Harrison, Harry

(US, 1925– )

Harrison was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and worked as an illustrator before emerging as a science fiction author in the 1950s. Begin with Bill, the Galactic Hero (1965), which inventively parodies the conventions of much science fiction. A series of novels continues the adventures of the unprepossessing Bill. ‘Slippery Jim di Griz’ is Harrison's anti-hero in The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (1970) and numerous other stories. In this title, di Griz and his Amazon warriors take on a rebel planet. Wheelworld (1981), part of the To the Stars series about space exploration, is set on a remote planet where daylight lasts for four years and primitive tribes engage in ruthless conflict. West of Eden (1984) opens a trilogy of stories in an alternative world where humans and highly evolved saurians battle for survival.

Larry Niven, Douglas Adams, Bob Shaw  DH