What a relief to read The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You after the disappointing Stainless Steel Rat in Hell! What a difference fifteen years can make!

This Stainless Steel Rat is the Rat we all fell in love with - biting sarcasm, acerbic wit, the lapses in attention that land him in trouble, the daring escapes from that trouble, and a plot that moves briskly at all times, always staying a half step ahead of the reader. Just under 150 pages, it is just the right length; short enough to be read in one sitting, but long enough to draw the reader in.

The only downside to this one is the packaging. Contrary to the title and cover propaganda, the Rat does no recruiting (beyond his lovely yet dangerous wife and the twins). A better title would have been, The Stainless Steel Rat: Bug-eyed Alien Sex Goddess. Read the book and you'll see what I mean.

I have read & enjoyed a number of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books, but this has got to be the best one yet. The book is loaded with the same slap-dash sense of humour and spontaneous action as found in the other SSR books, but this book's clever, well thought out plot puts it far above them. Slippery Jim's final solution for dealing with the slimy alien problem-makers is ingenious and satisfying, as is his surprising insight to the behaviour of the galaxy's sadistic grey men.

This is a wonderful first novel for the author. While it lacks some polish, it is an excellently laid out and complex story. I admire the manner in which the author parallels the lives of the transplanted children in Ohio with their families in Britain during the war. It is clear, very clear, that the author writes about this little known (in America) piece of World War II history, based on a great deal of research and with a great deal of heart. I grew up in Ohio, near the very city where the events the story is based upon took place. Never, during my schooling, did teachers use these local historical events as a point of learning about our country, culture, history and the changes and adjustments brought on by war. At times I worried that he might be romanticizing the 'adventure' of the children a bit, but he did not hide the occassional misadventures and frightening experiences that happened as well. I would especially like to thank the author for sharing a bibliography at the end. I highly recommend this to anyone whether they enjoy history or just a great story that allows the reader to grow with the characters.

El verbo y estilo de Garcia Marquez pruduce una obra colosal donde se refleja la etapa mas sombria de la vida del libertador descrita con matices muy liberales de imaginacion pero con fuertes fundamentos historicos. Para una lectura mas liviana e igualmente placentera les recomiendo "El Coronel no tiene quien le escriba"

Si los relatos, dibujados con palabras que dan al lector un imagen tan claro del protagonista, dados a nosotros en el estilo caracteristico de Marquez sean verdaderos o no, esta obra es una de las mejores que he leido. El autor pinta un retrato del famoso general que provee una vista profunda de lo que el sentia en sus ultimos dias; el general era humano.

To appreciate this book at its true worth one does need to do some homework. Understanding a little bit of the political complexities that surrounded the end of the independence wars and the start of the nation building process would help to gain a perspective to allow a better appreciation of a narration that pretends to present us a sick, depressed Bolivar. Yet, even if you refuse to do that home work, it will be a very good read. We are not in 100 Years of Solitude anymore here. This book has an odd sense of reality since it focuses more to the inner workings of Bolivar's mind, and his way of facing the end. Perhaps what makes the book really interesting it to see the image that Bolivar has over the cultural elites of Northern South Ameica, his legacy that for better or for worse inspires great writer like Garcia Marquez, or opportunistic politicians like we can see today in Venezuela. Reading how Garcia Marquez imagines the end of the Bolivarian epic is more fascinating than the story itself.

Harry, how could you! After creating the inimitable Stainless Steel Rat, you put in in a STUPID non-existent storyline! You send Slippery Jim back and forth in time aimlessly, the archvillain is titled "HE" (was that name the best you could do?), and then the end is not the least satisfactory. Harry, the absurd point of the story was to make sure the Stainless Steel Rat could not be around to be a father to his twins. What a disappointment when the best part of the story is the brief repartee between Slippery Jim and his boss, Inskipp. I know you can do better, Harry, because you have in your other books. Readers, if you like the Rat, skip this one.

Man, Harry Harrison's good at this stuff. This is one of my favorite Rat books. It's got a good storyline and a good (bad?) enemy, which every book needs in my humble opinion.

This book covers the armies that fought to liberate overthrow Spanish rule in South America. In a fairly slim volume you will find uniform details, a potted history of the various campaigns and orders of battle for some of the major engagements. As with all Osprey books, there are eight pages of colour plates as well as numerous black and white illustrations. This book is an excellent introduction to this neglected area of military history, and if it has any shortcomings it is that it doesn't cover the Spanish armies.

Yoroko presents one of the most remarkable pieces of photographic material to be found on the Panare of Central Venezuela. Yet, the outstanding pictorial presentation is somewhat spoiled by the elementary nature, and perhaps even emptiness, of the written material. As a 'coffee-table' piece, is by all means an ideal pseudo-anthropologist's dream, but for the more academic, I suggest the works of Professor Paul Henley and Jean-Paul Dumont.

Bill Boyd spins a good tale. "Bolivar: Liberator of a Continent," is a great book to read on a long flight or next to a warm fireplace on a cold winter evening.

The author is a graduate of Yale and a scholar of Latin American history. He uses his vast knowledge of South American history to weave fact & fiction into a fasination account of a true "American" hero.

In the author's note at the beginning of the book Boyd explains he uses historial documents and official archives for his personalities and actions. To that end, the dialogue in this book is excellent. It brings Simon Bolivar to life and makes this book a great read.

Excerpts from a letter from: Pablo Antonio Thalassinos, Minister of Education, Republica de Panama --

"I have read "Bolivar: Liberator of a Continent" from cover to cover and found it not only enjoyable reading, but also most informative about the life of this great man. (Bill Boyd) has succeeded in putting flesh and bone on well-known historical figures. Moreover the depictions of them are completely accurate as are the descriptions of the events of the period. It is a book that not only scholars but everyone will enjoy."

I have read "Bolivar: Liberator of a Continent" from cover to cover and found it not only enjoyable reading but also most informative about the life of this great man. (bill boyd) has succeeded in putting flesh and bone on well-known historical figures. (His) depictions of them are completely accurate as are (the) descriptions of the events of the period. It is a book that not only scholars but everyone will enjoy.

First there was "The Stainless Steel Rat", our introduction to Slippery Jim DiGriz, aka the Stainless Steel Rat, a high-tech, futuristic conman and thief who is caught, after a long and successful career, by the galactic special corps, and recruited to join them because it takes a thief to catch a thief. Then followed four more books in chronoligical order, "The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge", "The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World", "The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You", and "The Stainless Steel Rat For President". Then, apparently growing bored with the direction his stories were taking, Harrison retreated to the beginning, and wrote the prequel, "A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born". Then he followed that with "A Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted", a story following immediately on the heels of the prequel. This story follows that one chronologically.

There are dangers to writing prequels, and this book fails to avoid them entirely. In a prequel, it is necessary to make it plausible that a character's experiences could lead to him being the person he is at the beginning of the book the prequel precedes; this is reasonably well accomplished in this book, if not perfectly well. But it is also necessary, in a prequel, that the story be interesting without having anything happen so major and potentially relevent to events in later stories that it seems impossible that the character never referred back to those experiences in chronologically later, but previously written, stories. Here, this book fails miserably; given that DiGriz has experiences in chronologically later books with both time travel and visitors from his time's far future, both of which also come into play in this book, it seems incredible that we've never "heard" him mention the experiences in this book before.

But perhaps this is all too stringent a set of complaints to make about a book that, like the rest of the series, is never intended to be taken seriously; like a James Bond story, or an action movie, the "Stainless Steel Rat" stories are all meant as merely fun romps, plot-driven and action-intensive, without worrying about whether those plots will stand close scrutiny for internal consistency.

So let's review it on its own terms: yes, it's a fun romp, with plenty of action. As usual in these books, the dialogue is rather stilted and artificial, the characters are two-dimensional, and if it enhances the potential for action and drama in the plot, Harrison doesn't let a little thing like consistency of character stand in his way. (DiGriz is supposed to be brilliant, but makes enough stupid mistakes to keep himself in constant danger, so that the pace of the action can stay high.)

This book, like the rest of the books in the series, is fun brain candy, but don't expect careful plotting or a serious story, and don't examine things too carefully for plausibility or internal consistency; it won't stand up to even passing examination.

The Stainless Steel Rat is not to be mocked. This man knows where you live... This book is, just like the other books excellent. I have read all of the SSR books, in and out of order and this one holds up just as well as the others. Dont just buy this one, buy them all. Bolivar

Whaddaya mean this is the worst of the bunch? Now, I'm a serious rat fan; I've read almost all the SSR books, and this one fits in very nicely! It's got a fairly good plot, altheough characters don't really need to pop out of nowhere like that.

This book is what I consider the terminal end to the series. I've been a die-hard fan of Slippery Jim for around... two decades (and I'm only 26). This book, however, is a phenominal whiffle of bunk. I can't believe that the series has become this corny. It's terribly insulting that Mr. Harrison would do this to one of my most beloved literary memories. Not that I want to give away any spoilers, but I have one word for those of us that have already read the book... SAUSAGES!
So lets say that you don't believe me. Just have a look at the cover. That pretty much sums up the feel of this book. Corny. It made me irate for days.
I'd still like to recommend the first 7-8 books in the series to you folks, though.

First there was "The Stainless Steel Rat", our introduction to Slippery Jim diGriz, aka the Stainless Steel Rat, the galaxy's greatest thief and con man, in which our hero, after a long and successful career is apprehended by the galactic special corps and "persuaded" to join them, on the theory that it takes a thief to catch a thief. Then there followed four sequels; in order, "The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge", "The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World", "The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You!", and "The Stainless Steel Rat For President". Then, apparently growing bored with the direction that his series was taking, Harrison wrote the prequel, "A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born", followed by a sequal to the prequel, "The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted", and a sequel to that, "The Stainless Steel Rat Sings The Blues". This book is a return to the original sequence, following "The Stainless Steel Rat For President".

All of these books are fun reads, light and action-filled, without overmuch concern for plot plausibility or consistency. This one is no exception. Still, it did seem to me that the writing style had matured a bit; this is one of the better books in the series from that standpoint. Still, the plot itself seemed rather weak, and the ending rather unsatisfying. All in all, it isn't bad, but don't expect too much. Read it for entertainment, not when you want a book that makes much sense.

Any rat fan who's expecting a Stainless Steel Rat novel with a straightforward plot will be disappointed. The plot rolls more like a Bill, the Galactic Hero story, but if you love them, you will love this book as well. HH takes the occasional huge plot jump which is a shame, but the language is as fluent as ever and every chapter ends with an exciting line so you just have to read the next one...

Hearing about a new Stainless Steel Rat book got me excited... until I received it in the mail! The misleading title led me to believe it was a new Slippery Jim story. Not so!

It's three of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel novels all put together. A waste of money in my opinion.

I'm an avid Stainless Steel Rat lover and I'm a little ticked off at this waste of pages. Yes, I should have looked closer at the fine print, but come on - the cover doesn't say anything about the fact that it's 3 previously published novels.

This is just not right, Harry. We want a new Stainless novel!