Gil Hamilton

Created by Larry Niven

GIL HAMILTON isn’t actually a private eye, but he sure acts like one. He’s a member of A.R.M., a special unit of the U.N. dedicated to the task of tracking down organleggers. You see, in the future, medical knowledge has reached the point where almost any body part is transplantable. But the demand for organs and other “spare parts” has gone through the roof, and criminals can make a good living murdering someone and selling them off piece by piece. It’s a nasty business, and it’s up to A.R.M. to stop it. Gil is a tough, resourceful op, a man who works alone and doesn’t always follow the rules, and takes a very personal interest in his work.

See, he lost an arm once in an outer space mining accident, and benefitted from a transplant himself.

Well-drawn characters, interesting concept, and a tough, hard-boiled feel that suits the subject matter. One of the very best of the early sci-fi/P.I.s.

There were even a couple of comic book mini-series appeared in the early nineties, a little too stiff in tone for my tastes, and lacking the grit of the originals novel and short stories. They’re worth hunting down.

SHORT STORIES

• “Death By Ecstasy” (1969)
• “The Defenceless Dead (1973)
• “ARM” (1975)
• “The Woman in Del Rey Crater” (1995, Flatlander)

COLLECTIONS

• The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton (1976) | Buy this book
• Flatlander: the Collected Tales of Gil “The Arm” Hamilton (1993) | Buy this book| Kindle it!

NOVELS

• The Patchwork Girl (1980) | Buy this book

COMICS

• A.R.M.
  (1990, Adventure/Malibu Graphics)
  3-issue mini-series, B&W
  Based on the short story, “Death By Ecstasy” by Larry Niven
  Written by Bill Spangler
  Art by Terry Tidwell, Steve Stiles
  • “Death By Ecstasy” (September 1990, #1)
  • “The Organ Leggers” (October 1990, #2)
  • “Heart Attack” (November 1990, #3)
• A.R.M.: THE DEFENCELESS DEAD
  (1991, Adventure/Malibu Graphics)
  3-issue mini-series, B&W

RELATED LINKS

• Down Those Mean Skies…: Sci-Fi P.I.’s
  An ever-expanding list of Sci-Fi P.I.’s.

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. Thanks to George Larkin for the word, and Bernie for the book. Cover Painting for Flatlander: the Collected Tales of Gil “The Arm” Hamilton  (Del Rey, 1993) by Chris Moore, created in mixed media.

---