4 ms·

R.I.P. Harry Harrison, creator of the Stainless Steel Rat

118 points by uladzislau 14y ago

nodata 14y ago
Harry Harrison's novel "Make Room! Make Room!" was the basis for the 1973 science fiction movie Soylent Green.
- tartuffe78 14y ago
  I too read the article.
- itmag 14y ago
  Ah, I remember reading that one as a kid! This one has a similar plot (or at least that's what I remember): http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/06/the-evils-of-advertising-frederik-pohl-and-cm-kornbluths-the-space-merchants http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/06/the-evils-of-advertising-fr...
gadders 14y ago
Boo. I first came across these in the 2000AD versions, and then read the novels after. http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/s/st/stainless_steel_rat_prog171_carlos_ezquerra.jpg http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages...
chris_wot 14y ago
Oh what? I loved these novels! I found them thrilling yet hilarious. Some of his other work was very provocative, a great SF author!
podperson 14y ago
Sorry to hear it, but he at least had a good innings. Odd that one of my favorite of his satirical novels, _Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers_ (a spoof of E. E. Doc Smith's books, the _Skylark_ series in particular) didn't get mentioned. _Bill the Galactic Hero_ is a spoof of military SF, _Starship Troopers_ in particular. The Stainless Steel Rat books would make good material for movies.
MattSayar 14y ago
Man, I remember reading his books non-stop. The cover image for this news story is actually the first Harry Harrison book I read, "The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted." I hope somebody picks up the rights to turn these into movies.
generalcalm 14y ago
Oh, very sad to hear this... The Stainless Steel Rat books were a great love of mine in school. Harrison is a great SF writer!
invalidOrTaken 14y ago
Rest In Peace indeed. I loved these. Great computer scientists aside, does anyone enjoy as much acclaim from hackers as classic (which can mean whatever you want it to mean) science fiction authors? Society owes a lot to hackers and is starting to reward them with stock options and IPO's, but I wonder if it realizes how much of a debt hackers owe to SF authors.
SeanDav 14y ago
One of my favourite SF authors. His Deathworld series is what got me started in SF in the first place.
m0nty 14y ago
A more in-depth obituary: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/15/harry-harrison http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/15/harry-harrison
DavidAdams 14y ago
Harry Harrison was the first author I was really obsessed with. By the time I was 16, I'd read his entire body of work. I haven't read anything that he's written in the past 15 years or so. I suppose I ought to find one of his newer novels as a way to commemorate him. Any recommendations?
itmag 14y ago
My favorite Slippery Jim quote: We must be as stealthy as rats in the wainscoting of their society. It was easier in the old days, of course, and society had more rats when the rules were looser, just as old wooden buildings have more rats than concrete buildings. But there are rats in the building now as well. Now that society is all ferrocrete and stainless steel there are fewer gaps in the joints. It takes a very smart rat indeed to find these openings. Only a stainless steel rat can be at home in this environment. This, to me, describes the attitude of hustlers and hackers perfectly (albeit a bit metaphorically).
Uhhrrr 14y ago
I've just been re-reading the first one. Action-packed, full of fantastical gizmos, and with just the right amount of snottiness. And yes, as is mentioned elsewhere, a very hackerish attitude towards life, especially on the social engineering front.
simon 14y ago
The Stainless Steel Rat series were a huge part of my teen years. I'll have to buy the entire set (I guess it's definitive now) and make sure my daughters read them. Rest in peace Mr. Harrison.
Zaephyr 14y ago
I don't know how many times when reading his books I had to stop because I had tears from laughing so hard.
sambeau 14y ago
I'd like to put in a word for "A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!" a superb piece of speculative fiction and possibly the first Steampunk novel. (also more boringly called "Tunnel Through the Deeps") http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_Through_the_Deeps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_Through_the_Deeps
moomin 14y ago
For those of you who've already read SSRat, SSRat's Revenge, Star Smashers, MRMR and the Deathworlds, try Rebel in Time. I was lucky enough to read this in a version with a blank cover, since most versions can't resist giving the plot away. It's also notable for having that rarest of things, an explicitly black golden age sci-fi hero. For that matter, they're still pretty rare.

118 points by uladzislau 14y ago

nodata 14y ago

Harry Harrison's novel "Make Room! Make Room!" was the basis for the 1973 science fiction movie Soylent Green.

tartuffe78 14y ago
I too read the article.
itmag 14y ago
Ah, I remember reading that one as a kid! This one has a similar plot (or at least that's what I remember): http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/06/the-evils-of-advertising-frederik-pohl-and-cm-kornbluths-the-space-merchants http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/06/the-evils-of-advertising-fr...

gadders 14y ago

Boo. I first came across these in the 2000AD versions, and then read the novels after. http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/s/st/stainless_steel_rat_prog171_carlos_ezquerra.jpg http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages...

chris_wot 14y ago

Oh what? I loved these novels! I found them thrilling yet hilarious. Some of his other work was very provocative, a great SF author!

podperson 14y ago

Sorry to hear it, but he at least had a good innings. Odd that one of my favorite of his satirical novels, _Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers_ (a spoof of E. E. Doc Smith's books, the _Skylark_ series in particular) didn't get mentioned. _Bill the Galactic Hero_ is a spoof of military SF, _Starship Troopers_ in particular. The Stainless Steel Rat books would make good material for movies.

MattSayar 14y ago

Man, I remember reading his books non-stop. The cover image for this news story is actually the first Harry Harrison book I read, "The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted." I hope somebody picks up the rights to turn these into movies.

generalcalm 14y ago

Oh, very sad to hear this... The Stainless Steel Rat books were a great love of mine in school. Harrison is a great SF writer!

invalidOrTaken 14y ago

Rest In Peace indeed. I loved these. Great computer scientists aside, does anyone enjoy as much acclaim from hackers as classic (which can mean whatever you want it to mean) science fiction authors? Society owes a lot to hackers and is starting to reward them with stock options and IPO's, but I wonder if it realizes how much of a debt hackers owe to SF authors.

SeanDav 14y ago

One of my favourite SF authors. His Deathworld series is what got me started in SF in the first place.

m0nty 14y ago

A more in-depth obituary: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/15/harry-harrison http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/15/harry-harrison

DavidAdams 14y ago

Harry Harrison was the first author I was really obsessed with. By the time I was 16, I'd read his entire body of work. I haven't read anything that he's written in the past 15 years or so. I suppose I ought to find one of his newer novels as a way to commemorate him. Any recommendations?

itmag 14y ago

My favorite Slippery Jim quote: We must be as stealthy as rats in the wainscoting of their society. It was easier in the old days, of course, and society had more rats when the rules were looser, just as old wooden buildings have more rats than concrete buildings. But there are rats in the building now as well. Now that society is all ferrocrete and stainless steel there are fewer gaps in the joints. It takes a very smart rat indeed to find these openings. Only a stainless steel rat can be at home in this environment. This, to me, describes the attitude of hustlers and hackers perfectly (albeit a bit metaphorically).

Uhhrrr 14y ago

I've just been re-reading the first one. Action-packed, full of fantastical gizmos, and with just the right amount of snottiness. And yes, as is mentioned elsewhere, a very hackerish attitude towards life, especially on the social engineering front.

simon 14y ago

The Stainless Steel Rat series were a huge part of my teen years. I'll have to buy the entire set (I guess it's definitive now) and make sure my daughters read them. Rest in peace Mr. Harrison.

Zaephyr 14y ago

I don't know how many times when reading his books I had to stop because I had tears from laughing so hard.

sambeau 14y ago

I'd like to put in a word for "A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!" a superb piece of speculative fiction and possibly the first Steampunk novel. (also more boringly called "Tunnel Through the Deeps") http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_Through_the_Deeps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_Through_the_Deeps

moomin 14y ago

For those of you who've already read SSRat, SSRat's Revenge, Star Smashers, MRMR and the Deathworlds, try Rebel in Time. I was lucky enough to read this in a version with a blank cover, since most versions can't resist giving the plot away. It's also notable for having that rarest of things, an explicitly black golden age sci-fi hero. For that matter, they're still pretty rare.