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Stainless Steel Rat
Stainless Steel Visions
Legend, 1994. British trade paperback, reprint. Collection of 12 stories published between 1958 and 1971, plus an original tale, "The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat."
254 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1993
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About the author
Harry Harrison
1,261 books1,041 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Harry Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey) was an American science fiction author best known for his character the The Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966), the basis for the film Soylent Green (1973). He was also (with Brian W. Aldiss) co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
Harry Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey) was an American science fiction author best known for his character the The Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966), the basis for the film Soylent Green (1973). He was also (with Brian W. Aldiss) co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 23, 2017
Its been a while since I have read a science fiction anthology and to be honest this was a mixed journey for me, and this really reflects my experience of Harry Harrison in general - I will admit apart from the famous stories (Transatlantic tunnel, Hurrah and Make Room, Make Room) I am not really familiar with his stories, yes I have read the Death world trilogy and the Stainless Steel Rat adventures but to I cannot say I am familiar with his other works and his short stories - well I cannot name a single one - and thats a problem.
Harry Harrison to me is one of those authors who has made a huge impact to the science fiction literary world and yet I feel that I am woefully short of his work - reading this book, one that I stumbled across in a local charity short - is my attempt at correcting this.
Now with this in mind I opened the book and started to read. One of the things I quickly realised is the wealth and variety of stories he has written. As I finish one story and start the next I just did not know what I was to expect and yes it was great fun though at times rather challenging. I would get in to a story only for it to end and the narrative would then shift elsewhere and start again.
This book has revitalised my interest in Mr Harrison's work and I will admit I will be looking for the more obscure titles to see what else I can learn about this man. True this is not a classic collection more of a celebration of this work although you do get to experience one more Stainless Steel Rat adventure to round it all off.
Harry Harrison to me is one of those authors who has made a huge impact to the science fiction literary world and yet I feel that I am woefully short of his work - reading this book, one that I stumbled across in a local charity short - is my attempt at correcting this.
Now with this in mind I opened the book and started to read. One of the things I quickly realised is the wealth and variety of stories he has written. As I finish one story and start the next I just did not know what I was to expect and yes it was great fun though at times rather challenging. I would get in to a story only for it to end and the narrative would then shift elsewhere and start again.
This book has revitalised my interest in Mr Harrison's work and I will admit I will be looking for the more obscure titles to see what else I can learn about this man. True this is not a classic collection more of a celebration of this work although you do get to experience one more Stainless Steel Rat adventure to round it all off.
November 5, 2020
A nice collection of SF short stories running the spectrum from OK to fantastic, closing with a satisfying coda to the career of one Slippery Jim DiGriz.
1. ‘The Streets of Ashkelon’ – 5 stars
2. ‘Toy Shop’ – 4 stars
3. ‘Not Me, Not Amos Cabot!’ – 4 stars
4. ‘The Mothballed Spaceship’ – 3 stars (this one’s probably better if you’ve read the series it’s a mini-sequel to, which I haven’t, unfortunately. I’m probably missing a ton of references)
5. ‘Commando Raid’ – 4 stars
6. ‘The Repairman’ – 3 stars
7. ‘Brave Newer World’ – 3 stars (when I heard this one was based on an idea by Isaac Asimov, I was expecting to like it more than I did)
8. ‘The Secret of Stonehenge’ – 5 stars
9. ‘Rescue Operation’ – 5 stars
10. ‘Portrait of the Artist’ – 5 stars
11. ‘Survival Planet’ – 4 stars
12. ‘Roommates’ – 4 stars (the original story that ‘Soylent Green’ was based on)
13. ‘The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat’ – 4 stars
1. ‘The Streets of Ashkelon’ – 5 stars
2. ‘Toy Shop’ – 4 stars
3. ‘Not Me, Not Amos Cabot!’ – 4 stars
4. ‘The Mothballed Spaceship’ – 3 stars (this one’s probably better if you’ve read the series it’s a mini-sequel to, which I haven’t, unfortunately. I’m probably missing a ton of references)
5. ‘Commando Raid’ – 4 stars
6. ‘The Repairman’ – 3 stars
7. ‘Brave Newer World’ – 3 stars (when I heard this one was based on an idea by Isaac Asimov, I was expecting to like it more than I did)
8. ‘The Secret of Stonehenge’ – 5 stars
9. ‘Rescue Operation’ – 5 stars
10. ‘Portrait of the Artist’ – 5 stars
11. ‘Survival Planet’ – 4 stars
12. ‘Roommates’ – 4 stars (the original story that ‘Soylent Green’ was based on)
13. ‘The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat’ – 4 stars
February 19, 2019
A great collection of Harry Harrison's work. A collection that touches on his series, and also travels into other realms of imagination.
Notable stories include "The Secret of Stonehenge" involving a time travel conundrum, and "The Repairman" and "Survival Planet".
The stand out for me was the final story of the Stainless Steel Rat, "The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat".
Notable stories include "The Secret of Stonehenge" involving a time travel conundrum, and "The Repairman" and "Survival Planet".
The stand out for me was the final story of the Stainless Steel Rat, "The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat".
January 3, 2019
A great collection of Harry Harrison short stories that cover a range of styles and topics. One of my favourites is The Secret of Stonehenge. Some really make you think about things, like religion, the future of the human race if we keep going the way we are.
Highly enjoyable especially if you want to try some older sci-fi and see that writers have always been asking the big questions.
Highly enjoyable especially if you want to try some older sci-fi and see that writers have always been asking the big questions.
August 27, 2022
Given this is a collection a single rating isn't a good guide. There are some gems, and some ... not so much. So I'll rate each story and give a sentence or two about it. But given these are ally by Harry Harrison I'm not expecting many bad ones.
Introduction (1993) essay - This is worth reading. Harry talks about his life, the essence of short stories, and some background of a couple of the stories in this collection.
The Streets of Ashkelon (1962) short story - 5/5 Religion is the apple that destroys Eden in this story. I can understand how it took so long to get published.
Toy Shop (1962) short story - 5/5 When is a scam not a scam? When it's a self-funding research program. Very short story, but great fun.
Not Me, Not Amos Cabot! (1964) short story - 5/5 Customer profiling before Facebook. Harry hit this nail on the head.
The Mothballed Spaceship (1973) short story - 4/5 This could easily have been a Slippery Jim caper. I would have preferred an ingenuity rather then a punchline ending. It had the necessary setup for a smart ending.
Commando Raid (1970) short story - 2/5 I agree with the theme, but the story attacks with a sledge hammer and bludgeons it.
The Repairman (1958) short story - 4/5 TV repairman meets the prime directive. Good for when it was written, but a fairly average read by today's standards.
Brave Newer World (1971) novelette - 4/5 The eugenics aspects of this story are still great and still relevant today. But the gender sub-theme is really on the nose.
The Secret of Stonehenge (1968) short story - 5/5 Very short. Almost an anecdotal joke. Time paradox story about creation of Stone Henge. Makes me very interested to read his book this was a spinoff of.
Rescue Operation (1964) short story - 5/5 Parochialism kills an alien. Very much The Day the Earth Stood Still in hicksville.
Portrait of the Artist (1964) short story - 4/5 The Robots are coming for my job! I'm not sure if this was Harry panicking over his future income, or a story exaggerating the general sentiment of the time. The story would have had more impact if he hadn't tacked the joke on right at the end.
Survival Planet (1961) short story - 4/5 It doesn't end in a joke which is good, but it's just a bit dull. A farm for cannon fodder develops a society that distrusts outsiders and kills their liberators.
Roommates (1971) novelette - 4/5 The short story that started Soylent Green. Not really a story though. More a slice of life in a collapsing dystopian future.
The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat (1993) short story - 4/5 A classic SSR tale of a mass prison break. But it relies on the reader having read the first SSR novel and SSR Gets Drafted, which was the most recent novel when this story was written.
Introduction (1993) essay - This is worth reading. Harry talks about his life, the essence of short stories, and some background of a couple of the stories in this collection.
The Streets of Ashkelon (1962) short story - 5/5 Religion is the apple that destroys Eden in this story. I can understand how it took so long to get published.
Toy Shop (1962) short story - 5/5 When is a scam not a scam? When it's a self-funding research program. Very short story, but great fun.
Not Me, Not Amos Cabot! (1964) short story - 5/5 Customer profiling before Facebook. Harry hit this nail on the head.
The Mothballed Spaceship (1973) short story - 4/5 This could easily have been a Slippery Jim caper. I would have preferred an ingenuity rather then a punchline ending. It had the necessary setup for a smart ending.
Commando Raid (1970) short story - 2/5 I agree with the theme, but the story attacks with a sledge hammer and bludgeons it.
The Repairman (1958) short story - 4/5 TV repairman meets the prime directive. Good for when it was written, but a fairly average read by today's standards.
Brave Newer World (1971) novelette - 4/5 The eugenics aspects of this story are still great and still relevant today. But the gender sub-theme is really on the nose.
The Secret of Stonehenge (1968) short story - 5/5 Very short. Almost an anecdotal joke. Time paradox story about creation of Stone Henge. Makes me very interested to read his book this was a spinoff of.
Rescue Operation (1964) short story - 5/5 Parochialism kills an alien. Very much The Day the Earth Stood Still in hicksville.
Portrait of the Artist (1964) short story - 4/5 The Robots are coming for my job! I'm not sure if this was Harry panicking over his future income, or a story exaggerating the general sentiment of the time. The story would have had more impact if he hadn't tacked the joke on right at the end.
Survival Planet (1961) short story - 4/5 It doesn't end in a joke which is good, but it's just a bit dull. A farm for cannon fodder develops a society that distrusts outsiders and kills their liberators.
Roommates (1971) novelette - 4/5 The short story that started Soylent Green. Not really a story though. More a slice of life in a collapsing dystopian future.
The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat (1993) short story - 4/5 A classic SSR tale of a mass prison break. But it relies on the reader having read the first SSR novel and SSR Gets Drafted, which was the most recent novel when this story was written.
January 7, 2020
A collection of science fiction short stories from a prolific sci-fi writer. I got hooked by an excellent prologue on reading pulp fiction as a child and then writing it. These are the best of pulp fiction sort of stories. Some of them are mundane and some are very, very good.
2020 note: Weirdly (or not), the only short stories I enjoy are science fiction and fantasy short stories. Others leave me cold.
2020 note: Weirdly (or not), the only short stories I enjoy are science fiction and fantasy short stories. Others leave me cold.
July 25, 2017
I read it before long ago, I remember this first story. Imagine you teach amphibians who know nothing about universe or religion: "how we can believe the god if there is no proof? We found the answer - god should create a miracle for us to prove his existence! We would crucify you and see if you would resurrect from death" :-D
October 2, 2023
3.5 stars. A nice cross-section of HH's writing. Some haven't aged well, but others still hold up, as is the case with most anthologies. And, of course, always nice to have a Stainless Steel Rat appearance in the mix.
June 9, 2018
Good but a collection of short stories. I prefer longer books but still good.
January 6, 2021
An enjoyable romp
August 13, 2023
I had read a couple of these ages ago and they sure stuck. Toy Shop is one.
November 28, 2011
Harry Harrison is probably best known for his lightweight sci-fi homages to the space opera genre or his humourous sci-fi action fodder like the Stainless Steel Rat series. It was HH alongside with the likes of E.E.Doc Smith which gave me my love of SF and i still own more of his novels than any other author. Most of his output can be considered a little lightweight but i feel this is a liitle unfair because at the heart of all of the books i have read is an idea or statement about the human condition wrapped up in a great action or action parody novel. His novels also make comfort reads.
What is probably less well known is that HH is an excellent short story writer. For that reason i was excited to get my hands on a collection of his short fiction that i hadn't previously read, doubley so because it contains new Stainless Steel Rat and Deathworld stories. It also had the short story 'Roommates' which was the basis for HH's most famous work, 'Make Room, Make Room' which inspired the 1970's film Soylent Green starring Charlton Heston.
In his introduction, he talks a little about the craft of short story writing and about those he admires. He also makes the claim that these are his best short stories. And while there are some here as good as any i have read, there are more than a few which are mearly ok.
On the plus side are;
'The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat' which restored some of my faith in the series that the last few books published had all but destroyed. It was a return to the SS Rat of the first 4-5 novels that i loved as a teen and in repeated readings.
'The Streets of Ashkelon', 'Toyshop' and 'Not Me, Not Amos Cabot' do everything you expect from excellent short form speculative fiction. And there is also the wonderful 'Roomates'. What is suprising is how well the Film adaptation captured the feel of the world so as it is one of may favourite SF films, i just ate up that particular story and I've downloaded the Novel now in Audio form
What is probably less well known is that HH is an excellent short story writer. For that reason i was excited to get my hands on a collection of his short fiction that i hadn't previously read, doubley so because it contains new Stainless Steel Rat and Deathworld stories. It also had the short story 'Roommates' which was the basis for HH's most famous work, 'Make Room, Make Room' which inspired the 1970's film Soylent Green starring Charlton Heston.
In his introduction, he talks a little about the craft of short story writing and about those he admires. He also makes the claim that these are his best short stories. And while there are some here as good as any i have read, there are more than a few which are mearly ok.
On the plus side are;
'The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat' which restored some of my faith in the series that the last few books published had all but destroyed. It was a return to the SS Rat of the first 4-5 novels that i loved as a teen and in repeated readings.
'The Streets of Ashkelon', 'Toyshop' and 'Not Me, Not Amos Cabot' do everything you expect from excellent short form speculative fiction. And there is also the wonderful 'Roomates'. What is suprising is how well the Film adaptation captured the feel of the world so as it is one of may favourite SF films, i just ate up that particular story and I've downloaded the Novel now in Audio form
August 23, 2011
Collection of the short stories - yes, but certainly not the best. Even "50 in 50" is better. The bait of irresistible words "stainless steel" worked flawlessly this time too: I got the book. What it did deliver?
Two good stories (The Streets of Ashkelon, The Repairmen), others in class of "Roommates" (Soylent Green) - maybe you like it, I don't. One very weak story belonging to the Death World series - the most interesting part of it is the catchy title "The Mothballed Spaceship", and one story from the Stainless Steel Rat series, "The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat", predecessor in time of writing of the "SSR Sings the Blues" and "SSR joins the Circus". Slightly better than them. I could only wish if content was the match to the catchy titles!
It describes arranged break from lowest security geriatric prison for white haired, shuffling nonagenarians and octogenarians that were kept on tranquilizers and hypnotics to ensure peace and obedience. It was enough to command them to go, during prison break, and they meekly went - as interesting as it sounds. Jim expresses wishes, Angelina obediently makes them come true. Nice! As stainless as it gets...
A little more technical details than in later works, but still not good.
Two good stories (The Streets of Ashkelon, The Repairmen), others in class of "Roommates" (Soylent Green) - maybe you like it, I don't. One very weak story belonging to the Death World series - the most interesting part of it is the catchy title "The Mothballed Spaceship", and one story from the Stainless Steel Rat series, "The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat", predecessor in time of writing of the "SSR Sings the Blues" and "SSR joins the Circus". Slightly better than them. I could only wish if content was the match to the catchy titles!
It describes arranged break from lowest security geriatric prison for white haired, shuffling nonagenarians and octogenarians that were kept on tranquilizers and hypnotics to ensure peace and obedience. It was enough to command them to go, during prison break, and they meekly went - as interesting as it sounds. Jim expresses wishes, Angelina obediently makes them come true. Nice! As stainless as it gets...
A little more technical details than in later works, but still not good.
February 20, 2014
For how respected Harrison is in the sci-fi community, I was not impressed with this collection of his "best" short stories. Maybe it was a different case 40 years ago, but Harrison seems to have a tin ear for dialog, eschewing contractions if favor of lines like, "Plenty of time. Let us go." That and of the stories I read, none were particularly inspiring or even exciting. [Finished on page 73.]
July 26, 2007
It was a fun read for Harry Harrison fans. The short stories were intense little glimpses into different worlds.
The Stainless Steel Rat mentioned is only one story in the collection so don't expect all the stories to be about Jim.
The Stainless Steel Rat mentioned is only one story in the collection so don't expect all the stories to be about Jim.
December 15, 2009
A mixture of short stories, including one about the Rat (from which the title comes) but certainly not Harrison's best.
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