Rolling Thunder

Loved the book and the series. Wish there were more books in the series.

This is book 3 of 4 in the series and introduces Jubals bride. While this is important, other events are left hanging. Podkaynes connection to Earths invaders is left unanswered here and in book 4. Perhaps book 5 is coming?

Not finished reading it, but am looking forward to returning to it.

I had a great time zipping through this book - nice to meet the next generation of characters in the series and catch up on the older ones. And it was fantastic to know that the great music lives on - Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald. Thanks John Varley! Fran Morris Rosman Executive Director The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation [...]

This was, by far, the most disappointing book in the series, and one of the worst endings to a series I have had bad fortune to read. Varley can be an amazing author, but this time he fails miserably.

The entire series is a deliberate homage to Heinlein. The character names are taken from some of Heinleins best known works, and the voice is unlike anything Varleys ever written (or at least published) before. In Rolling Thunder, the homage becomes, if anything, even more obvious. For starters, the protagonist is Podkayne of Mars. By the last chapter, were finding a Heinlein book title sprinkled in every page or so. In the hands of a lesser writer, this would be nothing more than a gimmick. Fortunately, Varley has talent to spare, and pulls it off effortlessly. The characters are a little thin, true, but the action more than makes up for it. A very enjoyable read.

Book number three of a four book space opera young adult series. I read the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Ace in 2009 that I bought used on Amazon since my books are packed in the garage and the book is out of print. This is my third or fourth reread of this book. I have a new copy of the fourth book in the series that I am reading now. Each one of the Thunder and Lighting books highlights a new generation in the connected families since the first generation of the connected families in the first book. This book specifically covers Patricia Kelly Elizabeth Podkayne Strickland-Gracia-Redmond, the first member of the third generation who goes by Podkayne. BTW, Podkayne reads Heinleins Podkayne of Mars book and calls Heinlein a crazy old man. And yes, there are serious Heinlein fanboy comments all throughout the series as Varley is very heavily influenced by Robert Heinlein. Podkayne is born and raised on Mars, a Martian. After all, two of her grandparents were part of the first five people to step foot on Mars on the first bubble drive spaceship. By the time she is an adult, there are over million people living on Mars. At the beginning of the book, Podkayne is a lieutenant JG, serving her mandatory two years in the Martian Navy. She is currently serving that duty in California on Earth as a local embassy officer. And then she recalled to Mars since her great-grandmother has an untreatable medical condition and is going into a stasis bubble until such time that a treatment is available. My previous review of this book: Book number three of a four book space opera series. This is my second or third reread of this book, the sequel to the sequel of one of my top ten all time favorite books. BTW, I would characterize this book as young adult SF but not juvenile SF. I get the feeling that there will not be a fifth book in the series as Varley seems to be a movie reviewer nowadays. Varley reduces the Earth population from billions to millions in this book. I wonder where they all went ? (sarcasm) I need a squeezer generator ! John Varley has an active website.

I used to be a big John Varley fan, but am now pretty disappointed. Some of the older books are very good, and its obvious he greatly amires Heinlein. Personally, I dont understand the infatuation with RH, as the guy writes the same stories over and over, but what the heck, Im sure there are some good reasons, and the guy is practically a god in the sci-fi pantheon. The protagnist is an 18 year old cadet in the Martian Navy. Only shes 18 going on about 40 in her understanding of the world. Seriously, if human 18 year olds were this worldly and understanding that would be truly amzing. So while this is hard sci-fi, and that by definition stretches the bounds of practicality, it seems that only the Garcia-Strickland and Broussard clans are born of such stock, and the remainder of humanity is much more average (or worse - there are some good parts like when Poddy discourages a vapid Earthie from emmigrating to Mars). There are also some parts, especially towards the end of the book where it looks like Varley just got tired of writing or something. There are several plot lines or story arcs that end more or less abruptly, and he just sums up what happened. This is the kind of stuff I expect in excessively complicated stories (Robert Jordan), or very long movies. But an average length paperback? What happened there? Did he run into some kind of deadline from an advance or contract? Varleys books are definitely written for adults, complete with adult language, themes, sex, violence, and all the details you can imagine. For the most part I regards this as a good thing because so much of life and civilization is not rated PG-13. I wouldnt call this the worst ever or even a waste of money, but John Varley has written some *much* better novels and short stories than Rolling Thunder.

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.

Old friends and new are found in this volume. Traveling the stars, singing the hits of past present and future. Loving, living, defending, prepping, and continuing the race. Diaspora can be a good thing.