From /tmp/sf.4258 Tue Feb 1 04:01:47 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Path: liuida!sunic!pipex!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!dani From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) Subject: "Steel Beach", by John Varley Message-ID: Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) Date: Sun, 2 Jan 1994 06:40:12 GMT Lines: 39 This book has everything! SCIENCE! "As you can see," Smith was saying as we walked down a long and fairly rickety flight of metal stairs, "they've just about frabjulated the primary phase of the osmosifractionating de-hoo-dooer. And those guys rattatting the willy-nilly say they ought to have it whistling Dixie in three days' time." HORROR! I went to the nearest table and stuck a knife into a pate sculpture of Sigmund Freud and spread the thick brown goo over a slice of bladk bread... I put two thick slices of smoked ham on top of the pate, spread a layer of cream cheese, a few sheets of lox...and topped it all off with three spoonsful of black Beluga cavier. EPISTEMOLOGY! "Not three weeks ago, when she turned up that fourth ace with the biggest pot of the night, I *knowed* she was cheating!.... I know what I dealt her!" WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK! What was that? Sex and violence? Yeah, there's that too. If you haven't gotten around to reading "Steel Beach" yet, you should. ----- Dani Zweig dani@netcom.com The surface of the strange, forbidden planet was roughly textured and green, much like cottage cheese gets way after the date on the lid says it is all right to buy it.--Scott Jones From /tmp/sf.4258 Tue Feb 1 04:01:52 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Path: liuida!sunic!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!dani From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) Subject: Re: "Steel Beach", by John Varley Message-ID: Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: Date: Sun, 2 Jan 1994 18:30:38 GMT Lines: 24 Kidding aside, "Steel Beach" really is excellent, but not without its flaws. One of its best features (as with other 'Eight Worlds' works) is that Varley has put a lot of thought into the implications -- social and ethical -- of technology that could be just around the corner. I may disagree with some of his ideas, but they're certainly thought-provoking. (He's pretty good about avoiding expository lumps, but sometimes he slips badly.) The story itself is interesting, well-told, and often very humorous -- at times side-splitting. Its worst weakness is the welding on of the Heinlein subplot in the last fifth of the novel. It's too late, too different, and too irrelevant. (The 'Glitch' is relevant, but that could have been told differently.) The problem here is that Varley *wanted* star travel to be the implicit answer to one of the problems he raised. Again, if you haven't read it yet, it's starting to appear in the used book stores, so the price is definitely right. (In fact, if I'd known it was going to be this good, I'd have bought the paperback new.) ----- Dani Zweig dani@netcom.com The inability of snakes to count is actually a refusal, on their part, to appreciate the Cardinal Number system. -- "Actual Facts" From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Oct 2 13:40:27 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!newsswitch.lcs.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!not-for-mail From: hklaus6073@aol.com (HKlaus6073) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: The Golden Globe-Varley Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 01 Oct 1998 19:03:54 -0400 Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Lines: 36 Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:2116 THE GOLDEN GLOBE by John Varley Review Copyright 1998 Harriet Klausner In the twenty-third century, Shakespearean actor Sparky Valentine travels the galaxy providing his unique perspective of the classics to what is left of the human experience. Sparky goes from planet to planet performing and interpreting the Bard to a normally warm, but usually small audience. Sparky has been known to even do one of Shakespeare's plays on tiny bits of floating rocks. While performing, Sparky has a bit of a reputation for pulling a con or two. However, this time around Sparky has apparently gone too far. The intergalactic law and the Plutonian-based Charonese Mafia want him even though Sparky is not sure for which stunt(s) has gotten him in trouble. However, though he may have a legal and illegal price on his head, Sparky cannot resist the urge to return home to perform in a real live production of King Lear. THE GOLDEN GLOBE is a strange but fun to read science fiction tale that provides a wonderful new anti-hero to fans. The story line demonstrates why John Varley is a multi award-winning author and the supportive cast makes our solar system seem as if it is fully inhabited. However, what makes Mr. Varley's novel so special is that stellar actor Sparky, who has performed just about every role (regardless of sex, age, national origin, or physical shape) Shakespeare has scribed. A fun time to be had by genre fans. Harriet Klausner %T THE GOLDEN GLOBE %A John Varley %I Ace %D Oct 1998 %O $22.95 %P 425 pp. %G ISBN 0-441-00558-6 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Thu Feb 11 16:25:05 1999 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!newsfeed.cwix.com!18.181.0.26!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!usenet From: nospam@nospam.org (Scott Drellishak) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review of John Varley's THE GOLDEN GLOBE Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 08 Feb 1999 11:51:54 -0500 Organization: The Weyland-Yutani Company Lines: 71 Sender: wex@tinbergen.media.mit.edu Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:2259 _The Golden Globe_, by John Varley Review Copyright 1999 Scott Drellishak (sfd at nwlink dot com) Rating: 7 (out of 10) High-concept summary: _Double Star_ meets _Vacuum Flowers_ OR _Schizmatrix_ meets _The Stainless Steel Rat_ This was a very good book, full of snappy writing, interesting stfnal ideas, and plain old entertainment. It only gets 7 out of 10, though, because of two unfortunate facts: it's by John Varley, and it's an Eight Worlds story. I'm not going to detail John Varley's career, except to say that I think his short stories, and the Eight Worlds stories in particular, represent one of the most impressive bodies of work in science fiction. This includes "Bagatelle," "Picnic on Nearside," "Equinoctial," "In the Hall of the Martian Kings," "Blue Champagne," "Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo," and "The Persistence of Vision." _The Golden Globe_ tells the tale of Sparky Valentine, capital-A Actor, hobo, thief, cyborg, con artist, and lovable rogue. He's been on the lam for 70 years, playing Shakespeare and other works from Mercury to the Kuiper Belt. In a fit of ill-advised nostalgia, he accepts the role of Lear in a production on Luna, then has to get there from Pluto on time, lack of funds and pursuit by the Charonese Mafia notwithstanding. Sparky is about as colorful a character as you can imagine -- he knows how to hitch rides on cargo spaceships, put on Punch and Judy puppet shows, and run all the classic cons, and he carries the coolest piece of luggage this side of a Terry Pratchett novel. As he makes his way to Luna (in the first person), we're treated to parallel flashbacks (in the third person) to his early career as a child star. Great stuff, and great fun. That's the good news. I had problems with the book as well. As usual, Varley spins off lots of neat hard-sf ideas, but he never seems to *do* anything with them -- they're part of the scenery. His Eight Worlds milieu, at its best an alien and thought-provoking possible human future, seems very *familiar* this time. It's populated with stereotypes from central casting: relentless assassins, Depression era hoboes (but they're Space Hoboes, see?), old-school theater people, and a fabulous babe or two. How likely is it that a space-based society which spent a couple of centuries trying to recover from the abrupt Invasion of Earth would be so familiar to us twentieth century types? Also, it seemed several times that Varley was grinding his anti-Hollywood axe (he apparently has had some bad experiences with the movie biz) -- unfortunately, that's axe which wrecked _Demon_, the third book in his Gaean trilogy. I was entertained, and only put the book down twice. The story pulled me along to the big climax (it was good to see Hildy again), and I'll buy the third book in the "metals" trilogy in hardcover (maybe we'll get to see the Heinleiners kick some Invader butt!). But I was disappointed -- Varley at his best is better than just about any other writer, but _The Golden Globe_ was merely very good. %T The Golden Globe %A John Varley %D October 1998 %I Berkley Ace %G 0-441-00558-6 A note on Heinlein references (and a minor spoiler): Hey, I think that's Manny on page 13! Also, how did Varley resist including the line "Death and Destruction!" in Valentine's declaration of war? / Scott Drellishak \ | "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced." | \ "Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness." /