Instruct: Classify a given review as either positive or negative.
Query: Painfully Mediocre

There is very little in the world worse than watching a favorite author write well below his potential. The four previous Stainless Steel Rat books I had read were all full of acerbic wit, tight action, and amazing (yet credible) escapes. This one is lacking in nearly every category. With every page, I was desperately hoping that Harrison would break out and regain his form. Alas, it was not to be.