Customer Reviews

Stainless Steel Rat

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rather like the old 'Batman' television series, veteran sci-fi writer Harrison's 'Stainless Steel Rat' books work as both entertaining pulpy adventure stories, and tongue-in-cheek parodies of themselves. Featuring a hero who is more resourceful than McGuyver, the books spanned the 60's and 70's before being revived quite recently with 'The Stainless Steel Rat goes to Hell'. 'For President' and 'Saves the World' were the high spots - the series eventually met with dimishing returns, and started to repeat itself. The original 'Stainless Steel Rat' was a short story - after repeating it in mildly-edited form as a 'prologue', the book follows our hero (James Bolivar DiGriz, aka Slippery Jim, aka the Stainless Steel Rat) through a short adventure through space in pursuit of a stolen battleship. With the first part of the book given over to an introduction of the main character, it seems more rushed than the later books (many of which are, annoyingly, out-of-print). It's less obviously comedic, too, and the vision of the future is sketched with enough vagueness that it hasn't dated too badly, either.

Normally I am not a fan of sci-fi. Most of the sci-fi I have read takes itself wayyy too seriously and requires readers to be absolutely fascinated with technology, technology, technology. For those of us, however, who are more interested in people, personalities and motivations, and who appreciate a snappy, clever writing style, The Stainless Steel Rat makes a surprisingly good read. The main character, Slippery Jim DiGriz, is one of those "likeable bandit"-type characters whom you want to root for even though they are technically breaking the law. I am thinking of, for example, Butch Cassidy (played on screen by Paul Newman in 1972), "The Grey Fox" (played by Richard Farnsworth around 1982), and the George Clooney character in the 1998 movie "Out of Sight." These characters, like Slippery Jim, are daring, sassy and iconoclastic in their lawbreaking careers, and all of them revel in a justifiably high opinion of their own professional competence at what they do. Yet they also have a lot of warmth and personal charm and happen to place a high value on human life. They are thieves, not murderers. I really like that. What makes the Stainless Steel rat book particularly entertaining, for me, is Harrison's witty, lively writing style (although he does have a habit of misusing commas--this is why I give the book 4 stars instead of 5), and most of all, the philosophical questions that are (inadvertantly?) posed now and then by the story. For example: Jim changes his identity several times by altering his physical appearance and making up a new bogus personality and personal history to go along with it. Yet his inner self remains the same at all times, which we (the readers) know because he shares his true inner thoughts with us. (As a narrator, Jim is 100% reliable--he levels with us always, even when he is lying to others.) So his identity-changes beg the question--what makes up a person's "true" identity, anyway? If we are not our names, jobs, values, personalities, and personal histories, then what makes us "ourselves"? It is fascinating to me that he maintains such a clear sense, for himself, of who he really is underneath all the changes. In short: I love The Stainless Steel Rat for its innovative main character, its psychological insight, its lively writing, and the intellectual substance I find in the story--even though it is sci-fi, which I don't usually like.

"At a certain stage, the realization strikes through that one must either live outside of society's bonds or die of absolute boredom. There is no future or freedom in the circumscribed life and the only other life is complete rejection of the rules. There is no longer room for the soldier of fortune or the gentleman adventurer who can live both within and outside of society. Today it is all or nothing. To save my own sanity, I chose nothing."

In the future society where Jim DiGriz lives, most criminal and anti-social behavior has been weeded out of the human genome. It's hard for bad guys to hide themselves in this antiseptic society -- in order to survive, you gotta be a stainless steel rat, and Slippery Jim DiGriz is a really sneaky one. He's exceptionally cunning but he's not murderous, so when he finally gets caught, instead of fixing him, the intergalactic cops decide to recruit him. Jim's pretty conflicted about working for the good guys, but soon he's on his first case after he figures out that somebody evil is building a battleship.

The Stainless Steel Rat is, simply, tons of fun. It's quick-paced, action-packed, and funny. The villains are purposely overdone in that cheesy James Bond / Batman kind of way, but Harry Harrison doesn't skimp on Jim DiGriz's character. The Stainless Steel Rat is one of those outlaws who you just can't help but root for, especially when he's always amused with himself and his circumstances. For a science fiction novel written in 1961, The Stainless Steel Rat ages well, too.

I listened to Brilliance Audio's version read by Phil Gigante who gives a lively performance. I'm sure that a lot of my chuckling was caused by Mr. Gigante's interpretation of DiGriz's personality. In one scene, DiGriz takes a drug that's supposed to help him understand the mind of a sociopath. This was beautifully and hilariously portrayed by Mr. Gigante. Brilliance Audio will be producing several more Stainless Steel Rat novels read by Phil Gigante. I will definitely be picking those up!

James Bolivar DiGriz (aka Slippery Jim) is one of my altime favorite characters. Set in the future, this tale of a criminal mastermind loose in an artificially pacified universe will not let you put it down. Great wit mixed with masterful writing, as has come to be expected from a legend of Harry Harrison's calibur, leaves you chuckling and invigorated. The great hook in the first paragraph leads into an unforgettable story of suspense, daring, intelligence, and humor. Get a copy today.

The stainless steel rat is such a good nickname for the main character of this story. I loved the fact that even though it is set in the future the scams that Harry Harrison writes about in the very beginning of the story are so believable. The characters, places and ideas are what make this book a winner how could I give it something less than 5 stars.

Pretty good. Basically a futuristic take on hiring a criminal to catch a criminal.

The protagonist is a thief, and a good one. He is caught and pressganged into sevice to catch people like himself, only more violent.

Good sci-fi is always a treat.

When Harry Harrison created "Slippery Jim DiGriz" (pun intended I'm certain), he created the mold for any number of book and movie heroes from that day forward.

Slippery Jim, or The Stainless Steel Rat, is a self reliant individual (well, at least with his gadgets) who strives to live outside the bonds of his highly documented, low privacy society. Sometimes this means being a thief, and sometimes a hero, but it always means clever solutions to well constructed problems, along with some adventure, colorful personalities, and extremely amusing asides, philosophies, and escapades.

The Stainless Steel Rat series of books are not great literature, but they did entertain me as much as anything I've ever read, and caused me to follow Harrison's writing through his other works (the ones that aren't about Slippery Jim). This first effort kicks things off in grand fashion, and shouldn't be missed by fans of sci-fi, humor, clever spy/thief stories, and farce. Very clever writing by a very clever man.

This book, originally published in 1961, shows some signs of its age; it is in a style very reminiscent of the pulps of that era of science fiction, in which character development is minimal and implausible plot devices are not rationalized overly carefully. Still, it's a fun romp based on an interesting concept, and one of the classics of its era, so I can't rate it less than four stars. Great literature it is not, but a fun story it definitely is.

"The Stainless Steel Rat" is very good reading.

This is the first book in the "Stainless Steel Rat" series. Let us just say that the right criminal might, just might, make an interesting law and order agent.

Read this book.

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.