The John Varley Reader
Thirty Years of Short Fiction
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By:
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John Varley
About this listen
From the moment John Varley burst onto the scene in 1974, his short fiction was like nothing anyone else was writing. His stories won every award the science fiction field had to offer, many times over. His first collection, The Persistence of Vision, published in 1978, was the most important collection of the decade and changed what fans would come to expect from science fiction.
Now, The John Varley Reader gathers his best stories, many out of print for years. This is the volume no Varley fan - or science-fiction fan - can do without.
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Cold City
- Repairman Jack: Early Years Trilogy, Book 1
- By: F. Paul Wilson
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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If you've never read a Repairman Jack novel, this is the place to begin. It's 1990. A twenty-one-year-old named Jack has dropped out of college, leaving his old life behind to build a new one in New York City. Manhattan's rough edges are jagged enough to shred any unwary newcomer, but perhaps not one who is determined to stay off the grid, at any cost, in the busiest metropolis on earth. And to do so, he'll have to take jobs of a less than legal nature.
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Fun, as long you don't think too much
- By Andrew Pollack on 01-17-14
By: F. Paul Wilson
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The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination
- Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius
- By: John Joseph Adams - editor
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Mary Robinette Kowal, Justine Eyre
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Mad scientists have never had it so tough. In super-hero comics, graphic novels, films, TV series, video games, and even works of what may be fiction, they are besieged by those who stand against them, devoid of sympathy for their irrational, megalomaniacal impulses to rule, destroy, or otherwise dominate the world as we know it. It’s just not fair. So those of us who are so twisted and sick that we love mad scientists have created this guide.
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HAND DANCING
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 05-30-15
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The Silent History
- By: Eli Horowitz, Matthew Derby, Kevin Moffett
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, LJ Ganser
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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It begins as a statistical oddity: a spike in children born with acute speech delays. Physically normal in every way, these children never speak and do not respond to speech; they don't learn to read, don't learn to write. As the number of cases grows to an epidemic level, theories spread. Maybe it's related to a popular antidepressant; maybe it's environmental. Or maybe these children have special skills all their own.
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A Thought-Provoking Premise
- By Doug - Audible on 03-31-15
By: Eli Horowitz, and others
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Robot Uprisings
- By: Daniel H. Wilson, John Joseph Adams - editor
- Narrated by: Emily Beresford, Tamara Marston, A.T. Chandler, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Humans beware. As the robotic revolution continues to creep into our lives, it brings with it an impending sense of doom. What horrifying scenarios might unfold if our technology were to go awry? From self-aware robotic toys to intelligent machines violently malfunctioning, this anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the increasing presence of robots in our lives.
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Has some bright spots
- By ChrisM. on 10-22-15
By: Daniel H. Wilson, and others
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Stories
- All-New Tales
- By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, Al Sarrantonio - editor, Joe Hill, and others
- Narrated by: Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to discover more—to find the answer to the question: "And then what happened?" The true hallmark of great literature is great imagination, and as Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal.
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Something for Everyone
- By Nicole on 05-24-17
By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, and others
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Murphy's Boy
- By: Torey Hayden
- Narrated by: Loretta Rawlins
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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His name was Kevin but his keepers called him Zoo Boy. He didn't talk. He hid under tables and surrounded himself with a cage of chairs. He hadn't been out of the building in the four years since he'd come in. He was afraid of water and wouldn't take a shower. He was afraid to be naked, to change his clothes. He was nearly 16. Desperate to see change in the boy, the staff of Kevin's adolescent treatment center hired Hayden. As Hayden read to him and encouraged him to read, crawling down into his cage of chairs with him, Kevin talked.
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want to meet Kevin
- By Cherish on 10-14-15
By: Torey Hayden
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Unwind
- Unwind Dystology, Book 1
- By: Neal Shusterman
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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After America’s Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement. According to their Bill of Life, human life may not be terminated from the moment of conception until the age of thirteen. But between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, the child may be gotten rid of by their parent through a process called “unwinding.”
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Chilling, Scary, Difficult to Read
- By Joe on 11-11-20
By: Neal Shusterman
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2113
- Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush
- By: John McFetridge - editor, Kevin J. Anderson - editor
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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The music of Rush, one of the most successful bands in music history, is filled with fantastic stories, evocative images, thought-provoking futures and pasts. In this anthology, notable, best-selling, and award-winning writers each chose a Rush song as the spark for a new story, drawing inspiration from the visionary trio Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart.
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I'm a RUSH fan, but ...no..not this book
- By NBP on 07-15-17
By: John McFetridge - editor, and others
What listeners say about The John Varley Reader
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- L. F. C.
- 05-17-22
Very good
Runs the gamut of human experience, a delight to savor. All about people's reaction to their lives done in SF styling. You're gonna love it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- G. W. Noon
- 06-27-22
Underrated
A well acted, read and presented collection of one of SF’s less popularly known authors.
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- Placeholder
- 11-01-22
a charming walk down memory lane
good stuff, charming and nostalgic 60's and 70's scifi. while listening i had several moments of recognition like, "oh so Varley wrote that!". for instance I have fond memories of the made for TV movie " overdrawn at the memory bank" from my youth. It was like a weird gem i had found, special and mine, and over the years it seemed not many people remembered or saw it. I did skip a couple stories because I got bored or the reader was annoying. eh, can't knock it out of the park every time. if you like predictable and gratuitous casual sex and nudity there is plenty to go around.
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- Dave Gibson
- 02-26-24
Some of Varley’s best
I love John Varley’s work and this collection is great reading that sticks with you. I especially enjoyed Jane Eyre’s reading of several of the better stories.
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- Darleene S
- 03-28-22
How did I miss this guy?
I’ve always been a huge sci-fi fan. How did I miss this guy?
I really enjoyed these original works by John Varley. They fulfilled a need I have for taking my imagination in a completely new direction of conceivable future possibilities. And they don’t denigrate anyone in the process. The story concepts age well.
Often on older sci-fi I have found a slight distaste that I have to chock up to ‘sign of the times’ when there are few, (if any), references to strong women characters. It’s a turn-off if the female characters are weak. These stories are balanced well.
I really enjoyed the authors introductions. They made the stories feel more interactive.
I also enjoyed the narrators. They did a great job and it was a good idea to have different voices in the delivery of - was it 22+ hours of delivery.
This book is great sci-fi for mature young adults to open minded mature adults. It might be a little too much for immature readers.
Well done!
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3 people found this helpful
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- ti
- 02-19-23
Great Writing
I was really dazzled by some of the stories, and the narration was superb. Warning though, there is a lot of mention of sex, and some involving children or young adults in some of the stories.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Scott Stekel
- 06-23-22
Inventive, engrossing, poor technical production
I enjoy John Varley's stories and these are no exception. They are thought-provoking. The narrators did a decent job and I warmed to each of them over time. What I found frustrating was the production of the audio. Little things like no pause between sentences when going from one subject or section of a book to another, causing some significant confusion until you realize what happened.
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- Melanie J Miller
- 07-25-24
John Varley
Been decades since I read John Varley. Discovering I could get credit just for reading science fiction was how I got suckered into being an English major, both a curse and a blessing.
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- Ed Pegg Jr
- 12-29-21
3 Hugo & 2 Nebula awards. Great narrators.
Back in the 1970's, I started reading everything in SF&Fantasy. John Varley was my favorite writer for awhile, until he wasn't writing enough to be in that top spot. Now he's just one of my favorites, much like Buster Keaton is one of my favorite directors. Still, he was the great writer of my youth. I spent years waiting for his book Demon to be released.
This collection is part stories, part autobiography. It starts with the burning of his apartment, a place where I used to send him the zines I made back then. He goes on to describe more of his early life in wonderful detail, then the first story starts, Picnic on Nearside. After that, more autobiography, then the next story.
All wonderful stories, with wonderful narrators. Highly recommended.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Devin Volkert
- 05-16-22
that was really good!
more plz!
I had never read John varley and... well now I wish I had found him sooner!
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