In this prequel to the Stainless Steel Rat, Slippery Jim is a brash 17-year-old who has left his parents' porcuswine farm, planning to embark on a life of crime. The book opens with Jim bungling a bank job so that he can be arrested and sent to prison, where he plans to learn the art of being a master criminal.
Deciding that the Bishop should be his mentor, Jim sets about proving himself worthy of the master's attention. He eventually has to flee his home planet of Bit O' Heaven with the Bishop, but Garth, the Captain of the ship who promised them safe passage, sells them into slavery.
The latter part of the book details Jim's adventures on the planet Spiovente, a semi-industrial world fighting feudal wars with weapons smuggled in (against League regulations) by Captain Garth.
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"Always nice to become acquainted with our hero's humble past. Jim wasn't born a rat, but had to discover how to become one through tutelage and loss. By purposefully landing himself in jail, Jim tries to learn from his fellow crooks but realizes only the best rats never get caught. Unfortunately, Jim accidently reveals the secret whereabouts of the most infamous and much-sought-after rat, in an attempt to show off his skills to said master rat. Now, he not only has to save his own skin but that of his new master." — Linda (5 out of 5 stars)
"Always nice to become acquainted with our hero's humble past. Jim wasn't born a rat, but had to discover how to become one through tutelage and loss. By purposefully landing himself in jail, Jim tries to learn from his fellow crooks but realizes only the best rats never get caught. Unfortunately, Jim accidently reveals the secret whereabouts of the most infamous and much-sought-after rat, in an attempt to show off his skills to said master rat. Now, he not only has to save his own skin but that of his new master."
" I've never read any of the other rat books and picked this up based of having heard good things about the series. Despite this not being the "first" release-wise, it is the first chronologically, and for me was a good introduction to the series. I will be seeking out more of these books. "
" Classic sci-fi parody/humor that still stands up today. "
" A fun book, not quite as entertaining as others in the series, but worth a read. "
" The Stainless Steel Rat series was an excellent and entertaining read. "
" Stainless Steel Rat is aimed at a young adult audience but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A Stainless Steel Rat is born is an origin story and written after the series had already become a success. A good read and I plan on checking out the rest of the series. "
" I read this series many years ago and loved it. Decicided to re-read in chronological order as opposed to date publishe. "
" For anyone interested in the Stainless Steel Rat character, this is a wonderful look into his start as a criminal mastermind and is very entertaining. "
" The Tale of the Rat in the beginning. This might be my favorite book in his whole saga. A must for any Harrison fan- in fact for any sci-fi disciple at all! "
" A very good origin story, with all the standard bits (mentor, daring escape, lessons learned). The beginning was better than the end, which was just okay. Also not as high-tech as the other stories. "
" Much lovely fun. "
" The reboot part was fresh air, but didnt last long. Half book good thou' "
" These are the funniest books you have ever read!! They are all about a criminal genius who doesn't kill or hurt just steals because he is bored of the utopia life of the future. The tongue in cheek humor is everywhere! "
" Mindless fun. "
" Funny. Quick reads "
" With Harrison its a bit of hit and miss for me, some books are very funny and others are quite boring to me. This is a goody though, describing the rise of James Bolivar DiGriz to the supercriminal he becomes later on in his life. If you like humorous gangsterstories and scifi then check this out. "
" Fast and fun. Bonus star for the title and cover. "
" When a man steals from and defrauds people, it's because he's a noble renegade fighting against the system. When a woman steals from and defrauds people, it's because she's a golddigger who deserves to be humiliated for her horrible, horrible crime. "
" The launching of a stellar criminal career. I love it. "
" Fun rollicking adventure with far-future Robin Hood wannabe, James Bolivar diGriz as he starts out on his life of crime. I must admit this is a bit of a guilty pleasure as it is sci-fi at its simplest. But Harry Harrison manages to make it all good fun. "
" the origins of the SSR....you'll love it! "
Harry Harrison (1925-2012) was drafted into the Army after finishing school and served in World War II, where he learned both to shoot guns and repair analogue computers. Leaving the Army at the end of the war, Harrison teamed up with Wally Wood and produced professional comic book art. When the comic book boom came to an end, Harrison moved from drawing to writing. In 1957 his story, “The Stainless Steel Rat” was published in Astounding, and introduced a character which would stay with him (and readers) for the next forty-odd years. In 1975 Harrison had his first brush with Hollywood when his novel, Make Room! Make Room! was used for the basis of Soylent Green. His novels have also been successfully adapted for other media: radio plays and readings, a board game, at least one computer game, and, taking us full-circle, comic books, most notably 2000AD’s adaptations of the Stainless Steel Rat books.
In a career spanning sixty years, Harrison produced more than a hundred short stories, edited over thirty anthologies, and published more than sixty novels.
Phil Gigante has narrated more than two hundred audiobooks, earning ten AudioFile Earphones Awards and three of the prestigious Audie Awards for best narration. An actor, director, and producer with over twenty years of experience in theater, film, television, and radio, he is currently the artistic director of Gigantic Productions and Little Giant Children’s Theatre.
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