bullets in the fight for freedom. He's vowed to restore truth, justice, and democracy to the world of Parisio-Aqui, if he has to lie, cheat, and steal to do it.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
Another amusing installment of the Stainless Steel Rat series. When Slippery Jim di Griz is on holiday with his easy on the eyes spousal unit, he deals with the local politician, who keeps himself in power though skullduggery.
The Rat is a master of this, and decides to go into politics and beat him at his own game, and much entertainment is had by all.
Slippery Jim DiGriz is more himself than ever.......2007-02-19
The Stainless Steel Rat is back and he's... well, he's exactly the same as he was in his previous books, except now he's got a wife and two grown sons who are exactly the same as well. And that's as it should be. Reading a SSR book isn't about character development, or moral complications, or really anything at all other than watching an incredibly cool, practically unstoppable James Bond style superman work his way through platoons of bad-guy minions. The fact that we get a liberal sprinkling of science fiction goodies like space-ships and sleep bombs only adds to the fun.
I particularly liked this book for the way it changed the typical conflict: Instead of requiring a solitary mission to snatch some valuable item or stop some particular bad guy Slipper Jim must steal an entire election in order to save a planet under the dictatorial rule of a "president for life". This expanded the tricks necessary to win the day and introduced many amusing concepts, from voting the graveyard to protecting your political rallies from ballistic missile attack. Now if Harry Harrison could just have realized a little earlier that Esperanto was never going to be a Galactic lingua fraca, the entire book would have been one perfect romp.
One of the funniest books in a very amusing series.......2006-07-31
Harry Harrison does comedy better than almost any other Science Fiction writer, and the Stainless Steel Rat - Slippery Jim Di Griz - is probably his funniest creation. This is my personal favourite of the Stainless Steel Rat books.
After one adventure too many, Slippery Jim, his beautiful but slightly murderous wife Angelina, and their two sons decide to have a rest on a backward planet. However, they get mixed up in the planet's politics, challenging the military dictator who has maintained himself in power for hundreds of years by rigging electors.
If you enjoy this, another comedy SF series which might amuse you, by Harrison's only serious competitor for the title of funniest Science Fiction writer, is the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. The first book about Miles is "The Warrior's Apprentice."
Looking back on the events of "The Stainless Steel Rat for President" I wonder if Ferdinand Marcos read it. If so, unluckily for him, so did his opponents ....
Strongly recommended
Stainless Steel Rat Still Untarnished.......2005-12-01
One has to keep in mind that once a pop culture symbol such as James Bond secures a certain niche in society that a bit of parody is to be expected. Such is the case with the television series "Get Smart" which mocked Bond to perfection and such it is with The Stainless Steel Rat. Spending a belated honeymoon with the reformed femme fatale, Angelina, who is now his beloved wife they find themselves embroiled in intrigue and andventure when fate places them on a planet run by an evil, tyranical dictator who rigs the elections for certain victory. Though Jim DiGriz is seen as having matured a bit since his last outings his stainless steel exterior hasn't tarnished in the least. Amidst the mayhem humor abounds for an enjoyable laugh at what the life of a government agent might be like in a galaxy soon to come but not, necessarily, so far away.
Light-hearted sci-fi adventure book, can't really go wrong........2004-03-24
Hello, everyone! Owning a few of the other books in the Stainless Steel Rat series, I got this book second-hand from an Amazon vendor to complete my SSR collection that I've been slowly building up since my mid-teens. I got a very good copy for a few bucks, so it was a good deal. The book caused me to chuckle at a few places, but nothing over-the-top-funny. If you want a quick read that isn't too heavy, really recommended. Otherwise, you may want to look elsewhere for your sci-fi comedy, such as Douglas Adams' awesome stuff. Just my two cents! =)
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The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus (Gollancz)
Harry Harrison
Manufacturer: Gollancz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Harrison, Harry
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| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Science Fiction
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The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell
ASIN: 1857987241 |
Book Description
When you are the richest man in the Universe and someone is robbing your banks you can afford the best the in the business to catch the criminals responsible; even if he's charging 4 million a day plus expenses. And so Slippery Jim DiGriz finds himself on a bizarre undercover mission in a circus.
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STAINLESS STEEL RAT FOR PRESIDENT, THE (Stainless Steel Rat Books (Paperback))
STAINLESS STEEL RAT IS BORN, A (Stainless Steel Rat Books (Paperback))
A Stainless Steel Trio
The Stainless Steel Rat Joins The Circus (Stainless Steel Rat)
