I read this collection years before - and probably some of the stories in other collections. After reading a book about the history of the Hugo Awards, I really felt like reading some Varley again. It is a pity that he apparently has stopped writing. This turned out to be an excellent collection with wonderful stories.
Bagatelle • [Anna-Louise Bach] • (1976) • novelette by John Varley
Locus Award finalist, 9th place
An atomic bomb that is on a busy street in the Lunar city tells that it is going to explode at a certain time. It turns out that the bomb is a human turned into a cyborg. A bomb dismantler, who happens to be vacationing nearby, comes to help. He is highly motivated as there is no chance that he could escape in time. He engages in a long discussion with the bomb with such familiar terms that the police start to get restless. A well-written excellent story. ****
The Funhouse Effect • [Eight Worlds] • (1976) • novelette by John Varley
The last cruise of an asteroid that has been turned into a luxurious cruise ship is starting. The ship is supposed to grace the sun and then return, offering unparalleled views. But something seems to be wrong. The engines seem to be disassembled and the crew seems to be unaware of that. And soon there seems to be a mutiny, and then a counter-mutiny - and the ship seems to be breaking into pieces when it is approaching the sun. WHAT is happening? (Everything is just a show; the passengers have had a partial memory wipe so that they can “enjoy” the strange and dangerous-appearing happenings.) A fairly good story, but not among the best in this collection. ***½
The Barbie Murders • [Anna-Louise Bach] • (1978) • novelette by John Varley
1979 Locus Best Novelette winner
1979 Hugo Best Novelette finalist
Nomination 1995 Tiptree Retrospective
Solving a murder is hard when the victim is a member of a religious cult that belies conformity overall and to such a degree that all members have been modified to look exactly the same: vaguely female neuters with no genitalia at all. The murder is even on video, but it is impossible to find the murderer among people who look exactly alike. The colony doesn’t really cooperate: They are ready to give up one of their members as guilty; because they think everyone is the same, it really doesn’t matter if the guilty one is the one who actually used the knife. The police, who are trying to find the murderer, go undercover. It turns out that the killed ones were “perverts” who dressed in personal clothes and pretended to be gendered. A very good story, well written and worth the nominations. ****½
Equinoctial • [Eight Worlds] • (1977) • novella by John Varley
Locus Award, Best novella 12th
People are living with symbiotic “animals” near Saturn’s rings. After they bond with a “Symb,” they are able to survive in space and the Symb takes care of all physical (and mental) needs. It is a true symbiosis with the melding of the minds. There are two factions: one dedicated to painting one of the rings of Saturn and another removing the paint - both for more or less religious reasons. The protagonist loses her children when the opposing faction captures them, and what is even worse is that she loses her Symb, which for all practical purposes is part of her mind. Is there even a reason to live anymore? Another fine story with very nice writing. ****
Manikins • (1976) • short story by John Varley
A woman is in a mental hospital after she has decapitated a man. A young woman comes to interview her. She seems intelligent and relaxed, but delusional. She believes that men are women who have been taken over by a parasite, a worm-like thing about 10 cm long that is attached between the legs. She presents a pretty strong case, though ... a good, unusual story. ***½
Beatnik Bayou • [Eight Worlds] • (1980) • novelette by John Varley
Locus Award novelette 2nd
Hugo Award 3rd
Nebula Award nomination
A young boy has been taught for years by a teacher who has been his friend since childhood and has grown up with him. That kind of teacher gets rejuvenated by the age of his wards. They have been friends and lovers, and they have changed genders during the years. (A sex change in this world is about as complicated and as big of a deal as getting a new style of haircut.) But it’s time to grow up. And then he meets a very fascinating, a bit older-looking woman, so fascinating that he decides to push back the sex change he was planning. Another fine story, nice characters and a fascinating glimpse into the justice system of the world. *****-
Good-Bye, Robinson Crusoe • [Eight Worlds] • (1977) • novelette by John Varley
Locus Award best short fiction 16th
An adolescent boy lives a happy life in a tropical paradise. He has gills so he can dive in the water whenever he wants. He might be older than he looks. A new girl comes to the shores, strange but fascinating. It might be time to grow up. (The girl is a psychologist who has come to retrieve the man who has been on a ten-year vacation, but he is urgently needed in the real world.) Another nice story with more than a few thematic similarities to the earlier story. ****-
Lollipop and the Tar Baby • [Eight Worlds] • (1977) • novelette by John Varley
An adolescent girl is seeking black holes. She finds one – and the hole starts to talk to her. She lives with her mother/sister, who has been on a survey trip for years and has used cloning to get a child, companion and lover(!). The hole has a few things to tell her – for example, concerning laws that state that only one copy of any person may exist at the same time – and the last born must be terminated. Or is the hole talking to her? Is she hallucinating? Another extremely good story. ****
Picnic on Nearside • [Eight Worlds] • (1974) • novelette by John Varley
A young man and his best friend (who has just had a sex change to female) go picnicking on the near side of the moon. It has largely been abandoned, as no one wants to see the Earth as a reminder of what has been lost. (In most of Varley’s stories, Earth was invaded a long time ago. All people who, at the time, lived on Earth are presumed dead. The has been no contact with Earth, and all attempts to land there fail without any exception. (Little is known about the invaders, but they have left people who live on the moon and other planets alone.) The couple encounters an old man who is nearly dying. He stayed behind when everyone else left, as he considered the lifestyle of younger generations (free sex with anyone, with no regard for gender or family relations, sex changes done on a whim) to be blasphemous. They try to heal him and bring him back to civilization, but he firmly refuses. They then decide to stay at the near side for the time being. Another very good story with nice characters. ****½
260 pp
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