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The Stainless Steel Rat · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison.

  1. Chapter 1

    Dedication

    The book is dedicated to Hans Stefan Santesson.

  2. Chapter 2

    The Stainless Steel Rat

    The chapter introduces Slippery Jim diGriz, a master criminal and con artist, as he executes a daring heist on a police robot, showcasing his skills and amorality. He is later captured by the Special Corps and recruited by Inskipp, setting the stage for his transformation into an agent.

  3. Chapter 3

    I

    Slippery Jim diGriz, a master criminal, is caught in the act of a warehouse heist by a police robot. He triggers a trap, dropping a safe on the robot, and escapes through a series of pre-planned routes, shedding his disguise and burning evidence. He evades capture by outsmarting the police and computer systems, then takes multiple cabs to the space terminal to flee the planet.

  4. Chapter 4

    II

    After a successful robbery, Slippery Jim diGriz rebuilds his James diGriz personality while planning a new heist: holding up Moraio's department store. He executes a daring armored car robbery using an anesthetic bomb, then hides the truck in the store's own loading area, repacks the money into shipping boxes, and has them taken away by robots, completing the perfect crime.

  5. Chapter 5

    III

    James diGriz, a master thief, is cornered by the Special Corps after a heist. He attempts to escape through a warehouse but is systematically outmaneuvered. Cornered by the Corps' leader, Harold Peters Inskipp, diGriz is offered a job as an agent. Inskipp reveals he himself was once a criminal and that the Corps recruits reformed thieves to catch other criminals. After initial resistance, diGriz accepts, feeling a mix of loss and anticipation for the end of his lonely life.

  6. Chapter 6

    IV

    Jim diGriz, bored and restless during his training at the Special Corps headquarters, uses his time in the records room to uncover a plot: a planet named Cittanuvo is secretly building a Warlord-class battleship disguised as a freighter. He confronts Inskipp in the middle of the night with the evidence, and after a tense exchange, Inskipp reluctantly authorizes Jim to conduct a reconnaissance mission to Cittanuvo.

  7. Chapter 7

    V

    Jim diGriz investigates the construction of a battleship disguised as a cargo liner on the planet Cenerentola. Using a lie-detector robot, he interrogates President Ferraro, who is revealed to be ignorant of the battleship's true nature. Jim deduces that the mastermind behind the theft is Pepe Nero, assisted by Angelina, and that the battleship has already been stolen. Despite his efforts, Jim is too late to prevent the ship's disappearance.

  8. Chapter 8

    VI

    Slippery Jim diGriz, posing as an admiral, orchestrates a media campaign to lure the thief Pepe Nero into a trap by planting stories about a billionaire's space yacht. Despite skepticism from Captain Steng, Jim's plan is validated when Pepe attacks a freighter, stealing plutonium and killing the crew. Jim receives orders from Inskipp to capture the battleship or face the consequences, and he continues to wait for the right moment to spring his trap.

  9. Chapter 9

    VII

    Jim diGriz confronts Pepe Nero and Angelina aboard the stolen battleship, capturing Pepe but allowing Angelina to escape. Pepe reveals that Angelina was the mastermind behind the entire scheme. Jim then fakes his own capture by Pepe's yacht, using a bomb threat to board the battleship and ultimately capture it.

  10. Chapter 10

    VIII

    Jim diGriz, after capturing Pepe Nero and the battleship, is haunted by Angelina's escape. Inskipp refuses to let him pursue her, so Jim fakes compliance, knocks out a fellow agent, steals a ship, and disconnects a hidden suicide bomb—only to have it explode, signaling his resignation from the Special Corps.

  11. Chapter 11

    IX

    Jim diGriz escapes the Special Corps and sets out to find Angelina, reasoning that she would have fled to the chaotic planet Freibur. He reestablishes his criminal identity by robbing a bank on Freibur, using a homemade explosive coin and gas bombs, and then plans his next moves.

  12. Chapter 12

    The Trap Springs

    Jim diGriz tracks Angelina to a dive on Freibur, where she has disguised herself as a penniless tramp. He attempts to lure her to her room to capture her for the Special Corps, but she outwits him, revealing she recognized him all along. She shoots him multiple times, seemingly killing him.

  13. Chapter 13

    XI

    After being shot by Angelina, Slippery Jim diGriz fakes his death in an ambulance and at the hospital, manipulating medical forms and swapping identity tags in the morgue to escape detection and continue his survival.

  14. Chapter 14

    XII

    Jim diGriz, having faked his death and undergone plastic surgery, remains on Freibur to track down Angelina. He investigates local crime through a sensationalist newspaper, recruits disgraced doctor Vulff for an illegal operation, and struggles to predict Angelina's next move. After weeks of fruitless searching, he realizes he must think like her—embracing her madness—to find her.

  15. Chapter 15

    XIII

    James diGriz deliberately induces a psychotic state using a custom drug and autohypnotic suggestions to adopt Angelina's ruthless mindset. Under the influence, he becomes violent and paranoid, breaks a bartender's arm, and nearly succumbs to the drug's grip before realizing he must maintain his supply. The chapter explores his internal conflict between his own morality and the allure of Angelina's amorality.

  16. Chapter 16

    XIV

    After emerging from a self-induced psychotic state, Slippery Jim diGriz reflects on the dark desires and insights gained, particularly his conflicted feelings for Angelina. He deduces her plan to instigate a violent revolution on Freibur by grooming a noble as a front man. To infiltrate the royal court, he adopts the cover of Grav Bent Diebstall, a minor noble from a distant province, and attends a Grand Ball. There, he scrutinizes the guests for any trace of Angelina, interacts with the Queen, and creates a drunken scene with the King using a fabricated insect specimen.

  17. Chapter 17

    XV

    Jim diGriz, imprisoned for lèse-majesté in Freibur, deliberately provokes his jailers and refuses an offer of release in exchange for an apology, all to attract Angelina's attention. After a week of waiting, a masked rescue team—led by a small figure he suspects is Angelina—attacks the prison and forcibly extracts him.

  18. Chapter 18

    XVI

    Jim diGriz, having been captured and drugged, awakens in the custody of Count Rdenrundt, a Freiburian nobleman who is plotting against King Villelm. Jim plays along, claiming to be Grav Bent Diebstall, and learns that Angelina is likely behind the Count's wife's death. He observes the Count's conspiracy and waits for Angelina to reveal herself.

  19. Chapter 19

    XVII

    Jim diGriz witnesses Angelina knock out Count Cassitor after he assaults her, then she proposes a partnership to take over the revolution. Jim attempts to kiss her, but she recoils and reveals a locket with a photo of her former ugly self, explaining her transformation and the psychological scars that remain.

  20. Chapter 20

    XVIII

    Jim diGriz reveals his true identity to Angelina, who has known all along. They confront their mutual attraction and moral differences, while Jim deduces that Count Cassitor ordered the assassination attempt on Angelina. The Count, paranoid and suspicious, uses a snooper-detector to ensure privacy and pressures Jim about Angelina's dangerous presence.

  21. Chapter 21

    XIX

    Inskipp reveals that Jim's entire mission was a 'graduating exercise' for the Special Corps, and that he has been tracked and monitored throughout. Jim confronts Inskipp about Angelina's capture and learns she may be rehabilitated rather than executed. The chapter ends with Jim toasting to crime with Inskipp.