Boek
Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Robot Slaves
| Auteur | Harry Harrison |
| Eerste Uitgave | 1989 |
| Uitgave | 1992 |
| Uitgeverij | Victor Gollancz |
| Vorm | roman |
| Taal | Engels |
| Bladzijden | 236 bladzijden |
| Gelezen | 2003-11-29 |
| Score | 7/10 |
Inhoud
Bill 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 lost 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...
Now, at last, there is a sequel - another riotous antiwar romp that gleefully parodies sf clichés from Edgar Rice Burroughs to cyberpunk.
Bespreking
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 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.