John Varley

"An unlikely group of seven suburban misfits band together to construct a spaceship built out of old tanker cars that they call Red Thunder, determined to beat the Chinese in a race to become the first humans to set foot on Mars"--NoveList.

Red thunder

A definitive compilation of short fiction from the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author features such classic works as "The Persistence of Vision," "Press Enter," "The Pusher," and "The Barbie Murders," as well as a variety of previously uncollected stories--including "The Bellman," "Good Intentions," "Just Another Perfect Day," and "The Flying Dutchman." Original.

Thirty Years of Short Fiction

The John Varley Reader

"John Varley has won multiple awards for his "imaginative and engaging"* novels. Now the author of Millennium, Steel Beach, and Rolling Thunder speculates how people would survive in a world suddenly stripped of the fuel that makes it run... 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... *San Francisco Chronicle"--

Slow apocalypse

The Ophiuchi Hotline

Press enter

Lighthearted sci-fi short stories by popular sci-fi author.

Blue Champagne

Wizard

When Cirrocco Jones, captain of the spaceship Ringmaster, and his crew are captured by Gaea, a planet-sized creature that orbits around Saturn, they find themselves inside a bizarre world inhabited by centaurs, harpies, and constantly shifting environment

Titan

Gollancz's Science Fiction Collector's series, which offers the finest classics of the genre, now presents a thought-provoking and multiple award-nominated novel by acclaimed author John Varley. After the effortless capture of Earth by vastly superior aliens, humanity is forced to fight for existence on the Moon and other lumps of airless rock. The invention of the Hotline--a constant stream of data from a star in the constellation Ophiuchus--facilitates survival and enables the development of amazing new technologies. Then, after 400 years, humanity's unknown helpers send a bill for their services...and suddenly everything is threatened once again.

In the Hall of the Martian Kings

Known for “superior science fiction” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), author John Varley returns to his Thunder and Lightning series with a novel of how one man’s volatile genius could alter a starship’s epic plunge into a future where human survival is just a theory… On a voyage to New Earth, the starship Rolling Thunder is powered by an energy no one understands, except for its eccentric inventor Jubal Broussard. Like many of the ship’s inhabitants, Jubal rests in a state of suspended animation for years at a time, asleep yet never aging. The moments when Jubal emerges from suspended animation are usually a cause for celebration for his family, including his twin daughters—Cassie and Polly—and their uncle who is captain of the Rolling Thunder. But this time, Jubal makes a shocking announcement… The ship must stop, or everyone will die. These words from the mission’s founder, the man responsible for the very existence of the Rolling Thunder, will send shock waves throughout the starship—and divide its passengers into those who believe and those who doubt. And it will be up to Cassie and Polly to stop a mutiny, discover the truth, and usher the ship into a new age of exploration…

Dark Lightning

The sequel to Red Thunder is “a cosmic coming-of-age novel . . . [with] enthralling everyday heroics” from a Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author (Paul Di Filippo, SciFi.com). It doesn’t matter that Ray Garcia-Strickland’s father was one of the first men on Mars. The now overdeveloped planet has lost its hip factor, its luxurious hotels—like the one Ray’s father manages—overrun with gravity-dependent tourists from Earth. Ray is over the Red Planet. Soon he gets his own chance at interplanetary adventure, when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami. Ray heads back to Florida to help family and friends who’ve survived the devastation—and soon learns the so-called natural disaster could have unnatural consequences . . . “The book Robert A. Heinlein would have written if he lived in George Bush’s America.” —Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing “A highly satisfying sequel to Red Thunder . . . Much more than a simple adventure story, full of poignant moments and relevant social commentary.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Drawing unabashedly on current events from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, the author mixes space opera–esque adventure and merriment with uncensored images of disaster areas and teenage sex. At his Heinlein-channeling best, Varley preaches the gospel of individual responsibility with all the fervor of a space-age libertarian revival preacher.” —Publishers Weekly “John Varley blends past fiction, current events and future tech to create a story all his own, but with classic roots in at least a half dozen of Heinlein's juveniles.” —SF Site

Red Lightning

John Postle Heseltine

W. Mulready, J. Linnell, and W. Hunt ; Original Drawings in the Collection of J.P.H.

John Varley and His Pupils

The Barbie Murders

Gea è un mondo vasto e sconosciuto che si è avvicinato al Sistema Solare. Una squadra di ricognizione umana deve esplorarlo da vicino. Cirocco Jones, responsabile della missione, è una donna con le idee chiare e un preciso disegno nella mente: scoprire il segreto di Gea e dei suoi artefici, anche se questo richiede la revisione di tutti i parametri conosciuti in fatto di ingegneria, chimica e biologia. Come è stato scritto all'epoca in cui il romanzo uscì per la prima volta: "Un capolavoro di invenzione e di suspense scritto da un autore che Isaac Asimov ha definito senz'altro un nuovo Heinlein".

Nel segno di Titano (Urania)

Red Thunder, Red Lightning, and Rolling Thunder—“action-packed, science-packed homages to Heinlein’s best work”—now in one volume (Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing). Enjoy all three novels in Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author John Varley’s Mars saga! Red Thunder As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida have a chance to beat them both—thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory . . . Red Lightning Son of one of the first men on Mars, Ray Garcia-Strickland is over the Red Planet and its gravity-dependent tourists. And when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami, he’ll get his own chance at interplanetary adventure . . . Rolling Thunder Stationed on one of Jupiter’s moons, Podkayne, a Martian navy lieutenant and daughter of Ray Garcia-Strickland, is finally realizing her dream of being a singer when disaster strikes. Put into a state of suspended animation, she awakens ten years later to face her—and humanity’s—greatest challenge . . . Praise for the Thunder and Lightning Series “Superior science fiction.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer “Fast paced . . . engaging characters.” —Rocky Mountain News “Much more than a simple adventure story, full of poignant moments and relevant social commentary.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “The heart-pounding space race is on . . . in this riveting SF thriller . . . with hilarious, well-drawn characters, extraordinary situations presented plausibly, plus exciting action and adventure.” —Publishers Weekly

The Thunder and Lightning Series

A collection of short stories from the Hugo and Nebula award-winning author who "has the imagination of six ordinary science fiction writers" (George R.R. Martin)—John Varley. Picnic on Nearside includes nine astonishing stories from an author whose imagination has changed the genre and the way that people envision the future.

Picnic On Nearside

Isaac Asimov

Robert Silverberg

Nicholas Carter

Victoria Weisfeld 

Daniel Marcus 

Robert Lopresti 

George O. Smith 

Murray Leinster 

Edwin Balmer 

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #43. If this isn’t the best issue we had to date, it’s pretty darn close. Lots of great tales are packed into this one—including not one, but two mystery novels (by Edwin Balmer and Nicholas Carter), three shorter mysteries (including a major new novelet by Robert Lopresti, a great reprint by Victoria Weisfeld, and a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles). On the science fiction side, we have an amazing set of stories by Daniel Marcus, Isaac Asimov, George O. Smith, Murray Leinster, and Robert Silverberg. It’s hard to get better than that. Oh, wait—we also have an interview with Robert Varley, courtesy of Darrell Schweitzer. This is another one of his “paleo-interviews,” going back to 1976, the time when Varley burst onto the scene and became one of this hottest writers in the field. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Suicide Club,” by Robert Lopresti [Michael Bracken Presents short story] A Wee Bit of Dough,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] Evidence, by Victoria Weisfeld [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Ruth of the U.S.A., by Edwin Balmer [novel] An Uncanny Revenge, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Non-Fiction: "Speaking with John Varley” [Interview with Darrell Schweitzer] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Jesus Christ Superstore,” by Daniel Marcus [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Let’s Get Together,” by Isaac Asimov [short story] “The Undamned, by George O. Smith [short story] “Planet of Sand,” by Murray Leinster [short story] “The Guest Rites,” by Robert Silverberg [short story]

John Varley

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