| Bill, The Galactic Hero |
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| 1965 novels | |
| science fiction novels | |
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| military science fiction | |
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''Bill, the Galactic Hero'' is a Satirical Science Fiction novel by Harry Harrison , first published in 1965 . It is a response to Heinlein 's controversially militaristic '' Starship Troopers ''. The overall plot is similar, the details rather less so; and Harrison makes the most of an opportunity to spoof the work of other authors including Isaac Asimov , "Doc" Smith , and Joseph Heller . Harrison reports having been approached by a Vietnam veteran who described ''Bill'' as "the only book that's true about the military" {Link without Title} . SERIES Six sequels were published, from 1989 to 1992. The first, ''Bill, the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Robot Slaves'' (1989), is by Harry Harrison . The second, ''Bill the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Bottled Brains'' (1990), is by Robert Sheckley and Harry Harrison The third, ''Bill the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Tasteless Pleasure'' (1991), is by David Bischoff and Harry Harrison The fourth, ''Bill the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Zombie Vampires'' (1991), is by Jack C. Haldeman and Harry Harrison The fifth, ''Bill the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Ten Thousand Bars'' (1991), is by David Bischoff and Harry Harrison (Was also published under the title: "Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of the Hippies from Hell") The sixth, ''Bill the Galactic Hero: The Final Incoherent Adventure'' (1991), is by David Harris and Harry Harrison THE BLOATER DRIVE The standard ways of circumventing relativity in 1950s and 1960s science fiction were Hyperspace , Subspace and Spacewarp . Harrison's contribution was the Bloater Drive. This enlarges the gaps between the atoms of the ship until it spans the distance to the destination, whereupon the atoms are moved back together again, reconstituting the ship at its previous size but in the new location. An occasional side-effect is that the occupants see a planet drifting, in miniature, through the hull. (''"No-no! Don't touch it!"'') |
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