Rolling Thunder

The characters are thin, but the real problem is with the plot. Its full of magical devices that nobody but the inventor can understand, and he can pull new ones out of his hat whenever theres a need. A disappointment.

Mars is an independent republic with colonies of its own having won the war with Earth and keeping the bubble technology for itself. The wave killed millions of people all over the land and made much of the land unusable for growing crops. It is considered hardship duty for anyone from the Martian military to be assigned earthside but Ensign Podkayne Strickland is a one woman show at the California when she is summoned home to say good bye to her ailing grandmother who is going into stasis until they find a cure for her. Now Podkayne is a lieutenant assigned to the music, arts, and drama division based on Europa where the Crystal Mountains are a popular tourist sight. They send out very powerful radio waves but nobody knows what they mean or if there is life forms in the mountains. Podkayne is visiting the tourist attraction and she sees the crystal mountain named grumpy lift off. She goes into stasis and when she wakes up ten years have passed. Grumpy and six other mountaineers have landed on earth totally decimating the planet. Mars cant take all the people who want to immigrate to earth, and fearful that the mountains will one day turn to Mars, Podkayne and her uncle Travis subsidize a way to avoid that possibility. ROLLING THUNDER takes place sometime in the twenty-first century when humans have colonized the solar system. Podkayne is an interesting multi-faceted character, a singer who is in the military yet thinks like a Martian as she was born and raised there. The allure of Mars and their relationship to a slowly deteriorating earth is examined in much detail. The socio-political events are witnessed through Podkaynes eyes and readers will empathize with the plight of earth yet like the Martians realize the people of the Red Planet cant save everyone. Harriet Klausner

Varley is perhaps not at his strongest here, given his virtuosity in the Titan series, but he nevertheless provides an entertaining space romp with some unusual and truly engaging characters. There are enough plot kinks to keep you interested in our heroines fate (with the unlikely name of Podkayne), and the end run heads us off to a feel-good launch ramp for the next novel (surely theres another in the writing as we speak....) After a long hiatus between this and his Titan series, Im delighted to see Mr. Varley is back in the saddle. I give it 4 stars for decent characterization, continued use of ingenious gadgetry developed in a prior novel, a reasonably complex plot, and for not taking itself too seriously. All in all, a worthy, happy read.

This third book in the series continues the saga of an intertwined martian family. The story moves quickly between Earth, Mars, and the moons of Jupiter. John Varley spins a tale that makes this book hard to set down. One can only hope that the story will continue rolling on.

I had a great time zipping through this book - nice to meet the next generation of characters in the series and catch up on the older ones. And it was fantastic to know that the great music lives on - Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald. Thanks John Varley! Fran Morris Rosman Executive Director The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation [...]

I was looking forward to reading this title after having enjoyed the previous two titles in the series so much. Unfortunately I was somewhat disapointed with the whole book. I found it difficult to get into the viewpoint of a young woman telling the story and basically whining and complaining through the first half. The book undulates, rather than rolls and there is very little thunder. Maybe in the crash scene but that is about it. So many great ideas, from the black spheres, to compressors, even the creatures on the Jovian moon are not fleshed out. There are too many long passages giving mind numbing details about minor aspects of Jovian moons and other solar bodies. The action and adventure that made the first two such a rollicking ride are missing. The new character is far less interesting and even the original ones are played down. Its obvious that there is a fourth book planned but I will probably not be along for the ride.

John Varley continues to channel Robert Heinlein, explore the implications of the bubble technology introduced in Red Thunder, and follow the adventures of succeeding generations of the Garcia-Strickland clan. Channel Heinlein: the heroine is named Podkayne, at one point she travels on the spaceship Rodger Young, and theres enough sex and nudity to kick this off any kids reading list. Podkayne read Podkayne, and vows not to read any more books by the author. Cute. Big government is diabolical. And the ending is another classic Heinlein event. Bubble technology: theres a bit of revisionism about the devices invention and some suggestions that the technology is at least partly created by a mental effort. New uses and weaknesses are found. And the third generation of the Garcia-Strickland family is in the thick of it all. Along with the Broussards. Especially Podkayne, who is a singer, a member of the Martian space navys entertainment troupe. But on a trip to Europa, a Galilean moon of Jupiter, everything changes. Alien life is a long-standing trope in science fiction. Will we recognize that lien life if we meet it? If that alien life lives in geologic time, and not human time, will we even be able to communicate? What will happen if we cant? Theres a flavor, a hint, of Varleys Gaia Trilogy here. Some of Varleys premises are a bit of a reach. And poor old planet earth, ravaged by the tsunami in Red Lightning and by global warming, gets whumped again. But its a fun novel, if a bit slow in spots, and there is room for a couple more sequels, likely involving twin girls. I hope those hypothetical sequels can recapture the charm of the first book. Recommended for science fiction fans.

nice series

I am a huge Varley fan, though i have to admit the Thunder/Lightning series hasnt been my favorite. However i found Rolling Thunder to be a great read, as if the series has been leading up to this point, and setting the stage for the next and final book in the series. If you liked the Gaea trilogy, Ophiuchi Hotline or Golden Globe i think youd really like this one.

had other books from this series