BILL, THE GALACTIC HERO
Cover art by Michael Gross
Harry Harrison was an American SF writer (1925-2012). He wrote the novel on which Soylent Green was based, a movie that left an indelible impression on me when I was young. He also did the Flash Gordon comic strip writing for nearly 20 years, in the 50s and 60s. He served time in the Air Corps, and no doubt it was this experience that made him so savagely opposed to military life, and especially its officers.
And so the Avon/Equinox series arrives at Bill, written in 1965. Reportedly a Vietnam Vet came up to the author at one point and told him that this novel was the only accurate book about the military experience he'd ever read. The end of the novel is a classic, as Bill chooses his hate of military service over any feelings he has for his little brother.
I had wanted to read this book as soon as I received it in 2016 and saw the cover art. The Earth's military machine is at war with the Chingers, harmless, peace-loving little reptile aliens only 7" tall. Why? Because someday they might develop a technology and be able to start a war against us. If that isn't a good enough reason, then what is, right? Bill, a hapless human farmer learning about fertilizer through a correspondence course, is enlisted for seven years through a pretty hilarious, underhanded technique. Once he is enlisted, the party begins. We meet the sadistic and cruel drill sergeant, the conditions the troops must live in, and we almost get to glimpse one of the officers. Survival rates for common soldiers are not very high.
Even once Bill becomes an unwitting war hero, there is no let up in the crushing of the human spirit. The entire medal awards ceremony, as well as the before and after, are truly hilarious and probably not too far from the truth. When we finally reach the front lines on a distant planet, Bill once again proves his worth, as he has by now become an efficient intimidation and killing machine.
The book does have its tiresome moments, and there is barely any plot to speak of. Bill is not a fascinating character, at least not till he begins rebelling and using his own wits a bit more. At the time, this was probably a very unique book. However, after reading Terry Pratchett (who was inspired by Harrison), and even some great humourous novels by P. J. Farmer, Douglas Adams, and a dozen other satirical SF authors (especially John Sladek) Bill seems to have lost some of its edge. There are several sequels, none of which I am very interested in reading.
Having said that, I do recommend the book. It may tickle your funny bone more than it did mine.
*** stars. Reviewed June 12th/17
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THE DEATHWORLD TRILOGY
From 1960, 1964, and 1968 comes the Deathworld Trilogy.
Cover artist unknown.
DEATHWORLD (One)
The first instalment of this series of short SF novels came out in 1960. It is a straight forward tale of adventure, well-written and easy to read in a day or two. Jason dinAlt is an interplanetary gambler, using his ESP to help him win big at casinos. He is tracked down by Kerk Pyrrus to win a very large sum of money for him. The money is required to purchase supplies to keep Kerk's home planet functioning. Jason agrees to help, and comes through for him at the casino. The pair make a narrow escape to a waiting spaceship. Jason has decided to go with Kerk to the planet Pyrrus and see things for himself, despite being warned that he would not last long once there. He meets the 19 year old female pilot of the ship, Meta, and has a brief affair with her on the journey to Pyrrus. However, once on the planet, Meta becomes a very different person, and the affair is over.
And then the real adventure begins, as we find out just how dangerous this planet is. A 300 year-old Earth colony is under constant attack from virtually every living thing on the planet, including grass, plants, trees, birds, and animals. Jason undergoes training to protect himself, then he is allowed to wander freely in the city. It doesn't take him long to see things from a very different perspective from the humans who have lived and grown up there. Something is very wrong, and he tries to figure it all out. He has to do this mostly on his own, as all of the others are too busy fighting off the invading hordes of creatures.
I really like how Harrison stays focused on the main story, keeping Jason central at all times, and how he keeps to a simplified narrative. Nothing fancy here, just great pulp story telling. Jason's adventures include having to deal with pretty thick blockheads, and Kerk soon becomes his worst enemy. Once Jason escapes from the single-minded city, the story seems to downshift, as we meet a second group of colonists, one that splintered from the main group a long time ago. However, the plot actually began to move along at a better pace here, as we have finally escaped the madness and killing within the main city. Jason comes up with plans, and does his best to carry them out. Fortunately, the splinter group has much more environmental sense than Kerk's group, and Jason begins to make some progress.
I was afraid that perhaps Harrison was going to come up with a too-simple solution, and the ending would be happy ever after. Not so. The ending is much more realistic, and we know there will be many setbacks, if not a total collapse of the entire plan for peace. It's one of many SF novels from an earlier era that does seem to call out for a sequel, though at the time I'm sure Harrison had no plans for one. In fact, it took him 4 years to return to Deathworld. Stay tuned here (in about a month) for a review of the second novel. Highly recommended.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed July 13th/17
Mapman Mike
DEATHWORLD 2
In 1964 the second novel starring Jason dinAlt was published. My 3-in-1 volume version runs to 170 pages for this story. Coming a year before Bill, we see a SF writer much more at ease in the style, which is strictly Adventure, with Argosy Magazine coming to mind. Jason gets kidnapped and is being brought back to another planet to face justice when he causes the ship which he and his jailer are in to crash on a different planet. This story does not take place on Deathworld, except for the first few pages. A better story name might have been Slaveworld. Once down, they become slaves to a wandering bully, and then again to various other men as the story progresses.
Besides Jason there are two other main characters in the book. Ijale is a female slave he befriends, and though she is simple she is devoted to Jason. She also scrubs up quite decently into a fine looking young woman. The other character is Mikah, the man who came to Pyrrus to kidnap Jason and take him to face charges on another planet, related to his gambling days. This character is the one that allows Harrison to have fun all the way through the book. Besides being a straight forward adventure with a he-man hero (Jason), there are comic touches all the way through. Even some philosophical discussions.
Mikah is a religious and moralistic nutcase, living by abstract principles that he won't change or adapt no matter what situation he is in. He is the complete opposite of Jason, who is an action hero that will do almost anything to stay one step ahead of his enemies. So we have a religious idealist interacting with the world's most supreme pragmatist. Rather than treat the differences too seriously, Harrison has fun with their differing ways all the way through the story.
The planet has divided itself into clans. One clan has the secret of distilling oil for fuel. Another has the secret of sulphuric acid and other chemicals. A third group can build steam machines, and the fourth knows something about electricity. Each clan guards its secrets, and hides them from one another and from the general population, turning these secrets into religions. Thus, without any cooperation between the groups, they are doomed to never making any great technological progress. Jason, thanks to a boyhood education one seldom sees these days, knows a little bit about each technique. He soon becomes the most sought after man on the planet. Once again Harrison keeps tight control on the narrative, and keeps it solidly focused on Jason. The novel is great fun, and highly recommended. While it can undoubtedly be enjoyed without having read the first Deathworld novel, I suggest reading them both.
**** stars. Reviewed Aug. 17th/17
DEATHWORLD 3
Four years later, in 1968, like clockwork, came the third and final adventures of Jason dinAlt. This time Jason leads a group of Pyrrurians off-world to settle and mine on a different planet. This one is run by a barbarian warlord, and proves to be a pretty tough assignment. Jason comes up with plan after plan, but nothing seems to get the job done. Rather than eliminate all of the barbarian warriors, he wants to integrate them into a better society, and set up trade and permanent homes. The barbarians want none of this, and will fight to the last man to prevent it happening.
By now we know that Jason is indestructible. He is put through the grinder more often and more sadistically. Don't worry; he survives. He can thank his medkit, which in a later time will save a young heroine named Lara Croft over and over again as well. And also like Lara, he gets to survive by swimming underwater until he comes to the surface in a new area, lungs bursting. This happens twice.
Again, Argosy magazine comes to mind for this story. Women, even Meta, are kept in the background throughout. It is a tale of manly men, and their manly adventures in a manly world. The humour is there, too, and makes some of the more serious parts easier to swallow. There is a vast amount of killing that goes on in this story, including of women, children, and babies. It is hard to swallow. It also mirrors much of human history. In fact, Jason's final solution is arrived at by following a pattern used time and again to control barbarians. Let them win. Afterwards, they become much less barbaric, and the assimilate into the conquered masses.
Even though this is another rip-roaring adventure, we have seen it all before. It has all become just a wee bit tired. The original planet Pyrrus is finally dealt with, as the main city of survivors who would not leave is overrun by the enraged natural forces, fed by the anger and hostility of the human inhabitants. Peace seems to be restored on the newest planet, and Jason decides to settle down with his best girl. Even so, Harrison left things open for another sequel.
"The Mothballed Spaceship" is a short story that is available on-line as a free download. I will report on it right here shortly. Other sequels, in Russian, followed, but it is difficult to determine if these will ever be published in English, and exactly how much input Harrison had. Deathworld 3 is enjoyable, reminding me of several books by Burroughs and Farmer. It you like off-world adventures, you will likely enjoy this book, as well as the entire series.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 15th/17
The Mothballed Spaceship is a 19-page adventure that Harrison wrote in 1973. The three heroes are trying to get into a battleship that appears to defend itself against all comers. A good little story, and it was nice to see Jason and Meta back in action. I downloaded my copy for free as a PDF. So can you. Harrison writes a one-page introduction as well. It was also published in Timescape's The Best Of Harry Harrison, in 1976.
*** stars. Reviewed December 26th/17 Reread February 27th/20; review stars upgraded.
PLANET OF THE DAMNED
Cover art by Tom Kidd
The Mothballed Spaceship is a 19-page adventure that Harrison wrote in 1973. The three heroes are trying to get into a battleship that appears to defend itself against all comers. A good little story, and it was nice to see Jason and Meta back in action. I downloaded my copy for free as a PDF. So can you. Harrison writes a one-page introduction as well. It was also published in Timescape's The Best Of Harry Harrison, in 1976.
*** stars. Reviewed December 26th/17 Reread February 27th/20; review stars upgraded.
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THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT
Cover art by Gary Viskupic
My edition covers the first three volumes in the extended series. The first in the series is from 1961, and is called The Stainless Steel Rat. It is 128 pages long. Harrison explains the title given to the hero, whose real name is James Bolivar deGriz. He is a talented criminal, much the same way as Harrison's hero in Deathworld. The author seems to have an admiration for this type of character. While there is an over-riding sense of humour in the story, the over-arching theme is serious. deGriz is finally caught in a trap by the law, and his days of freedom and embezzlement seem to be over. But then he is enlisted by the Special Corps, a galactic branch of the law that uses former master criminals to assist in hunting down the few remaining such characters.
deGriz's first assignment turns out to be successful in some ways, even though the main criminal escapes him. His one brief glance of Angelina convinces him that he must continue to find her. The story is quite wonderful, with crosses, double crosses, and triple crosses being the rule rather than the exception. deGriz is soon madly in love with Angelina, and when he does get the chance to arrest her and bring her to justice, he just can't do it. It reminds me of Frodo at Mount Doom; he would not have gone through with the event without Gollum there to do it for him. The only thing keeping deGriz from running off with Angelina is the fact that she is a cold blooded murderess. deGriz prefers non-lethal ways to accomplish his goals.
By the end of the first story, it appears likely that if Angelina can be fixed, she will be put to use working for the Special Corps, too. This reader fervently hopes the two main characters will team up in the second volume. Very easy to read, and very entertaining.
*** stars. Reviewed May 16th/18
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT'S REVENGE
From 1970 comes the first of many sequels. This one is 146 pages long, and contained in the omnibus, above. deGriz and Angelina get married and have twins, in this exciting and very funny adventure story. Setting up an interstellar empire was once thought impossible, because of the great distances involved, and the amount of men and machines that would be needed to move them and their supplies. However, the militarized planet of Cliaand has figured out a method, and our fearless special agent gets the task of putting a stop to things.
At first it seems as if Angelina is to have a secondary function in the story, but Harrison wisely brings her into the main drama and keeps her there. In addition to this very strong and liberated woman, the planet they are currently trying to save was until recently run by women. So we have any number of strong female characters in this story, a very welcome if rare event in early SF. It is to be remembered that there are also strong female characters in other Harrison stories, too, including Meta of Deathworld.
Harrison is at his wittiest here, and several times I was laughing out loud and had to stop reading for a time. Such wonderful film possibilities, too. Highly recommended. Though firmly in the pulp tradition, this one rises well above the pack. I am looking forward to the third book in the series.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed June 28th/18
Cover art by Garry La Sasso
Cover art by Jim Burns. 
Cover art by Jim Burns.
Cover art by J P Targete. This is a variation of the original cover.
Cover art by Walter Valez.
Cover art by Julie Bell. 
Getty Images cover. I read the Kindle edition.
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT SAVES THE WORLD
The 3rd instalment of this pulp comedy series is from 1972, and is 130 pages long. Jim deGriz and his wife Angelina get involved in time travel, and must battle the mysterious and insane He to save the world. The action is non-stop, and the witty writing continues, if not at its previous pace. At least the book is fun to read, and Harrison does not take any of it seriously.
We travel to 1975, going back over 30,000 years from the present. Then we go back to 1807 London, with the action centered around St. Paul's Cathedral. Here is a very small sample of Harrison's writing style: "Have you ever been trapped in St. Paul's Cathedral in the year A.D. 1807 with the entire world vanished into nonexistence outside, alone and welded to a steel pole and soon to vanish yourself? Not many people can answer yes to that question. I can, but can truthfully add that I do not enjoy this singular distinction." (Start to Chapter 16)
In the story's first half, deGriz takes on the forces of evil alone. However, Angelina finally makes her appearance. Once she is in on the action, we know for certain that the combined heroes cannot lose! Angelina is one of the greatest female characters from the days of classic SF, a cross between Catwoman, Supergirl, and someone's great mom! She saves worlds, bails out her husband from certain death, and raises twin boys! My kind of gal!
Great fun, as always, though I recommend leaving a bit of space between reading these three stories.
*** stars. Reviewed August 6th/18
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT WANTS YOU
Signed lower left corner, L. Sasso?
From 1979 comes this 155 page continuation of the wacky series. The only disappointing thing about this one is the title, which is next to useless. Jim deGriz and Angelina are back, and their twin boys make their first appearance as young adults. The four of them tackle an invasion by ugly aliens, change the ways of an emotionless and unfeeling humanoid culture, visit an alternate universe, and, most difficult of all, outwit the human Morality Corps and the Time Police.
Jim is captured more often than the men from UNCLE, but usually this poses no problems for him. I find these books very funny, with Harrison's writing always top-knotch, and the speed of the silly plots always breakneck. It's nice that Angelina is his equal in all things, if not his superior in some. The twins seem to be coming along fine, too, making the family virtually invincible. The boarding school they attend near the beginning is hilarious, and the method Jim uses to have they graduate a few days early so he can use them to rescue their kidnapped mother. Who has kidnapped her? The Income Tax people!
It takes the ingeniously named Parallelilizer to get the ball rolling for Jim to save the galaxy again, but it is the very inhuman humans, the grey men, from the planet Kekkonshiki that ultimately save the day. Jim encountered them and their evil mind control machines ina na earlier adventure. It's amazing how close these people come to sounding like the strictest of Muslim or Christian sects, less human than can be imagined. But at least there is one among them who questions their ways, and Jim is able to befriend and use him to help win the war.
The quality of writing is just as high as ever, the laughs are frequent and very funny, and I look forward to meeting Jim deGriz and his family again.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 2nd/20
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT FOR PRESIDENT
From 1982 comes this next installment in Harrison's popular series, lasting for 185 pages. Slippery Jim diGriz is back, with his charming (and deadly) wife Angelina, and their two grown sons James and Bolivar. This is probably the best book of the set so far. It takes place on a tourist planet ruled by a ruthless tin pot hat dictator and his heavy handed minions, which could be substituted for many tropical republics on present day Earth. No punches are pulled to make the bad guy humourous or stupid, or ready to embrace reforms. The depiction of evil dictatorship is right on the money.
Against a corrupt planet is the diGriz family, four people set against a cruel and ruthless regime. Slippery Jim laughs at such odds, and having read the other volumes of this series, we know that Zapilote is in for a very rough time. In order to depose the tyrant, who has rigged elections every four years, Jim ends up (in disguise) running for president. Despite everything thrown at them that can possibly be thrown at them, they get their candidate registered, they get media air time, and they hold a political rally for their party.
This could have easily been turned into a very serious novel, but have no fear. Harrison usually has several very funny jokes or lines per page, and the fun is nonstop, despite the serious theme. In addition to tearing into the likes of such dictatorships, Harrison also has some things to say about tourists who willingly go to such places, regardless of how the local people might be treated, or what kind of law is enforced. While I highly recommend the entire series, so far this story has been the high point.
**** stars. Reviewed February 8th/21
A STAINLESS STEEL RAT IS BORN
From 1985 comes the next book in this fun series, and the first one chronologically, as we learn of the origins of Slippery Jim diGriz. It is 219 pages long, with 30 easy to read chapters. There is considerable humour, as well as a fair amount of grimness, typical for later entries in the series. Young Jim is 17 as the book opens, and happily robbing a bank, just so he can be caught and sent to prison. Why? Because he wants to meet criminal masterminds and learn all he can from them. What better place to meet them than inside a prison. But he has to do more than just rob a bank, as the court wants to take pity on him. But he won't allow it, and insults the judge and fakes an escape. Finally he is taken to prison, but he finds only low level dunderheads. He has gotten himself into prison for nothing.
Not a problem. His escape, with another inmate, is a fun adventure to read about. He soon learns about a master criminal called The Bishop, and immediately wants to find him and learn from him. But The Bishop has gone underground, and hasn't pulled a caper in ten years. How to find him? Easy. Send him an unmistakable message, and let The Bishop find him instead. Eventually, The Bishop agrees to help Jim's education along, and the next half of the novel deals with the adventures and scrapes that the two of them get into (and out of). We end up in a type of medieval planet, and though the story remains readable, I find things slow going here compared to the rest of Jim's early adventures.
Mostly missing, however, are female characters. There is one, but she is not what one would hope for from Harrison's witty pen, and she is soon dropped from the narrative. Reading a book about the Rat without his beloved Angelina is just not as good as the ones where she is actively present. Still, it's a fun read and a good entry in the series. It was supposed to be the last volume, but there are a few more afterwards. Don't read this one first--go to the original starting trilogy.
*** stars. Reviewed May 6th/21
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT GETS DRAFTED
From 1987 comes the 262 page sequel to the previous novel, detailing the life of young Jimmy deGriz, criminal at large. Harrison is such a good story teller, and after two recently read and reviewed terrible books (one by Silverberg and the other by Piers Anthony), it is refreshing to hear a good tale told well.
The book is a direct sequel to the previous book (see above), and also hearkens back to the themes covered well in Bill, The Galactic Hero. In addition, the author borrows on a theme from Eric Frank Russell's The Great Explosion, wherein a civilization that is swarmed by a heavy military presence simply does nothing. Harrison goes into a bit more detail in his version, called Individual Mutualism. Though it doesn't work very well in this instance, it would see a society through most normal times.
But most of the laughs come at the expense of the military, as Jim is drafted into a brutal force set to occupy this peaceful planet. Officers, and especially sergeants, are literally ripped to literary shreds by Harrison, keeping us laughing and horrified at the same time. As with all Harrison books, there are actual lessons here about military dictatorships and corrupt and virtually insane generals and such. Look at Iraq before the Gulf War, or Iran or Indonesia today, to name just a few examples, to see a very similar experience. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and though Harrison does exaggerate for laughs, he is often closer to the truth than most readers might realize.
This is a great adventure story, and a very funny one, too.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 11th/21
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT SINGS THE BLUES
From 1994 comes the next novel is the life and adventures of the young Jim DeGriz, lasting for 239 very entertaining pages. This one is a bit different, as Jim himself needs a lot of help to accomplish his mission, which is to retrieve a missing alien artifact. He is given 30 days to do this, or a poison he has unknowingly ingested will kill him without the antidote. The artifact has been traced to an inhabited planet that no one bothers with, and has been left alone for far too long. It is filled with dangerous, weapons-carrying macho men, as well as a city of women that seem to be making more progress on their own. Then there are the underground survivalists, who act as if the galactic war has still been raging, though in fact it's been over for hundreds of years.
Jim teams up with three buddies, one of them female, and they form a band called The Stainless Steel Rats. This subterfuge gets them safely onto the planet's surface. But then they are expected to give concerts. And find the artifact. And come out alive. Those last three sentences for a parody of how Harrison writes in his humourous books. He writes half a sentence, and then instead of using a comma. He uses a period. This can be effective if used sparingly, but I'm afraid he does overdo things a lot. I remember this kind of writing getting pounded out of my head in Gr. 9 English classes. Harrison is obviously appealing to a juvenile audience, though his books of this sort are great fun for everyone.
As is usual for the author, there are some serious themes mixed in here, as well as some great sending up of pop music, for example being able to form a band and be ready in one week for a road show. Male chauvinists, male dictators, males with swollen egos and with inflated images of themselves also can taken down a peg or three. All in all, a fun book to read, and the pages turn quickly.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed December 6th/21
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT GOES TO HELL
The whole family is back in this 1996 adventure, lasting for 253 pages. Following on the heels of the Rat For President book of 1982, the family gets involved in a very bizarre adventure. While there is a lot of laugh out loud humour, the core of the book is an evil, greedy mad scientist, one who seems to be always one up on the Rat and his family. It must have been hard for Harrison to come up with a villain that could keep the entire deGriz family at bay for most of the book. But while the villain is certainly villainous and tricky and slippery and such, the plot is so far out there that it really is a bit of a let down to faithful Rat readers.
While the idea of pocket universes is nothing new, and used here to the max, the idea of instantly being able to pop in and out of such a place really harms the story. The bad guy can disappear at will, even as he is about to be caught. Then soon anyone and everyone can be popped in and out of strange universes, which include Heaven and Hell. As well as vast amounts of equipment. Near the end of the story huge quantities of female slave workers are rescued by somehow just popping them back to safety in our universe.
Even worse, the family unit doesn't really do that much, apart from Angelina. They drink a lot of booze, but not a whole lot else. The twins are in it, but don't really do very much to advance the plot, or sustain it. This would have been better as a Rat and Angelina adventure. And now that the twins have suddenly been married, perhaps they will skip out the next adventure, leaving it to mom and dad. Standard jokes are back, such as Angelina's jealousy. And there are many very short, incomplete sentences. Such as this one. Or this one. While the two main characters do quite well in the story, the story itself is just a bit too wacky and far-fetched. The book is easy to read, and while it does have its moments, for the most part it is an average pot boiler.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 8th/22
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT JOINS THE CIRCUS
From 1999 comes the next adventure, lasting for 269 pages. Though it sounds at the very end like it will be the final installment, Harrison returned to his favourite anti-hero for one final adventure. The whole family is back once again, with twin sons James and Bolivar taking a more active role, even saving Jim's life more than once. And they are computer geeks, which helps a lot, too. Angelina, I am disappointed to say, plays the traditional role of a female in this manly adventure tale; she is kidnapped and out of sight for much of the story.
A series of bank robberies has a rich man worried, and he pays the Rat to find out what is going on. It so happens that each time a bank is robbed on some planet, a certain circus is int own. And a certain circus strongman is present for each occurrence, as well. So it's time to join the circus. Jim brushes up on some magic tricks, with the help of a retired magician, and the adventure begins.
By now readers should know what to expect. There are some very funny lines and situations, but just as many serious ones, too. Such as the old magician in a retirement home, who can afford nothing but the basics, which are quite bad. With his pension increased thanks to Jim, who learns his tricks from him, he can now enjoy a much more comfortable retirement. Harrison once again tackles a corrupt police state, and gets involved in financial hijinks. But the most rewarding part of the book is Jim's (and Angelina's) realization that they are simply getting too old for this kind of adventurous life. Angelina wants retirement, too, or at least a very long vacation. So the twin sons have to pull more weight in this story, helping to make up for Jim's waning powers.
This is a good entry in the series, but it seems a shame that it is winding down after so many fun volumes.
*** stars. Reviewed June 10th/22
THE RETURN OF THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT
From 2010 comes the final final entry in this much loved series. It was also Harrison's last published novel. At 304 pages, it is a fun read, though far from best in series. The endless bar seems to be always open, and there is more alcohol put away in these stories than almost anything else. The beloved porcuswines are back, as well as a bevy of swine herders from Jim de Griz's home planet. There is also evil aplenty for Jim and Angelina to set right.
This is a quieter adventure, as they come out of retirement to find Jim's relatives and their herd of porcuswines a pleasant planet on which to live. Compared to the harried earlier adventures, the couple of do gooders don't have a lot to do this time around. There is danger, but it's plenty low on the scale by comparison to what they have handled before, and the pacing was much more to my liking.
There is nothing new here in this final book, but I read it feeling happy as a porcuswine in a field of nut trees. And what more could one ask of a book? The entire series is highly recommended.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Nov. 11th/22
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PLANET OF THE DAMNED
From
1962 comes this engrossing SF novel about a team of off-worlders trying
to save a planet from being obliterated by its neighbour. In its 250
pages the writer convinces us that not only are we are an alien planet,
but that the inhabitants, though humanoid, are alien as well. Harrison
does this by actually using a lot of science, especially biological
symbiosis. The planet Dis is dominated by the Magter, beings who
display no emotion but who are most interested in killing other beings.
They have hit upon a scheme to blast a nearby planet of pacifists to
smithereens. However, the much more advanced planet of Nyjord will
first eliminate the planet Dis, rather than see its own world
destroyed. This makes no difference to the Magter; they will kill even
if it means their annihilation.
Harrison
takes his time setting up Brion's background story, and the ending of
the book leaves open the idea of a sequel. No doubt the author planned
this as a series of books, much like Deathworld. Unlike Deathworld,
this story is nearly humourless, and we see a very serious side of
Harrison. The cover illustration depicts an actual scene from the
story, when Brion and Lea first arrive on Dis. Brion is the winner of
this year's Twenty contest on his home planet, also suitably alien and
described well. The contest involves everything from physical feats of
strength and skill, to chess tournaments and even poetry writing! Our
friend Brion is a well-rounded hero. Lea is an exo-biologist from
Earth, and the two of them hit it off well from the start.
This
is one of dozens of books with great stories that could be turned into
an excellent SF film. Instead, we keep getting more Star Wars
entries. The pacing of the story is very good, and it is hard to put
down once begun. Harrison is an excellent action/adventure writer, but
he also does a nice job of adding just the right touch of SF to things.
The only thing I missed was the humour. I guess he was trying out a
new kind of writing, and trying to break into a different sphere of SF
writing. He succeeds at this, but I still miss the crazy humour of Deathworld. Recommended.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed Dec. 28th/17
***1/2 stars. Reviewed Dec. 28th/17
PLANET OF NO RETURN
Cover artist uncredited.
From 1981 comes this direct sequel to Planet of The Damned.
At 154 pages, it is a very short tale. Harrison brings back Lea and
Brion, special agents working for Cultural Relations, on another very
dangerous assignment, immediately following their first one. This time
they are sent to a planet that appears to be uninhabited, but at war.
The landscape is filled with the ruins of great battle machinery, and
some of it still functions. Similar to his Deathworld series, the agents encounter another planet with many ways to die upon it. At least this one has a decent climate.
The
first part of the story is a pretty good mystery novel, as Brion tries
to learn what exactly is going on. He encounters native animals, not
all of them harmless, and then encounters a very primitive society. A
large part of the story deals with his attempts to learn things from
these people, who mostly want to kill him. Though there isn't the same
level of on-going humour as in Deathworld, this one has its
moments, as Lea has to deal with a very culturally backward society,
where women are seen as less than dirt, and used only for breeding and
carrying heavy bundles. And yet she learns more from the women here
than Brion does from any of the men.
The
story develops nicely, and the final solving of the mystery is somewhat
satisfying, if not a bit on the bizarre side. This is an enjoyable
read, not hard to undertake in one or two sittings, and makes me wish
there had been more stories featuring these two characters.
*** stars. Reviewed January 29th/18
____________________________________________________________________________
THE SHORT STORIES
WAR WITH THE ROBOTS
Cover art by John Schoenherr
From 1962 comes this collection of 8 short stories. My edition runs to 158 pages. There is a general introduction by the author. It is quite good, and made me realize how many "robots" my home already has--furnace, air conditioner, fridge, dish washer--and how many more there are likely to be in the future. Harrison also writes a very short intro to each story.
Simulated Trainer (originally published as Trainee For Mars) is from 1958 and is 15 pages long. Human astronauts are being trained for a trip to Mars, and the simulations are so difficult that no team of two astronauts has made it through the testing process. Two astronauts are selected for a final test, which they will not be allowed to abort if something goes wrong. The story shows the cruel side of training astronauts for stressful and dangerous environments.
**1/2 stars.
The Velvet Glove is from 1956, and is 18 pages long. A Venex robot gets himself into some serious trouble when he accepts a job especially suited to his capabilities. This story reads like a noir tale, with our hapless hero robot getting into some difficulty with a criminal mob. The whole premise of there now being so many unemployed robots is actually pretty funny, as we follow one of them from his awakening in his hotel room to his climactic struggle for his life. A fun read.
*** stars.
Arm Of The Law is from 1958, and is 16 pages long. This very funny story tells the tale of how a robot cop cleans up a pretty rough town on Mars. Well worth reading.
***1/2 stars.
The Robot Who Wanted To Know was first printed here in this volume. It is 6 pages long. A robot develops an (academic) interest in females, sex, and romance. He gets his girl, but then she gets her revenge. Pretty funny story.
**1/2 stars.
I See You (original title was Robot Justice) is from 1959, and is 20 pages long. A man is sentenced to 20 years labour for attempting to steal a lot of money. Sentence is passed by a robot judge, and once he is found guilty the man is in for a pretty miserable life. This is quite a good story, and has a few choice words for the entire justice system. The ending is quite good, too, though it isn't any robot that is the cause our hero's undoing. There does seem to be a mixed message here, but it does seem that robots would make much better keepers of the law. Humans have too many flaws to ever put themselves above anyone else.
*** stars.
The Repairman is from 1959, and is 13 pages long. It is an amusing tale about an interstellar beacon repair man who has to repair a beacon on a desolate planet whose inhabitants (essentially lizard men) have founded a religion based on it. His adventure in getting the beacon up and running again reminded me very much of the type of story that Eric Frank Russell would write.
*** stars.
Survival Planet is from 1961, and is 13 pages long. Three astronauts land on a planet to try and discover why a defeated race of slavers tried to blow up the entire planet. Their discovery costs them, but they do learn the truth. I could see Chad Oliver liking this story, as it has an anthropological slant to it. Pretty well done.
*** stars.
War With The Robots was first published in this volume, and is 19 pages long. With each side trying to undermine and destroy each other's underground military control center, robots are left in charge underground as it is no longer safe for human habitation. On the surface of the planet the two sides now want peace. However, with the robots still in charge underground and running the conflict, things have gone from bad to worse. A good example of irony, suggested for use in a high school lit class.
*** stars. Reviews completed Nov. 25th/17
Cover art by Tom Kidd.
Cover art by Keith Parkinson. Inside art by Bryn Barnard.
*** stars.
Survival Planet is from 1961, and is 13 pages long. Three astronauts land on a planet to try and discover why a defeated race of slavers tried to blow up the entire planet. Their discovery costs them, but they do learn the truth. I could see Chad Oliver liking this story, as it has an anthropological slant to it. Pretty well done.
*** stars.
War With The Robots was first published in this volume, and is 19 pages long. With each side trying to undermine and destroy each other's underground military control center, robots are left in charge underground as it is no longer safe for human habitation. On the surface of the planet the two sides now want peace. However, with the robots still in charge underground and running the conflict, things have gone from bad to worse. A good example of irony, suggested for use in a high school lit class.
*** stars. Reviews completed Nov. 25th/17
TWO TALES AND EIGHT TOMORROWS
Cover art uncredited.
From
1965 comes this collection of short stories from the 50s and early
60s. The book is 147 pages long, and features a fine introduction by
Brian Aldiss.
The Streets of Ashkelon
is from 1962, and is 16 pages long. Another planet is ruined by
religion, as a priest from Earth arrives to save the inhabitants of a
distant planet, despite the warnings of a man who has been there awhile
trading with them. Don't try talking logic to believers. And don't ask
for miracles. A pretty hard hitting story, but wonderful all the same.
**** stars. Reviewed Nov. 4th/18
Portrait of the Artist
is from 1964, and is 9 pages long. This is a very hard-hitting story
about a comic artist being replaced by a machine. It has even more to
say, however, about inhuman bosses. What will become of our humanity
once most jobs are taken over by robots? In 1964 they had no idea,
though Harrison did.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 5th/18
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 5th/18
Rescue Operation
is from 1964, and is 15 pages long. This is a first rate story about
an alien ship crashing in the Adriatic, and the attempts to rescue the
lone survivor. The nearest village is filled with backward,
superstitious folk who believe that the alien is the devil. They do
nothing to assist. A physics prof, a very old doctor, the one capable
villager, and a priest oversee the rescue attempt. The priest, as
expected, is the least helpful, though the bumbling doctor could just as
easily have been given the same award. Unforgettable story.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 5th/18
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 5th/18
Captain Bedlam
is from 1958, and is 9 pages long. Interplanetary travel isn't at all
what most of the people on Earth think it is (and in 1958 they really
had no idea, either). The truth is exposed to a young astronaut, but he
goes ahead with his career anyway. However, a life-threatening
situation on one of his flights gives him what he really wanted; a look
at the stars from space.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 5th/18
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 5th/18
Final Encounter
is from 1964, and is 20 pages long. Humans have been searching the
galaxy for alien life. None has been encountered. However, an 3-person
team of investigators discovers a signal beacon, and they are able to
trace its origins. Convinced they have finally encountered
extra-terrestrial life, they travel to the planet to encounter their
discovery. This is a pretty amazing story, despite the fact that I
reject the opening premise that there isn't abundant alien life out
there.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Nov. 5th/18
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Nov. 5th/18
Unto My Manifold Dooms
is from 1964, and is 15 pages long. A careless crew member causes no
end of misery for a survey crew on a planet with a hostile environment.
Small mistakes can quickly add up when in the wrong place. Another
hard-hitting story, with an ironic ending.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
The Pliable Animal
is from 1962, and is 23 pages long. Interplanetary palace intrigue is
the theme of this murder/mystery story set upon a planet of peaceful
vegetarians. However, one person is allowed to ritually kill man-eating
animals occasionally, and this might be a clue to the murder of a human
on the planet. Pretty tight story, and fun to read. Harrison likely
would have been good at writing detective novels.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
Captain Hanario Harpplayer, R.N.
is from 1963, and is 9 pages long. Harrison skewers the British navy
in the time of the Napoleonic War. The captain of the good ship
Redundant is as mean and tough and uncompromising as any of them, but he
enjoys showing his humourous side from time to time. This is the story
of how he sank 10 French ships, 6 of them by himself, with the aid of
some alien technology. Here is a classic quote from the story: "His
officers, who all hated him, were incompetents. Even Shrub, faithful,
long-suffering Shrub, had his weakness: namely the fact that he had an
I.Q. of about 60 which, combined with his low birth, meant he could never rise above the rank of rear-admiral." Good stuff! The whole story has a very "Monty Python" vibe to it.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
According To His Abilities
is from 1964, and is 14 pages long. Special assistance is required to
rescue a scientist from hostile natives on a distant planet. Two men
are assigned the task, one of them well-suited for taking violent action
if necessary.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
I Always Do What Teddy Says
is from 1965, and is 8 pages long. A young man is brain washed from
childhood in order to be a killer. By the end of the story he seems
quite capable, despite the fact that he chooses his own targets rather
than the one he was intended to kill. Rather creepy.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 6th/18
ONE STEP FROM EARTH
First published in 1970, the original collection has 9 stories. A 10th story was added for the 1985 edition, forming a prelude to the book. The book is 253 pages, and contains a one-page introduction by the author. The printing is fairly large, and easy to read. The stories all relate to the theme of matter transmission. It's only one step to a different planet!
In The Beginning is from 1985, and is 19 pages long. Harrison goes back to origins of the matter transmitter (MT), and makes a rather droll attempt at turning it into a spy story. This would have been a fun discovery for someone who had read the original series. For me it is simply the beginning of a journey I hope to really enjoy. This is a clever tale with a fun surprise at the end. It's interesting to remember that the Daleth Effect was written in 1970, when this book also came out. Harrison seems to have hearkened back to that story to begin this one.
*** stars. Reviewed August 31st/19
*** stars. Reviewed August 31st/19
One Step From Earth is from 1970, and is 26 pages long. The first human matter transfer to Mars is described (along with the first few rat ones). A disease begins claiming the men who transfer, so the project is cancelled and everyone is recalled. But not everyone follows orders. This would have been the first story of the original 1970 volume. When author James Blish invented the Dirac transmitter for his stories, it was a technological breakthrough that changed humans forever. Harrison seems to be using a similar idea, but with matter transfer instead of just communication. He wanted to invent a new technology that would change humans, too. And so the adventure begins. It is not such an upbeat beginning, however. It does explain the nuts and bolts of how a new transmitter gets to where it needs to.
*** stars. Reviewed August 31st/19
*** stars. Reviewed August 31st/19
Pressure is from 1969, and is 26 pages long. Humans are trying to land on Saturn, in order to place a matter transmitter beneath the ocean. We journey with three men down into the depths. With Blish, we used VR to explore the inner workings of Jupiter; now Saturn gets a turn. This story relates an adventure still relatively early on in the development of the new technology, testing the limits of matter transfer. With a good human element, and a little mysterious disturbance once down on the surface/ocean floor.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 31st/19
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 31st/19
No War, Or Battle's Sound is from 1968, and is 31 pages long. The title is taken from a partial quote by Milton, where perhaps someday there will no war. In the meantime, we have this incredible battle sequence, well before Star Wars, and much, much better. A good action yarn, with a message.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 31st/19
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 31st/19
Wife To The Lord is from 1970, and is 21 pages long. A beautiful young woman is sold to the highest bidder by a planet desperate for cash. She marries a man who is considered a god on his planet. they have a child, a boy, who will also be raised as a god. A pretty weird story, with a guffaw ending.
** stars. Reviewed September 1st/19
** stars. Reviewed September 1st/19
Waiting Place is from 1968, and is 17 pages long. This story describes one of the cruelest prison ideas ever imagined. A man arrives, and realizes that the matter transfer is in error. Or perhaps it isn't. Regardless, this is pretty devastating.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed September 1st/19
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed September 1st/19
The Life Preservers is from 1970, and is 46 pages long. This is a really decent novelette, and would make a great SF movie. A settled planet has been out of contact with civilization for 1000 years, and has regressed. A team of modern military men and doctors arrive to try and improve things, but are met with stiff resistance. I really liked this story, which could easily be made into a full novel.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed September 2nd/19
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed September 2nd/19
From Fanaticism, or For Reward is from 1969, and is 17 pages long. A professional assassin is tracked by a robot following one of his successful hits. A very different kind of robot. This is a great little story.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed September 2nd/19
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed September 2nd/19
Heavy Duty is from 1970, and is 27 pages long. Another reminder that corporations and greed will follow humans wherever they go. A very cynical story, especially after reading The Life Preservers, above.
*** stars. Reviewed September 2nd/19
*** stars. Reviewed September 2nd/19
A Tale Of The Ending is from 1970, and is 14 pages long. The author ends the series far, far into the future, where Earth and the origins of matter transmitters are only a legend. Somewhere along the way, the galaxy has been taken over by 12-fingered humanoids. A base ten counting system is also a legend as a result. Who are these non-mysterious beings. Who will be next? Time, and the universe, march on....
***1/2 stars. Reviewed September 2nd/19
Portrait Of The Artist is from 1963. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
Cover art by Keith Parkinson.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed September 2nd/19
THE BEST OF HARRY HARRISON
Cover art uncredited.
20 short stories are presented in 302 pages, with a 3-page introduction by Barry Malzberg! The stories were written from 1962-1974. 7 stories have already appeared in previous editions, above. There is a brief introduction to each story by Harrison, which is included in the story page count.
The Streets of Ashkelon is from 1962. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
Captain Honario Harpplayer is from 1963. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
Rescue Operation is from 1967. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
At Last, The True Story Of Frankenstein is from 1963, and is 8 pages long. A good story for a Twilight Zone episode. A news reporter gets a bit too curious about a carnival sideshow act featuring a descendant of Baron Frankenstein, and his current monster.
*** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
*** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
I Always Do What Teddy Says is from 1964. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
Portrait Of The Artist is from 1963. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
Not Me, Not Amos Cabot! is from 1965, and is 11 pages long. Amos Cabot receives a free magazine subscription to "Hereafter," and doesn't appreciate it. However, he out-smarts and outlives predictions. Enough so that he becomes the unwilling receiver of a different subscription. One of the few SF stories about an older man, this one is dark humour at its best.
*** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
*** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
Mute Milton is from 1965, and is 11 pages long. It is a brutal story of the American deep south from the 1960s, and the mindless and seriously harmful racism that pervaded the area. A must read story.
**** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
**** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
A Criminal Act is from 1966, and is 17 pages long. Overpopulation rears its head once again in this story. Two children are allowed, only. Or else. Neither side wins in this violent encounter.
Waiting Place is from 1968. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
If is from 1968, and is 8 pages long. Harrison claims in the introduction that this is a light story. He is quite wrong, and treats the subject of species supremacy much too casually. This, too, is a form of racism, and Harrison should have known better.
* star. Reviewed February 26th/20
* star. Reviewed February 26th/20
I Have My Vigil is from 1969, and is 4 pages long. A robot that has been programmed to look after three astronauts on a voyage to Alpha Centauri undergoes an unscheduled change of personality after the three astronauts die on board. An inspiration for Barry Malzberg's Beyond Apollo novel. Powerful story.
**** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
**** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
From Fanaticism, Or For Reward is from 1958. See One Step From Earth, above.
By The Falls is from 1968, and is 11 pages long. This is pretty much inspired by Lovecraft, with perhaps even more of a hint of madness in it. Very imaginative writing.
**** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
**** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
The Ever-Branching Tree is from 1970, and is 14 pages long. Written for a children's science magazine, we get a wonderful encapsulation of evolution. This story should be read by anyone who has taught elementary school. Hilarious ending.
**** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
**** stars. Reviewed February 26th/20
Brave Newer World is from 1973, and is 39 pages long. Written for an anthology edited by Robert Silverberg, and based on an idea by Isaac Asimov, it is really a story about racism, and about how far one man will fight for what is right. It's also a bit of a whodunnit, and a tale of love lost, and then found again. Very well done.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 28th/20
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 28th/20
Roommates is from 1971, and is 27 pages long. This is a rewrite of a few chapters from Make Room Make Room, a novel published by Harrison in 1966 (see below). It was written for an anthology about over-population, pollution, and ecological issues. It makes a very grim but excellent story, with one of the most pessimistic endings of any story ever read. I just wish that Harrison had updated his New York City date of 1999, the same one used in the novel. 35 million people?
**** stars. Reviewed February 28th/20
**** stars. Reviewed February 28th/20
The Mothballed Spaceship is from 1973. Read previously and reviewed after Deathworld 3, above. Reread February 28th/20.
An Honest Day's Work is from 1974, and is 12 pages long. Harrison wanted to write about a working class hero, who he felt was ignored by most middle class writers. A man who knows the sewers of the city,and can throw a spanner with the best of the them, saves the day for everyone. Harrison is constantly poking fun at the military in his novels, and continues the happy tradition here.
*** stars. Reviewed February 28th/20
*** stars. Reviewed February 28th/20
Space Rats Of The C.C.C. is from 1974, and is 14 pages
long. This story pokes fun at early pulp SF stories, especially the
type written by Jack Williamson. This one is pretty funny, and is
filled with the expected cliches.
*** stars. Reviewed February 28th/20
*** stars. Reviewed February 28th/20
STAINLESS STEEL VISIONS
Inside art by Bryn Barnard.
Published in 1993, there are 13 short stories. However, 9 of them have already been published and reviewed, above. All stories are old ones, except for the Stainless Steel Rat one, which was written to help sell this volume. Only 54 pages are new. Ridiculous. There is also a short intro by the author, in which he tells of his early love for SF pulp magazines, and also gives a few hints on how to write a good short story.
The Streets of Ashkelon is from 1962. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
Toy Shop is from 1962, and is 8 pages long. A fun tale about trying to get one's important invention noticed.
**** stars. Reviewed February 9th/22
Not Me, Not Amos Cabot is from 1964. See Best Of H. H., above.
The Mothballed Spaceship is from 973. See the Deathworld series, far above.
Commando Raid is from 1970, and is 14 pages long. Were there lessons learned from the Vietnam War? Harry Harrison learned them, but apparently not everyone who should have did.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 9th/22
The Repairman is from 1958. See War With The Robots, above.
Brave Newer World is from 1971. See Best of H. H., above.
The Secret of Stonehenge is from 1968. It is six pages long.
Rescue Operation is from 1967. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
Portrait Of The Artist is from 1963. See Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows, above.
Survival Planet is from 1961. See War With The Robots, above.
Roommates is from 1971. See Best of H. H., above.
The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat is from 1993. It is 20 pages long. A prison break is nothing unusual for slippery Jim deGriz. But this time he springs the entire geriatric population. The Stainless Steel Rat (and Angelina) are still in top form, despite the aging years.
*** stars. Reviewed February 9th/22
GALACTIC DREAMS
A short essay by Harrison is followed by a dozen shorter tales, each one getting a full page interior illustration. Only four of the stories are not previously published and reviewed, above.
Down To Earth is from 1963, and is 30 pages long. The first Apollo crew returns from the Moon (well, two out of three of them, anyway), and land on an Earth they barely recognize. They are greeted by Nazis, and held as prisoners, before being rescued by Americans. Can Albert Einstein send them back to their own world? Read and find out.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 7th/22
Famous First Words is from 1965, and is 10 pages long. This is a very funny story about a professor who discovers a way of finding words that would become prophetic after a time, from their now famous speakers.
*** stars. Reviewed August 8th/22
The Pad: A Story of the Day After the Day After Tomorrow is from 1994, and is 18 pages long. It is a reworking of an earlier story called The Pad. A very sexist though hilarious tale about a beautiful young woman being seduced by a very rich man, despite her determination for it not to happen. Similar to a Pepe Le Pew cartoon, but perhaps funnier.
*** stars. Reviewed August 8th/22
Bill,, The Galactic Hero's Happy Holiday is from 1994, and is 22 pages long. Bill saves the head Chinger from capture by betraying his own side. Some totally hilarious moments in this slight but welcome tale.
*** stars. Reviewed August 8th/22
Stories published here but previously read and reviewed above are I Always Do What Teddy Says, Space Rats of the CCC, A Criminal Act, If, Mute Milton, Simulated Trainer, At Last--The True Story of Frankenstein, and The Robot Who Wanted To Know.
_____________________________________________________
THE SINGLE NOVELS
PLAGUE FROM SPACE
Cover art uncredited.
From 1965 comes this excellent SF story about an alien disease that arrives in New York after a Jupiter expedition ship returns suddenly and off course. Harrison wrote an expanded and revised version in 1982 called The Jupiter Plague, which will be read and reviewed in due course. This version is 154 pages.
Plague is an action-packed adventure story, curiously published one year after John Christopher's The Possessors (see the Christopher page for a review). In that story, alien spores arrive on Earth and begin to infect and change the people it contacts. Christopher did his best to realistically contain his infection to a single Swiss hotel, whereas Harrison opens his story up to the world. To me this makes it a better story, though one much more difficult to control. And of course Michael Crichton virtually ripped off Harrison with his Andromeda Strain from 1969.
There are very few flaws in the story, but I must mention some. Firstly, in 1965 no one knew much about Jupiter, let alone its equally interesting moons. Voyager 1 did not launch until 1977, and did not report from Jupiter until March, 1979. I will be curious to see how the updated version takes in the new science. SF writers post-Voyager would be more likely to use one of the moons as the setting for encountering alien existence. Another flaw has to do with how many "policemen" remained on duty after the disaster began to spread. As we now know from Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, most of the policemen would be unlikely to show up for duty, choosing rather to stay home and protect their own families. Not only this, but with such civil unrest and chaos going on, how could enough policemen be found to chase after Dr. Bertolli after he escaped from the hospital, and to guard the massive space ship at Kennedy Airport?
Quibbles aside (I have others, too), I really liked this book, and read it in less than a day. The science is fascinating. Dr. Bertolli is not just a great doc, but a believable action figure who saw action as a soldier before turning to medicine. There is love interest in the form of Dr. Nita Mendel, a striking redhead who is also a top pathologist. There is some humour, in the form of an ambulance driver by the name of Killer. And there is more tension than my clamped teeth could handle.
This isn't a masterpiece of fiction, but it is a very well-crafted story, full of surprises, and is very hard to put down once begun. It is the kind of story that reminds me of the very best of P. J. Farmer, though Harrison has his own unique voice and logic. Well worth reading, and though quite dated, it still has some great ideas (such as having a doctor responding with ambulance to emergency calls--if only we were that civilized!). Recommended.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 2nd/18
MAKE ROOM MAKE ROOM
From 1966.
This is a pretty good story, though very claustrophobic and depressing. And though the movie Soylent Green was based very loosely on this book, they really don't have a lot in common. The book is 309 pages long, including a bibliography dealing with world population. It was first published in 1966.
The year is 1999, and apparently the world is so overcrowded that there is no more room to live. At the very end of the book we are given the astonishing fact that at the turn of the millennium, the population of the USA will be 344 million. And NYC has 35 million people! Well, in 2018 the USA had 325 million people, and NYC has 8.5 million. So whoever was predicting disaster back in 1966, it just hasn't happened yet regarding population. And though people are starving, it is not for a lack of food. The wealthy continue to inherit the Earth, and the Earth continues to be depleted of its resources to keep the wealthy in business. It is not overpopulation that will wipe us out, but rather climate change and human greed. NYC will be underwater in less than half a century, along with most other coastal cities world wide. And cities of 35 million are now a reality anyway. They are pretty crowded, but there are roofs over many of the heads of the people. Subways and buses still run, and taxis.
So even though Harrison's premise of too many people has been shot through the heart (it would take at least a billion people living in the USA to seriously crimp it), we still have problems with climate in the book, and natural resources that have been mined and farmed to death. There is precious little left. I'd say give it another 60-70 years for that to happen, if we are still here then. So a word to the wise for future SF writers--don't make your predictions too near ahead in the future. If Harrison had said the year 2200, and tripled his population figures for the USA and NYC, it all might have been more believable. Of course it is a good thing that his predictions did not come true!
There are many other flaws, too. For one thing, if there really wasn't enough food and water, and enough medicine, and enough doctors and hospitals, and very little education, and no central heat, then the population would be dropping very fast. Crime would take a bite out of those figures, too, as people fought to the death for shelter and scant resources. Apparently this happens in the book, but does not seem to reflect a decline in population. And most people still seem to be having huge numbers of kids, despite extreme poverty and lack of food and shelter (actually, this does seem to happen still today in far too many countries).
At its heart, the story is about Andy, a policeman in NYC. He lives with elderly Sol, and they share two rooms. Andy brings home Shirly one day, a gal he meets in one of his investigations. Billy Chung is the murderer he is assigned to find and arrest. Andy is a good guy, but pretty weak-willed when it comes to his boss. He is afraid to lose his job, and as a result ends up working so many hours that Shirly eventually leaves him. He also puts up with incredibly bad neighbours once Sol passes away. He does eventually get his man, but because of changing political viewpoints he is actually demoted for it. The female character, Shirl, is a pretty interesting one. As the story opens she has been using her looks to stay warm and eat well, even though the guy she is living with is very rough with her during sex. Then she falls for Andy, and puts up with his abject poverty and inability to spend any time with her as long as she can. When things seem to her as if they will never improve, even though she loves Andy, she wisely leaves him and returns to her old life, presumably with a new boyfriend.
The weather in NYC is always awful, either a burning drought, a torrential downpour, or a cold and snowy winter. The book ends on New Years Eve of Dec. 31st, 1999, and it ends on a disturbing note of pessimism. Harrison is a strong believer in birth control, something that was still pretty controversial in 1966, especially among Catholics. A bill in the Senate to allow birth control keeps getting stalled. However, by now even if it should pass, it is too late.
The movie version takes some very weird turns, as Sol, instead of dying cold and shivering with pneumonia as he does in the book, commits a form of painless and happy social suicide to make room for others to live. And the whole thing about soylent, which in the book is rare but is made from lentils and grains and quite healthy, turns the movie into perhaps a more believable source of food for the times that Harrison describes.
Though seriously flawed, it is still a good book, and one that no doubt eventually got P. J. Farmer thinking about his Dayworld series. I liked Sol and Shirley, and can sympathize with Andy. And to hope for any kind of happy ending (though Shirley seems to make out okay in the end) would certainly be asking too much. It is a very bleak story.
*** stars. Reviewed March 16th/18
THE TECHNICOLOR TIME MACHINE
Cover art by Barclay Shaw
From 1967 comes this very funny novel about making a movie using real Vikings, and not only set in the early 1000s, but actually filmed in the early 1000s. It is 250 pages long, and a very easy read. Harrison is one of the funniest writers that I know, and though this one has real violence, it also has some extremely funny moments. Getting Ottar the Viking to act in film after the leading Hollywood man is injured and unable to continue certainly has its moments, and Barney's hangover cure is one of the better ones I've ever heard. And if you've ever wondered how and why the Vikings came to North America before Columbus, all of your questions will be answered by reading this book.
Harrison has a lot of fun making fun of Hollywood, but he also pokes fun at serious scholars. He obviously did some research on the Orkneys and Newfoundland, as well as the sagas and voyages of the Vikings. And he does a pretty good job of explaining time travel, too, which suits Barney's plans perfectly. Barney is the director of the picture, called "Viking Columbus," and it actually sounds like a pretty good movie! With his studio broke, the bankers knocking at the door, and his back against the wall, Barney discovers a professor that can take him and his cast and crew back in time. Better yet, he can return them to the present, only a few moments after they have left. In other words, they have all the time they need to write the script, film the movie, add music and dialogue, and edit the picture, and have it in the can in one weekend. Can Barney save his own skin, and the studio? Will the Vikings cooperate enough to get the picture made? More importantly, will history ever be the same again?
Though a light-hearted enough novel, it has its moments of seriousness. But overall it is a broad comedy, and worth seeking out. Especially if you enjoy Viking movies.
*** stars. Reviewed January 12th/19
CAPTIVE UNIVERSE
Cover artist uncredited. The cover has nothing to do with the story.
From 1969 comes a top SF story, lasting 160 pages. Some of the very best SF I have ever read has been quite short, and this joins that prestigious list. I still have very fond memories of reading Wolfbane, for instance, by Kornbluth and Pohl. This is a difficult book to talk about without giving away huge plot secrets. It's always best to read a review after reading the book, anyway.
A young Aztec boy grows up feeling very different and isolated from his people. The two villages in the valley are forbidden to swap sexual partners, but Chimal is the result of one of these forbidden liaisons. His father was killed by Coatlicue soon after his misdeed, so Chamal lives with his mother. We soon get hints of oddness about the valley and its people; for one thing, some of them are blond. For another, they cannot leave the valley; they are hemmed in on all sides, and must live their lives in a small area, growing crops and offering blood sacrifices at the temple. Chimal soon tires of this life, and begins exploring his surroundings, climbing a forbidden cliff. Thus begins his adventures, which are non-stop after this moment of discovery, high atop the cliff overlooking his valley.
The story is divided into three sections, plus a short coda. The first section is called "The Valley," and details Chimal's life and surroundings. The second part is called "Outside," and tells us what happens when Chimal figures out a way to escape the valley. It is certainly one of the strangest encounters I have ever come across. It is very low key, but Chimal begins his true education at this point. The final large section is called "The Stars," where Chimal faces his greatest challenges, and learns more quickly than one could ever imagine a normal being ever doing. But we know now that Chimal is not normal; his genetics have been manipulated, and he is a genius. When his father mated with his mother, the event happened out of sequence. But as we learn later, it seems to have happened just in time.
The coda is called "The Beginning," and is only 5 pages long. Here Harrison has the opportunity to write a very long series of books, detailing not only what happens next, but also creating a prequel series to get all the details of how this massive project was developed and undertaken. I think of what Frank Herbert did with Dune, and then his son continuing the series essentially forever. This could also have been done here. So why didn't Harrison continue with it? We will never know, but we can be eternally grateful for this one short book, the author's version of Heinleins' Orphans of the Sky. Highly recommended.
**** stars. Reviewed February 16th/19
THE DALETH EFFECT
Cover art uncredited.
From 1970 comes this SF/cold war novel, lasting 182 pages. Written, or at least published, the year after Americans first landed on the Moon, in this version it is the Russians who get there first, stunning the world. However, their ship landed badly, and they are unable to take off. The three cosmonauts are stranded and will soon die.
Meanwhile, an Israeli physicist has made a major discovery, one that can benefit mankind if used properly, or help destroy the Earth if used as a weapon. Since Israel is at war, the professor smuggles his secret out of the country and heads for Denmark! It might seem an odd country to choose, but Harrison provides historical and valid reasons for the choice. Soon Denmark is leading the world with their top secret space program. The whole section where the three stranded Russian cosmonauts are rescued from the Moon is a highlight of my SF reading project! So brilliant, and so funny. Classic Harrison!
However, the mood of the story darkens, as the Americans and Russians do everything in their power to secure the secret of the Daleth effect. Harrison is adamant that the Americans are every bit as nasty and self-centered as the Russians. Who could argue? The first international flight ends in disaster, ruined by American and Russian agents aboard.
This ending is depressing, and likely all too realistic. However, Harrison has written a great story, and though some of the characters are only quickly sketched out, there is enough development to keep things interesting. He has also raised Denmark even higher in my estimation, along with her people. A lot of the action centers around Copenhagen and Helsingor, where I spent two happy weeks many years ago.
Recommended. Certainly a book that is off the SF radar these days. Dated in many ways, it is still worth seeking out.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 6th/19
From 1976 comes this 379 page epic novel about a space launch event that makes Apollo 13 look like someone tied their shoelaces wrong. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong in this fun, tense novel. Obviously intended as an idea for a disaster movie, it's a shame it was never made into one. Harrison hits all the cliches in this near future adventure, including a Russian/American teamed space flight project to bring the sun's energy to Earth to replace the oil that has been nearly used up. Lucky for us we invented roof top solar panels to be used down here before something like this project got off the ground.
While there is a lot of science bluffing going on here, I think Harrison was aiming more for the Star Wars crowds (the movie came out in 1977), the ones uneducated about space flight. America was several years past the final Apollo mission, and the space shuttle began having first flight tests in 1977. So a lot of the general public were still somewhat interested in space flight, but the boring NASA kind of space flights (even I had little interest in the shuttle program, until the Hubble Space Telescope got sent off and then repaired).
Harrison creates the most monstrous sized space vehicle ever conceived, and it seems ironic that this thing, which 6 immense rockets per liftoff (50 were planned!) was meant to save us energy. No doubt it would have used up the last of the oil. The boosters were all reusable and were meant to return safely to Earth. Some of them even do that thing. The vehicle itself, the Prometheus, is meant to remain in space, beaming back the sun's energy. The astronauts would be taken down by space shuttle when they had completed the technical set up of the equipment.
The best laid plans of great minds do not always go according to plan. Not if Harry Harrison is in charge, along with a halfwit American president (if he could only see the one in there now). Unfortunately, even so many years after Star Trek, the author has to go to great pains to get two of the six crew to be female, and one of those is black (from Detroit!). No doubt he felt it necessary for explanations, and no doubt they were needed back then.
The book is fun to read, and the nearly 400 pages go by quickly. The many different characters, from the inner circle of the president to Mission Control and the crew onboard the Prometheus, are all given fully fleshed personalities, at least as far as Star Trek went with such things. And now that we have a fully functioning space station run by the Russians and Americans, and about 50,000 communication satellites being launched into orbit, what could go wrong? Ask Harry, he'll be happy to tell you.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 24th/20
From 1980 comes the first of three books in a series, this one being 155 pages. Jan Kulozik is the reluctant hero, an engineer who lives among the upper classes in London without giving a 2nd thought to those workers beneath him (the prolos). He, like almost everyone, is clueless about their society and how it is run. He is near the top of the pile so he doesn't really care. Until a strange encounter with a submarine when he is on vacation, which begins to stir his mind. He begins asking questions, and is soon immersed in a silent war, joining an underground movement spear headed by the Israelis, who have the only remaining democratic government left on Earth. Humans have conquered space and have colonies in far flung star systems, but they are all controlled from Earth. 
Cover art by Tom Kidd.
There are 10 two-page interior illustrations, all done by Evan Steadman. This one shows a Blettr. 
Cover art by Howard Chaykin.
Cover art by David Schleinkofer. My hardcover bantam edition features a wrap-around image. See the full image, below. 
Full cover painting for the hardcover Bantam edition, 1984.
Cover art by Jerry Lofaro. 
Inside art, including this two-page display, by Bill Sanderson.
Cover art by Karen Carr.
Cover art by Bob Eggleton.
Cover art by Michael Kaluta and Steve Fastner.
3 pages of 15 that Kaluta drew as bonus material for the book.
Cover art by Kevin Johnson. 
Inside map and art by Bill Sanderson. East is at the top, with Britain at lower left and the Mediterranean Sea cutting up the center. The finger at the top points to the Holy Lands.
Cover art by Kevin Johnson. Interior b & w art by Bill Sanderson.
The Tor edition contains a map, along with 6 or 7 small illustrations in the text, done by Bill Sanderson.
The Kingdom Oak, which held human and animal sacrifices in Uppsala.
Inside a troll's smoke hut!
Cover art by Gary Ruddell.
The world of volume 3.
Cover art by Dennis Lyall. 
Cover art by Tom Freeman.
SPACESHIP MEDIC
Cover art by Peter Jones.
From 1970 comes this intense, action-packed thriller written for young audiences. It is 141 pages long, and can be read in one sitting. A giant, brand new, super fancy space liner is on route to Mars when it is hit by a meteor. The captain and most officers, who were on the bridge at the time for a meeting, are all killed. The highest ranking man on the ship is the doctor, new to space travel. He must lead the remaining crew and the passengers to Mars safely. Can he do it?
Harrison throws in every possible disaster once the meteor hits, as if he were combining all the things that happened to the USS enterprise into one short novel. Their is a dangerous solar flare, the worst one ever. The ship is running out of water; it's running out of oxygen; there is a sudden on board plague; there is a mutiny. I'm leaving a few things out, but you get the idea. Still, it's all very fun and the fast pace will keep young readers interested. Sadly, there are no female crew members, or doctors. Near the end we meet a female nurse. Sigh. It would have been nice to have a capable female character helping out. It isn't the 1950s any longer.
The character of the doctor is a bit too super human for my tastes. At least he never does give up, against hopeless odds. Though a good story for boys, I hesitate to recommend it to them because of the lack of females. It really is glaring.
*** stars. Reviewed July 3rd/19
TUNNEL THROUGH THE DEEPS
Cover design uncredited.
From 1972 comes this amazing tale, taking place in an alternate history Earth. At 174 pages, it is divided into three books, each with several chapters. The basic story is how a railway tunnel is built beneath the Atlantic Ocean, linking New York and London by land transport. Not only that, but now passengers can go completely across the planet by train, linking with the Trans-Siberian railway, and then across the Aleutians back to New York. Fun times!
Thus the basic story. But Harrison adds a lovely twist. America is still a colony of Britain. George Washington (a traitor!) had been killed, and there was no revolution, thanks to the hero General Benedict Arnold. If you are an American, you likely just choked out loud. However, it is fun to speculate on how things could have turned out to be very strange with just a few historical events turning out differently (for the best example of this, read Bring the Jubilee, by Ward Moore). Not only has history changed, but so has technology. Vast airships cross the Atlantic now, and atomic power is everywhere.
Harrison has channelled Jules Verne in this epic tale, as well as the spirit of Hugo Gernsback! This is a really fun book to read if you have had experience with these two authors. Harrison has really turned into an author with broad tastes, and the capability of surprising his readers with each new book that comes from his typewriter. Just looking at the last three titles, his great talent should be obvious. But he also wrote No Room No Room!, the Deathworld trilogy, and the many entertaining adventures of The Stainless Steel Rat (and let's not forget Bill The Galactic Hero! I feel fortunate to have become well acquainted with this incredible author!
I loved every minute of Tunnel. It was like finding a lost work by Verne, and would make a fantastic movie, or TV mini-series. Highly recommend for fans of very old SF, and not the pulp variety.
**** stars. Reviewed May 17th/19
TONY HAWKINS ADVENTURES
TONY HAWKINS ADVENTURES
MONTEZUMA'S REVENGE
Cover art uncredited.
From 1972 comes this 180 page non-SF comedy spy story. Harrison can be a very funny writer at times, though his character is always in earnest and never seems to be able to appreciate the situations the way we do. Tony Hawkins manages the book store at the National Gallery in Washington. He is enlisted by the FBI as an art expert, helping to hunt down a lost Leonardo painting, and tell them if it is genuine.
Most of the story takes place in Mexico, and Harrison knows that country pretty well, including Acapulco, Mexico City taxi drivers, and the 3rd class buses than travel from town to town. In addition to the FBI, Tony gets involved with the Mexican police. They are chasing him for a murder they think he committed. The CIA also get involved, as does the Italian national police agency, a Jewish organization hunting down Nazi war criminals, and a Russian female double agent, actually working for the Chinese. In other words, it's like a lot of spy novels from this time.
Despite the humour (my favourite scene has Tony drinking tequila all night with two men he meets in a bar, and his ensuing hangover) the story is a good one, and pretty easy to follow, as we stay with Tony Hawkins all the way through from first page to last. And Tony proves to no slouch as an agent of the FBI. He is great with disguises, though no matter how much he thinks his job is perfect, he is usually recognized immediately by someone who knows him.
Harrison has also written a novel in The Saint series, which I have yet to track down. Recommended for a short and fun read,and a nice break from all the SF that I read.
*** stars. Reviewed October 17/19
QUEEN VICTORIA'S REVENGE
I read the Kindle edition. Cover artist unknown.
Tony Hawkins returned in 1974, in this 161 page caper that involves Cubans, Scotsmen, Israelis, Pakistanis, English, Palestinians, Americans, and of course, the Welsh. It is another non-stop action adventure for the art loving, Spanish speaking Apache hero, who runs the gift shop at FBI headquarters in Washington, when not seconded to the Bureau for a dangerous assignment. This time he must bring two million dollars to the airport, handing it over to the skyjackers in return for release of hostages. Things don't go well for Tony, as usual, and he is kept as a hostage as the plane now heads for--Scotland. Tony has a grand old time in Scotland and England, escaping death every other page, and being rewarded for his hard work by having everyone chasing him.
Though there are some truly very funny scenes, and a few places where the writing really excels (the train ride to Edinburgh, for one), the action is so hectic and unceasing that it gets tiring just to read the book. And this one is just about money (the missing two million dollars); it's hard for me to care about money. In the previous Mexican adventure of Tony's I had a Leonardo painting to worry about; here this is precious nothing, except Tony himself. At least he gets inside several pubs, and seems to get his daily quota of liquor and ale (and stout).
Though not as good as the first book, I enjoyed a lot of it and wish there had been a few more entries in the series. Written at the height of the spy caper novel, I'm sure Harrison's version would have been a welcome relief to many readers of the time.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 13th/20
STONEHENGE: WHERE ATLANTIS DIED
Cover art uncredited.
First published in 1972, the text was severely cut at that time. In 1983 (my edition), the original text was restored. The novel is 303 pages, and includes two maps, four books (actually novellas), and an envoi, or an author's concluding words. Following page 303 is a 37 page afterword by Professor Leon Stover, and after that a short bibliography of historical works relating to events in the story. While the story is completely fictional, Harrison tries his best to remain true to the times. The real, actual, historical Atlantis is what we encounter here.
Book 1 (84 pages)
Events begin in 1480 B.C., in Cornwall. A small group of men from Mycenae (ancient Greece) are left behind to mine tin, which is needed to construct bronze weapons back home. The men are attacked, with repercussions far beyond the site. Meanwhile, back in Mycenae, an Egyptian envoy to King Perimedes is with him when news is brought of the attack. We glimpse early Greek civilization, before Inteb, after a three year stay, begins his journey back to Egypt. He stops over in Atlantis, on the island of Thera, to visit King Atlas. The earthquake and volcanic eruption occur at a decisive moment, and we witness the destruction of the advanced civilization that dwelt there. Following shipboard adventures, a motley crew led by Ason, son of Perimedes (both fictional), head to Cornwall for vengeance on the British attackers.
This is a rousing book, extremely well written and exciting to read, and hard to put down. It hearkens back to the best novels of H. Rider Haggard, and though the adventures have barely begun, the exposition of the novel has proved more than worthy of reading further, to discover what happens next.
**** stars. Reviewed November 29th/19
Book 2 (66 pages)
Shipwrecked on an uninhabited island off of Cornwall, only three men survive. Eventually rescued by a mourning burial party, they relocate to the destroyed tin mine worked earlier by the Mycenaens. Some success is achieved, with the help of locals, but once again the mine is attacked by the "Yerni." However, this time Ason prevails, and takes his quarrel directly to the local Yerni chief, in mortal combat. The book continues to be brutal but fascinating. There are no subtleties, just war and killing and hunting. Exactly like it probably was.
*** 1/2 stars.
Book 3 (63 pages)
A ship finally arrives from Mycenae, and Ason attends a Celtic celebration. While he is gone, disaster strikes the mining camp, and he is back to square one. He begins to unite the loose tribes into one larger federation, and Inteb, the Egyptian scholar, gets an idea for the largest stone monument ever built. Great attention to detail, and though the characters are much to develop (a warrior is a warrior), we do get Inteb, who is gay, admit his love for Ason. Still fun, but I'm wondering why the author broke up the book in to four parts.
*** 1/2 stars.
Book 4 (81 pages)
3 years have past since Book 1 began, and it is 1477 B.C. In the longest book of the volume Stonehenge is built, using the backs of the warriors and the knowledge and skill of Inteb, the Egyptian. Harrison used the best available scholarly data, and pretty much nails down how the henge was likely built. A long essay following the main story by Professor Stover clears up just about everything one needs to know about not only Atlantis, but also of Stonehenge. Though the characters are fictional, their characteristics and manners are based on first hand accounts, and, through extrapolation, Harrison has arrived at a very convincing narrative. In conclusion, if you still believe that Atlantis is some huge mystery, as well as Stonehenge, this novel will clear up those mysteries. By applying good scholarship and taking the best possible route, the book is a true revelation. No doubt it will be disappointing to the hordes who firmly believe in aliens and mysteries which cannot be solved. I think for me the biggest revelation is that Stonehenge is NOT a calendar. Read the book to find out why it isn't.
*** stars. Reviewed December 4th/19 Overall rating *** 1/2 stars.
Book 2 (66 pages)
Shipwrecked on an uninhabited island off of Cornwall, only three men survive. Eventually rescued by a mourning burial party, they relocate to the destroyed tin mine worked earlier by the Mycenaens. Some success is achieved, with the help of locals, but once again the mine is attacked by the "Yerni." However, this time Ason prevails, and takes his quarrel directly to the local Yerni chief, in mortal combat. The book continues to be brutal but fascinating. There are no subtleties, just war and killing and hunting. Exactly like it probably was.
*** 1/2 stars.
Book 3 (63 pages)
A ship finally arrives from Mycenae, and Ason attends a Celtic celebration. While he is gone, disaster strikes the mining camp, and he is back to square one. He begins to unite the loose tribes into one larger federation, and Inteb, the Egyptian scholar, gets an idea for the largest stone monument ever built. Great attention to detail, and though the characters are much to develop (a warrior is a warrior), we do get Inteb, who is gay, admit his love for Ason. Still fun, but I'm wondering why the author broke up the book in to four parts.
*** 1/2 stars.
Book 4 (81 pages)
3 years have past since Book 1 began, and it is 1477 B.C. In the longest book of the volume Stonehenge is built, using the backs of the warriors and the knowledge and skill of Inteb, the Egyptian. Harrison used the best available scholarly data, and pretty much nails down how the henge was likely built. A long essay following the main story by Professor Stover clears up just about everything one needs to know about not only Atlantis, but also of Stonehenge. Though the characters are fictional, their characteristics and manners are based on first hand accounts, and, through extrapolation, Harrison has arrived at a very convincing narrative. In conclusion, if you still believe that Atlantis is some huge mystery, as well as Stonehenge, this novel will clear up those mysteries. By applying good scholarship and taking the best possible route, the book is a true revelation. No doubt it will be disappointing to the hordes who firmly believe in aliens and mysteries which cannot be solved. I think for me the biggest revelation is that Stonehenge is NOT a calendar. Read the book to find out why it isn't.
*** stars. Reviewed December 4th/19 Overall rating *** 1/2 stars.
STAR SMASHERS OF THE GALAXY RANGERS
Cover art signature illegible. Initials might be V. W. The cover has nothing to do with the story.
After his intense and well-researched book about Stonehenge and Atlantis, Harrison likely needed a well-deserved break. From 1973 comes this 190 page hilarious spoof of pulp SF stories, and many parts of it are laugh out loud funny. Chuck, Jerry, John, and Sally (note the mundane names) embark on an adventure that will take them from Pleasantville to the ends of the galaxy, as they seek to right injustice, and defeat the evil mind-reading Lortonoi. With help from many different aliens, the human quartet tackles strange and troublesome problems everywhere they go. The three men are geniuses and Sally is---well, she is a girl of no great intelligence, though she is quite nice.
Though the book is extremely sexist, and women would be more likely to throw the book against a wall, or into a fireplace, than read it all, the men are treated in a similar fashion. They know everything, and can handle any emergency. Think back to the pulp days, which took these characteristics of men and women seriously, and you will see where Harrison is going with all of this. John begins his appearance as the only black man on campus. He is the janitor. But by the end he wears badge #1 of the Galaxy Rangers (who don't really smash any stars), and he gets the beautiful blonde Sally for his very own. Chuck and Jerry end up in a gay relationship, and all's well that ends well.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and consider it one of Harrison's funniest novels. If you take any of this seriously, including the treatment of Sally, then you should not be reading it.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 17th/20
THE LIFESHIP
Cover art by Ed Soyka.
From
1975 comes this 173 page political intrigue thriller from the pens of
two noteworthy writers. Humans are passengers on an alien ship when it
is sabotaged and blown up in interstellar space. Giles, a small group
of humans, and two alien Albenareth escape in a lifeship, but they are
far from any habitable planet. This is mainly the story of their
survival and interactions on board the lifeship, with a few short
chapters at the end resolving the political threads that have been woven
throughout the plot.
The
philosophies of life between alien and human is vastly different, and
such wide gaps exist that little to no effort has been made to try and
understand one another. They cooperate in space ventures to get jobs
done, but essentially remain very much apart. In a similar way, humans
are divided into classes, with a ruling Adelman class, and the lower,
slave-like arbiter class. The two groups do not interact in any
meaningful way. Giles is of the ruling class, and takes command of the
humans aboard the lifeship. An alien captain and navigator guide the
ship.
As
the story progresses, and as Giles lives and interacts in confinement
with both aliens and lower class humans, his opinions of both begin to
change and develop. His group is on a course to restore all rights to
the lower classes, but they want to take things slowly. Another group
wants a revolution, fully knowing there will be untold bloodshed and
severe social setbacks for everyone. And a third group exists, who want
things to stay the same, but erasing the Adelman class so they can rule
with violence in its place.
The story succeeds well as an adventure thriller, and less so as a political one. Giles is a good lead character, as is the alien captain, a female. The whole idea of the lifeship, and how it provides nutrients (and glaring light) for the people seeking rescue, is an interesting one. But any book that has to end with so much explanation and conversation to get its point across is doomed, in my opinion. A few books by Rex Gordon were also like that. Especially if the conversation is coming from a severely wounded man, who seems to think and speak very well after being shot twice. I enjoyed the SF aspect to this story, but not so much the thickly laid-on social justice angle. The book is much too short to handle this aspect of the story well.
*** stars. Reviewed June 27th/20
The story succeeds well as an adventure thriller, and less so as a political one. Giles is a good lead character, as is the alien captain, a female. The whole idea of the lifeship, and how it provides nutrients (and glaring light) for the people seeking rescue, is an interesting one. But any book that has to end with so much explanation and conversation to get its point across is doomed, in my opinion. A few books by Rex Gordon were also like that. Especially if the conversation is coming from a severely wounded man, who seems to think and speak very well after being shot twice. I enjoyed the SF aspect to this story, but not so much the thickly laid-on social justice angle. The book is much too short to handle this aspect of the story well.
*** stars. Reviewed June 27th/20
SKYFALL
Cover art by Rowena Morill.
Rear cover art by Rowena Morill.
From 1976 comes this 379 page epic novel about a space launch event that makes Apollo 13 look like someone tied their shoelaces wrong. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong in this fun, tense novel. Obviously intended as an idea for a disaster movie, it's a shame it was never made into one. Harrison hits all the cliches in this near future adventure, including a Russian/American teamed space flight project to bring the sun's energy to Earth to replace the oil that has been nearly used up. Lucky for us we invented roof top solar panels to be used down here before something like this project got off the ground.
While there is a lot of science bluffing going on here, I think Harrison was aiming more for the Star Wars crowds (the movie came out in 1977), the ones uneducated about space flight. America was several years past the final Apollo mission, and the space shuttle began having first flight tests in 1977. So a lot of the general public were still somewhat interested in space flight, but the boring NASA kind of space flights (even I had little interest in the shuttle program, until the Hubble Space Telescope got sent off and then repaired).
Harrison creates the most monstrous sized space vehicle ever conceived, and it seems ironic that this thing, which 6 immense rockets per liftoff (50 were planned!) was meant to save us energy. No doubt it would have used up the last of the oil. The boosters were all reusable and were meant to return safely to Earth. Some of them even do that thing. The vehicle itself, the Prometheus, is meant to remain in space, beaming back the sun's energy. The astronauts would be taken down by space shuttle when they had completed the technical set up of the equipment.
The best laid plans of great minds do not always go according to plan. Not if Harry Harrison is in charge, along with a halfwit American president (if he could only see the one in there now). Unfortunately, even so many years after Star Trek, the author has to go to great pains to get two of the six crew to be female, and one of those is black (from Detroit!). No doubt he felt it necessary for explanations, and no doubt they were needed back then.
The book is fun to read, and the nearly 400 pages go by quickly. The many different characters, from the inner circle of the president to Mission Control and the crew onboard the Prometheus, are all given fully fleshed personalities, at least as far as Star Trek went with such things. And now that we have a fully functioning space station run by the Russians and Americans, and about 50,000 communication satellites being launched into orbit, what could go wrong? Ask Harry, he'll be happy to tell you.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 24th/20
THE QE2 IS MISSING
I read the Kindle edition.
From 1980 comes this 352 page non-SF thriller, about hijacking the giant passenger ship while on a world cruise. There are ex Nazis, Paraguayan and Uruguayan dictators, resistance fighters who want their two countries to be democratic, Jewish Nazi hunters, and a whole mess of events that conspire to make up one of the best non SF books I have read in a long time. Spinrad tried his hand at this sort of thing, but often got bogged down in too many details and personalities. And S. B. Hough, alias Rex Gordon, wrote a similar South American political adventure called Mission In Guemo, which is excellent reading but hard to find.
A Jewish lawyer, Hank Greenstein, and his almost wife, are asked to aid in a caper to capture two war criminals. They end up on the boat, and become involved very deeply, especially Hank. Hank's almost wife (they were to be married two after they had to leave to catch the ship) is a great character, and though her role is small, she really adds a lot to the book, which is mostly concerned with politics, violence, dictators, and using illegal means to catch war criminals. Without her presence, the book would have been too male dominated, even though there are two other female characters in the story. And she provides most of the only humour to appear in the story.
The story has a great opening, and an equally good ending. In between, we eventually learn everything that happened to the crew and passengers, which had become one of the world's greatest mysteries. This is a book well worth seeking out, if only to prove that Harrison is a wonderfully talented multi-genre writer, comfortable in serious SF, very funny SF, 1970s spy spoofs, and this harrowing adventure drama.
I always enjoy books by this writer; this one was a lot of fun to read. Recommended.
**** stars. Reviewed September 4th/20.
A Jewish lawyer, Hank Greenstein, and his almost wife, are asked to aid in a caper to capture two war criminals. They end up on the boat, and become involved very deeply, especially Hank. Hank's almost wife (they were to be married two after they had to leave to catch the ship) is a great character, and though her role is small, she really adds a lot to the book, which is mostly concerned with politics, violence, dictators, and using illegal means to catch war criminals. Without her presence, the book would have been too male dominated, even though there are two other female characters in the story. And she provides most of the only humour to appear in the story.
The story has a great opening, and an equally good ending. In between, we eventually learn everything that happened to the crew and passengers, which had become one of the world's greatest mysteries. This is a book well worth seeking out, if only to prove that Harrison is a wonderfully talented multi-genre writer, comfortable in serious SF, very funny SF, 1970s spy spoofs, and this harrowing adventure drama.
I always enjoy books by this writer; this one was a lot of fun to read. Recommended.
**** stars. Reviewed September 4th/20.
TO THE STARS
BOOK 1: HOMEWORLD
Cover art by Frank Morris.
This is a thinly disguised look at almost any and all totalitarian regimes in our history, including Germany during the war, and East Germany afterwards. The more he learns about it the more Jan hates what is going on, and wants to set things right. His brother in law in a big man who works for security, and if you think people are watched a lot these days (and we are), just wait until you see what the future could hold for us. Don't believe it could get this bad? Then keep voting for people like certain leaders we have today, who would be only too happy to see whites in control of everything once again, and a police state enforced to the max. Where will democracy survive? It is a good question.
There is virtually no humour in this story, nor anything in the way of hope. It is actually quite a soul-crushing novel, and even though perhaps two more books from now things will be set on the right course again, already too many bad things have happened in book 1. This is also the way most novels by Dickens are laid out; the first half is so depressing and brutal that I usually just give up and don't care much what happens afterwards. Likewise with this story. Once a certain character in it dies, and another certain character triumphs, Harrison has taken away much of my interest. I don't really care much anymore, if if Jan lives to carry on another day. Harrison has stomped on freedom so heavily, and proved the efficiency of the governing elite so thoroughly, that from now on it will be impossible to believe there is any hope left for freedom to win out.
Harrison writes best when he injects humour into proceedings, and he can do this while maintaining a serious story. He also writes stories with wonderful relationships between a man and a woman, standing side by side through thick and thin. I don't know what got into him here, but this is a pretty terrible opening novel for a series. There is no light, only dark, and cold, and inhuman leaders who stomp on freedom and relish in the fact. I notice that my one volume set from 1987 does not contain very many good quotes about it, either. Theodore Sturgeon says on the back cover "To The Stars is a hard-driving adventure with highly inventive off-Earth efects." Hmm, not exactly high praise. The book is certainly well written; it's just that I need some light at the end of the tunnel, not just despair and rage and hopelessness.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed October 7th/20
WHEELWORLD
The 2nd book of the author's To The Stars trilogy was written in 1981, and is 152 pages long. Jan Kuzolik is now a worker on an agricultural planet. Very little is mentioned about his previous life on Earth. He is technical captain on a planet that grows corn for Earth's consumption, and responsible for keeping the equipment up and running. The planet is run by family elders in a strict manner, with the workers virtual slaves to their rules and traditions. Jan is the only human who has known freedom and democracy, though in the first book there wasn't much evidence as to how he would know such things.
The main part of this book, which is a pretty good planetary adventure, has Jan leading the migration south. Every four years, due to the tilt of the axis of their planet, they have to shift their farming duties to an opposite polar area, to remain in twilight. The planet is fiercely hot during the 4 year summers, and they must move to avoid them. So we get to travel a very hazardous road, thousands of kilometres long, through terrain that will claim victims as the journey proceeds. Because the space ships have not yet arrived, everything traditional has to be abandoned, something that the elders fight against all the way. They hate Jan, even more as the story proceeds. This time, instead of loading their harvest onto the ships, they must take it with them on the southern migration. This means cramped living quarters for the people, and a return north during the hot season to load the remaining corn and ship it south.
Harrison does not repeat his mistake from book 1, and this story has some positive aspects to the ending, as Jan sets off on an even bigger adventure, to overthrow the governing elite on Earth, and to return to his adopted planet with the materials needed to continue the farming and migration lifestyle, under new, democratic leadership. But there are only three kinds of people in the book. There are people who hate Jan, which includes the elders (except for one) and the proctors (police); the few people who support Jan, mostly technicians; and the dumb masses, mostly stupid, living their life like puppets and following the laws as set down by the elders blindly. In other words, black, white, and grey. Harrison is not really too interested in politics, but in telling a rousing tale, and succeeds well at this. A few times I was reminded of the Deathworld planet, as this one has some pretty unlikable characteristics, too. Recommended.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed November 5th/20
STARWORLD
The final novel in Harrison's To The Stars trilogy is a thrill a minute ride in the best pulp fiction tradition. Published in 1981, one could argue that the series could have been published as one very long book, as my 3-in-1 edition seems to favour. However, keep in mind that authors sometimes need money not tomorrow but today, so publishing the first section when it is ready to go makes sense from a financial standpoint, both for the author and the publisher. If the first book sells well, the 2nd book just might, too, and the third. However, after the disastrous ending of book one, I likely would not have bought book 2 back in the day. Even in the third book Harrison is still trying to make up for what he did to a much liked character. He brings her sister into the picture, and she and Jan become close friends, and even lovers at one point.
This third book deals with the rebellion of the outer planets against Earth's tyranny and selfishness, and how they overcame their adversaries despite overwhelming odds. Key to winning is Jan's brother-ion-law, top security man of the entire planet. They need his help to overthrow Earth's powers that be and he needs theirs and the help of the Israelis. If plans come off well, the deed will be done and Earth set free, as well as the colonies. If not, then oh well, at least we tried.
Harrison's action scenes, which can go on and on and have readers literally chewing their nails as they read, can be compared to the writing of P. J. Farmer, also a pulp fiction writer at heart. Harrison understands politics a bit better, though. In this volume he does a wonderful and very true comparison of how the UK works and contrasts it with how the USA works. It is a brilliant summary, and holds true for today.
Though Harrison is sympathetic to black people in this segment, his use of an old patois for how they speak would be considered rather racist today. It was nice to meet a black character in a novel who owns an actual library of very ancient books, which he has to keep hidden so they will not be destroyed. It was also a relief to see women (Israelis) involved in the combat side of war.
The book is a fitting and exciting conclusion to the series.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed December 7th/20
THE JUPITER PLAGUE
This is a 1982, 280 page rewrite and slight expansion of the 1965 novel Plague From Space. Though the story shares the same flaws as the earlier book (see my review, above), Harrison is such a fine writer that they don't ruin the story. Having lived through an (ongoing) pandemic, I can agree with a lot of what the author describes, though rioting has thankfully been absent from the real one. Still, Harrison's space disease is much worse than Covid 19, killing not only much faster, but everyone who gets it. I daresay our day is coming for such a disease, especially if it escapes from a military bio lab.
Dr. Bertoli is a believable character, though he doesn't get nearly enough sleep. And the story is quite believable, too, at least up until the final quarter of the book. For the first three parts we almost forget we are reading a SF novel, but once the "monster" arrives on the scene, we quickly remember that this is make believe. If I were rewriting this novel I would have the Earth ship land on a moon of Jupiter, and not the actual planet. It would make an alien life form much more plausible. Still, even James Blish managed to have a life form on Jupiter (see the first novel of his Cities In Flight series), and Iain M Banks' wonderful novel The Algebraist is based around life from a Jupiter-like planet. So there is no sense in me quibbling about life on Jupiter. If Harrison says it's there, then it's there.
I always end up reading a Harrison story after one by Piers Anthony. Anthony always tries to be too clever, and his writing is always much the same in every story. So it's refreshing to read Harrison, who reminds me of what a great storyteller can do. The writing is fast paced, exciting, but believable. The characters are usually well drawn, and he includes just enough detail about people, places, and things. His writing can be among the funniest every set to paper when he desires, or serious and business-like, as it is here.
This is a really good novel, either version, and is recommended reading.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed July 9th/21
INVASION EARTH
Cover art by David Schleinkofer.
From 1982 comes this 211 page illustrated novel. There are ten interior b & w images by Evan Ten Broeck Steadman. Some nasty, ugly, thieving aliens have crashed on Earth. It appears a space war is going on between the Oinn and the Blettr, and Earth is being forced to choose sides. Rob Hayward, a colonel in the US army, boards the crashed ship and discovers three dead aliens of one species, and one prisoner of theirs from another species. Details are slow to come out. A Russian female translator works with Rob, as the US and Russia are pooling their resources for this one.
This is a story of lies, double cross, sneaky tactics, and violence, as Earth people soon realizes that they are fighting for survival of the planet against not two, but one, alien enemy. This is a faced paced pulp-style novel, with action, good guys, and bad guys, sometimes not knowing which is which. The lone female character is a strange one, but at least she doesn't end up marrying the American she works with throughout the story.
There is a lot to like about this story, but one wonders how different it would be if the aliens had been handsome and godlike in their features, instead of repulsive to human perception. This one is a page turner, and can be read easily in a day or two.
*** stars. Reviewed January 6th/21
A REBEL IN TIME
One of the best books in the actual Avon/Equinox series is #23, Bring The Jubilee, by Ward Moore. It is a brilliant book dealing with time travel and the American Civil War, published in 1955. It would be difficult not to admit the influence of that book on Harrison, in his time travel/Civil War effort. While I much preferred the Moore novel, the Harrison one has its good points, too. From 1984, it is 315 pages. For one thing, the hero is black. Imagine being black and educated today and being sent back to the American south in 1859. Good luck with that. So Harrison opens a brand new area with his confrontation of racial issues in America. His writing is always so smooth and stylish, the book reads well and easily, and is hard to put down once begun.
The novel begins in modern times, with an evil, racist colonel planning to take back a serious weapon in time, providing these rapid fire guns to the south for use during the upcoming war. When he disappears from contemporary Washington with one of the historical guns and the plans to make them, Troy Harmon, a sergeant in the US army, decides to track him down and kill him, before the Civil War begins. So there are two clear sections to the book: the first one is a good spy/crime thriller that takes place in modern Washington, D.C., and the second part, which takes place in that same area and beyond, but back in 1859-63.
Writing this kind of book takes an awful lot of research, and Harrison must have either being a scholar of the Civil War, or done a lot of research before beginning his story. We eventually get inside looks at people like John Brown, the Harper's Ferry incident,and even the Battle of Gettysburg. We see the formation of the first Union black regiment, led by none other than Troy Harman, a man making the most of his life, trapped forever back in time. But the greatest value of the book is being shown yet again how Blacks were treated back in the day, and what people, black and white, risked when trying to free the slaves and send them north, even into Canada (the town where I currently live along the Detroit River was a station on the Underground Railroad). Many Americans still refuse to confront their racist past, and though they might pick up the book, hoping for a different kind of story than the one Harrison tells, they would likely soon put it down after finding out what kind of character the southern colonel is (the bad guy). Though not essential reading, it's another stone pulled out of the wall of racial barriers, and I do recommend it.
*** stars. Reviewed March 13th/21
WEST OF EDEN
The novel, from the busy year for Harrison of 1984, is 461 pages long. This is divided into two books and a series of appendices. Each will be described below.
BOOK 1: This book is 204 pages long. It is the tale of a young boy captured when his prehistoric tribe is attacked by the enemy, after they have killed all of his people, including his father. It is the story of his upbringing among the enemy tribe. This is an unusual book in many ways. I must say at the outset that stories about early humans do not interest me much, nor fire up my imagination. I have read wonderful books by several authors in the Avon/Equinox series on such a theme, but only because it was part of my reading project. I enjoy the ones about first contact between arriving people from space, but not the cave man vs cave man type of book. But this novel is very different from those other ones.
First, we must re-imagine the Earth if the world shattering meteor had not struck the planet 75 million years ago. Had it missed, things would have turned out very different. this is what the author postulates. And so we have primitive, nomadic humans of about 12,000 years ago, as the ice age approaches, pushing their summer hunting grounds further and further south. They live in North America, along the east coast, while the enemy lives in a vast city in Florida.
Second, the dominant species happens to be reptilian. They have built vast cities in Africa, which are now dying from the oncoming cold, and have branched out across the ocean to Florida, where they are building a new city. And so the two species soon meet and clash, each appearing horrible to the other, and each wanting the other wiped out. The reptiles are called the Yilane, and they have advanced weapons, science, history, and a full language, using words and body movements. The humans are called the Tanu. They have tamed mastodons, and they have language, but no science and no cities. They use dug out boats for water transport, and live in portable tents. It should be noted that the Tanu started things off badly by killing the males and eggs hatching on the beach, unprovoked.
One of the reasons I don't much care for books about prehistoric man is because their entire life is about hunting, gathering, surviving, fighting the elements, and fighting one another. It is a savage way of life, perhaps one notch above the beasts, but perhaps not. Harrison does introduce the foundations of peaceful thinkers among the Yilane, but they are scorned and persecuted. They have the beginnings of art, but the artists are only worthless males, and the art and the artists are scorned. So neither species is the fun-loving type, leaving us with a rather humourless and violent tale about survival of the fittest and smartest.
Kerrick, the kidnapped boy, was 8 when he was captured, and at the end of book he finally escapes his life as a servant of the Yilane. I can see no reason for having a Book 1 and a Book 2, other than the author may have hoped to publish them as two shorter novels rather than one of epic length. If you like this kind of story, then you will enjoy Harrison's variation on a theme. He is such a fine writer, in almost any genre.
*** stars. Reviewed April 9th/21
BOOK 2: This is a direct continuation of Book 1, with no time passing between. It lasts for 222 pages. Book 1 tells the story of Kerrick's captivity among the Yilane (reptiles); book 2 tells of his freedom, and what he does with it. The book is filled with killing, as the hatred of each group for one another knows no limits, and Kerrick and his fellow Tanu Humans) are pursued endlessly by the vengeful Yilane. Although the story is well written and fascinating in its own way, it is very limited in scope. There is travel, hunting, killing, war, hardship, and, finally, a tribe of Tanu that is not nomadic. At last we come across a partially civilized group of people, ones who worship mastodons, and paint their images on cave walls.
I wish the geography of this era had been made a bit clearer. Apparently there are snow clad mountains five days march west from northern Florida, and great rivers that can't really be placed in any geographical sense in Florida. At any rate, Harrison has created part of a world that is new and exciting. He ends the book leaving things complete, but also wide open for a sequel (filled with revenge and more hatred, no doubt). Of course there are two long sequels, so come back in a few months to see what happens next. One of the Yilane peaceniks (yes, they have a peaceful group, scorned by the main group) survives, and so no doubt we might someday see peace between Yilane and Tanu. But not likely before a whole lot of more killing takes place.
***1/2 stars.
THE WORLD WEST OF EDEN: A number of short essays follow the main story, lasting for 34 pages. In addition to essays about the languages of the two main intelligent species encountered in the story, there is also a dual glossary of some common words. There are also essays on the history, science, diet, reproduction, and culture of the Yilane, and a much shorter write up on the Tanu. This is followed by an illustrated zoology of common animals. It's all very nicely done. Not rated, as the material does not have to be read, and might seem dry to some readers.
WINTER IN EDEN
From 1986 (my edition 1987) comes the first sequel to Harrison's alternate history of Earth, taking as its basic assumption that the devastating meteor strike in the Yucatan never occurred. The book is 445 pages, of which 14 is Prologue, 375 is story, and the rest appendices on the three main cultures involved in the story, and the flora and fauna of the age. One new addition to this volume is a map. Crude as it is, it informs the story well. I include it below.
As a general rule, I don't much care for these kinds of stories, and would much rather have had the book set on a different planet. I care even less for nomadic primitive human stories, with war, hunting, killing, and simple living the main activities of such people. Despite my prejudices, Harrison does a great job with the story, and I applaud his fine writing. With Kerrick as the lead human character, and his intelligent and sensitive wife Armun, we can see the beginnings of moral progress, as well as the anguish over war and non-stop aggression. Like most people, they only want a peaceful and happy existence for the short time they are here.
However, Satan wants otherwise, and is represented here by the vengeful, warlike Yilane race, featuring the evil Vainte as their poster child for hate and destruction of all that is not like them. I grew very sick of Vainte and her thoughts and deeds, and I grew much more sick of them in this story. But Harrison tells more than her story here, including a new one about the Daughters of Darkness, getting settled on the shores of the amazon River. He also gives a starring role to the Paramutan, a race of people who live in the wintry north, thus breaking up the monotony of humans (Tanu) versus the Yilane (Murgu).
Each author seemed to strive towards their life's masterwork: Blish to Cities In Flight, Farmer to Riverworld, Silverberg to Majipoor, and on and on and on. Harrison had already created the Deathworld series, the Stainless Steel Rat Series, and the To The Stars Series. He obviously put a lot of himself into this project. And while I'm glad I read it, it's not something to which I would ever likely return and reread (unlike Blish, having read Cities four times now). It just isn't my thing, and I am sick of much of it. But that shouldn't take away from the great (as ever) writing by Harrison, someone to whom I will always return for good stories well told.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 11th/21
RETURN TO EDEN
From 1988 comes the third and final Eden story. The actual novel is 289 pages long, but there is also a six page prologue and a lengthy appendix, detailing the "history" of Eden. The history is essentially the same in all three novels, and I skipped most of it. There continues to be inside art by Bill Sanderson.
After Tolkien, everyone had to write a series, preferably a trilogy. Nearly every author did, and several, like Harrison, wrote many series. Silverberg, Farmer, and especially Anthony made big splashes with important series. While I much prefer Deathworld and the Stainless Steel Rat books to Eden, Harrison has trod new ground with his serious look at a different possible evolutionary outcome. The three books in this series all assume that the giant meteor never struck, and so reptiles became as important as humans. What would Africa, North America, and part of South America be like today without that devastating catastrophe that landed in the Caribbean Sea? Read and find out.
I continue to show little to no interest in seeking out books about prehistoric life. I just don't have the curiosity or interest in such goings on, though I have read many such novels, including in the Avon/Equinox series. The dinosaur image on the cover is very misleading, and there is virtually no dealings with such creatures in the story; when encountered, there are merely killed. My edition contains mistakes, as the continent of Gendasi (north America) is constantly referred to as Entoban (Africa) in a chapter or two around page 200 or just before.
I have mentioned before how sick I became of Vainte and her hatred and killing ways. Well, she's back, and in her usual form. So are all the other characters, including the most interesting Yilane, the scientist Ambalasei. In fact, she is probably the most interesting character in the entire series, with a brain and a very funny sense of humour. Her passages were always fun to read. But the rest is merely more of the same, extending the series to three books (four actually, as the first volume contains two books).
Make no mistake; Harrison has written well in this series. It's just that the subject matter does not really appeal to me. I did find the ending very weak, as we are to believe that Kerrick would have given in to Vainte, even knowing she would kill both him and his son. Even so, I applaud Harrison's efforts, though I wish they had been directed elsewhere. I cannot see me ever rereading this series (same with Silverberg's Majipoor and Farmer's Riverworld).
*** stars. Reviewed September 10th/21
THE TOURING OPTION
From 1992 comes this 408 page SF novel about artificial intelligence, or, as it referred to later in the story, MI, for machine intelligence. Brian Delaney is a young genius working on AI at a private research lab. He has something to demonstrate to his boss, but during the visit to the secure lab the facility is attacked, everyone is killed, and the results of the research are hauled away. Brian is found in a locker, where he hid himself during the carnage, a bullet having passed through his brain. Dr. Erin Snaresbrook, a leading brain surgeon, takes his case, and is gradually able to restore his memories up to the age of 14. After that, nothing.
As much as it is SF, as we follow Brian's recovery from his near fatal wound until he resumes his work with his old notes,it is also a novel of espionage, intrigue, and brutal tactics used to get the research away from the US. A host of minor characters, including Sven, an MI who becomes almost human in every way by the end of the book, enrich the narrative greatly. It is also a mystery story; who committed the outrageous, murderous theft? No one knows, and no one can find out. To me, with all of the resources of the world searching for the culprits, it seems a little bit lame not to have found any trace of the criminals. But aside from this, the story is as great one. It is fast moving, fascinating, and highly believable.
The story goes international, and we sometimes find ourselves in Mexico (twice), Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, and then back to the US, before going back to Switzerland one last time. Brian is always the central character in the story, and we view things almost entirely from his perspective. Of course he is a damaged person, and even though he regains his mathematical prowess, he gradually begins to lose his humanity. Part of this loss is caused by his constant work with AI, where emotions have no play. He stops learning how to be human even as his main machine learns how to become more human. The other reasons why he loses his emotions have to do with his rough childhood, as well as what happened to him during the robbery.
Thus there is no happy ending, though most questions are resolved by the finish. The book, like most of Harrison's best writing, is fast-paced and intelligent, and would be well suited to non SF readers as well as core SF fans. The character Sven, the most advanced MI ever conceived, is only of of the highlights of this great novel. Highly recommended. And despite the year of publication, it is amazing at how up to date the story remains.
**** stars. Reviewed October 12th/21
BILL THE GALACTIC HERO:
THE PLANET OF THE ROBOT SLAVES
From 1989 comes this 236 page silly story, starring everyone's favourite army private. Even the lovable little Chingers are back, trying futilely to spread peace throughout the galaxy. Vol 1 of a series, this is the only one reportedly written by Harrison; the others follow outlines he wrote, but were written by others. This is the only volume that will appear here. In addition to the story, there is an intermission featuring 15 pages of robot doodles by Kaluta, and a lovely pin up of Deja Vu.
A flying dragon attacks the planet where Bill is garrisoned, and he and a few other stalwart military types, including a female, set out to solve the mystery of who is attacking and why. In the course of his adventures, Bill meets and aids Major Jonkarta from Virginia, now living in Barthroom and searching for his lost love, Deja Vu. Edgar Rice Burroughs isn't the only writer who gets lampooned, and some of the material is truly funny. Deja is a total mega babe, and when she makes a pass for Bill, Jonkarta wants revenge. By the end of this weird tale we have also become involved with Roman legions and King Arthur's knights. And then comes Harrison's tribute to Wizard of Oz.
The true heart of the book, as with the original, is poking fun at life as a G.I. Harrison's writing is at its best when volunteers are needed for assignments, or when Bill is accused of treason for believing that the 7" tall Chingers really do want only peace. Keeping the war machine active is the main goal of the military, and that will never change with any super power on Earth. All silliness aside, we are constantly reminded of why there never will be world peace (as if we needed reminding). So laugh out loud while you can, but give your head a reality shake at the same time.
*** stars. Reviewed November 8th/21
MEDIEVAL ENGLAND SERIES
VOL 1: THE HAMMER AND THE CROSS
Harrison is master of the humourous SF novel, as well as one of the best at creating highly readable series. Deathworld, The Stainless Steel rat, To The Stars, Eden, and now this one, a viking saga. Harrison is also no slouch at historical fiction, as we saw with his Stonehenge novel, the first truly logical and believable work I have ever read that explains how and why it was built. The Hammer and the Cross is from 1993, and is a whopping 471 pages long. It was written with assistance from John Holm, alias Tom Shippey. I am a fan of Viking epics, and have enjoyed those by H R Haggard and E R Eddison, as well as movies like The Long Ships and The Vikings. I have visited Denmark, including the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde. So call me a fan. I like the fact that this huge novel is broken into 3 nearly equal sections, as the young male hero advances in life from a serf to an important leader. I will talk about each section individually.
Thrall: The first part is 146 pages long. The location is the northeast coast of England, and the year is A.D. 865. Wary people have established permanent lookouts for raiding Viking ships. Before 3 pages are done the action begins, as two hapless Viking ships are about to land against their will on the shores of hostile territory. The watch gives the alarm, and soon we are witness to a battle, the first of many. The story soon shifts to the vantage point of Shef, half English and half Viking, something that will cause him both hardship and good fortune in his active life.
Events conspire to make Shep leave his village, setting out to rescue the girl he loves, recently captured by a party of Vikings seeking revenge for the recent destruction of their two ships and its leader. Shef is a blacksmith, and falls in with a group of Vikings who follow the old Norse religion. It soon follows that he is able to see future events, though early on his does not recognize his powers and thinks them merely strange dreams. Shep has wormed his way into the Viking settlement on the English shore, but he has no way of contacting his girlfriend, now a slave to one of the Viking leaders. When the English attack the Viking encampment, Shep sees his chance to run away with her. But like all plans, this one has a few kinks in the road. They escape, but he is recaptured and brought back to be punished. But his religious Viking friends extend themselves to save his. However, he must still pay a severe price for kidnapping the girl, who belonged to the leader.
There is enough action in this first section to constitute a full novel, and several movies. Harrison is a great writer, superior in most ways to Silverberg, Piers Anthony (of late), and all of the pulp writers like Tubb and Bulmer. His only equals in my present Avon/Equinox stable of writers I am still reading is Jack Williamson, and perhaps Michael Moorcock. Barry Malzberg is in a universe all to himself, and cannot really be compared to anyone else. Pages fly past with Harrison, even in his Eden series, whose themes I was not particularly interested in. So I am hooked on this novel, and can't wait to get to the second section.
**** stars.
Carl: The 2nd part is 157 pages long. We have seen how Shef is part English and part Norse. Now we get more of his inner seeing visions, which not only foretell what will happen, but what has happened. The main Viking army besieges York, but Shef's hard work with his machines, and the bravery of the men who attack the walls, are undone by Ivar's making peace with the priests inside the walls, who allow them to enter just as Shef's men break through. A schism develops between the four cruel brothers who have basically led the men till now, and Shef's men, the men of The Way, or those who follow the old Norse religion. The second part continues with action, strategy, battles, hidden and buried treasure, treachery, and lust for gold and silver. But underneath it all is a sense of forthcoming civilization, a lessening of the cruelty that has been seen up till now. Shef has earned the right to become a Viking warrior, and by the end of this section he has become a Jarl, or leader. The English king hands him Norfolk to govern, but he must cease and desist raids on the rest of England, and defend the king if required. Shef still has much to overcome, including his jealous half-brother, who has stolen his woman, and the four brothers, currently sitting in York with a much reduced fighting force. And the Christian priests are non too happy with him, either. I am looking forward to the concluding section.
**** stars.
Jarl: The final section is 172 pages long. Shef learns a new way to fight, and continues to search for solutions to problems using a combination of old and new knowledge. His visions increase in frequency and length, and might be the only weak link in the novel--I think they are overdone. However, Shef takes on Ivar's army, and then the entire Frank army, sent by the Pope to stop the nonsense of giving church land to freed slaves. The Catholic church takes a beating in Harrison's history, as well they should. The awful truth about the church, popes, and priests has been exposed in many different times, places, and situations. Yet many people today still follow it, either not aware of the truth and hypocrisy, or don't really care. Let me put it this way: if you need a massive cathedral, with unimaginable wealth behind it, if you need priests, bishops, cardinals, a pope, ridiculous rules to follow, and a book that is 2,000 years old at best to find your god, then I submit to you that you will never find him. While Harrison's history takes a left turn at Hastings, everything written here is based on facts, accurate down to the last detail. This is a fascinating novel, with much more to come.
**** stars. Reviewed January 11th/22
VOL 2: ONE KING'S WAY
From 1995 comes part two to Harrison's vast Viking epic, lasting 470 pages. There is a feeling of great relief when a reader comes to the end of very long novel, especially and adventure novel, and especially one by Harrison. Harrison is a reader's writer, able to weave a complex story line together, spinning it out in an endlessly fascinating way, until at last, in the final pages, there comes the much anticipated climax and resolution of the conflicts that have besieged its hero. The action this time swings to the far north, to northern Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Again a map is provided.
Shef starts out with his newest type of ship to battle the inevitable Viking invasion of England. With new catapults, the enemy ships are routed without any hand to hand combat. However, King Shef and his ship end up grounded in the Ditmarsh, a desolate and nearly uninhabited area. Thus begins Shef's long, circular journey through the cold and wintry north lands. Adventure follows adventure, and at times the book reads like a Norse saga combined with Homer's Odyssey. Friends and enemies are met along the way, and the landscape becomes bleaker and bleaker, as does the climate.
There are battles, hunts, strange human-like creatures, visions, prophecies, and more hardship than any modern person could ever imagine. Harrison piles it on page after page, yet we never feel overwhelmed by the epic; rather, we feel we are part of the expedition as it carries on through extreme cold, winter storms, battles with enemy tribes, and near starvation. Though there are three story lines that eventually converge, Harrison focuses most of the book on Shep and his adventures, glancing across from time to time at the main Viking threat, the three remaining Ragnarsson brothers, and the militant Christians that are trying to conquer the north, as well as regain the spear that pierced Christ while he was on the cross. Mixed in with all this are Shef's visions and prophecies, which include scenes with Odin and his minion gods. We are given given a vision of Christ's crucifixion!
The story is brutal in many places, with little in the way of humour to break things up. But everything feels right, and the two books read so far in this trilogy have been a wonderful and unique experience. As much as the story is focussed on adventures and battles, it is also a fascinating read because of all the inventing that goes on; there are new and better crossbows, new and better battleships, new and bettor armour, and even vast improvements in water and wind mills. Highly recommended, but read book one first (see review, above).
**** stars. Reviewed February 8th/22
VOL 3: KING AND EMPEROR
From 1996 comes the 467 page concluding volume of this fascinating alternate history tale, one where Christianity does not dominate in England, and instead an open minded questioning and learning environment spreads across many European lands. How's that for fantasy? Harrison really pulls off a tour de force novel, the best of the three, and a fitting and very fine conclusion to this remarkable series. Harrison's views on religious dogma and religious books such as the Bible, Talmud, and the Koran are enlightened and worth thinking about. A lot. Imagine if religious people (and there are very few of those) took the best things not just from their books, but from other sources, too. Imagine if people were not persecuted for holding views that differ from the church, and instead were encouraged to add to the body of thought and knowledge already there. As the author states several times, he is not against Christianity or Islam, only the church and the people who wish to control others to gain power over them. There is no doubt that Christianity in its earliest days (and even much later) was a barbaric and greedy bunch of bishops and monks out to acquire land, gold, silver, and other valuables. Very few of them were real Christians.
The scene in volume one was largely England. The scene for volume 2 was mostly Germany and Scandinavia. In volume 3 the action shifts to the Mediterranean Sea, beginning at Gibraltar and ending in Rome. Besides the battles and the religious thread that winds through all of the books, there is also the one of innovations and inventions, which in volume 3 include flying! Sadly, there are no interior drawings as in the first three volumes. King Shef is pitted against the German Emperor Bruno. Both are wily leaders with intelligent advisors and strong and brave armies. The battle scenes are realistic, strategic, and real page turners. I read the book in 3 1/2 days, with its small printing, and no new pages used for the next chapter. It is a long read, but most of it flies past. I still there are too many visions and dreams in the story, and these were the only time the books slowed its pace for me.
The entire series is highly recommended to readers, but historical buffs will get more out of this than casual readers. As an alternate history, one that might have happened, it is unmissable. Though all three books are terrific, the 3rd one is the best of the bunch.
****+ stars. Reviewed May 10th/22
STARS AND STRIPES TRILOGY
STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER
From 1998 comes this 345 page novel about a possible different outcome of the American Civil War. Harrison, one of the best writers of SF and adventure fiction, has outdone himself in this fascinating tale of 1861, with just a few differences to what actually occurred. Instead of Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, settling a touchy matter with diplomacy as happened in actual history, Harrison has him die three weeks earlier than he did, from typhoid fever. Which means he was not there to calmly settle a dispute between England and America. With hotter heads now in charge of the British Empire, they declare war on a ravished America, and promptly invade America both from Canada and from the south, in Mississippi. This is amidst the Civil War, and just after the battle of Shiloh, where over 20,000 Americans killed one another. But a funny thing happens.
When the South is invaded by British redcoats, and the town of Biloxi is burned and the women ravished by a maddened British battalion, the North and South join forces to teach the British not to mess with America. And so we have a rousing story of historical accuracy, with Lincoln as president now uniting the country against a common enemy. Before the end of the novel, which is packed with adventure, politics, and good old fashioned diplomacy, even French Canada has joined the Americans in ridding themselves of the British. It's fun to imagine what might have been, but Harrison takes this imagination exercise to a much higher level.
This is his third trilogy based on slightly different events transpiring to drastically change our present state of being, and promises to be every bit as good, or even better, than his previous Viking one. Like those other books, this one has many small interior illustrations, this time by David A. Hardy. A great read, especially for history buffs. I am not a fan of historical fiction, especially when it comes to events surrounding a war, but this one kept me turning pages till the very end.
**** stars. Reviewed July 9th/22
STARS AND STRIPES IN PERIL
The 2nd volume of this action packed wonderful fantasy series is from 2000, and my edition lasts for 342 pages. In the last part we left the British soundly defeated and chased out of the Americas, including Canada. In the 2nd part, the British are out for revenge, and they mean to have it. Needless to say, the poor British do not fare well in this series. I wonder why?
The British are in southern Mexico, building a road from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Why? Well, to enable troops from India etc. to cross easily to the Atlantic side. Why? So they can attack the USA as payback for their previous sound defeat, and reclaim their cotton trade with the South. And other reasons. Harrison ties in a lot of actual history and historical figures in this book again. He includes the Mexicans, who are under the yoke of the French and Austrians and seeking their freedom. And, even more importantly, he includes the Irish, under the yoke of the English. In a short afterword, Harrison explains what life was like for Irish Catholics under British rule, and it ain't pretty. The author lived in Dublin, and so likely had an earful of history to fall back on.
America's favourite president is back, and so are all the legendary generals. They are growing worried about a possible British attack, and are trying to think their way out of the predicament. There are two choices: they can sit back and wait for the attack; or, they can attack first. But where? The troublesome Mexican stronghold is too well defended to attack it without huge losses of life. Well, why not Ireland? An American attack would not be expected, especially if the American navy pretended to be heading around South America to attack the Pacific side of the British stronghold, but once out of sight of land turned their noses northward towards the Emerald Isle.
This is such a fun book to read, unless you are English and still consider the Americans to be nothing more than cheeky low life. The depictions of Queen Victoria are quite priceless, especially the final one. Harrison has outdone himself so far in this series, his third major trilogy where he plays with actual historic events and changes one or two minor points, thus enabling an entirely different result than what actually transpired. Highly recommended, and fun to read.
**** stars. Reviewed September 9th/22
STARS AND STRIPES TRIUMPHANT
Cover art by Dennis Lyall.
From 2003 comes the 298 page conclusion to the imagined war between Great Britain and the United States. Harrison has written a series that undoubtedly enrages most of the English, but as he had lived for many years in Dublin, he undoubtedly knew a bit about Irish and British history. In Volume Two he managed to free Ireland from the yoke of English rule, and he must have sold a lot of those books in Ireland. In Volume Three the Americans are forced to take the fight right to London and Buckingham Palace. With a dream team of Generals including General William Tecumseh Sherman, General Ulysses S Grant, and General Robert E Lee, backed by weapons so new and destructive that nothing could stand up to them on land or at sea, and with a new lightning strike technic that not only wins battles quickly but does so with many fewer casualties, this is a win win situation for all. The most difficult thing for English readers to stomach might be the capture of the Queen, and her subsequent abdication to Belgium. But it's all good fun and fantasy to the rest of us. Even Scotland manages to free itself and get its own parliament! This happened to Canada in Volume One, and Mexico in Volume Two.
Of course the downside of the US Constitution was not known to Harrison back in 2003, but with Trump nearly pulling off a coup d'etat in 2020, and a nation divided once again as much or more so than before the Civil War, things aren't as rosy in the land of democracy as they once were. And also, with the recent death of Queen Elizabeth and Charles now King, no one knows if the Great British Empire will remain standing in a few years' time. And with privilege and money still buying favours in the UK, and Scotland still under English rule, there is still work to do there.
What Harrison has provided, however, is a clear blueprint that, if followed by most countries, would see vast amounts of poorer classes of people having more of a say in their government, which is not a bad thing. His writing is certainly heavy-handed against the British, but as I said earlier he did live in Dublin, and no doubt got earfuls of horror tales about how the Irish were once treated. So he decided to give a little back. I'd be curious to read reviews of this series by English critics (as well as Irish and Scottish). At any rate, it is a fun series to read, though this final book was not as strong a narrative as the first two. Recommended for fans of well written alternate history.
*** stars. Reviewed October 8th/22
Page proofread on April 9th, 2019
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