A Stainless Steel Trio: A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born, The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted, The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues Kindle Edition

If you are a Rat fan, then this is sort of a must read. If you have never read of the Rat, then you are missing out on a lot of fun reading and this is a good place to start.A Stainless Steel Trio is actually three novels and each of the three are prequels to the first book in the series, The Stainless Steel Rat. The three novels here are: A Stainless Steel Rat is Born The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues Harrison has taken the hero of eight previous novels, Jim diGriz, aka Slippery or Slick Jim, and has added some background to how he became the master criminal of the galaxy and why he is so prone to thumb his nose at all authority and refuses to follow the "rules."These three novels should be read in sequential order to fully appreciate them, but it is not absolutely necessary. The other eight novels in the series, after the first, can be read in any order you chose.These novels, like most in the series are more or less character driven with Slippery Jim being the primary source. Many who read these three and the others, will be strongly reminded of Harrisons Death World Series...three outstanding reads.Slippery Jim, The Stainless Steel Rat is funny, quite introspective and has a complete set of rules and morels which are completely his own. Even though he breaks every law in the known universe (Except killing) his ethics and morals are actually much higher and more demanding than the rest of the human (and some not so human) species.I have been a Rat Fan since Harry Harrison published his first work (which was actually a short story featuring Slick Jim) and continue to be so to this date.The work being reviewed here is a Kindle down load and it came through in pretty good shape. There was, as is often the case, a bit of a problem here and there with the punctuation and the sentences were broken in odd places at times but this was not bad enough to distract from the work all that much.These books are simply fun to read. The author does not take himself all that serious and the main character in the book certainly does not either. Much fun is poked at just about everything and some of the situation Jim finds himself in, unlikely though they may be, are quite unique and interesting.Don BlankenshipThe Ozarks

Prequels and sequels are often inferior to the original. That goes here but only a little inferior and thus pretty damn good. If you already know the SS Rat that’s all you need to know. If not - no spoilers just be advised it’s fun.I don’t know if Harrison intended these times to be satire but if so that’s too bad. If it’s satire it is way too coarse and heavy handed. To work as intended a certain amount of subtlety is required and you won’t find any thing subtle here. If it were satire I would be thoroughly annoyed but it is not. Instead it is farce and hilarious farce at that. Harrison’s books are a clown car stuffed with farcical characters and scenes. I for one enjoy a good farce.

Now I understand what the term "Old School" means and why it matters. Harry Harrison wrote for /to a generation before mine his works helped paved the way and laid the foundation for the "SY-FY" of today. While he is a gifted contemporary of Asimov / Sturegeon etc. I find his style [much] more humorous (without being trivial) yet still thought provoking.His (anti-) hero Jim DiGriz acts with more honor than many of those on the right side of the law (IMO meaning accepted convention followers bowing to those in power) the stories are fast paced but not to an overwhelming rate. One advantage of the somewhat dated settings is that technology does not override the human factor. The universe he creates rings true even in light of the advancements (?) the world has made since his heyday.The effort put into detailing his background is not over done it unfolds naturally and it is interesting to see how he matures.I highly recommend this author.

This is the "origin story" of the Stainless Steel Rat. Humorously irreverent crime/spy anti-hero Sci-Fi! Slippery Jim DiGriz's adventures are fun and Harry Harrison is one of my favorite Sci-Fi authors. I'd really recommend you start here if you are new to the series.My recommended reading order for the series is: (Almost all available on Kindle)A Stainless Steel Trio (A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born, The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted, The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues)The Stainless Steel RatThe Stainless Steel Rat's RevengeThe Stainless Steel Rat Saves the WorldThe Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! (If you can find it in paperback for <$10, or on Audible (~$18), if not)The Stainless Steel Rat for PresidentThe Stainless Steel Rat Goes to HellThe Stainless Steel Rat Joins The CircusThe Stainless Steel Rat ReturnsRecommended!

This is the best series of books Harry Harrison has ever written in my opinion.Included are A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born (1985), The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted (1987), and The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues (1994).You will want to do a search and get all the other books as well, at least one of the series is not available in electronic format which is sad but they are all worth the effort to track down. The books are not written in historical order of time within the story line of this character so do a search online to get the order in which you should actually read the series.This is the book where the first in the story line is found, A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born (1985). There is another book that also goes into the beginnings of the character but this one I believe is the actual beginning beginning.

Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse....they head south...often big time.Pretty clever imagination!Never a dull moment.

Purchased as gift for my farther in-law, as he had read the books over 20 years ago.So he his happy with the purchase

great

James Bolivar DiGriz is a unique weirdo, a mastermind criminal, a desperate trickster, an implausible strategist, a martial arts practitioner, an ingenious escapist and a self-deprecating humorist. He has an aversion to killing. He is generous to accomplices and loyal to his own standard of justice and ethics.A Stainless Steel Rat is Born: 4 starsWe are introduced to a very young Jimmy diGriz, after he has been thrown out by his parents, porcuswine farmers, as he robs a bank on his planet Bit O’ Heaven. After considering job opportunities, Jimmy has decided that a life of crime looks to be the most profitable and the least boring. He plans his bank robbery in order to get caught and get sentenced to jail so that he can mingle with criminals to learn the trade from the inmates. But their caliber of expertise is rather lacking so he chooses an accomplice and escapes. He later encounters the kingpin of criminality, who goes by the name The Bishop, who has the knowledge Jim craves. The reader soon gets involved with their schemes and there is never a dull moment.The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted: 5 starsAs this story begins Jim is hanging by his fingernails in an elevator shaft in a prison block. Eventually he makes his escape with the indomitable female prisoner Bibs. Later he bribes a ship’s captain to take him to Nevenkebla where he can find the person responsible for the death of The Bishop who had become The Rat’s close friend and accomplice. Jim’s objective is to avenge his friend’s death. Eventually, incognito, he gets caught and drafted into the Nevenkebla army then gets chosen to be part of an invading force to a peaceable governed by Individual Mutualism, invented by a Mark Forer who turns out to be a computerized thought force. There are many twists and turns in this story which is thoroughly entertaining.The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues: 4 starsHere Jim is attempting to steal Interstellar Credits from the Mint on Paskonjak. When he gets caught, Captain Varod of the Interstellar League makes a deal with him to lead an expedition to Liokukae, a planet to which the worst criminals and degenerates are exiled. The Rat’s mission will be to infiltrate Liokukae’s malicious tribes of primitives to discover the whereabouts of an ancient relic wanted by the League for scientific research as it is thought to have been developed by a prehistoric race. To infiltrate Liokukan society Jim forms a band called the Stainless Steel Rats which can cajole the inhabitants by its magical music. Thus he hopes trust can be developed and secrets revealed that can lead him to the artefact. But things are not that easy. This story has many intriguing features, including an electronic dog Fido who can walk on the ceiling and Jimmy’s in-the-jaw concealed walkie-talkie.Jim is the first-person narrator. This work is not heavy on unnecessary scientific mumbo jumbo. Being a man with strong social conscience, Harrison manages to insert social, political and religious commentary on the sly. Humour is a literary device he uses skilfully. The plots are full of surprises. The only sure thing we know is that The Rat will somehow get out of his predicament and more often than not keep a good portion of the prize.Ironically, as I just found out, I read this book immediately subsequent to Harrison’s death August 15, 2012. These novels were written to be prequels to his previous books featuring Jim diGriz, aka The Stainless Steel Rat. I bought this 3-in-1 book because I had previously read his excellent “anthropologic primitive humanity” Eden trilogy (not sci-fi) which is now out of print. Sadly, many of the Stainless Steel books are also out of print but a few are available and I intend to get them. In time they will probably all be reprinted because they are that good.

The Rat as a young apprentice, through to his graduation. Buxom girls impressed, military minds baffled, law and order by-passed. Millions stolen. Perfect.

Brilliant book