VARLEY, JOHN

Earth no longer belongs to humans who now occupy other parts of the solar system. Contact is made with another species outside the system which may offer some help to the humans.

Excellent and highly recommended (10)
 

Tribute site www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/4126/varley.html

Tribute site www.geocities.com/Area51/Rampart/3870/
 

VARLEY, JOHN

Humans from the future return to the past to rescue people before they die in major accidents. The future is very bleak and the plan is to save mankind by using these rescued people. A very entertaining story and further confirmation of Varley's talent.

Excellent  (9.5)
 

VARLEY, JOHN

A derelict space station is about to crash into the moon and it's just been discovered that someone still lives on it. A rescue seems to be out of the question as the station's computer destroys anything that gets too close.

An enjoyable novella, but not up to the standard of Varley's previous works reviewed here.

Good  (6.5)
 

VARLEY, JOHN

Hildy is a reporter for The News Nipple, a newspad that specializes in celebrity news and scandal. She lives on Luna (ie. our moon) and is not happy with her existence. The Central Computer is responsible for the running of Luna. The CC does its job so well that most people live carefree. Hildy discovers the CC is doing things outside its expected programming.

Luna is one of the Eight Worlds inhabited by mankind within our solar system. 200 years ago the Earth was invaded by mysterious aliens, banishing humans to harsher environments. Like Luna, AI's run each of the other worlds and the people of these worlds make extensive use of nanotechnology. Mankind lives free of disease and fear of death, nanobots are used to reshape people into the sex of their choosing.

There are people within the population of Luna who are not happy with the complacency and stagnation brought about by the existence of the CC.

It wasn't until the last 150 pages of this 566-page story that I began to truly enjoy what I was reading. Prior to this we were given insights into life in this future world and the personal struggles of Hildy. Varley pays homage to Robert A. Heinlein toward the end, one character being 'named' Valentine Michael Smith and a town called Strangeland. On the whole, I would say I was disappointed with STEEL BEACH especially when compared to THE OPHIUCHI HOTLINE.

Good   (7)

October 1999
 

VINGE, VERNOR

Very Good (8)
 

Tribute site www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~phoenix/vinge/
 

VINGE, VERNOR

Set in the near future where the authorities are chasing a bunch of underground freedom fighters. People and places considered undesirable have been placed in bubbles for indefinite periods of time.

Excellent and highly recommended (10)
 

VINGE, VERNOR

Journey into the future with the survivors of the human species via the bubbles last seen in THE PEACE WAR. A 'murder' occurs during the journey and it becomes a case of who-dunnit.

Not up to the standard set in THE PEACE WAR.

Good  (6)

VINGE, VERNOR

The Qeng Ho are traders who travel the Galaxy exchanging goods/technology. They are always in search of new technology that they can trade and help out mankind across the light years. When news of an intelligent alien species reaches the Qeng Ho, they send a fleet of ships to discover and explore the possibilities.

The Qeng Ho are not the only interested party. The Emergents, a human population only just recovering from the collapse of civilisation on their planet, wish to exploit this alien find to suit its own ends. The Qeng Ho and Emergents form a shaky alliance on the way to their unknown treasure.

The alien race, known as the Spiders, live on a planet that goes through cycles of light and dark. Their planet orbits what is known as the OnOff star which emits life sustaining sunlight for only 40 out of every 250 years or so. The Spiders hibernate through the cold, but burst into frenetic growth on Relight. The human fleets plan to arrive just before Relight and after the Spiders reach a technologically more advanced stage, they will make their presence known and begin to interact.

Set thousands of years before Vinge’s A FIRE UPON THE DEEP, I found this to be a much more enjoyable work. From start to finish of this 774-page book, I was totally caught up in the lives of its central characters, whether they be Qeng Ho, Emergent or Spider. Filled with action, intrigue and a well fleshed out alien species, this effort is a very deserving winner of the Hugo Award. It is not necessary that you read A FIRE UPON THE DEEP before getting your hands on this wonderful book.

Excellent and highly recommended  (10)

February 2002
 
 
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