All About The Stainless Steel Rat Quiz

Answer: James Bolivar diGriz

Also known as Slippery Jim, he is a galactic criminal who is recruited to the other side of the law. His escapades are chronicled in a series of ten novels (and three short stories) by Harry Harrison. Beginning with two novelettes published in "Astounding" in 1957 and 1960, the first novel (incorporating the novelettes) appeared in 1961.

The last novel was published in 1999, with Harrison stating there would likely be no more.

Answer: Bit O' Heaven

Bit O'Heaven is the planet where the porcuswine flourished, sort of a cross between a boar hog and a porcupine.

Answer: The Bishop

The Bishop is the famous criminal that James lures out of retirement (and hiding) in "A Stainless Steel Rat is Born". James wants to learn how to be a master criminal and eventually decides that he can only learn from someone else. In one lesson The Bishop explains how they must learn to effectively operate within the wainscotting of society like rats.

In the old days of wooden buildings (and looser rules in society) rats were plentiful, but in modern times with ferroconcrete and stainless steel there are fewer gaps, so "it takes a very smart rat indeed to find these openings. Only a stainless steel rat can be at home in this environment." And a legendary name was born.

Answer: The Special Corps

The Special Corps finished off the last of Haskell's Raiders and even finally caught Inskipp. (Of course, we find out later he's now in charge of the Corps). James infiltrates the Cliaand Army where he first encounters the "grey men" of Kekkonshiki in "The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge". SCENT is the organization to which Rod d'Armand belongs in Stasheff's "Warlock" series.

Answer: Angelica

She was named Angela by her parents. Angelina is the name she was using when James first met her. Engela is the name she used in Freiburbad where she was caught by the Special Corps. James had fallen in love with her and begged Inskipp not to erase her personality, just the murderous part of it.

Answer: James and Bolivar

James and Bolivar are twin sons, born while James was infiltrating the Cliaand army in "The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge". When they are grown, they take prominent roles in the books.

Answer: He

"He" is the creature which leads James to Earth (or Dirt, or something like that) in the 18th and 20th centuries and approximately 20,000 years beyond that in "The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World". "He" eventually ends up trapped in a time loop of apparently paradoxical construction.

Answer: Paraiso-Aqui

In "The Stainless Steel Rat For President", after using every dirty trick possible to win the election, the diGriz family staged James' assassination in order to put the Marquez de la Rosa into the office, which would spur the necessary reforms after the long totalitarian regime of Zapilote.

Answer: Inskipp

We don't learn how Inskipp came to be the head of the Special Corps, but he does reveal that his full agents are all crooks, in the classic "set a thief to catch a thief" tradition.

Answer: Esperanto

Esperanto was developed in the late 1870s and early 1880s by Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof as a universal international language.