Stainless Steel Reven

What sort of woman would a rogue and a thief and now a secret agent super-operative type be interested in? Well, in the case of Slippery Jim di Griz it appears that the woman is an uber-version of his old self, and he did end up pursuing in more ways than one. The Rat was not a violent man, the one who set his hormones aflutter didn't mind a bit of shooting. After a bit of readjustment, they married, save the universe, and have kids. Amusing, again.

The novel reads a lot like an episode of Mission: Impossible set in outer space. Faced with defeating a warmongering interplanetary force, James DiGriz infiltrates his way in by assuming another's identity (complete with facial alteration) then procedes to bluff and improvise his way through increasingly hazardous conditions. DiGriz is cornered several times, captured twice, but always manages to avoid getting his neck snapped in a trap. There's nothing particularly groundbreaking in this novel. DiGriz is cut of the same cloth as most gentleman rogues. The story has a couple deus ex machina moments, but nothing intolerable. I thought the escape from the airfield was nicely handled, and Harrison was able to introduce The Planet of Warrior Women into the story without degenerating into "Bill the Galactic Hero" nonsense. If you enjoyed the first novel in the series, you'll likely enjoy this one also. If you haven't read the first one, go ahead and read it before this one - it introduces a couple characters and makes their all-to-brief appearances here more enjoyable.

Slippery Jim is off to save the Universe and fill his pockets at the same time. On the way to saving the Universe, Slippery Jim gets married at the point of a gun, becomes a father and takes on serious bad guys. He assumes three different identities, tackles a world without any weaponry on his person and is saved by beautiful women, one of whom is Angelina, his spouse. His greatest challenge, however, is differentiating the identity of his twin sons! Yes, this one is worth reading, so go for it!