| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lightweight Fun,
By
This review is from: A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born (Paperback)
"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!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and more fun! Anti-hero from tomorrow for today!,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born (Paperback)
What an amusing and entertaining read! If you've read the Stainless Steel novels, you allready now of Sleepery Jeem and his inter-galactic adventures.. But this insight into his character and background is a triumph to the sci-fi serial heros. Harrison is one of the funniest sci-fi authors of the past 30 years, probably best known for his novel, "Make Room! Make Room!" for which the movie Soylent Green was based upon. Harrison writes like a mutated Arthur Douglas/Larry Niven/Rex Stout mixture, and the reader will double over at the funny circumstances, the hilarious dialogues, and the quick but dry-witted narration of Slippery Jim DeGriz. The Stainless Steel hero is the future day Anti-hero, the hero who is actually the smartest crook to ever live! Read this book and then read the other Stainless Steel novels. You will have a new favorite sci-fi character!!!!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ANOTHER SIMPLY FUN READ BY ONE OF MY PERSONALLY FAVORITE AUTHORS,
This review is from: A Stainless Steel Rat is Born (Hardcover)
Having been a Harry Harrison fan for more years than I can remember, I was delighted when he finished this prequel to the Stainless Steel Rat series. (It should be noted that there are two other of these prequel works, The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted and The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues and that all three of these novels can be purchased via the Kindle store under the title A Stainless Steel Trio Anyway, I first became acquainted with Harrison's writing through reading his Deathworld series, one of my favorite reads.
Those familiar with the author's hero, or antihero, as the case may be, James diGitz, will be on familiar ground with the work being reviewed here. Those who, like me, have often wondered where Slippery Jim got his start will have all of their questions answered. James diGitz was probably one of the first, if not the first, true antihero featured in Science Fiction. Of course Conan predates this character but he falls into the fantasy genre and not SiFi. Jim is a master criminal and the most wanted man in the Galaxy. Yes, he is an absolute crook! But it must be known that even though is chosen profession is well outside of the law, he has a personal set of ethics which far out those that are trying to imprison/rehabilitate/execute him. Think here of Robin Hood ; a high tech Robin Hood that is indeed a thief, but a good hearted thief with extremely high morals. In this particular book we learn how James got his start at 17 years old while living on one of the most boring planets in the universe. (The entire planet's economy is based on hog raising...well, not actually pigs per se, but rather genetically altered pigs which are actually giant crosses between swine and porcupines...1000 pound and up critters; mean and nasty! Jim, who was raised on one of these pig farms, knows for sure he wants something else in life and decides at a very early age that crime...big time crime, is the answer. In this work our hero meets the legendary The Baron; a master criminal who has never been caught and in fact is absolutely nameless throughout the galaxy. Jim finds him and so begins his training. As with many of Harrison's books, there is a lot of world hoping going on. In this book Jim and The Baron find themselves abandoned on a planet which is just one step ahead of medieval times and must use there wit to thrive and escape. Is this work, along with the other 10 novels in this series the best science fiction ever written! No, far from it. But is it is fun. Harrison has a good sense of humor and along with presenting us with a likable protagonist, he has given us a funny one. These books are ideal starter SiFi books for young readers although it must be noted that the down side here is that these novels and Jim diGitz does glorify criminality, i.e. steeling. There is no sex involved in these books, even though our hero is very much a ladies man, violence is present but very low keyed (A part of the code Slippery Jim goes by is to not kill anyone), there is absolutely no "bad language" involved in any of the stories I have read and the "good guys" almost always win. Yet, even though these are perfectly appropriate for young readers (perhaps 15 and up), they are never-the-less targeted to the adult reader. I personally find the author's approach rather refreshing. Even though, as strange as this sounds, each of these novels is more or less a lesson in ethics...sort of inverse ethics I grant you, but good ethics never-the-less. Following is a list of the Stainless Steel Rat books. I have not listed them by publication date, but rather in an order that I have personally found works quite well and more or less follow the life of our hero in chronological sequence. Others may prefer a different order and it should be noted that each and ever one of these books can be read as stand-alones. A Stainless Steel Rat is Born The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues The Stainless Steel Rat (Actually, this was the first in the series The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! (Stainless Steel Rat, Book 3) The Stainless Steel Rat for President (Stainless Steel Rat Books) Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell The Stainless Steel Rat Joins The Circus (Stainless Steel Rat Books) Stainless Steel Visions (Stainless Steel Rat) Don Blankenship The Ozarks
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
|
|
