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Star Smashers of the Space Rangers
Jul. 13th, 2005 03:41 pmI was sick yesterday. How sick? I picked up the first book I came across and read it though... It was a Harry Harrison book... (see title above)
I didn't know I was that sick.
Ashamed I am to say that I enjoyed this piece of awfulness. The premise (if you can call it that) is a cheese-powered 747 converted into a starship miraculously saves the universe, thanks to Yankee Knowhow!(tm)
I made it through 2 chapters before throwing it across the room due to it's similarity to Heinlein's The Cat Who Walked Through Walls but picked it up again, read another chapter, threw it again, picked it up again, and finally decided he was mocking Heinlein, not worshipping him. (The black liberal pinko commie calling the americans honky capitalist pigs was a bit much)
Finally, it dawned on my disease-addled mind that this was in fact parody (gosh, one of the reviews on the back even said it was a parody) and I settled in to grittingly enjoy it (Okay, often it still clashed with my sensibilities but I could deal) I swear he used every single one of the bad radio serials that I hated in this book and left the ones I did like untouched. At times the ridicule of Buck Rogers and Space Patrol was so thin that you'd be surprised he didn't get sued for plagurism. And Heinlein. At last I know what killed Heinlein. It was probably this book, considering select quotes like (paraphrased, I don't have the book in front of me!)
Jerry: We're fighting for truth! Justice! and Democracy for all!
Prrthl: Well wait, let's be clear here. You mean we're fighting for oligarchy and preservation of the class system!
Jerry: Yes! Democracy!!!
All: Hurrah! Democracy!
And that's not to mention Johann, the black commie liberal spy's TWO SENTENCE conversion to screaming proud patriotic american John.
This book was like picking up Heinlein and bitchslapping him for 5 hours solid. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also rather liked the tacked-on all-american happy ending, wherein there's only one girl and 3 guys and since everyone has to get married and live happily ever after, Chuck and Jerry suddenly turn incredibly gay and kiss each other passionately while Sally, suddenly goes from a meek 50's girl to a raging feminist marrying a black commie!
So. Not exactly hard sci-fi, in fact, it barely would have passed as tripe in the 50's and yet it was written in the early 70's, so that should give you an idea how bad it is but heck, a little junk food now and then won't kill you.
I didn't know I was that sick.
Ashamed I am to say that I enjoyed this piece of awfulness. The premise (if you can call it that) is a cheese-powered 747 converted into a starship miraculously saves the universe, thanks to Yankee Knowhow!(tm)
I made it through 2 chapters before throwing it across the room due to it's similarity to Heinlein's The Cat Who Walked Through Walls but picked it up again, read another chapter, threw it again, picked it up again, and finally decided he was mocking Heinlein, not worshipping him. (The black liberal pinko commie calling the americans honky capitalist pigs was a bit much)
Finally, it dawned on my disease-addled mind that this was in fact parody (gosh, one of the reviews on the back even said it was a parody) and I settled in to grittingly enjoy it (Okay, often it still clashed with my sensibilities but I could deal) I swear he used every single one of the bad radio serials that I hated in this book and left the ones I did like untouched. At times the ridicule of Buck Rogers and Space Patrol was so thin that you'd be surprised he didn't get sued for plagurism. And Heinlein. At last I know what killed Heinlein. It was probably this book, considering select quotes like (paraphrased, I don't have the book in front of me!)
Jerry: We're fighting for truth! Justice! and Democracy for all!
Prrthl: Well wait, let's be clear here. You mean we're fighting for oligarchy and preservation of the class system!
Jerry: Yes! Democracy!!!
All: Hurrah! Democracy!
And that's not to mention Johann, the black commie liberal spy's TWO SENTENCE conversion to screaming proud patriotic american John.
This book was like picking up Heinlein and bitchslapping him for 5 hours solid. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also rather liked the tacked-on all-american happy ending, wherein there's only one girl and 3 guys and since everyone has to get married and live happily ever after, Chuck and Jerry suddenly turn incredibly gay and kiss each other passionately while Sally, suddenly goes from a meek 50's girl to a raging feminist marrying a black commie!
So. Not exactly hard sci-fi, in fact, it barely would have passed as tripe in the 50's and yet it was written in the early 70's, so that should give you an idea how bad it is but heck, a little junk food now and then won't kill you.
