RIP Harry Harrison

I was with great sadness this morning that I awoke to read of the passing of Harry Harrison. Mr Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books have been personal favourites of mine ever since I read the first in the series many years ago. I can't remember exactly when in my early teens I read The Stainless Steel Rat, but I do remember that I discovered it in Lillington Library, and on finishing it raced back to borrow every other book in the series that they had in stock. These books were something of a departure from my general reading diet at the time - long time readers of The Book Zone will know that most of the books I was reading at this point were mystery stories and thrillers - but I was captivated by his masterful blend of space opera sci-fi and comedy. And most of all, I wanted to be James Bolivar DiGriz.

In my opinion "Slippery Jim" is up there with Simon Templar as one of fiction's greatest anti-heroes, and it is a huge shame that he never reached the lofty pop culture heights managed by The Saint. The 'one man vs the universe' adventures of this thief, trickster, con-man turned intergalactic trouble shooter are invariably thrilling and always hilarious and despite having read them all so many times, I still return to them when I go through those horrible periods of struggling to get into other books, as I know I can rely on Harrison's stories to lift me.

If you have boys who love science fiction and/or comedy then I simply cannot recommend them enough. As my own personal tribute to Mr Harrison I have re-read The Stainless Steel Rat today and yet again I was left with the feeling that it, and his other stories, are timeless and can have just as much appeal with 12+ boys today as they did with me back in the 1980s. Aside from Jim DiGriz himself they are full of great characters - Angelina, the ex-psychopath who still harbours minor homicidal tendencies, especially where Jim's safety (or fidelity) is concerned; Inskipp, the forever grumpy and long-suffering director of the Special Corps; the diGriz twins, just as devious and charming as their father. And on top of this Harry Harrison also writes damn good villains - the Grey Men are a particular favourite, appearing in The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge, and also in a later book in the series (which I'm not going to name as it might contain spoilers).

The Stainless Steel Rat books have such broad appeal as they encompass so many different genres. It doesn't matter whether you love comedy, science fiction, action, adventure or stories of Hustle-style con-men, you will find something to love in these stories.

Rest In Peace Harry Harrison, and thank you for providing me with some many hours of reading fun.

Attention Grabber #7: The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

Attention Grabber is my weekly feature where I post what I think is a great opening paragraph to a book, the sort of opening that pulls young readers in and hooks them from the start.

For this week's Attention Grabber I have chosen something a little different from the usual fare. This is a book that somehow fell into my hands during my early teens, and had me completely hooked from beginning to end. On finishing it I rushed out to my local library, and then on to the larger one in town, to get my hands on as many of the Stainless Steel Rat books as possible. I still turn to these anarchic science fiction stories as comfort books, when blogger burn out is threatening to rear its ugly head and I just want to chill. These are just as relevant to teen boys today as they were when I discovered them, and this opening paragraph gives a great feel for the narrating character's voice, and the humour than runs throughout all of the stories. I still turn to my battered, well read copies but at least three of the books are available in an omnibus edition from SFF publisher extraordinaire Gollancz.

When the office door opened suddenly I knew the game was up. It had been a money-maker - but it was all over. As the cop walked in I sat back in the chair and put on a happy grin. He had the same somber expression and heavy foot that they all have - and the same lack of humor. I almost knew to the word what he was going to say before he uttered a syllable.

"James Bolivar diGriz I arrest you on the charge - "

I was waiting for the word charge, I thought it made a nice touch that way. As he said it I pressed the button that set off the charge of black powder in the ceiling, the crossbeam buckled and the three-ton safe dropped through right on the top of the cop's head. He squashed very nicely, thank you. The cloud of plaster dust settled and all I could see of him was one hand, slightly crumpled. It twitched a bit and the index finger pointed at me accusingly. His voice
was a little muffled by the safe and sounded a bit annoyed. In fact he repeated himself a bit.