Red Lightning

With a career that spans over thirty years, John Varley is only moderately prolific, with just over a dozen novels to his name. Fortunately, he is an author who is well worth the wait between books. Red Lightning once again shows why he continues to be one of the greats in science fiction. Red Lightning is the sequel to Red Thunder. The earlier novel dealt with a group of young adults who build their own spaceship despite government intervention (similar to The Astronaut Farmer (which came later), but also plotted rather differently). Red Lightning takes place a couple decades later and is narrated by Ray Garcia-Strickland, son of one of the Red Thunder heroes. In the intervening years between the two books, humanity has successfully colonized Mars and established based throughout the solar system. Earth, however, remains the center of the human universe. A mysterious object hits the Atlantic at near-light velocity, creating a massive tsunami that devastates the Caribbean and the east coast of the U.S., leading to economic and political crises. The first part of the book deals with Ray and his family going from Mars to Earth to explore the damage and rescue some relatives; the second portion, taking place on Mars, has Earth invading the colony and inadvertently sparking calls for independence. When reading this book, you'd think that the Katrina disaster would have been an influence, but a look at the copyright shows it was published too soon after that hurricane to really have an impact on the novel (though Varley does refer to it in an afterword); it was the Indonesian tsunami of 2004 that had more influence. Literarily, there is an obvious Heinlein effect, especially Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Though dealing with heavy issues, Varley writes with a light touch (though not so light as to trivialize what's going on). This helps make Red Lightning another fun Varley novel. If you want to read good (or great) old-fashioned style science fiction, Varley delivers the goods with Red Lightning.

Red Lightning does not immediately start where Red Thunder left off. Instead it picks up with the next generation - and they're living on Mars. Oh if only we could live on Mars right now! This story takes a different slant because it's less about four young people having a Grand Adventure and more about Consequences. Yet I found it captured the spirit of Red Thunder and I proudly display them on my 'favorites' shelf. Buy this book.

While this book is a nominal sequel to Red Thunder (and that book really should be read before tackling this one), it can stand on its own. Like Red Thunder, this book is crafted in the Heinlein coming-of-age mold, and those who enjoy those Heinlein works will find much to satisfy them here. Our Martian hero, seventeen year-old Ray Garcia-Strickland, is a pretty typical teenager, even if his parents are famous (their story is told in Red Thunder). School, girls, taking trips up to Phobos, and trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life occupy most of his attention But when a mysterious object smacks into the Atlantic Ocean traveling at light speed, his focus, and that of all his family, turns to finding out the status of his grandmother, a hotel proprietress in Florida, sure to be hit by the ensuing tsunami. The next hundred pages or so are taken up with the family's trip to Earth and their adventures in a badly damaged Florida once they arrive. This section allows Varley to not only show the current economic and technological background of his future, but to make some telling comments on governments, bureaucracies, privacy rights, and the reactions of different types of people to sudden disaster. He paints a pretty stark picture of American society, a society clearly based on the very visible trends of today where the right to privacy and ability to do as you wish is being swallowed by `security' and government intrusion into every facet of life. He also has one scene straight out of the Heinlein code book, when Ray and his sister revolt against their parent's commands and start making their own decisions. When the family returns to Mars, though, a whole new layer of story unfolds, where Mars is attacked and the family taken prisoner and very roughly interrogated. Why this happens forms the remainder of the story, where grand science meets power-hungry organizations, with the outcome dependent on the grit and determination of Ray and his family. The technological point of departure, both for this book and Red Thunder, is the `Squeezer', which effectively allows one to get unlimited energy for nothing. This device does major damage to current known physics, which Varley acknowledges and tries to patch up a little with some techno-babble about super-string theory in this book. Unfortunately, I still think this device falls in the `unbelievable' category. But a more serious fault is the characterization of Jubal, the inventor of this device and several others that are of critical importance to this story. The portrayal of Jubal as socially inept, almost childish, while at the same time knowing enough about how people work to plan and execute his escape from his `prison', and simultaneously not being able to see that sometimes application of force is absolutely necessary, is not well done. This is in marked contrast to Varley's excellent characterization of the other major players in this work Though realistic, Varley's description

The "professional" reviews give you the story line - an Earth family living on Mars, with a 17 year old son (our hero) and 19 year old daughter, and interesting friends on Earth. A Katrina type apocalyptic event, maybe caused by a spaceship, pretty much wipes out both U.S. coasts (plus multiple islands and other coastal regions) and the family returns to Earth in an attempt to rescue Grandma, who lives near Orlando. A very well-written story, lots of adventure, very likeable characters, a not unrealistic projection of what could happen. Thrown in villains who are all in black and who may be from Homeland Security or may be corporate mercenaries, and who invade Mars to find the family friend who invented a device that has become the source of power for most of Earth, and who has disappeared. I really liked this story. In many ways it reminded me of some of the best of Heinlein's coming-of-age stories, with the plus that the characters are much better developed and the plot moves along better. I thought the resolution (the triumph of right - by the story's parameters - over might) was neatly devised.

Over two decades ago Ray Garcia-Strickland's parents and his Uncles Travis and brilliant scientist cousin Jubal flew to Mars using old railroad tank cars and the Squeezer energy-drive to make a safe landing. Jubal invented the Squeezer as a free energy source that defies the laws of physics and can only be produced by him. Now Earth has a clean cheap source of energy which allows "Earthies" to visit the colony of Mars and see the sights. One day something going at a phenomenal speed hits the ocean causing a giant tsunami that wipes out the eastern seaboard of America. Three months later an invasion fleet from Earth lands on Mars looking for Jubal who escaped his hosts in the Falkland Islands where he was heavily guarded against kidnappers from other governments. They torture the Stricklands because whoever is behind the invasion believes the couple knows where Jubal hides. The invaders eventually free the Stricklands hoping that Jubal will contact them; when he does it is up to seventeen year old Ray to figure out how to free Mars and keep Jubal safe and happy. Readers get to see what damage a tsunami can do when the Stricklands fly to earth to rescue Ray's grandmother. This is an action packed space thriller in which one man is so valuable, governments, businessmen and politicians will go to any lengths to find and keep him. Jubal is an endearing child-like man who is heartbroken to see that his discovery has a dark and evil downside. Ray is the narrator and the story is told in the first person, which gives readers a ringside seat to the tsunami and the after-effects as well as the ethical dilemma Jubal finds himself in. RED LIGHTING is filled with action and populated by characters readers will care deeply about. Harriet Klausner