This is the first time I've ached to give a book SIX stars . . . .

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	• The John Varley Reader John Varley Ace Trade, 2004 - 532 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This is the first time I've ached to give a book SIX stars . . . .

Okay -- Christopher Priest is arguably more poetic, and Tim Powers is more literary, when he cares to be. But it's a proven fact that John Varley is the all-around best SF writer working these days. That's even more true when it comes to the short form, as this recapitulative collection demonstrates. Varley is a Texan by birth and very close to my own age and, like me, he spent his early adult years in the San Francisco Bay area. As I rediscovered in his biographical introductions to these stories, we share a lot of the same life-shaping milieux. Of course, I've read Varley's stories and novels over the years with great appreciation as they were published, since the first appearance of his first short story, "Picnic on Farside," in 1974, but reading this volume straight through is like sitting down with a spoon to a quart of caviar. All of his best award-winning work is here: "Press Enter" (still a nerve-wracking read), "The Pusher" (still very unsettling), and "The Persistence of Vision" (still one of the most affecting pieces of writing I've ever read, from anyone). There are also five never-before-anthologized stories, of which "The Flying Dutchman" may, as the author says, convince you to take the train the next time you have to travel. Most of these stories are in the "Eight Worlds" series, though the Anna Bach sub-series (sort of police procedurals but really much more than that) are prominent, too. The weakest piece in the book, to me, is "Options," which is a bit too earnest and cloying for my taste, but it's still an excellent story. And there's one that's entirely new to us: "The Bellman," originally destined for Harlan Ellison's third "Dangerous Visions" volume (also something of a flying Dutchman . . .), which doesn't seem nearly as radical as it would have when it was written in 1978.

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30 years of greatness

As someone who had only read the novels of John Varley, excepting one short story, which happened to be the last story in this collection, The Bellman, I came to it with fresh eyes and no fog of nostalgia from reading the stories when they were new.

Not only are the stories solid, we also get some brief autobiography and background of the stories containing such interesting info as Varley rates a car as one of the best places he's lived(during Woodstock), his first novel didn't get published, but his first short story, which is contained in this collection, did, he does not like writers groups and showing his work for criticism and generally does not rewrite his work.

Not only do the stories, particularly the 8-worlds and the Anna-Louise Bach stories, have the wow factor one expects from the field, they also make you think. Particularly the 8-worlds stories where gender changing, body changing and age changing is fast, easy and ubiquitious. What happens to gender roles and how people relate when your friend shows up at your door tomorrow as the opposite sex?

One problem of story collections is that it can be a little much to read nothing but short bites of the same author, to badly mix a metaphor, but this collection gets it right despite a moderate length by mixing the stories of his various milieus up. At the end you will be sated with Varley, but not fed up.

Highly recommended, as are his Gaea trilogy.

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Essential Varley Short Science Fiction

If you're new to Varley and want to explore his short stories, or a long time fan but just want a collection of his short fiction, this is the collection to get. It has the very best of his short fiction including three Hugo and Nebula award winners. These are "The Persistence of Vision," "Press Enter" and "The Pusher." I have always thought "Press Enter" and "The Pusher" were two of the most powerful and original science fiction stories I've ever read. "Press Enter" is spine chilling and creepy but only after reading the last page. Before then it's an enjoyable murder mystery and love story. "The Pusher" is the best science fiction story ever written about time dilation for space travelers. In addition, "Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo" will hold your attention to the very tragic end. Varley is one of the best writers in America today. He just happens to write science fiction. This is a collection of his best short stuff with the author's fascinating intros and comments for each story.

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Great Storytelling from John Varley

John Varley sold his first story, "Picnic on Nearside," in 1974. By 1985 his stories had garnered him three Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards, and nine Locus Awards, with a tenth Locus in 1987. This collection includes all of the Hugo and Nebula stories and several of the Locus stories. It's a great place to start if you've heard of Varley but haven't read him yet. Even if you have his other collections, you'll want this one as well, not only for the new material, but for the author's extensive comments that precede each story.

I don't like short stories but I like this book !

I like stories with indepth character and plot development. Shorts always leave me wanting more. However, this is just worth reading.

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reviews: page 1, 2

From the moment John Varley burst onto the scene in 1974, his short fiction was like nothing anyone else was writing. His stories won every award the science fiction field had to offer, many times over. His first collection, The Persistence of Vision, published in 1978, was the most important collection of the decade, and changed what fans would come to expect from science fiction.

Now, The John Varley Reader gathers his best stories, many out of print for years. This is the volume no Varley fan-or science fiction reader-can do without.

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