The John Varley Reader Audiobook By John Varley cover art

The John Varley Reader

Thirty Years of Short Fiction

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The John Varley Reader

By: John Varley
Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Paul Boehmer, Gabrielle de Cuir, John Allen Nelson, Justine Eyre, Stefan Rudnicki, Susan Hanfield
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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.

©2004 by John Varley (P)2021 by Blackstone Publishing

Accolades & Awards

Locus Award
2005
Anthologies & Short Stories Locus Award Science Fiction Short Stories Fiction Adventure Scary Fantasy Anthology
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Engaging Stories • Thought-provoking Concepts • Superb Narration • Unique Twists • Diverse Range • Original Works

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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.

3 Hugo & 2 Nebula awards. Great narrators.

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more plz!

I had never read John varley and... well now I wish I had found him sooner!

that was really good!

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The John Varley Reader is a collection of eighteen short stories, novelettes, and novellas by John Var-ley spanning from the mid 70’s through to just past the turn of the millennium. Several entries are set in his Eight Worlds series. There are some, part of the Anna-Louise Bach franchise. The most well known of the set is his Persistence of Vision which follows a sighted individual who spends time with a colony of blind and deaf individuals. Press Enter is also quite good, predicting the rise of artificial intelli-gence.

Varley demonstrates a vast range from his futuristics tales to the present day, each with unique twists. Each story is preceded by an author’s introduction which in many instances is just his ramblings on his writing career and forays into motion pictures.

The narration is superb with a large ensemble cast that was chosen for the tone of the tales. Pacing is smooth throughout.

Satisfying short story collection

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I've been a fan of John Varley's stories for many decades and it was like visiting with old friends to hear the stories I'd enjoyed reading in the past. The comments from the author before each story provided context and made them even more enjoyable.

A Marvelous Collection of Outstanding Stories

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A must read for sci-fi fans. New to me and so prophetic too! Just Wow.

Gotta read this!

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