The Stainless Steel Rat for President

The Stainless Steel Rat is back and he's... well, he's exactly the same as he was in his previous books, except now he's got a wife and two grown sons who are exactly the same as well. And that's as it should be. Reading a SSR book isn't about character development, or moral complications, or really anything at all other than watching an incredibly cool, practically unstoppable James Bond style superman work his way through platoons of bad-guy minions. The fact that we get a liberal sprinkling of science fiction goodies like space-ships and sleep bombs only adds to the fun. I particularly liked this book for the way it changed the typical conflict: Instead of requiring a solitary mission to snatch some valuable item or stop some particular bad guy Slipper Jim must steal an entire election in order to save a planet under the dictatorial rule of a "president for life". This expanded the tricks necessary to win the day and introduced many amusing concepts, from voting the graveyard to protecting your political rallies from ballistic missile attack. Now if Harry Harrison could just have realized a little earlier that Esperanto was never going to be a Galactic lingua fraca, the entire book would have been one perfect romp.

Harry Harrison does comedy better than almost any other Science Fiction writer, and the Stainless Steel Rat - Slippery Jim Di Griz - is probably his funniest creation. This is my personal favourite of the Stainless Steel Rat books. After one adventure too many, Slippery Jim, his beautiful but slightly murderous wife Angelina, and their two sons decide to have a rest on a backward planet. However, they get mixed up in the planet's politics, challenging the military dictator who has maintained himself in power for hundreds of years by rigging electors. If you enjoy this, another comedy SF series which might amuse you, by Harrison's only serious competitor for the title of funniest Science Fiction writer, is the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. The first book about Miles is "The Warrior's Apprentice." Looking back on the events of "The Stainless Steel Rat for President" I wonder if Ferdinand Marcos read it. If so, unluckily for him, so did his opponents .... Strongly recommended

One has to keep in mind that once a pop culture symbol such as James Bond secures a certain niche in society that a bit of parody is to be expected. Such is the case with the television series "Get Smart" which mocked Bond to perfection and such it is with The Stainless Steel Rat. Spending a belated honeymoon with the reformed femme fatale, Angelina, who is now his beloved wife they find themselves embroiled in intrigue and andventure when fate places them on a planet run by an evil, tyranical dictator who rigs the elections for certain victory. Though Jim DiGriz is seen as having matured a bit since his last outings his stainless steel exterior hasn't tarnished in the least. Amidst the mayhem humor abounds for an enjoyable laugh at what the life of a government agent might be like in a galaxy soon to come but not, necessarily, so far away.

If you like the Stainless Steel Rat books, this will be one of your favorites! Slippery Jim is at his best when accompanied by Angelina and the boys... which is the case here. The SSR puts together one of his best schemes with the help of his lady love and slippery sons. This one has it all: politics, laughs, adventure & even a hint of romance! Harrison does it again.

Yes, Slippery Jim DiGriz, AKA the infamous Stainless Steel Rat, is at it again in this epic novel of crime, comedy, and political chicanery! This book will leave you in awe of the Rat's incredibly clever conniving crookery, as he duels with the evil dictator Zapilote for control of a paradise planet. A word of advice, though: be careful when you get wrapped up in this novel. Jim DiGriz is so slippery, you just might find your pockets picked