John Varley may not be as familar a name as Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, William Gibson or Piers Anthony in sci-fi and fantasy circles, but it should be. The first two books in his bestselling Gaea trilogy, originally published in the 1980’s, have been available in Kindle format for some time, but not at a very affordable price. Now they’re available for $7.99 each. Fans of James Cameron’s Avatar, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek and even Game of Thrones will probably love this series.
First in the series is Titan (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.99).
Amazon reviewer and Vine Voice Beau Yarbrough says:
The start of one of an all-time great science fantasy series.
The Gaea Trilogy traces the arc of a hero’s ascent, fall from grace and redemption. So if you like “Titan,” the ride just gets better from here. The book is about astronauts exploring the environment inside an alien space station. But from there, the core concept is all filtered through the mind of John Varley…
Beyond being a straight exploration story, Varley also discusses issue of women in power, homosexuality vs. heterosexuality, altenate breeding relationships for alien species (nothing you can possibly imagine) and some fun with the science of angels. And, of course, it’s here that Varley begins his deepest exploration between man and God, although to say more would be to give away too much of the book…
First and foremost, though, “Titan” is an adventure story of the highest caliber, with a heroic lead, weird creatures, alien settings, a warm heart and a very sharp mind.
The second book in the trilogy is Wizard (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.99). The publisher describes the plot of this installment as:
Human explorers have entered the sprawling mind of Gaea. Now they must fight her will. For she is much too powerful…and definitely insane.
The same Amazon reviewer quoted above has this to say about Wizard:
In a way, this is John Varley’s “Lawrence of Arabia:” After her great success at the end of “Titan,” Cirocco Jones is now something more than human, a hero on Earth and the “wizard” of Gaea. Of course, this isn’t a fairy tale, and living up to all that an insane alien “goddess” has put on her shoulders is too much for anyone, even a hero.
And that’s the set-up for “Wizard,” the second of three books in the Gaia Trilogy. Whereas the first story was an exploration adventure in the “Rendezvous with Rama” mold…”Wizard” is an odd little story that mixes a classic fantasy quest to redeem a fallen hero with science fiction action that is inspired (both by the author and the characters involved) by World War II movies.
Along the way, Varley flexes his imaginative skills again, outdoing the weird alien creations of “Titan” with even more genetically engineered wonders and monstrosities, many of which stick in the imagination long after the book has been put down…There will be some who find this book, like the others in this series, a bit too racy for them: One of Cirocco’s chores is to be part of the breeding cycle for one of the alien species, although not in the way one might expect. It’s a great character bit, an interesting bit of xenobiology and a good plot engine. It’s also blantant sexuality, so this book isn’t for those who are uncomfortable with such stuff.
For the rest of us, though, “Wizard” is an amazing book, chronicling the rise of a fallen hero through an amazing alien landscape that’s easily one of the most interesting settings speculative fiction has ever produced. A must-read for adult (or adult-minded) science fiction and fantasy fans.
The series concludes with Demon, which is out of print in hard copy (though still available through a few sellers on Amazon) and has not yet been released in Kindle format. However, there is a placeholder page for the book that will turn up if you do a search in the Kindle Store for John Varley books. The page itself says “pricing information not available,” but the search results show a price of $7.99.
It appears the book will be released in Kindle format in the near future. Since the first two volumes are well over 300pp, it may be that by the time you’re done with them, the third installment will be available to buy in the Kindle store. Bookmark the placeholder page and come back to it!
About this book, the publisher says:
The satellite-sized alien Gaea has gone completely insane. She has transformed her love of old movies into monstrous realities. She is Marilyn Monroe. She is King Kong. And now she must be destroyed.
Reviewer Yarbrough says:
An astonishing climax to a magnificent trilogy…We get believable flawed heroes battling against impossible odds with intelligence and wit and a mind-bending assortment of memorable alien species.
And while the whole trilogy has discussed the thematic issue, it’s in “Demon” that the relationship between man and God is really looked at…I’ve read far more books over the years than I care to count, but every few years, I dig out my old Science Fiction Book Club copies of Varley’s classic trilogy, including the hardback version of “Demon”…and revisit Gaea.
The trilogy is a masterpiece of characterization, setting, plot and theme, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Herbert’s “Dune,” in my opinion.
A must-read series for fans of science fiction and science fantasy. (And not a bad read for lovers of pop culture, either.)