Synopses & Reviews
Despite wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as 9/11, the United States’ dependence on foreign oil has kept the nation tied to the Middle East. A scientist has developed a cure for America’s addiction—a slow-acting virus that feeds on petroleum, turning it solid. But he didn’t consider that his contagion of an Iraqi oil field could spread to infect the fuel supply of the entire world… In Los Angeles, screenwriter Dave Marshall heard this scenario from a retired US marine and government insider who acted as a consultant on Dave’s last film. It sounded as implausible as many of his scripts, but the reality is much more frightening than anything he could have envisioned. An ordinary guy armed with extraordinary information, Dave hopes his survivor’s instinct will kick in so he can protect his wife and daughter from the coming apocalypse that will alter the future of Earth—and humanity…
Review
“John Varley is the best writer in America.”—Tom Clancy
“[A] rollicking, bittersweet tale of time travel and ecology…Varley’s sparkling wit pulls one surprise after another out of this unconventional blend of science and social commentary.”—Publishers Weekly
“Terrific…H. G. Wells meets Jurassic Park.”—The Best Reviews
“[An] imaginative and engaging . . . writer . . . Varley is in top form.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"Dedicated to the master of such topical tomorrows, Robert Heinlein."—
Science Fiction Weekly
"Superior science fiction."—Philadelphia Inquirer
"The heart-pounding space race is on! [A] riveting SF thriller...with hilarious, well-drawn characters, extraordinary situations presented plausibly, plus exciting action and adventure."—Publishers Weekly
Review
"The short story is to science fiction what the "7 single was to rock: the most perfect yet the most mercilessly demanding form. My life experience of John Varley's stories has been that great majority of them are quite literally unforgettable." William Gibson
Review
Praise for John Varley “John Varley is the best writer in America.”—Tom Clancy “My life experience of John Varley’s stories has been that the great majority of them are literally unforgettable.”—William Gibson “There are few writers whose work I love more than John Varley’s, purely love.”—Cory Doctorow “One of science fiction’s most important writers.”—The Washington Post “Inventive.”—The New York Times
Review
“A page turner…[Varleys] prose style is accessible without being slick or dumbed-down; this is a literary novel with a potboiler plot, easily digested but not insultingly simple. He builds a thought-through, realistic world, then explores how his cataclysm would change it.”—
The AV Club “A captivating page-turner that offers one mans look at an alternative end of the world. Slow Apocalypse will satisfy fans of science-fiction, literary thrillers and mysteries alike.”—The Maine Edge
“Gripping, terrifying, and convincing.”—Locus
“An entertaining post-apocalyptic thriller.”—Genre Go Round Reviews
Synopsis
Not content with investing his fortune and watching it grow, multibillionaire Howard Christian buys rare cars that he actually drives, acquires collectible toys that he actually plays with, and builds buildings that defy the imagination. But now his restless mind has turned to a new obsession: cloning a mammoth…
In a barren province of Canada, a mammoth hunter financed by Christian has made the discovery of a lifetime: an intact frozen woolly mammoth. But what he finds during the painstaking process of excavating the huge creature baffles the mind. Huddled next to the mammoth is the mummified body of a Stone Age man around 12,000 years old. And he is wearing a wristwatch.
It looks like Howard Christian is going to get his wish—and more…
Synopsis
In the skies over Oakland, California, a DC-10 and a 747 are about to collide. But in the far distant future, a time travel team is preparing to snatch the passengers, leaving prefabricated smoking bodies behind for the rescue teams to find. And in Washington D.C., an air disaster investigator named Smith is about to get a phone call that will change his life...and end the world as we know it.
Synopsis
The son of one of the first men to fly to Mars and back, Ray Garcia-Strickland is now a disgruntled Martian, tired of the Red Planet's overdevelopment and the gravity-dependent tourist Earthies. But that doesn't stop him from fearing the worst when Earth is struck by an unknown object, causing a massive tsunami. Living high on his father's glory was okay, but now Ray must literally come down to Earth-and solve one of its greatest mysteries.
Synopsis
Lieutenant Patricia Kelly Elizabeth Strickland?otherwise known as Podkayne?has joined the Music, Arts, and Drama Division of the Martian Navy, passing the audition with a little help from some higher-ups. And now she?s going to Europa, one of Jupiter?s many moons, to be an entertainer. But she?s about to learn that there can be plenty of danger to go around in the Martian Navy, even if you?ve just signed on to sing.
Synopsis
Seven suburban misfits are constructing a spaceship out of old tanker cars. The plan is to beat the Chinese to Mars--in under four days at three million miles an hour. It would be history in the making if it didn't sound so insane.
Synopsis
One of the greatest science fiction epics ever written, John Varley's Titan, Wizard, and Demon comprise a groundbreaking trilogy that will live forever. Human explorers have entered the sprawling mind of Gaea. Now they must fight her will. For she is much too powerful...and definitely insane. "These books are going to be around for a long time." --Locus
Synopsis
From the moment John Varley burst onto the scene in 1974, his short fiction was like nothing anyone else was writing. His stories won every award the science fiction field had to offer, many times over. His first collection,
The Persistence of Vision, published in 1978, was the most important collection of the decade, and changed what fans would come to expect from science fiction.
Now, The John Varley Reader gathers his best stories, many out of print for years. This is the volume no Varley fan-or science fiction reader-can do without.
Synopsis
"This is an engrossing novel by one of the genre's most accomplished storytellers." --Publishers Weekly All the universe is a stage...and Sparky Valentine is its itinerant thespian. He brings Shakespeare--a version of it anyway--to the outer reaches of Earth's solar system. Sparky can transform himself from young to old, fat to thin, even male to female, by altering magnetic implants beneath his skin. Indispensible hardware for a career actor--and an interstellar con man wanted for murder...
Synopsis
Twenty years ago, the Gaean Trilogy dazzled critics and readers. Now a new generation will discover that brilliant world--beginning with Titan.
Synopsis
Seven suburban misfits are constructing a spaceship out of old tanker cars. The plan is to beat the Chinese to Mars--in under four days at three million miles an hour. It would be history in the making if it didn't sound so insane.
About the Author
John Varley is the author of the Gaean Trilogy (Titan, Wizard, and Demon), Steel Beach, The Golden Globe, Red Thunder, Mammoth, Red Lightning, and Rolling Thunder. He has won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards for his work.
Table of Contents
The John Varley Reader Introdcuction
Picnic on Nearside
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
In the Hall of the Martian Kings
Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance
The Barbie Murders
The Phantom of Kansas
Beatnik Bayou
Air Raid
The Persistence of Vision
Press Enter
The Pusher
Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo
Options
Just Another Perfect Day
In Fading Suns and Dying Moons
The Flying Dutchmen
Good Intentions
The Bellman
Afterword