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A review by kynan
The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted by Harry Harrison
1.0
TL;DR: Do not read, for completionists only.
TL: I'm not a "read between the lines" kind of guy. I'm happy to read something and the have a big ole think about it after the fact but, I'm going to read the lines and take them as read. This pig-headed literalness, combined with my confusion around this series and what might constitute satire therein, has lead to an extreme level of uneasiness with regard to the content of this book. Maybe this was Mr Harrison's none-too-subtle jab at [b:Atlas Shrugged|662|Atlas Shrugged|Ayn Rand|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405868167l/662._SY75_.jpg|817219] (although he left the run a bit late if so). This book is a real reversion to misogynistic viewpoints espoused back in [b:The Stainless Steel Rat|64394|The Stainless Steel Rat (Stainless Steel Rat, #4)|Harry Harrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328073906l/64394._SY75_.jpg|824589]. The original sexism is back, and it brought its friend homophobia along for the ride! But maybe that's a) also biting satire aimed at skewering the military and its inability to accept all but an outwardly straight-laced society, b) an attempt to stay true to the likely mindset of the time, based on the chronological order of this book in the series. I don't know, but it's enough to make for some uneasy reading.
On the face of it, this is just another episode in the Stainless Steel Rat series, but it really falls flat. The normal happy satirical jabs are replaced with slabs of Rand-like diatribe (in terms of tone, volume and content!) and the usual joie de vivre is missing. Maybe it's the way the story starts, with Jim hell-bent on murderous revenge for the death of The Bishop, maybe it's the slow discovery of his future morals through action and didactic monologue, maybe it's the lack of the usual ridiculous set-pieces told in a familiar yet unfitting voice as the not-yet-twenty Jimmy diGriz makes astoundingly well thought-out and canny decisions under immense pressure or maybe it's just all of those things put together. Whatever it is, the frankenstein story that results is not enjoyable.
The story picks up directly where [b:A Stainless Steel Rat is Born|64397|A Stainless Steel Rat is Born (Stainless Steel Rat, #1)|Harry Harrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1334406277l/64397._SY75_.jpg|62514] leaves off and young Jim is attempting to pick up the trail of Captain Garth, who sold Jim and The Bishop into slavery back on Spiovente and whom Jim directly blames for The Bishop's death. Jim is still contained in the League prison, awaiting shipment back to Bit 'o Heaven at the outset and, as you can imagine, he doesn't stay contained for long. Subsequently the action bounces around the planet, taking a chapter or seven to launch a blisteringly excoriating diatribe against the military in general before moving on to a new planet, and a lesson in "Individual Mutualism".
It's a heavy-going slog in terms of the usual Stainless Steel Rat fare and, despite an attempt at the usual histrionics, it feels forced and un-fun. I wouldn't recommend reading this book and I think its only redeeming feature is that I learned the word borborygmus from it.
Oh, and just a footnote for me: this is the first one of the series that I don't think I actually read when I was younger. I have very strong memories of the others, but this story was all new to me.
TL: I'm not a "read between the lines" kind of guy. I'm happy to read something and the have a big ole think about it after the fact but, I'm going to read the lines and take them as read. This pig-headed literalness, combined with my confusion around this series and what might constitute satire therein, has lead to an extreme level of uneasiness with regard to the content of this book. Maybe this was Mr Harrison's none-too-subtle jab at [b:Atlas Shrugged|662|Atlas Shrugged|Ayn Rand|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405868167l/662._SY75_.jpg|817219] (although he left the run a bit late if so). This book is a real reversion to misogynistic viewpoints espoused back in [b:The Stainless Steel Rat|64394|The Stainless Steel Rat (Stainless Steel Rat, #4)|Harry Harrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328073906l/64394._SY75_.jpg|824589]. The original sexism is back, and it brought its friend homophobia along for the ride! But maybe that's a) also biting satire aimed at skewering the military and its inability to accept all but an outwardly straight-laced society, b) an attempt to stay true to the likely mindset of the time, based on the chronological order of this book in the series. I don't know, but it's enough to make for some uneasy reading.
On the face of it, this is just another episode in the Stainless Steel Rat series, but it really falls flat. The normal happy satirical jabs are replaced with slabs of Rand-like diatribe (in terms of tone, volume and content!) and the usual joie de vivre is missing. Maybe it's the way the story starts, with Jim hell-bent on murderous revenge for the death of The Bishop, maybe it's the slow discovery of his future morals through action and didactic monologue, maybe it's the lack of the usual ridiculous set-pieces told in a familiar yet unfitting voice as the not-yet-twenty Jimmy diGriz makes astoundingly well thought-out and canny decisions under immense pressure or maybe it's just all of those things put together. Whatever it is, the frankenstein story that results is not enjoyable.
The story picks up directly where [b:A Stainless Steel Rat is Born|64397|A Stainless Steel Rat is Born (Stainless Steel Rat, #1)|Harry Harrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1334406277l/64397._SY75_.jpg|62514] leaves off and young Jim is attempting to pick up the trail of Captain Garth, who sold Jim and The Bishop into slavery back on Spiovente and whom Jim directly blames for The Bishop's death. Jim is still contained in the League prison, awaiting shipment back to Bit 'o Heaven at the outset and, as you can imagine, he doesn't stay contained for long. Subsequently the action bounces around the planet, taking a chapter or seven to launch a blisteringly excoriating diatribe against the military in general before moving on to a new planet, and a lesson in "Individual Mutualism".
It's a heavy-going slog in terms of the usual Stainless Steel Rat fare and, despite an attempt at the usual histrionics, it feels forced and un-fun. I wouldn't recommend reading this book and I think its only redeeming feature is that I learned the word borborygmus from it.
Oh, and just a footnote for me: this is the first one of the series that I don't think I actually read when I was younger. I have very strong memories of the others, but this story was all new to me.