The Bill, the Galactic Hero Series by Harry Harrison
**Overview of "The Bill, the Galactic Hero Series"**
"The Bill, the Galactic Hero Series" is a satirical science fiction series that began in 1965 with the first novel featuring Bill, a farm boy who is unwillingly drafted into the Space Troopers due to a hypnotic device. The narrative follows Bill's absurd and often humorous journey through military life, focusing on themes of war, bureaucracy, and identity transformation. After enduring harsh training and brutal warfare, Bill experiences physical modifications, including the loss of limbs and their replacement with unconventional appendages, highlighting the absurdity of his circumstances.
Throughout the series, Bill encounters a variety of characters, such as Eager Beager, who is later revealed to be a spy, and he faces an array of bizarre challenges on various planets, including battles against historical armies and conflicts with alien species. The series explores fantastical elements, such as robot dragons and immortal brains, while incorporating social commentary on militarism and propaganda. It culminates in a series of chaotic adventures that blend time travel and surrealism, ultimately concluding with a mission to secure valuable resources from the planet Eyerack.
The series gained popularity for its humorous take on traditional military science fiction tropes and continues to resonate with audiences through its subversive approach to storytelling.
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The Bill, the Galactic Hero Series
First published:Bill, the Galactic Hero (1965), Bill, the Galactic Hero: The Planet of the Robot Slaves (1989), Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Bottled Brains (1990, with Robert Sheckley), Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Tasteless Pleasure (1991, with David Bischoff), Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Zombie Vampires (1991, with Jack C. Haldeman II), Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Ten Thousand Bars (1991, with David Bischoff), and Bill, the Galactic Hero: The Final Incoherent Adventure (1991, with David M. Harris)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Science fiction—future war
Time of work: The distant future
Locale: Various spacecraft and imaginary planets
The Plot
The Bill, the Galactic Hero series was begun in 1965, as a single novel. That novel ends with an afterword, with Bill as a recruiting sergeant, suggesting that no sequels were planned. In 1989, the series was continued. A note by Harry Harrison was added to later printings of the original novel, informing the reader that Bill had many other adventures before becoming a recruiting sergeant.
Bill, the Galactic Hero begins with Bill, a white farm boy whose ambition is to become a Technical Fertilizer Operator, being forced into the Space Troopers. A hypnotic device planted in his boot causes him to enlist. After particularly brutal training, including conditioning to hate the seven-foot, reptilian Chingers, he is sent to war.
Bill meets Eager Beager, a disgustingly nice guy who likes to shine other recruits’ boots. Beager eventually is revealed to be a Chinger spy named Bgr. He discloses that Chingers are actually only seven inches long and are peaceful. Bill is assigned to be a fuse tender. In an explosion, he is badly hurt and loses his left arm. This is replaced by a black man’s right arm.
Bill is recruited by the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, which assigns him to infiltrate the underground. It turns out that almost all members of the underground are secret agents of one sort or another. Bill is then sent to the planet Veneria, where he shoots off his right foot to avoid going back to battle.
In The Planet of the Robot Slaves (shortened titles will be used for the remainder of this article), Bill’s missing right foot has been replaced by a huge, mutated chicken foot because there is a shortage of human feet. The hospital where Bill is recovering is strafed by robot dragons. When one is captured, it is found to be labeled “Made in USA.” Bill, along with recruits Cy BerPunk, Meta Tarsil, and others, is assigned to find the planet Usa. The planet turns out to be ruled by metal creatures and worked by robot slaves.
After Bill becomes involved in a war between Roman legions and medieval knights led by King Arthur, the British forces persuade Bill to go with Merlin to persuade the god Mars to stop the war. Mars turns out to be a projection and sound system. As Bill prepares to leave the planet, Bgr offers him a new, human foot in exchange for Bill’s work to end the war.
The Planet of Bottled Brains begins with Bill complaining about his new foot, which has turned into an alligator claw. He is forced to go to the planet Tsuris, which might be a Chinger stronghold. It turns out to be a planet with many immortal brains but not enough bodies to go around. Bill’s body is wanted to house a Tsuris brain. He escapes and becomes engaged in a series of adventures fighting Huns, Carthaginians, and other anachronistic armies. Finally, Bill meets the Alien Historian, who has arranged all of this in an attempt to change history for the better.
In The Planet of Tasteless Pleasure, Bill has acquired a “mood foot” that changes form according to his mood. Bill takes a walk on the beach and follows a satyr, who pulls him under the water. He finds himself in a land of mythical beasts and persons, and he is told that he must find the god Zeus to redeem himself.
The satyr, who turns out to be a robot controlled by Bgr, leads Bill on a trip to find the Fountain of Hormones, on the theory that humans are so warlike because they are oversexed. They find the fountain after a series of confusing adventures that seem to take place in the Old West of Earth’s United States. Finally, Bill is again rescued, and his foot returns to normal human form.
The Planet of Zombie Vampires is concerned with a battle against particularly repulsive aliens on an unnamed planet. Assorted stereotyped troopers help Bill in his mission of destroying the planet. At the novel’s close, Bill finds a note from Bgr, who has vanished, along with a new foot.
The Planet of Ten Thousand Bars begins with Bill being assigned to infiltrate the Commupop Party, a group of dissidents who read good literature instead of the propaganda comics approved by the Empire. He finds himself on Barworld, a planet devoted to drinking. There he finds a time portal named Dudley Do-Do and attempts to travel in time to undo apparent damage to the past and prevent an alternative present, ruled by Nazis, from occurring. A series of extremely confusing time travel adventures ends with the appearance of Adolf Hitler and his obliteration by Bgr.
The last book in the series, The Final Incoherent Adventure, concerns a mission to the planet Eyerack, which contains the only known neutron mine in the galaxy. Because neutrons are needed to make neutron bombs and the inhabitants of the planet have decided to stop exporting the essential product, they must be subdued. During his mission, Bill is recruited by several resistance groups and by the enemy army. The latest series of defective right feet ends with replacement by a perfectly good hand.