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Bill, the Galactic Hero Paperback – May 14, 2015

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 344 ratings

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It was the highest honour to defend the Empire against the dreaded Chingers, an enemy race of seven-foot-tall lizards. But Bill, a Technical Fertilizer Operator from a planet of farmers, wasn't interested in honour - he was only interested in two things: his chosen career, and the shapely curves of Inga-Maria Calyphigia.

Then a recruiting robot shanghaied him with knockout drops, and he came to in deep space, aboard the Empire warship Christine Keeler. And from there, things got even worse...

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gollancz (May 14, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 147320531X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1473205314
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.71 x 7.72 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 344 ratings

About the author

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Harry Harrison
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Harry Max Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey; March 12, 1925 – August 15, 2012) was an American science fiction (SF) author, best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and for his novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966). The latter was the rough basis for the motion picture Soylent Green (1973). Harrison was (with Brian Aldiss) the co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.

Aldiss called him "a constant peer and great family friend". His friend Michael Carroll said, "Imagine Pirates of the Caribbean or Raiders of the Lost Ark, and picture them as science-fiction novels. They're rip-roaring adventures, but they're stories with a lot of heart."

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Szymon Sokół (Picture taken at Worldcon 2005) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
344 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the humor and irreverence in the book. They find it an enjoyable, quick read with a light sci-fi tone. However, some readers feel it's not worth the money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

17 customers mention "Humor"17 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find it humorous, with a sense of irreverence and lightheartedness. The stories are described as silly, gentle parodies of military science fiction.

"...Dark humor ahead." Read more

"...It's a silly, gentle sort of parody, not the dark, tear into shreds, profanity laced, edgy sort of stuff that we get so much today...." Read more

"...In any case, this first installment in the Bill series felt funny in parts, a bit too earnest in others, and a bit scattered overall...." Read more

"Relatively short but funny parody of the military in the far future through the lens of a 60’s writer who was more than a little cynical from his..." Read more

13 customers mention "Fun read"13 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it an amusing and delightful read with a masterful storyline that resonates today. The book is described as imaginative, original, and worth reading.

"...From enlistment, to adventure, to becoming a recruiter himself. It's a fun romp...." Read more

"...You get the idea. All in all, a fast read and an amusing story, and a reminder of the gentle humor of the 1960's." Read more

"...Still, there were some laughs and it was fun. For some readers, I can see loving this book." Read more

"...A fun read overall, but not up to the Rat standard for me." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"7 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it a quick, light read that makes them laugh. Readers consider it a good book for Harry Harrison fans.

"...You get the idea. All in all, a fast read and an amusing story, and a reminder of the gentle humor of the 1960's." Read more

"...Consider this a quick read for a Harry Harrison fan, and you'll be good. It didn't suck. It never made me laugh either...." Read more

"...meanwhile its a great read recommend it highly and the author too...." Read more

"...Harrison is a master of the genre, and this is a fun, light read, laced with his not well hidden disdain for the military...." Read more

5 customers mention "Sci-fi novel"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the sci-fi novel. They describe it as a campy, futuristic military parody and a light sci-fi romp. The book is considered a classic anti-war SF novel.

"...Hitchhiker's Guide, not quite as piercing as Catch-22, this is a light sci-fi romp somewhere in between. Dark humor ahead." Read more

"...Hero, written in the 1960's during the Vietnam War is a futuristic sci-fi military parody...." Read more

"As with much of Harry Harrison's work, this is a SciFi page turner...." Read more

"Historical Fiction..." Read more

3 customers mention "Value for money"0 positive3 negative

Customers dislike the book's value for money. They say it's a waste of money and not great.

"...I regret buying it more than I regret reading it. Waste of money. Check it out at your library for free if you really have to read it." Read more

"It's OK but it is not real great." Read more

"...book that's a parody of military science fiction; it's okay but not wonderful. Read it if you like such things...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019
    Bill is an old favorite of mine. A lot of people call it "anti-military" but I'm not sure it's so much that as anti-propaganda and anti-beauracracy. As to whether you can actually separate those from the military, is a whole other discussion. Bill the Galactic Hero is composed of a few short stories that take bill through a whole career. From enlistment, to adventure, to becoming a recruiter himself. It's a fun romp. Not quite as clever as Hitchhiker's Guide, not quite as piercing as Catch-22, this is a light sci-fi romp somewhere in between. Dark humor ahead.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2007
    Strange, how I had never heard of Bill the Galactic Hero, until I surfed my way by accident to this book one day. I knew of Harry Harrison and had read his "Stainless Steel Rat" and several of his short stories years ago. As a youth, I read mostly what was stocked on the bookshelves of the Dallas public libraries, and this sort of literature was probably not considered worthy, and so never crossed my consciousness.

    In many ways, the book's humor is reminiscent of the style of that other 60's era book "Bored of the Rings" (another book that did not make an appearance in the Dallas public libraries, but which I discovered along with the National Lampoon, and other great humor, through a roommate in college).

    It's a silly, gentle sort of parody, not the dark, tear into shreds, profanity laced, edgy sort of stuff that we get so much today.

    Bill is a farmboy in an outlying planet of the Empire, studying to be a Technical Fertilizer Operator, when he is literally drug-gooned into the Imperial Star Troopers. And thus begins a series of misadventures where Bill becomes a fuse tender (his job is to change the large fuses when they blow under the stresses of battle) on board the spaceship Christine Keeler (I had forgotten this one and had to look it up - Christine Keeler was the call girl who brought down the British Secretary of War John Profumo in 1961 in a sex scandal), and almost by accident becomes a hero, loses a left arm in a space battle, gets the right arm of one of his buddies transplanted so that he has TWO right arms....etc....

    You get the idea.

    All in all, a fast read and an amusing story, and a reminder of the gentle humor of the 1960's.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2019
    Overall, I enjoyed Bill the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Robot Slaves, but it didn't turn out to be a book I'd generally recommend. Some of the jokes don't stand up to the test of time (some might even be a bit offensive in today's climate, more than they would have been when the book was written) and I think it's likely many of the references would not be recognized by lots of readers today. Some of the references are to books just not as well known today. Still, there were some laughs and it was fun. For some readers, I can see loving this book.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2014
    "Bill the Galactic Hero" is a perennial favorite of mine. I first read it when I was an ensign in the Navy, and I made a point to read it at least once per year through my 25 year career. It helped me maintain a much healthier perspective in the face of the sorts of bureaucratic obstacles and administrative foul-ups that I encountered in posts both ashore and afloat, as I tried my best to live up to my oath of office.

    Alas, at some point in the last couple of years my dog-eared copy was transported to the center of the nearest sun after I lent it to another soul in need of neural recollimation, so I needed to procure an alternate copy. Happily, not only did I find a reprint of this classic, but I was also able to procure this copy, complete with Harry Harrison's signature. This little treasure is now happily ensconced (in protective plastic) on my bookshelf with many other Harry Harrison books.

    A double-handed salute to the late, great master!
    11 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2015
    This was an odd book, and I can only recommend it if you a) really like Harry Harrison, b) you like military parodies, and c) you like odd books.

    I've heard about "Bill" for years, and for some reason never got my hands on a copy. I've read all of Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books (the first few were the best) and Deathworld trilogy (all were excellent). Then I found this while wandering around the Kindle store and decided to give it a try.

    It really doesn't make any sense, except as a parody. You never really get to care about Bill or relate to him, or the very peculiar universe he lives in, or its perpetual state of bureaucratic incompetence, and its never-ending war.

    Once you accept the fact that nothing makes sense and just roll with it, the book is a quick read. There aren't many characters, the plots are very one-dimensional (straight line), and the dialog is minimal.

    Consider this a quick read for a Harry Harrison fan, and you'll be good. It didn't suck. It never made me laugh either. A lot of people say this is the SciFi version of "Catch-22." Yeah. But it's very thin as a parody. "Bored of the Rings," this ain't. "Catch-22," this ain't. To be honest, Harrison has done better.

    This book is made up of several short stories, by the way. There are other books about Bill, but I don't intend to read any more of them.

    Oh: In 2014 some college film students made a live-action movie out of this book. The actors spend all their time in white space suits, so you can't see them -- and the sound is muffled, so it's hard to heard them. Still, it's impressive given that it was a student project. Watch it here: https://vimeo.com/114775119
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024
    Catch-22 but set in a grimdark far future where humans are fighting an endless, losing galactic war out of boredom. Hilarious.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Adriano Ziffer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Capolavoro di satira antimilitarista
    Reviewed in Italy on April 7, 2022
    Harry Harrison prende "Il buon soldato Sc'veik" e lo riscrive ambientandolo nel mondo di "Fanteria dello spazio": risate assicurate per tutti!
  • EvilEdna
    5.0 out of 5 stars As funny as I remembered it
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2012
    The first in the series, Back in the day, I bought two of this series in paperback. After reading these I was determined to get the whole series, but alas they rapidly and inexplicably went out of print. I love this book. Satire, humour, irony, low wit, high wit, medium wit, existentialism and violence rolled into one decent story. The fist book takes you through the Hero's recruitment, investiture and indoctrination into the military to fight the 'evil' Chingers. A quick tour of the galactic capital and his first action as a fusetender and rolled together in this book. If you are looking for an in depth social commentary, deep characterisation, or any form of seriousness, go elsewhere. If you are just looking for good, light-humoured fun, then this is for you. Its not Douglas Adams funny, but pretty damn close. I look forward to reading the series and if this review encourages one other person to read the series, I wil have spent my time well.
  • Reg Gilroy
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Australia on June 28, 2015
    Fun.
  • Christian
    3.0 out of 5 stars Eher schwach
    Reviewed in Germany on August 28, 2013
    Die Geschichte ist nicht so besonders. Es fehlt an Fantasie und guten Wendepunkten.

    Positiv wird das Militär der Zukunft mit böser Propaganda und gnadenloser Bürokratie einigermaßen interessant dargestellt. Jedoch im ganzen eher Fad.
  • Brian
    4.0 out of 5 stars Bill the galactic hero?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2013
    I am working my way through Harry Harrison's books this is the first in a series of seven books I enjoyed the usual Harrison mix of science fiction and humour but not as good as the stainless steel rat series but still enjoyable and I can recommend it to Harrison's fans.