Quick Review: The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You!

[jeriendhal]

Summary: Master thief turned 350th century superspy "Slippery Jim" DeGriz once again must save the universe as a horde of tremendously ugly aliens invade civilization, and somehow stay sober at the same time.

Review: I think it was I'm incorrect when I say that it was james_nicoll who wrote the entry on author Harry Harrison in the Science Fiction Encyclopedia, noting that Mr. Harrison's training as a machinegunner in WW2 served his writing style quite well. In the first thirteen thirty pages of this slim (138 total) but packed book, DeGriz sees his wife kidnapped by the IRS, breaks his twin sons out of military school, goes back in time (twice!) to observe a giant space whale eat a station full of admirals, all as prologue to when the real problems start. All the while guzzling disturbing amounts of whiskey to keep his brain cells from protesting greased as he confronts and rolls over one outrageous plot complication after another.

Great fun, and occasionally with actual moments of tension as DiGriz confronts the genuine threat. It's also a statement about the current quality of science-fiction and fantasy that Harrison manages to put in more plot (thought admittedly much less characterization) in what would be a half-sized book these days than most authors do in a trilogy.

Read it if you can find it.