Rolling Thunder

Quite enjoyed it; the writing reminds me of Heinlein’s although the author’s many references to some of Heinlien’s books and characters might be influencing my judgement. You can probably tell I loved Heinlein’s books and stories while growing up and as a young adult, and I like this writing, too...

This is the third book in Varleys Thunder & Lightning series - the others being Red Thunder and Red Lightning, and it continues the theme of following the clan Garcia/Strickland/Redmond; as with Red Lightning, this is the story of the next generation of the clan. Everybody says that the T&L series are a lot like the Heinlein juveniles, such as Red Planet or Podkayne of Mars, and its even more apparent in this book - the lead character is even named Podkayne, and there are plenty of other Heinlein references scattered throughout. However, the characters are more adult than anything in Heinleins juveniles, and, typical Varley, theres plenty of sex and nudity... though its nowhere near as descriptive or involved as Steel Beach or his Gaean Trilogy. Still, theres enough sex and brutal violence in it that this is definitely not a book for kids. Varley does his usual with Earth, trashing it. Each book in the series has gotten a little darker and more murderous, and this is no different - but at the same time, this is the lightest book in the series (so far), as it seems to brush over or alter previous plot points from the other books, and there are plot points in this book that just seem to disappear, with no effort to resolve them. Podkayne isnt quite the attention grabber that previous characters have been, and most of the time she just seems to mindlessly go with the flow - no questioning anything, no real serious thought, no real attempts to control her own life. It is readable, and interesting enough, and with the fourth book in the series due out in August 2014, I suppose you need to get this one as well - especially as the fourth one seems to start almost exactly where this one ends, rather than skipping ahead 20 years as the previous ones have. One thing to note: this is the second copy of this book that I have bought... but only because the first one I got (paperback, picked up at a yard sale) was missing almost 50 pages (281-328), and after the story ended pages 329-376 are reprinted. Probably a once-only error, but...

I loved the character/narrator Podkayne. She is a fine addition to the series, maybe my favorite narrator. But there were some significant flaws in the story, in my opinion. There is one person who should be dead, but shows up alive, it seems primarily to give him a better smackdown. The explanation as to his being alive seemed very, very weak (as in, soap opera fans would be shaking their heads). Also, the romance seems contrived, like the author decided after writing book two to move the character that direction, then had to walk back almost everything hed said about the character in the prior books. Final quibble, Im not sure what I think about the driving event. There seemed to be a lot of convenience in the areas of both timing and abilities, (They are too big to be aware of us but constantly cause minor equipment failures.) as well as unresolved red herrings that only function, it seems, to move the plot. But still a good read and follow-up to the first two. And I especially enjoyed the Heinlein titles Easter-Egg hunt at the end of the book.

The Third Generation of the Red Thunder crew is thrown into a battle for Mars. Poor Jubal and the squeezer is still the target of multinational/governmental conglomerate takeover of Mars. Again, the youth of the Red Thunder clan are forced into a batle nobody wnats. But with the help of Uncle Travis, they are going to kick butts and take names again! And Jubal finds something he never expected to find in his lifetime...

Varley continues to channel Heinlein, and may well be the best alive in this genre of space adventure. Highly reccomended.

I wondered at first if this were going to be one of those rambling novels in which the author comes up with excuses for a character from the future to be intimately familiar with popular art and music that dear to someone born ca. 1950. The plot takes an awfully long to get moving, but it does get there. This is a fond tribute to many of the lesser-known Heinlein novels, especially the juvenilia, my favorites. Not Varleys best -- try Millennium, or even better, his faultless short story, Press Enter, if you can find it -- but still a considerable cut above any other science fiction youre likely to stumble on.

This finished Varleys Heinlein homage to the teen books. My only issue was how he forced all the titles of those books into the last 2 chapters.

I cant say Im a John Varley fan based on this book and the previous two in the series. The biggest problem is that the plot feels lazy. You can tell that when he sat down to write this, there were moments when he thought to himself: Eh, I dont really want to research that, or, I dont have the energy to explain how the character developed here. And then at the very end, youve got all (and I repeat *all) of the main plot points still unexplained and you get a lazy I dont know answer to all of them. The result is that the characters dont develop the way they could, and you could care less about them. The result is that it feels less like a sci-fi and more like a dry historical document with a replaceable sci-fi backdrop.

Im addicted to Varley. His characters talk and act they way I would. Its refreshing. I hope we dont have to wait too long for the next one.

Rolling Thunder the new novel by John Varley, tells the story of Podkayne, a Martian Naval Officer and singer extraordinaire. Varley, three time winner of the Hugo award and two time winner of the Nebula award, continues to tell stories full of strong female characters, and twisting, curving plots. Podkayne is the daughter and granddaughter of some of his characters from previous novels, and her story continues the tale of the exploration of our solar system in the not too distant future. Podkayne is just trying to get through her required service in the Martian Navy. What she really wants to be is a singer. When an opportunity to perform her music for the Navy on Europa ((one of Jupiters moons) is offered, she snatches up the chance. Her story seems simple, prosaic even (at least, as much as it can be for a good-looking nineteen year old), until she encounters Europas freckles. After that, her life takes a drastic turn, culminating the revelation of just what the Rolling Thunder really is, and what it means for her family. Varley has Podkayne tell the story memoir style, reliving her past by writing events from her perspective. So its a historical account of fictional events from one persons perspective. Its a unique way to tell a fiction story. Varleys story mirrors much of Heinleins works in style and content. Like Heinlein, he uses free societies and free love (with some rather explicit sex) in his stories, so this work is solely for adult reading. Rolling Thunder is a fast reading novel that packs a great deal into a few pages. Varley can get as much into his three hundred pages as other authors do in five hundred. It is a novel that takes many unexpected twists and turns, and its ending is both surprising and an excellent set up for more John Varley novels to come. I recommend this novel to adults who enjoy Heinlein, near space SF, or character driven plots.