The Golden Globe

A new novel from John Varley is a cause for celebration, as well as a reminder that it's probably time to get your booster shots renewed--every five or six years is their typical spacing nowadays. The wait is well worth it, however: _Globe_ is thrilling, richly-detailed, inventive, memorable... and occasionally science fiction. Only occasionally. Even though it's set in John Varley's universe, where one's body is as easy to change as one's makeup, and humans live almost everywhere in the solar system because they were kicked off the Earth, this book is much less involved with the ramifications and repercussions of nifty technologies than some of his previous stories and novels are. Instead, Globe is more concerned with characters. Most of them are the main character. Kenneth Valentine, alias K.C., alias Sparky, alias Dodger, alias Carson Dyle, alias Eustace McGargle, is one of the more memorable figures you're ever likely to find in science fiction, an actor/businessman/actor/con-artist/actor, and _Globe_ is a tale of the Stage Life. From frantic backstage disaster-recovery to stupid omnipotent studio heads, the book shows off the extremes encountered in the life of a star of stage and screen. There's a fair number of future features tossed in for verisimilitude, but most of this book could have been a work of regular old fiction, a journey told in flashbacks and side-jaunts leading to Sparky's Performance of a Lifetime.Along the way, we encounter the Bank Examiner swindle, the ghost of Jimmy Stewart, a formidable hit man from a planet of psychopaths, and the most enviable piece of furniture since Terry Pratchett's Luggage. It's a fantastic story, and one that's over much too soon--in fact, too soon for its own good. The last hundred pages feel rushed, as if an editor were holding Varley to a page limit (or, more likely, as if Varley was bound and determined to get this book finished and published and out of his In Progress pile already... maybe he realized he was approaching his next vaccination appointment). Still, what's here is wonderful enough to ease regrets over what is missing. Highly recommended.

...and, considering that John Varley at his worst is pretty amazing, you must definitely buy this book. If you're a Varley fan who doesn't own it, you probably haven't bothered reading the reviews, because you know what he can do.For those poor uninitiated souls unfamiliar with Varley's work, this book is an excellent place to start. It's the tale of former child star, current itinerant actor/con artist Kenneth "Sparky" Valentine, as he makes his way through the solar system. There's something of the guided-tour aspect present in this book as with many of Varley's other works...but his Eight Worlds universe certainly warrants such exploration. We see a natural moon being cannibalized to create an artificial satellite, the Amish community on Luna, the inner workings of a media powerhouse, AIs that are something more than their creators intended (or would perhaps want), a travel accessory that is second only to Terry Pratchett's Luggage.... All seen from the viewpoint of the well-drawn (which is not to say entirely reliable) Valentine. Varley's work is always a delight. This book is no exception, and it's cohesive narrative makes it one of his technical best.

Varley? Heinlein? Who cares! The Big Three of the Golden Age of Sci Fi were Asimov, Clarke and Heinlein. Have you re-read any Asimov or Clarke lately? Me neither. I tried, but.... Good in their time, but in hindsight the technology of Asimov and the vision of Clarke just fall flat (except for 2001).In retrospect, however, the works of R.A. Heinlein are still relevant. Of all the Golden Age biggies, he was the most human, and his characters and the situations they encounter continue to compel and instruct, and remain relevant to everyday life.So, John Varley "filed the serial numbers off and repainted" Heinlein's _Double Star_? Who cares? He took an already complex character and made him more complex. He constructed two parallel story lines, presented in media res and in flashback, that twine together in a most satisfactory manner. There's lots of fun, and Shakespeare, along the way ("Classicists Unite! You have nothing to lose but your TV!") Some fight scenes, vicious luggage (bet that trunk never gets lost at DFW), practical space travel, fight scenes, mystery, acting, fight scenes, cute dogs, love, and finally war. And all from an optimistic pessimist's point of view against the vast sweep of space and the human spirit. What more can you ask for from a sci fi novel?This just lends more credence to the peculiar theory that RAH and John Varley share more than just a literary style and a point of view. Is this perhaps part of the Masquerade?

I find John Varley frustrating because he writes so slowly. Well, maybe not. But his books come out with huge gaps between them, which is too bad because they're all good. (Yeah, I know, another of my favorites is Harry Turtledove, who probably writes too much. Maybe these two should exchange some blood or something.) This book returns to the universe of "Steel Beach" and has some slight character overlap (Hildy Johnson, the Heinleiners) at the end. But it's a fundamentally freestanding story set in a very interesting place. The leading character, "Sparky" Valentine, is believable for those of us who've been around theatre, and has just the sort of brilliantly one-sided personality that makes for lively reading. Varley does a first-rate job of getting inside Valentine's head -- even to producing such actorly malapropisms as "coriolanus force." Well worth the money and time.

Ever since I first read The Barbie Murders (now tragically out of print) in the early 80s, I've gobbled up everything Varley. His no-nonsense vision of a future where biology has been brought to heel is so seductive and convincing, I think it might have been an early influence on my career path (I'm a molecular biologist). Though The Golden Globe was no less compelling than his other books, I'm tempted to knock a star off my rating for a lack of new Varleyesque ideas. The lack of new stuff is almost made up for by Sparky Valentine's novelty - what a cool character! I was actually a little turned-off by Sparky in the first part of the book - he seemed sort of too cute or contrived or something. But it quickly becomes evident that the cutesyness is a thin veneer over an extremely sophisticated character. I missed the Varley world enough after finishing the Golden Globe that I went back and re-read the Gaea trilogy - which still feels amazingly current, despite being nearly 20 years old. Varley is one of the true visionaries of the hard-core sci fi world.