Review of The John Varley Reader by John Varley

It's time for a behind-the-scenes look at Speculiction, to pull aside the glamor of everyday (ahem) posting and see the nitty gritty of how such a well oiled, mainstream blog runs.  Indeed, I keep a txt file titled: “To complete sf journey”. In the file is a list of authors and their books I would like to read before saying that I am no longer interested in reading anything else by them. Some authors are not included on the list given their entire oeuvre is of interest, e.g. Brian Aldiss, or, they've already been removed as I've had my fill, e.g. Alastair Reynolds. I don't purposely go through the list like a machine, but when the mood strikes me I take a look and choose a book. The mood apparently right, I saw there was only one entry remaining under John Varley: his de facto best-of short fiction entitled The John Varley Reader (2004). Here we go, one step closer to completion.  Whatever that means.

Before getting to the fiction, one important note about the Reader's non-fiction: Varley wrote individual introductions for each selection. For fans of the author, people who have likely already read the stories collected, Varley goes beyond a sentence or two to give the collection value. Some featuring several paragraphs and some several pages, Varley rhapsodizes on inspiration, providing context socially, ideologically, and historically for each story.

The Reader kicks off with “Picnic on Nearside”. Establishing two of Varley's go-to ideas, it tells the story of a young couple on a moon pleasure trip who encounter an old man with views and beliefs different than their liberal lunar own. With sex (both pleasureful and gender) and a strong '60s counter culture vibe, the story provides a shoe-on-the-other-foot type of perspective regarding collective behavior and social norms. A bit of loose cyberpunk, “Overdrawn at the Memory Bank” sees a man chase a woman through his own mind and virtual reality in inconsequential fashion. An interesting idea with mediocre execution; such a story needs a stronger degree of mimesis to have real impact.

Poster child for the traditional idea of science fiction, “In the Hall of the Martian King” is a hard sf puzzle involving a group of colonists who must survive on Mars after an accident threatens their livelihood. A story that garnered awards in its day, the reason is clear; engineers must use their wits in a space setting to overcome a technical challenge. Nothing has changed in the intervening decades since the story was published. It's still vanilla today. From traditional sf back to '60s counter-culture, “Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance” is an over-the-top conception of human movement involving, among other things, pseudo-science copulation. It's sex in zero-g to another level.

Anna Bach was a recurring character in Varley's mystery shorts, and “The Barbie Murders” is one of three chosen for the collection featuring the lady detective. In this story Anna finds herself caught in the most bizarre setting for a murder: a society where everybody looks and thinks the same. So how to find the murderer, even if caught on camera? The story begins with the strong potential for examining the idea of identity, unfortunately it ends on a cheap plot twist—a plot twist some may find nice, but certainly not at the depth the story's opening had potential for. “The Pusher” is a tale that takes the idea of time dilation in space travel to a logical, social conclusion. A person today may be just a child, but upon return from space flight will be an adult just a few subjective, space flight years later—or at least so hopes one man. A gimmick story, you can only read it once.

A story effectively capturing second-person voice, “Another Perfect Day” is the movie Memento in science fiction form. Jamming a lot in a few pages (amnesia, multiple dimensions, aliens, love, and Edwin Abbot's Flatland), just go watch the movie. In “The Light of Fading Suns” humanoid aliens suddenly appear on Earth and form a circumferential line, a line which moves forward collecting butterflies. The aliens from another dimension, Varley again evokes Flatland to weak effect.

A story with strong zeitgeist vibes despite being published decades ago, “Options” tells of a world where sex changes are a quick, painless, and easily reversible medical procedure. Centered on an open marriage with children, the twists and turns sex-changes place upon the family feel right at home in internet dumpster fires—ahem—social media commentary of today. The sociological science has evolved since, but the sentiment still echoes, and Varley handles the subject with optimistic interest.

One of the longest pieces in the collection, “Press Enter_” is the story of Victor Apfel, a former prisoner of war in North Korea who lives on a government pension in his parents’ suburban home. Receiving a strange, automated phone message one day asking him to go to his neighbor’s house, he discovers a suicide. The neighbor has left a house filled to the rafters with data network cables and computer terminals. A suicide note is left scrolling on an operating terminal, and when the police call in a young Vietnamese computer whiz to validate it, the story takes another turn. “Press Enter_” gives the appearance of great depth but proves to lack it upon deeper examination. It seems certain Varley’s heart was in the right place given the overall back-to-roots message, but the underlying assumption is more paranoia than reality. A touching, solid tale for sure, yet one that may not hold up well as time moves on.

In the end, The John Varley Reader is easy to recommend, and not. For fans of Varley, it's a no-brainer. While you may have read the stories individually or in other collections, the story introductions add a layer of value unavailable anywhere else. For people who have read some of Varley's fiction, long and short form, and enjoy it, I would argue the collection is likewise recommendable. There are a couple famous/popular Varley shorts missing (I assume for copyright and/or length reasons), but otherwise this is essentially a way of getting his most well known shorts in one place—a best-of. For readers on the fence or people who are not fans of Varley to begin with, this will do nothing to change your mind. Like many of Varley's novels, the collection is top heavy with free love, cyberpunk, sexuality, gender fluidity, and '60s counter-culture. For readers who know nothing of Varley but for whom that list of themes sounds interesting, have a go. I'm done with Varley. I'm removing his name from the txt file.  The Ophiuchi Hotline and Steel Beach are decent enough novels, and there are few peices of short fiction worth the read, but this collection didn't give me any reason to think I'm missing anything else by skipping the remainder of his oeuvre.  And now, let the curtains of glamor fall once again on Speculiction. 

The following are the eighteen stories collected in The John Varley Reader:

Picnic on Nearside

Overdrawn at the Memory Bank

In the Hall of the Martian Kings

Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance

The Barbie Murders

The Phantom of Kansas

Beatnik Bayou

Air Raid

The Persistence of Vision

Press Enter_

The Pusher

Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo

Options

Just Another Perfect Day

In Fading Suns and Dying Moons

The Flying Dutchman

Good Intentions

The Bellman