

The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus by Harry Harrison
	Review Copyright (c) 1999 Aaron M. Renn

Conclusion: The Rat is Back - Sort Of

Since the last two Rat books basically sucked, I was all prepared to kick
myself for buying this one in hardcover.  But lucky for me, Harrison
seemed to be back in form on this installment, with a readable if not
spectacular Rat tale.

The self-styled richest man in the universe hires Slippery Jim to
investigate a series of bank robberies at institutions said rich man owns.
The Rat discovers that the only thing in common between all of the
robberies was that a circus was in town at the same time, always featuring
Puissanto - the strongest man in the universe.  So Jim signs on with the
circus along side Puissanto as a magic act, and ends up on the corrupt
planet of Fetorr.  Absurd adventures ensue.

I don't know about you, but I read the Rat for the humor, of which there
is enough in this book to make it worth reading.  However, I thought it
contained a bit too much straight ahead action-adventure and was a bit too
long for a Rat book.  But this one is still light years ahead of Goes to
Hell and Sings the Blues.  Rat fans might be able to justify this in
hardcover, but most folks will want to wait for the paperback.

%A Harrison, Harry
%T The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus
%I Tor
%D 1999-11
%G ISBN 0-312-86934-7
%P 269 pp.
%O hardcover, US$23.95

Reviewed on 1999-11-27

Aaron M. Renn ([email-masked]) http://www.urbanophile.com/arenn/