Another for my Year of Nostalgic Re-reads...this one I read last (and just the once) sometime in high school, so call it nearly 40 years. I've read a few books over the years that were described as hilarious send-ups of something or other, but this one actually is. Harrison embraces, uses and abuses, and skewers every cliche from every pop science fiction pulp magazine, action film, B-movies in general, throw in a Spillane hamfest and Buckaroo Bonzai, and I'm sure a few more genres I'm leaving out. Satire, parody, misogyny, comedy...dude wrapped it all in a neat little campy package. But I don't need to read it again for at least another forty years. ( )

How to review this book. First - its not very good. But than, its not meant to be. This is a book that pokes fun at the science fiction tropes from earlier times - that is, young, smart men who can figure things out almost instantly, a token woman along for the ride. There is even a black guy with typical drawl - who isn't quite what it seems.

Now, I said this book isn't good, and it really isn't. But, since its not really a book meant to be take seriously. However, you might want to read it for sentences like this; "I know one half of you is East German. But the other half is American!" or "... isn't it always like that? after all, on our tree-shaded, Midwest, bible belt, WASP campus, wasn't John the only and he was the janitor?"

Yup. Not good, but written for a point. Generally, if you want something with character development, a plot that makes sense, and something a bit more.... well, transparent, this is not the book for you.

However, its an easy, fast read if you you want to give it a try. ( )

It's so typically and unapologetically Harry Harrison that there's not any way to rate this book. It was fun, it was stupid, the amazing coincidences were there. The shocker, for me, was the absolute end. And that was after being amazed at the silly-fun twist at the beginning of the book. If you like Harrison, then you'll like this book. ( )

I still dip into this book, whenever nostalgic for 1950's space opera. So it was funny, at the time, and even now. Comedy is hard to review because one doesn't wish to step on the author's jokes, that's not fair. It is certainly one of Harrison's best books, in my opinion. ( )

Botched attempt at humor. I usually like Harry Harrison's books, but this doesn't do it for me. ( )