Series
Bill, the Galactic Hero
Harry Harrison, David Bischoff, David Harris, Jack C. Haldeman, II & Robert Sheckley · 7 novels · 1 novella · 2 short stories · 1964–1994
Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero is a satire of militaristic science fiction, following a hapless draftee named Bill through a galactic war run by an absurd, dehumanizing military bureaucracy. Harrison expanded a 1965 novella into the novel and later co-wrote several tongue-in-cheek sequels with other writers in the 1980s-90s, sending Bill through increasingly ridiculous planetary settings. It's broad science-fiction comedy rather than the harder-edged satire of Harrison's other work.
Summary by Loreful, from public sources
- Genre
- Theme
- Place
- Time
- Tone
- Audience
Reading order
The order the books came out.
Best read in the order they were published.
Map
Bill, the Galactic Hero at the centre, its books fanned around what holds them. Pick anything for its details, and zoom out for similar series in orbit — the reading order above lists the same books as text.
Stats
By decade
- 1960s2
- 1970s0
- 1980s2
- 1990s6
Shape
7 novels · 1 novella · 2 short stories
5 authors
Mood
Bright and intense: 100% of this series' placed works, the catalog's 44%.
this series · the catalog · one dot = one book8 of 10 works carry a tone
Edges of the map
- Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Zombie Vampiresdarkest · most intense
- Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Bottled Brainsbrightest · calmest