Rolling Thunder

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

Lieutenant Patricia Kelly Elizabeth Podkayne Strickland-Garcia-Redmond (otherwise known as Podkayne) is a Martian, a human born on Mars. While serving out her military term on a toasty Earth things suddenly change. A higher-up gets her an audition with the Martian Navy and she passes! You see, the Martian Navy has its own entertainment division--musicians and the like. Life is hard enough when youre trying to be the next big thing, but Podkayne quickly learns that being a singer in the Martian Navy, even with a little bit of fame under your belt, doesnt mean you can get a free ticket to safety-planet. She might just find herself in a bit of trouble! The one thing I have to say about Varleys Rolling Thunder is that it isnt like other science fiction novels I have read. What I mean is this: rather than dealing entirely with major events and characters reacting to them from a personal standpoint, Rolling Thunder is about the lives of characters doing what people would be doing in the world presented. There isnt really a whole lot of war here, though some does take place. Were presented with Podkayne, and thats where we stay. We follow her through her life doing what we might all assume to be regular everyday things in a future human time when weve (humankind) moved off and colonized the majority of the solar system. Most of the nitty gritty stuff were familiar with in SF takes place in the background (thats not to say I dont like the nitty gritty stuff, just that this novel really does move away from all of that). Varleys style is different than Im used to. Rolling Thunder is written in first person, but some of it feels very much like stream of consciousness. In the beginning it bugged me, but it sort of grew on me as the novel progressed. I think a lot of my initial reactions to the beginning were influenced by my assumption that this would be more in the vein of techy/war-based SF, when this novel clearly isnt that. The beginning does move a little slow though, but once you get into it and get used to the style it really is an enjoyable read. Podkaynes comments are rather humorous (or Varleys comments, if you want to take the fun out of pretending Podkayne is a real person) and descriptions of things (technological and otherwise) are more often than not unobtrusive in the sense that they actually add to the story rather than pull you out of it (these would be sections that would otherwise be labeled as telling, but seem to work well enough in almost all cases). The black bubbles are probably the coolest thing invented in an SF novel in a long time. Black bubbles sounds funny because it should and because they are, gasp, black bubbles. In Varleys future, people use them as a way of putting themselves in a form of stasis. The bubbles actually freeze time for the person. You can put anything into them. You want to save a piece of that really good chocolate cake youre eating for when youre 90? Okay, put a black bubble around it and open it up later! That cake will be just as fresh as when you put it in the bubble. Are you sick and dying? Put yourself in a bubble and when they have a cure or a way to fix you the doctors can pull you out and do so. And, guess what, they work almost instantly! Now thats cool technology! I would consider this a novel for those that arent necessarily SF nuts and also a new SFnal look for those of us who are well versed. If you want something that has some of the flashiness of SF, but without all the war, the governments going haywire, dystopian scary bits, and the like, then you should seriously take a look. Yes, there are dystopian elements in the novel, and there is some darkness, but the way in which it is portrayed is different from other novels. We learn everything through Podkayne and a vast majority of it doesnt directly affect her. Mostly she remarks on the happenings as they occur elsewhere, if that makes sense, which is somewhat refreshing. There is a good bit of optimism here and while pessimism is fine in SF it is always nice to get a taste of something else. Thats sort of how I would describe this: a taste of something else. I mean that in a good way, of course. So, if youre looking for something a little different from what youre used to in SF, then this might be what youre looking for. If you dont usually read SF, then maybe this would be a good starter novel for you. Its accessible to a wide range of audiences, or at least I think so, and who knows, maybe this could be the novel that gets those of you whove never really liked SF to change your mind!

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.

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

I really liked the first two volumes in this series. I almost always finish books but I didnt finish this one. Its slow and the heroine is really annoying. I also didnt like the author lecturing on current political issues. I read SF to get away from those... Varley writes great short stories, Id recommend his collections without hesitation. The original Red Thunder was refreshing. This installment is just weak.

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.

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...

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.

This third book in the series continues the saga of an intertwined martian family. The story moves quickly between Earth, Mars, and the moons of Jupiter. John Varley spins a tale that makes this book hard to set down. One can only hope that the story will continue rolling on.

As a longtime fan of Johns work I grabbed this book and consumed it voraciously. Having read the other books in his Mars trilogy (Red Thunder, Red Lightning) I had thought them as a separate thought or arc from his Nine planets stories but no, these books are defiantly at the heart of those earlier works. Now if he could find a way to tie in his Gaia trilogy.......