Harry Harrison has died. When I was going through my phase of devouring SF books during my teens and twenties, he was one of my favourite authors. On one level, his books could be read as action tales, but there was usually a serious underpinning. So Deathworld was underpinned by Darwinian selection, Bill, The Galactic Hero by an almost Swiftian satire, and Make Room! Make Room! by the question and consequences of human overpopulation.
But I think my favourite of his novels remains Captive Universe, which opens with a heartstopping sequence (quite literally) in an apparently Aztec setting. It develops into a thought-provoking tale about colonisation and eugenic control. Well worth reading.
Damned shame. Great for kids getting into SF – Stainless Steel Rat was my first taste, and I was really pleased when one of the stories was serialised in 2000AD.
And he could do humour really well…. ‘Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers’ – class.
[sigh] They’re all dying…
Harry Harrison was always one of my favorite writers too. I used to read many of his stories aloud to my girlfriend. His stories are particularly suited to reading aloud as he recommended that as a good way to check your writing.
He could write science fiction with biting social comment, action, humor… anything.
Death sucks! Bring on the immortality, I say!