In a far-flung future world, James di Griz operates as a smooth criminal traveling solar systems and planetscapes searching for the next heist. In many ways he's no different than any criminal found in the books by Dan Marlowe, Donald Westlake, or Lionel White. He's a cool operator with a penchant for highly stressful and highly productive payoffs. But, where does the rat thing come from exactly? Here's how Harrison cleverly describes the series title and structure:
“Some don't show their weakness until they are adults, they are the ones who try their hand at petty crime – burglary, shoplifting, or such. They get away with it for a week or two or a month or two, depending on the degree of their native intelligence. But sure as atomic decay – and just as predestined – the police reach out and pull them in. That is almost the full extent of crime in our organized dandified society. Ninety-nice percent of it, let's say. It is that last and vital one percent that keeps the police departments in business. That one percent is me, and a handful of men scattered around the galaxy. Theoretically we can't exist, and if we do exist we can't operate – but we do. We are the rats in the wainscoting of society – we operate outside of their barriers and outside of their rules. Society had more rats when the rules were looser, just as the old wooden buildings had more rats than the concrete buildings that came later. But they still had rats. Now that society is all ferronconcrete and stainless steel there are fewer gaps between the joints, and it takes a smart rat to find them. A stainless steel rat is right at home in this environment.”
The beginning of the novel has diGriz knocking over an armored car full of money. Just when he thinks he has perfected the heist he is nabbed by the cops. They appreciate his criminal mind so much, and his historical reign of terror, that they make him a free man in exchange for working for The Special Corps. This is a branch of the League (that's space law) that takes care of the troubles that individual planets can't solve. What better asset to the cause than a criminal?
The first assignment for diGriz is the investigation of a mysterious battleship that is being secretly constructed on a peaceful planet in a tranquil part of space. diGriz's attempts to stop the construction leads to a conflict with a female mastermind of equal dexterity – a sexy seductress named Angelina. She's in the midst of creating a unheard of revolution on a peaceful planet free from problems. When diGriz abandons the Corps to go after Angelina alone it sets off a wild series of interstellar adventures that are perfectly penned by Harrison.
Anyone worth their salt can see rave reviews online for the Stainless Steel Rat series. I'm here to tell you that all of their applause and approval is justified. This novel is just delightful in its simple plot, furious action, hilarious political intrigue, and the introduction of a marvelous literary character. The Stainless Steel Rat rings a crime-fiction bell complete with genre tropes made bigger and more outlandish with spaceships and planetary travels. If this debut is any indication, then this series is going to be a fantastic reading experience. I'm distancing myself from reading them all back to back. Good things come to those who...well you know what I mean. Highly recommended! Get the book HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment