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The Misplaced Battleship by Harry Harrison is, I think, the first of the Stainless Steel Rat stories. It's pure space opera adventure & a lot of fun.

You can read it for free online at Gutenberg.org here:

Choose the format you like here:


YouTube has a narration here:


It's part of the Librivox Short Story collection here:

Or you can get it as its own audiobook here:

Hah!
Serves 'em all right.

the Stainless Steel Rat series was the first mass published space opera in the USSR in the late 80s: Soviet Union joined copyright act in 1972 with all works before the date unprotected, thus when it became possible to print not only party-approved works, the Golden age of US SF came. :)

Frantic & funny, isn't it?

Well, this seems like it was a bust. Anyone have any suggestions for next month? That's the day after tomorrow. It has to be free, readily available, preferably short, & in several formats. It seems as if 5K words is a good length for participation.

I still plan to read this. Haven't got to it yet.

I haven't read it yet, but this one looks interesting and award-winning:
Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience

Ed, that's a good one. Too bad you didn't PM Jim.
Although, I wouldn't mind reading it again.

Jim, I'm sending you another suggestion.

Thanks, Ed. Looks good.

for me Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience was weaker than other stories nominated for Nebula this year. I preferred Utopia, LOL? from this year bunch

Jim wrote: "Well, this seems like it was a bust. Anyone have any suggestions for next month? That's the day after tomorrow. It has to be free, readily available, preferably short, & in several formats. It seem..."

I had intended to read this, but I didn't get to it, and then I just forgot.

Oleksandr wrote: "for me Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience was weaker than other stories nominated for Nebula this year. I preferred Utopia, LOL? from this year bunch"

"Utopia, LOL" was GREAT in my book, too! Shoulda been the Winner! But the Roanhorse was first-rate too....

Peter wrote: ""Utopia, LOL" was GREAT in my book, too! Shoulda been the Winner! But the Roanhorse was first-rate too.... "

For me Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience was a bit of repetition of Philip K. Dick ideas and maybe I'm outside the USA, westerns largely passed by me and moreover, in the USSR (where I was born), as part of propaganda was 'horrors of capitalist life' suppression of Indians and blacks, so Indians were always good guys, exploited by whites.

Political fantasy!
OK, two coming up:
First is the Christopher Buckley "Trump First Inaugural" of 1999,

As always, if this is paywalled (likely) I'll email you a copy, pdtillmanATgmailDIESPAMMERDIEcom
And the cover!
(scroll down. Gold Lamé!)
🤪 Wow.
Really, this guy is Too Much! But Melania is a dish.... ❤️ ⚡️ 👯‍♀��
And a sweetheart, by all accounts. Somehow, I doubt her marriage to The Donald will outlive his Presidency... 😎

OK, #2: Calvin Trillin, "No Wonder He Kept Going Bankrupt"
Free at
"Donald Trump: O.K., that does it. We buy. That’s why I’m so much better at this than anyone else—I hear from the experts I’ve surrounded myself with, and then I make an executive decision.

All, in chorus: You’re the greatest! You’re the greatest!

Eric Trump (still shouting through the door): You’re the bestest ever in the whole wide world!"
Right up there with the Buckley, which is high praise indeed. 6 stars!

Photog's comment on the "infamous Trump photo":
"It was done for Vogue and I was working with Phyllis Posnick, who is one of those legendary stylists who worked with Irving Penn and Helmut Newton. She brought that gold bikini. You have to understand Melania loved taking that picture. Trump was passé about where he should be. I didn’t make it up. I met them on the tarmac, the plane was there, and I saw the graphics of the stairway and I put Melania in it and the rest is what it is. They loved that. It wasn’t like there was anything wrong.��

Peter, I'm at a loss to figure out what your last post has to do with the topic, but I'll admit to not reading any of the links. I'd prefer to keep personal politics out book discussions, though.