Stainless Steel Rat Books in Order

Choose Your Path: How to Read the Stainless Steel Rat Series

James Bolivar diGriz, better known to the galaxy as Slippery Jim or the Stainless Steel Rat, is one of science fiction’s most endearing antiheroes. Harry Harrison’s satirical space opera follows this charming conman who lives by a strict moral code: he never kills, and he only steals from institutions that can afford the loss. Because the books were written over a span of nearly fifty years, they do not follow a simple linear path. Readers generally choose between two primary paths: Publication Order or Chronological Order.

The Two Main Reading Paths

Whether you want to experience the series exactly as it developed in Harrison's mind, or trace Slippery Jim's life from his teenage years to his retirement, both options offer a fantastic journey. Here is how they compare.

Option 1: Publication Order (The Classic Experience)

For most readers, starting where the author began is the best route. Reading in publication order allows you to watch Harry Harrison refine his satirical universe and the character of Slippery Jim. It also preserves the natural evolution of the setting's technology and tone, rather than jumping between writing styles of different decades.

1. The Stainless Steel Rat (1961): The classic novel that started it all. Jim diGriz is an established master thief who is finally outmaneuvered and recruited by the elite Special Corps.
2. The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (1970): Jim is sent to infiltrate a militaristic planet gearing up for galactic conquest, where he meets the dangerous Angelina.
3. The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (1971): A time-travel adventure where Jim must go back in time to stop a mysterious villain from erasing the Special Corps from history.
4. The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! (1978): A fun space-opera parody where Jim and his family must defend the galaxy from an invasion of bizarre, hostile aliens.
5. The Stainless Steel Rat for President (1982): Jim uses his dirty tricks, election rigging, and political satire to depose a corrupt dictator on a backwater planet.
6. A Stainless Steel Rat is Born (1985): The first prequel, jumping back to Jim's teenage years on the agricultural planet Bit O'Heaven as he learns the ropes of criminal mastermind behavior.
7. The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted (1987): Picking up right after the previous book, Jim is drafted into a militaristic army, leading to sabotage, rebellion, and his first meeting with his mentor, the Bishop.
8. The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues (1994): A prequel set during Jim's early career where he is blackmailed into finding a missing alien artifact on a prison planet.
9. The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell (1996): Jim travels to a literal hell-like dimension to rescue his wife, Angelina, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult.
10. The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus (1999): Jim goes undercover in a galactic traveling circus to investigate a massive money-laundering scheme.
11. The Stainless Steel Rat Returns (2010): Harrison's final novel in the series, bringing a mature but still devious Jim back for one last interstellar heist.

Option 2: Chronological Order (The Life of Slippery Jim)

If you prefer to follow Jim's life linearly from a rebellious teenager to an aging master thief, you should read the prequels first. This structure helps you understand how Jim developed his philosophy before seeing him in action as a veteran agent.

1. A Stainless Steel Rat is Born (1985)
2. The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted (1987)
3. The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues (1994)
4. The Stainless Steel Rat (1961)
5. The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (1970)
6. The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (1971)
7. The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! (1978)
8. The Stainless Steel Rat for President (1982)
9. The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell (1996)
10. The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus (1999)
11. The Stainless Steel Rat Returns (2010)

What About the Short Stories and Collections?

In addition to the eleven main novels, Harry Harrison wrote several short stories featuring Slippery Jim:

• "The Stainless Steel Rat" (1957): The original short story published in Astounding Science Fiction. It was later expanded to form the opening chapters of the 1961 novel.
• "The Golden Years of the Stainless Steel Rat" (1993): A nostalgic short story featuring an elderly Jim diGriz reflecting on his career. This story was collected in Harrison's 1993 anthology, Stainless Steel Visions.
• Stainless Steel Visions (1993): While this collection features the name in its title, it is primarily a compilation of unrelated sci-fi short stories by Harrison (including "Roommates", the basis for the movie Soylent Green). Only the "Golden Years" story features Slippery Jim.

The Interactive Gamebook

In 1985, Harry Harrison penned a unique interactive adventure: You Can Be the Stainless Steel Rat. Published as a choose-your-own-path style gamebook, it features a simple coin-flipping mechanic. Interestingly, despite the title, you do not play as Jim diGriz. Instead, you are cast as a raw recruit in the Special Corps who must work under Jim's supervision to track down the villainous Professor Geisteskrank. It functions as a lighthearted, interactive spin-off that fans of the series will enjoy, though it is not required reading to understand the main novels.

Where Should You Start?

Bookwrapt recommends starting with the original 1961 novel, The Stainless Steel Rat. This is where Harrison's satire is sharpest, the stakes feel grounded, and the introduction to Jim and the Special Corps is most natural. Starting chronologically with A Stainless Steel Rat is Born is a viable alternative, but it can feel slightly disconnected since it was written 24 years after the original, featuring a shift in tone and humor. Once you have read the first novel, you can choose to jump back to the prequels to see how he got there, or continue forward in publication order.

What to Know Before You Start

Here are a few quick tips to help you get the most out of your journey with Slippery Jim:

• Esperanto: Harry Harrison was a passionate advocate for Esperanto, a constructed international language. Throughout the series, Esperanto is used as the common tongue of the galaxy, with characters speaking it and signage written in it.
• Satirical Tone: Do not expect hard sci-fi or grimdark realism. The series is a lighthearted, fast-paced romp that satirizes bureaucracy, militarism, and societal conformity. Jim is a rogue who uses brain over brawn, and his gadgets are often delightfully absurd.
• Standalones vs. Continuity: Almost every book in the series functions as a self-contained caper. You won't find massive cliffhangers here, making the series highly accessible. However, the relationships Jim builds, particularly with Angelina and his twin sons, build over time, so some order is beneficial.