Teaser

James DiGriz has made a name for himself as ‘the Stainless Steel Rat’ – a peerless criminal with a knack for beating the odds. So who better to protect the human race from an unlikely alien invasion?

Review

One of the earliest science fiction books I remember reading (pilfered from the family bookshelves) is Harry Harrison’s Bill, the Galactic Hero. At the time, I was too inexperienced to catch all the references and in-jokes, but it was an entertaining read. I revisited Bill a few years ago, and found the references amusing but the overall story somewhat lacking. A full one-eighty of my first read, but in keeping with my general antipathy toward humourous science fiction novels. I love a good comedy, but it’s very rare for me to find a prose comedy that works for me.

Bill is not Harrison’s only long-running series, however. Arguably even more famous are the misadventures of the Stainless Steel Rat With a dozen books dedicated to the Rat, and a multimedia expansion ranging from comics to gamebooks, the Rat is perhaps science fiction’s archetypal antihero. he’s the sort of character who would blend in nicely with any crew of ne’er-do-wells, from Firefly and Killjoys to Embers of War and Dark Run. On paper, at least, it’s the sort of character I should love reading about.

It’s in the execution that we run into problems. Each Rat novel works a s a standalone, and they were written completely out of chronological order, so context isn’t an issue. The worldbuilding is fairly standard, the characters are distinct, and the plot straightforward. This is the sort of book you can pick up and read in a sitting or two. the problem is two-fold. The first is the comedy, which never lands, and largely serves to render everyone in the book either stupid or insufferable, or some combination of the two. the second is the pacing. Despite having a linear narrative, the story jumps all over the place, frequently adding new twists and characters as Harrison pleases. The introduction of Morality Corps and Time Corps in the novels climax is the most egregious of these introductions.

This is by no means a bad book. It’s entertaining, raises the odd eyebrow of amusement, and knows better than to outstay its welcome. If it’s as representative of the Stainless Steel Rat series as I believe it is, then I can understand why it has its fans. However, Harrison is so highly regarded in the SF community (Deathworld was nominated for the Hugo Award) that I can’t help but expect more than what I got from The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You. Maybe he has better works out there, or maybe he’s just not an author me. I’ll hold off on a final judgement until I’ve read one of his more serious novels.

As a footnote to this review, The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You does mark a major milestone for me. Published in 1978, it fills in a key gap in my knowledge of science fiction’s long history. I can now happily say I’ve read a book from every year going all the way back to 1946. The history of science fiction is an ongoing research project for me. If nothing else, I am thankful to Harry Harrison for helping me fill in the gaps.

Book Stats

• The Stainless Steel Rat (#4)
• Published in 1978
• 191 Pages