The Persistence of vision

Have you ever, sometime in your life, by any chance, heard of the multi-multi-multi-million copy bestselling author Tom Clancy? Well, when HE wants to be entertained by thoughtful, visionary, intelligent works of fiction -- which generally feature significantly fewer gratuitous explosions than his own work -- then he turns to one of his personal favorite authors, John Varley. "Persistence of Vision," in my humble opinion, is probably Varley's most accessible, yet amazing book.The stories all feature characters in a remote future, in which everything about the human body, and everything about human society, is completely mutable and within the ability of individuals to choose for themselves. John Varley writes about sympathetic human beings, dealing with what seem to them to be fairly run-of-the-mill problems. To you or me, however, everything about the lives of these characters is simply awe-inspiring... Here you will meet lonely spacemen dwelling at the outer reaches of the solar system; sociological musings on the long-lost institution of the "nuclear family," by future, human inhabitants of Mercury; conversations between an explorer/composer and his alien symbiote, amongst the rings of Saturn; and much, much more. The last tale in the volume, the one the book is named after, is particularly memorable. It features a man who becomes part of a colony of deaf-mute-blind people, who have developed a highly spiritual means of communicating. That story is the most profound one in this collection, but they are all stirring. I highly recommend reading "The Persistence of Vision." Two thumbs up.

Short stories are many, yet few good inbetween. This is by far the best out of one person put all in one book I have ever read in all my years of run on sentences of my own, not his. The depth and sincerity of the heroes/heroines brings it all home. You're there, the only place Varley wants you to be. I would rate this his best, but I am also biased. I love ALL his work. I recommend them all aslo.

Every SF fan has one book that they share with friends who don't read "that sci-fi stuff." This is the book I give to friends. It's one of the rare collections that work all the way through. You'll find clasic Varley stories here, like "Air Raid," "Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance," "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank," and "The Phantom of Kansas." But the title story is the best of the bunch; a heartbreakingly beautiful story of the quest for the trancendant, couched in a questioning of whether physical disabilities can free people, as well as limit them. If you can find this book used, snap it up; if it's ever back in print, grab two copies. You'll need one to read now, and one as a backup for when you wear the first copy out. Or maybe so you can share it with a friend.

This is a great collection of stories. Varley is outstaning in his characterizations and unique ideas. Each story is an example in excellent writing. Bring this one back.