An appreciation for the under-appreciated, brilliant sci-fi writer John Varley.
https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/john-varley-an-appreciation (1/6) 🧵
“It was 50 years ago this month that American science fiction writer John Varley -- who celebrates his 77th birthday today--published his first short story. It sparked a rapid rise that brought him the praise of the genre's most prominent figures, along with multiple Hugo and Nebula awards (the science fiction equivalent of the Pulitzer). Isaac Asimov was among the many who called him the natural successor to Robert A. Heinlein. (2/6) 🧵
Varley moved to San Francisco as a young man, and the “hippie element” plays an important role in his fiction, “not (or not usually) in the sense of ‘tune in, turn on, drop out,’ but of rebellion, self-reliance, hard work and creativity that remain underappreciated elements of the '60s counterculture.” (4/6) 🧵
“Yet despite the immense admiration Varley has enjoyed both within the science fiction community and without (Tom Clancy called him "the best writer in America"), he has never gained the following that Asimov or Heinlein enjoyed. That's a shame because his unique blend of imagination and realism--and his underlying belief that freedom is essential to the human personality--make him one of the finest authors ever to set his fiction in the future…. (3/6) 🧵
“Contrary to the popular stereotype of hippies as drugged-out, unemployed hitchhikers, many members of the Woodstock generation (Varley attended Woodstock, by accident, after getting stuck in the traffic jam while driving through New York) put a heavy emphasis on manual trades, intellectual innovation and self-improvement. (5/6) 🧵
Many members of the counterculture weren’t anti-capitalist per se, but were committed to what historian David Farber calls ‘right livelihood’: that is, a life of genuineness not offered by what they called ‘the Establishment.’”
h/t @pluralistic (6/6) 🧵
Probably an entirely ephemeral observation but I remember, decades ago, watching a documentary on Woodstock and being struck by how effective the crew of young looking, long haired guys setting up seemed to be. assembly the stage and the sound/lighting rigs.
Possibly my first brush with top shelf competence-porn.
No idea if that was the reality or just the way that the footage got edited to give that impression but its stuck with me as my "hippies really seem to know how to GSD" moment.
@helgztech He's a great one. I've added two books to my list to re-read: "Titan," the first volume of his Gaia trilogy, as well as "Steel Beach." If I like those two I may well work my way through his entire bibliography again.
@mitchw thanks for that. Sounds like an author I might enjoy. Currently working my way through Spider Robinson books based on the comparison to Heinlein.
Totally. Titan, Wizard and Demon are amongst lifetime favorites.
@tomjennings @mitchw @pluralistic I remember as a young teen getting "Wizard" in one of those "science fiction book club" things where you got ten paperbacks for a dollar or something like that. Blew me away.
@bishop6 @tomjennings @pluralistic Loved the book club. Never remembered to send back books before I got charged.