Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Show Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Harry Max Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey; March 12, 1925 – August 15, 2012) was an American science fiction (SF) author, best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and for his novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966). The latter was the rough basis for the motion picture Soylent Green (1973). Harrison was (with Brian Aldiss) the co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group. Aldiss called him "a constant peer and great family friend". His friend Michael Carroll said, "Imagine Pirates of the Caribbean or Raiders of the Lost Ark, and picture them as science-fiction novels. They're rip-roaring adventures, but they're stories with a lot of heart." Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Szymon Sokół (Picture taken at Worldcon 2005) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons. Harry Max Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey; March 12, 1925 – August 15, 2012) was an American science fiction (SF) author, best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and for his novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966). The latter was the rough basis for the motion picture Soylent Green (1973). Harrison was (with Brian Aldiss) the co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group. Aldiss called him "a constant peer and great family friend". His friend Michael Carroll said, "Imagine Pirates of the Caribbean or Raiders of the Lost Ark, and picture them as science-fiction novels. They're rip-roaring adventures, but they're stories with a lot of heart." Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Szymon Sokół (Picture taken at Worldcon 2005) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Bill the Galactic Hero, Fiction, Science fictionBill would give his right arm to defend his Emperor against the alien Chingers - which is lucky seeing as he has two of them... War demands sacrifices, and if you've lot one left arm, have an artificial foot and a set of nifty surgically-implanted tusks, it's a small price to pay for the privilege of being a hero. And Bill knows all about heroism - as part of a motley crew his new task is to track down the source of Chinger-controlled metal dragons that are making mincemeat out of humans... Read More Read Less This website uses cookies. Using this website means you are okay with this but you can find out more and learn how to manage your cookie choices here.Close cookie policy overlay
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Mar 25, 2013 Bradley rated it liked it Okay, maybe this isn't quite the scathing satire that the first one was, and it
doesn't really hold up on a re-read (after many, many years,) but if you're looking for less social-issue satire and a direct lampoon of the then-modern SF tropes, like skewering McCaffrey's dragons, or making fun of ooold classics like John Carter of Mars, or even throwing in a little arena action leading right to King Arthur to round out your chuckle-meter (or the groan one), then this is still a light-hearted adve Okay, maybe this isn't quite the
scathing satire that the first one was, and it doesn't really hold up on a re-read (after many, many years,) but if you're looking for less social-issue satire and a direct lampoon of the then-modern SF tropes, like skewering McCaffrey's dragons, or making fun of ooold classics like John Carter of Mars, or even throwing in a little arena action leading right to King Arthur to round out your chuckle-meter (or the groan one), then this is still a light-hearted adventure with plenty of old-style
easter eggs to point and snicker at. Obviously, it's better if you know the SF field of the day. But does it hold up now? Yes, with that pretty big caveat: It makes fun of the sexism of the day, has a grand time calling every military type stupid, and none of it is very sophisticated. It is, however, self-aware and subversive with its own points. (The sexism underscored its opposite, as did the times where the military was quite smart, and the apparent sophistication, when
scratched, became fairly subtle. But first, we had to enjoy it enough to get there.) Frankly? I don't think it would hold up well today. You'd almost have to be a scholar of the field to eke out an appreciation for it. But for its time, it wasn't bad.
It took Harry Harrison nearly 40 years to write a sequel to his underrated anti-war satirical novel,
"Bill the Galactic Hero", and, while it's not nearly as clever, scathing, and apropos as the original, "Bill the Galactic Hero: The Planet of the Robot Slaves" is still humorous and entertaining. Published in 1989, "Bill Part 2" (as I will henceforth refer to it, even though it is inexplicably numbered "Volume 1" on the cover, which doesn't make sense as the first "Bill" book was actually publishe Published in 1989, "Bill Part 2" (as I will henceforth refer to it, even though it is inexplicably numbered "Volume 1" on the cover, which doesn't make sense as the first "Bill" book was actually published in 1965, although I'm guessing that
Harrison was basically trying to distance himself from the original book due to the sharp contrast in theme and political commentary, of which there is really little to none in this sequel, in an attempt to recreate the series---the contemporary term would be "reboot"---as a light, comedic sci-fi parody, which ultimately succeeds, and which continued in six more sequels) basically carries on where the first book left off. "Bill Part 2" is silly-dumb. It's closer in spirit to the goofiness
of Mad magazine and Heavy Metal comic books than it is to the social commentary of the original, which is fine by me, as I grew up reading both magazines. It helps to be a sci-fi geek when reading this, as it abounds with a ridiculous amount of sci-fi in-jokes and references. Everything from cyberpunk, Anne McCaffrey's "Pern" series, Edgar Rice Burrough's "John Carter of Mars" series, and Arthurian legends are lampooned here, and there are probably a half-dozen more references I missed. Needless
to say, there's not much plot of which to speak. It's just Bill and a group of rag-tag characters thrown together jumping from one ridiculously silly situation to another, with a plethora of bad puns, knee-slappers, and groaners along the way. There's even some occasional T&A, but it's mostly PG-13 rated, so don't expect it. All in all, "Bill 2" was good, clean fun. Utterly pointless, but nonetheless entertaining. I have already been searching Amazon for the other six books in the
series.
The first Bill novel wasn't brilliant or perfect, but it held a few good laughs and had an important message or two hidden underneath. This second one, by comparison, falls quite flat. It
trades away much of the established setting in favour of pretty shallow and nonsensical parodies, none of which really fit in very well with the initial mission statement, and more to the point, none of which made me laugh. I usually like Harrison's work, but nobody's perfect, I suppose. I hope the third book wi I usually like Harrison's work, but nobody's perfect, I suppose. I hope the third book will follow more of the first one than this second.
Mar 17, 2009 Chuck rated it liked it Okay, imagine a world in which a ship has crash landed. Half the people love Malory's Morte d'Artur and model their culture on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and the other half love Edward Gibbons The
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and they have based their culture on Ancient Rome. A man, posing as the god Mars, keeps the two at perpetual war with each other to keep things "sharp" for the Romans. That's just one chapter. It's a pretty breakneck pace; pure satire and not a l That's just one chapter. It's a pretty breakneck pace; pure satire and not a lot of character development. There's a twenty year plus lag between this book and the first Bill book; this is much superior to the first. This is continuing my Harry Harrison kick; I'm also five books away from my personal goal of reading a book a week, or 52 books in a calendar year. This must be done by the last week in April for me to reach the goal. I'm actually a week ahead! Yeah! ...more
Very dated, but still amusing and entertaining enough to keep you reading.
I read this book originally when I was in my late teens and this is the first time since then that I've re-read it. And, to be perfectly honest, I didn't enjoy this book very much at all. It seems my tastes have changed. Whilst I chuckled occasionally this is nowhere near as good as I remember. Very silly, school boy humour with very little plot. Best avoided . . . I read this book originally when I was in my late teens and this is the first time since then that I've re-read it. And, to be perfectly honest, I didn't enjoy this book very much at all. It seems my tastes have changed. Whilst I chuckled occasionally this is nowhere near as good as I remember. Very silly, school boy humour with very little plot. Best avoided . . . ...more
Towards the end, it feels like some plot elements are being stretched without any reason. There are some repetitive elements too. I
enjoyed the absurdist humour, and the characters do a good job, but not very happy with the plot.
Probably a good read if you're a youngster. Passable jokes. Decent writing. Not nearly as good as I expected from Harrison after reading "The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat." Probably a good read if you're a youngster. Passable jokes. Decent writing. Not nearly as good as I expected from Harrison after reading "The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat." ...more
The only other Bill book written (solely) by Harrison is a disappointment. There's a huge gap between these two books and the break from Bill hasn't done him any favours. This is a mishmash of ill-defined characters and a
frustratingly frantic tour of sci-fi, late 80s pop culture, and historical references. Despite Harrison being on record saying he had fun writing it, it reads like an author grudgingly returning to a character he'd forgotten about, only coming back because Terry Pratchett's suc Despite Harrison being on record saying he had fun writing it, it reads like an author grudgingly returning to a character he'd forgotten about, only coming back because Terry Pratchett's success made this sort of thing seem like a profitable idea. Worth reading only to see how some the Bill series has had a noticeable influence on, e.g.,
Grant/Naylor's Red Dwarf.
Jul 02, 2021 Simon Evans rated it did not like it Tired (and would have been in the 80s when it was published) and dull. I was expecting so much more having heard great things about Harrison. I guess I chose the wrong book to begin with but I picked this – and four more from the Bill series – up cheaply but I simply
cannot see me reading the rest. The jokes are old, the plot is mundane, the language is trying way to hard (I counted 5 uses of the word ‘lambent’, for example, none of which added to the prose a great deal.
I enjoyed Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" series, so I had high hopes for this book. But unlike the cleverness of the Rat, all the characters in this book are stupid, often extremely so, and few have any virtues to mitigate it. Deliberately, the plot makes not the slightest effort at plausibility. The writing shows cleverness, and the action is non-stop. The book is an effective satire showing the stupidities of war, but the incessant stupidity detracts from my enjoyment of it. I enjoyed Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" series, so I had high hopes for this book. But unlike the cleverness of the Rat, all the characters in this book are stupid, often extremely so, and few have any virtues to mitigate it. Deliberately, the plot makes not the slightest effort at plausibility. The writing shows cleverness, and the action is non-stop. The book is an effective satire showing the stupidities of war, but the incessant stupidity detracts from my enjoyment of it. ...more
If it was a knock-off Sierra video game or a short story on the back of a dirty magazine, I might look upon it more favorably. As it is, I can't believe it even got published. If not for a few jokes that made me chuckle I would've given it a 1/5. Almost total garbage. If it was a knock-off Sierra video game or a short story on the back of a dirty magazine, I might look upon it more favorably. As it is, I can't believe it even got published. If not for a few jokes that made me chuckle I would've given it a 1/5. Almost total garbage. ...more
Jul 13, 2019 Zed rated it really liked it These books hold the same attraction as the Pratchett's. Outlandish world's and over the top behaviors punctuated by unlikely happenstance and entirely illogical choices. These books hold the same attraction as the Pratchett's. Outlandish world's and over the top behaviors punctuated by unlikely happenstance and entirely illogical choices. ...more
I groaned a lot listening to this one
Nov 02, 2021 John rated it liked it Sadly, the vast bulk of THE PLANET OF THE ROBOT SLAVES can't live up to Harrison's brilliant lampooning of military SF in its opening chapters. The rest of the novel is very ho-hum, but I was admittedly amused by the scope of Harrison's parodying, which ranged from Edgar Rice Burroughs to Charles Darwin to the Arthurian legends. Most of it doesn't really work, but I appreciated the attempt regardless. Sadly, the vast bulk of THE PLANET OF THE ROBOT SLAVES can't live up to Harrison's brilliant lampooning of military SF in its opening chapters. The rest of the novel is very ho-hum, but I was admittedly amused by the scope of Harrison's parodying, which ranged from Edgar Rice Burroughs to Charles Darwin to the Arthurian legends. Most of it doesn't really work, but I appreciated the attempt regardless. ...more
An enjoyable read with a message Bill does not like danger, although he is supposed to really get a kick out of it, him being a Space Trooper and all. But no matter what he does -mainly trying to get danger as far
as possible away from him or vice versa- heroism keeps following Bill without mercy. That is why he is still alive and kicking. That is, because of an earlier accident: kicking with his two right arms -there weren't any spare left ones- and his chicken leg -there weren't any human legs Bill does not like danger, although he is supposed to really get a kick out of it, him being a Space Trooper and all. But no
matter what he does -mainly trying to get danger as far as possible away from him or vice versa- heroism keeps following Bill without mercy. That is why he is still alive and kicking. That is, because of an earlier accident: kicking with his two right arms -there weren't any spare left ones- and his chicken leg -there weren't any human legs left. When his camp is attacked by gigantic metal dragons he volunteers not to be made member of the revenge mission, and that is exactly what his commander
officer decides not to do. Harry Harrison has a talent for the absurd. With seemingly no effort he paradises the whole science fiction genre and gets away with it. If you would want to compare him with to writers, you are bound to think of him as Terry Pratchett being genetically cloned in the neighborhood of Douglas Adams. Although Harrison never reaches the level of absurdness of Adams and is only a few times as funny as Pratchett, he still has created a quite enjoyable character in the
hero of Bill. What makes this story special is its continuous anti-war message. Although most of the characters crave for some kind of unending battle, it is clear to the reader that the absurdness of the wars described in this book is certainly not far from what is happening in our world. It is certainly quite surprising and refreshing to see such theme appear in this kind of book.
May 06, 2012 Saul rated it liked it It goes without saying the book is well written by a master of SF. However, I think this particular chapter in the series lacks depth. Its theme is clear, that war is a ridiculous tragedy and promoted by the jingoistic
machinations of nihilistic leaders. However, I'm not sure the well intended message follows the plot's cadence. Bill's antics, as seen before, are like a garbled stream of thought. One crazy act of self preservation simply leads to another with humorous outcomes. As fun as this ma It goes without saying the book is well written by a master of SF. However, I think this particular chapter in the series lacks depth. Its theme is clear, that war is a
ridiculous tragedy and promoted by the jingoistic machinations of nihilistic leaders. However, I'm not sure the well intended message follows the plot's cadence. Bill's antics, as seen before, are like a garbled stream of thought. One crazy act of self preservation simply leads to another with humorous outcomes. As fun as this may have been, I was never convinced that the plot's intended comedy unified the book's theme into a satisfactory whole. That said, the writing is strong enough to keep
the reader going. I also found interesting Harrison's homage to other famous works of SF. Perhaps I'm not well read enough to get every joke, but the book's satire of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Warlord of Mars series was quite good. I also enjoyed Harrison's spoof of Neuromancer, which included a pretty good parody of Gibson's jargon filled prose. You don't see that sort of thing often. Finally, this book was intended to reboot Bill as an ongoing franchise. Other authors are employed to carry
on the torch, one of which is David Bischoff (a personal favorite). And the cover art by Kaluta is truly eye catching.
Jan 01, 2014 Witchi rated it it was ok I really wanted to like this book, I really did. Stainless Steel Rat is my old
time favourite and this book being written by the same author must be as good, right? Not so much. I don't like the main character and I don't think he was made to be likeable, but there is absolutly nobody who reader could care about and keep fingers crossed for. Somebody told me that this book was written as a pastiche on goverment, but at some point it became so riddicules that it reminded me one of the comments fro I don't like the main character and I don't think he was made to be likeable, but there is absolutly nobody who reader could care about and keep fingers crossed for. Somebody told me that this book was written as a pastiche on goverment, but at some point it became so riddicules that it reminded me one of the comments from 'Princess Bride'.
In additional notes author of 'Princess..' was saying that he cut out a whole fragment of the book that lasted for 14 pages and described how woman was unpacking her clothes. Apparently in times when orginal author of 'Princess Bride' lived it was consider a beautiful satire on french high society, but on us was lost. This book sounded for me like that removed fragment.
Jun 24, 2008 melydia rated it liked it Though it claims to be Volume 1, this is technically a sequel. However, there's
a complete summary of Bill the Galactic Hero at the beginning of this book, so it's a fine standalone read. I don't know where the title came from, since there aren't really any robot slaves anywhere. Bill of the ever-changing military rank is stranded with a few others on a planet inhabited by metal creatures, Virginians, Romans, and various characters from Arthurian legend. It is, in a word, silly. Extremely silly. I don't know where the title came from, since there aren't really any robot slaves anywhere. Bill of the ever-changing military rank is stranded with a few others on a planet inhabited by metal creatures, Virginians, Romans, and various characters from Arthurian legend. It is, in a word, silly. Extremely silly. But I would expect
nothing less from Harrison. I don't think I could read multiple books in a row from this series but it's a nice diversion from time to time.
Eternal army private Bill finds himself marooned on a planet largely run by sentient machines. Very juvenile humor ensues. I liked the first book. It was edgy and funny, in the same vein as HITCKHIKERS. But
this book was just silly, in a dumb way. The first half was dominated by sex and drinking and bodily function jokes (and not very good ones). The second half takes a very sudden turn from humor into satire, first with a fairly dead-on parody of JOHN CARTER OF MARS (Dejah Vu and all, National L I liked the first book. It was
edgy and funny, in the same vein as HITCKHIKERS. But this book was just silly, in a dumb way. The first half was dominated by sex and drinking and bodily function jokes (and not very good ones). The second half takes a very sudden turn from humor into satire, first with a fairly dead-on parody of JOHN CARTER OF MARS (Dejah Vu and all, National Lampoon would be proud) and then with a really BAD parody of King Arthur. (Yeah, huh?) The plot had all the focus and depth of a 13-year old with
ADHD after four espressos.
May 06, 2009 Mawgojzeta rated it did not like it At 17 I loved this book. At 20-something I liked this book. But now I am 43 and am finding this particular one lacking. I also found, while still enjoying the original Bill-book, I did not like that one as much. I suspect I will find the same issue with those that follow. Bummer. Should have left the fond memories of a younger person intact.
Apr 28, 2012 Ginnz rated it liked it A fun little story. Some clever touches, like Meta's name (I'm linking it to Bill's foot issue) Unfortuantely the whole story goes round and round. It's like a good old Great British farce. You can see where it's going and yet you still hang on in there. Was well worth reading if only for those really clever bits that put a smile on your face. A fun little story. Some clever touches, like Meta's name (I'm linking it to Bill's foot issue) Unfortuantely the whole story goes round and round. It's like a good old Great British farce. You can see where it's going and yet you still hang on in there. Was well worth reading if only for those really clever bits that put a smile on your face. ...more
Mar 30, 2008 dirt rated it really liked it Totally tubular. Each chapter has more & more ridiculous plot twists.
Not near as good as I remembered. Not sure if I'll persevere with the rest of the Bill series. Not near as good as I remembered. Not sure if I'll persevere with the rest of the Bill series. ...more
A less than perfect beginning to a series of books based on the life of Bill the Galactic hero. Still: Death to Chingers!
I did not read this book. After the first two books of Harrison's, I was not willing to waste my time on anothr of his books and threw it away. I did not read this book. After the first two books of Harrison's, I was not willing to waste my time on anothr of his books and threw it away. ...more Librarian 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 G 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. Other books in the seriesRelated ArticlesScience fiction is endless fun for those who appreciate thoughtful conjecture. As a genre, sci-fi encourages rule... Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. |
Bill the galactic hero on the planet of robot slaves
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