The Stainless Steel Rat

There isn't a lot of excess plot or introspection to SSR; it zips along from plot-point to plot-point with near-light speed, counting on the charisma of the narrator to keep the reader balanced. There are some salient points scattered about concerning individual freedoms and the dangers of over-dependence on governmental authority, but Harrison is far more concerned with derring-do. SSR is primarily an adventure novel, and Harrison never pretends that his story is meant to do anything but keep you entertained.

Read the rest of the review here.

"I heard the robot rolling away, untroubled by the fact that
his writing, pillow-shedding patient was suddenly dead. This lack of
curiosity is what I like about robots."

It's implausible on so many levels - the technological, psychological, criminal - even completely unbelievable. yet what a page-turning, utterly enjoyable yarn the author weaves. Slippery Jim becomes a character with such a wide array of talents, opinions and ways to get himself into all sorts of unsavoury situations that the book was a true delight from start to finish. we won't go into the depravity brought upon the banking sector too much - suffice it to say that this is different from the gentle short stories of Fifty In Fifty (and in my view, far more enjoyable).