A wonderful book, sort of "near-future" sci-fi It was really a family story, from the view of the child-star who tried to flee that world. Maybe should be 4-stars, but I feel I've been throwing them about too liberally.
Can he make it to Luna in time to play Lear? Though that's only nominally the plot. Mostly this book doesn't have one. And it does several things that I normally won't tolerate. It breaks the fourth wall, repeatedly; Sparky not only talks to the reader, he addresses the typesetter, requesting that they stop p SF. It breaks the fourth wall, repeatedly; Sparky not only talks to the reader, he addresses the typesetter, requesting that they stop putting the flashbacks in italics.
The extended flashbacks, of which there are many, are in third person, even though all but the news articles are narrated by Sparky, who is in first person for the rest of the book. And, yet, those things are all done well, especially the flashbacks. I found myself liking this book despite its slow start and flimsy plot. It's all about the writing and the narrator, and I enjoyed both of them.
Things Varley does well: humor, descriptions of environments, technology, neighborhoods, all the details of space travel and living and working in space, the narrator's conversational, flippant tone. Things Varley handwaves obnoxiously: culture, everyone speaks English because it just happened to work out that way after the "Invasion"; race, at this point no one's all black or all white -- apparently those are our only options?
This would have been an excellent opportunity to examine the relationship between gender, sexuality, and the mind, but Varley totally passes it up. It's disappointing. The ending comes with a one and a half twist, one which you might see coming, and half of one that sounds like something from the last five minutes of a Law and Order rerun. By that time I kind of didn't care what was going on anymore because it was already clear this isn't the kind of book that gives a concrete resolution.
Warnings for child abuse, grisly fight scenes, and animal harm. Three stars. It took a while to get going, but I grew to like Sparky, or at least to be entertained by him. I'll be reading more by Varley. He gives good space. The life of an itinerant actor stumping from village to town, dreaming of his own theatre in the big city translates well to space travel when John Varley writes it.
His brilliant poly-named polymorphic main character is sometimes star and sometimes hobo, sometimes leading man or leading lady but more often bit player or street performer. Valentine," is how this fellow refers to himself in his reminiscences. Because the tale is told almost entirely in fir The life of an itinerant actor stumping from village to town, dreaming of his own theatre in the big city translates well to space travel when John Varley writes it.
Because the tale is told almost entirely in first person, we must learn from those around him that he doesn't share his real name—or face—with anyone except his two constant sidekicks, Toby and Elwood. Since Toby is a dog, and Elwood stays out of sight of everyone except Valentine, they aren't giving away his secrets.
He must adapt, chameleon-like, to each new community's standards, and be adroit with a bribe as he moves from world to world, for By contrast, when he sleeps we hear from the troubled soul of this mountebank. We learn of his courage in the face of an abusive father and troubled childhood. And we begin to see why Valentine is determined to "play Lear," to build a grand Shakespearean theater in the asteroid belt.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, throw me a tie-down! Talk about your theater in the round. This novel has a daunting physical and emotional scope, yet even so, the story does not feel heavy-handed. Valentine copes with the great talent and low support life has given him, and with the assistance of Toby and Elwood, stays as close to sane, free, and happy as most men come.
Sure, you can write that off to high hopes. But the amazing thing was, the bitch was looking really interested. Jan 06, Heather rated it really liked it Recommended to Heather by: Bruce. Shelves: made-me-cry-on-the-train , science-fiction.
He's playing Mercutio; the actress playing Juliet is indisposed. He convinces the director to let him play Juliet and Mercutio for this performance, which works out nicely: when a private detective appears between scenes, looking for Kenneth Valentine, Sparky's in costume as Juliet, and the detective doesn't think for a second that t At the start of The Golden Globe , our narrator, Kenneth Valentine, aka Sparky, aka various aliases, is in a production of Romeo and Juliet somewhere out past Pluto.
He convinces the director to let him play Juliet and Mercutio for this performance, which works out nicely: when a private detective appears between scenes, looking for Kenneth Valentine, Sparky's in costume as Juliet, and the detective doesn't think for a second that the apparently female person he's talking to might in fact be the person he's looking for. So Sparky leaves as soon as he can, making his way to Pluto, where he undertakes various legal and illegal activities he's a con-man, as well as being an actor to make some money, until he hears that a very famous director is coming out of retirement to direct a production of King Lear.
This director is a friend of his, and she promises him the starring role, but the production is on the moon—Earth's moon, I mean—and he's not sure he can get there in time.
And oh, also, it becomes apparent that the private detective isn't the only person looking for him. Though the cover of the book proclaims that this is "A Science Fiction Novel," it's not super-heavy on space-invaders or artificial intelligence or the logistics of space travel or how human civilization looks on various planets, though it does have bits of all those things.
I liked the balance of theatre jokes and other jokes and action and world-building in this book, and I especially liked Toby I am perhaps biased, having had a Bichon companion of my own. But, I mean, how could I not be amused by this? You don't know what terror is until you've heard a Bichon growling. After you've heard it, you still don't have a clue. Back in the park, I'm sure all the squirrels in earshot were helpless with laughter.
Oct 24, David rated it it was ok Shelves: gave-up-on. This one started out well enough and I thought it was really going somewhere. It had some interesting ideas, both plot wise and Science Fictiony ideas.
Ken Valentine, a. Sparky is an actor or he is a con man-- or he is a murderer Well, apparently all of them at one time or another. As a kid, he played Sparky on a top rated T. He's got mafia hitmen after him. He's got money problems. He's got mental problems.
His best buddy, a Jimmy Stewart modeled imaginary friend named Elwood, advises or commisserates with him. About halfway through the book we finally get the background through some dreamlike sequences, telling about his abusive childhood, his rise to fame-- and how he taught a certain producer never to speak ill of his father. For an year old, he had some really clever scam ideas-- that he attributes to his father.
But the book doesn't go anywhere. Oh, there's a chase scene with a hitman-- but the author seems intent on explaining things like the Science of certain locations at times when I wanted the story to move on. The section of published reviews re: the Kid's programming competition was cleverly but overly done. I rarely give up on something after pages, but I did with this one, though it had some intriguing stuff Jul 26, Kathryn rated it it was amazing Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy , fiction.
Okay, so this book is about a hundred-year-old actor who's on the run from the law, and who travels illegally from planet to planet, taking whatever acting work he can find, occasionally changing sex when there's a part he just CAN'T pass up, gender be damned. There's also a lot of flashbacks to his life as a child-star and this is in a civilization where career of a child star can last, oh, at least fifty years , a race across the solar system to get the lead role in "King Lear", and a red-hair Okay, so this book is about a hundred-year-old actor who's on the run from the law, and who travels illegally from planet to planet, taking whatever acting work he can find, occasionally changing sex when there's a part he just CAN'T pass up, gender be damned.
There's also a lot of flashbacks to his life as a child-star and this is in a civilization where career of a child star can last, oh, at least fifty years , a race across the solar system to get the lead role in "King Lear", and a red-haired psychotic assassin who's after the main character for reasons that aren't fully explained until the end of the book.
Sep 14, Alex Sarll added it. I think this is the only book I've ever owned with both a mail order coupon and an address for the publisher's website in the back; a perfect encapsulation of the odd position a slice of SF from holds, neither quite classic nor modern in its style and its projections. But you shouldn't trust that statement too far, and the same goes for narrator Sparky Valentine. The cross solar-system adventure romp is good, the world-building is excellent, and the angle on acting is even better - but the garrulous narratorial voice is best of all.
Jan 07, Matt rated it it was amazing Shelves: reviewed , science-fiction. One of Varley's very best, and the most honoring of Heinlein. Makes me want to go re-read Steel Beach, set in the Eight Worlds universe, but mostly excited for the imminent release of the 3rd book in set in this universe, Irontown Blues. Steel, Gold, Iron. Anyway, fun from start to finish, and if you've enjoyed Varley before, this one is a must-read. Jan 23, Alaine rated it liked it. Another fun ride with John Varley.
These books are always more entertaining than I expect, and well written to boot. Very enjoyable series. Nov 28, Jeff Youngstrom added it.
My review from November 14, My review from November 14, Jun 08, Paul rated it liked it Shelves: scifi , fiction. I am not really a fan of books or media about actors that are super into being an actor. Being obsessed with Shakespeare is a particularly annoying flavor of affectation that I want to steer quite clear of, but it also seems to get a disproportionate amount of air time in various forms of media; possibly because artistic and literary types are more likely to be afflicted by it, or possibly because it's so easy to caricature.
That said, after the first hundred or so pages, Varley dials back the "I I am not really a fan of books or media about actors that are super into being an actor. That said, after the first hundred or so pages, Varley dials back the "I.. At the end of the day, the novel is well-structured, but for the most part, I am disappointed by the fact that Varley barely takes advantage of the setting.
I really like the Eight World books because of the world-building, it's somewhere between cyberpunk e. Neuromancer and post-cyberpunk e. Unfortunately, this story more or less could take place anywhere, almost all the science fiction elements are superfluous.
Apr 20, Tomas rated it really liked it Shelves: sci-fi. A fun and quirky ride through the solar system with a charming thespian. John Varley's previous book Steel Beach is one of my all time favorites. And yet for some reason it has taken me years to actually pick up another one of his books.
And it did not dissapoint. One of my favorite things about this book is that it avoids a lot of sci fi tropes. In fact, it often pokes fun at them. There is no intergalactic war A fun and quirky ride through the solar system with a charming thespian.
There is no intergalactic war, we're not riding on a ship with a band of merry misfits, there is no time travel or evil government to overthrow. In fact, outside of the setting, the book is decidedly non sci-fi. It follows the adventures of a talented actor who used to be a child TV star, and now is living on the fringes of society only one step above homeless. It's a very personal tale told with charm and wit. It's constantly amusing, and frequently hilarious.
As much as I liked the book, it wasn't perfect. It takes a long time to get going, and when it does it's still a bit disconnected. While there is an overarching narrative, it never really felt like the main drive of the story, and as such the book often feels a bit directionless. Still, I highly enjoyed the book. If you've never read John Varley I don't think I'd start with this one, but if you have enjoyed his other books then this one is a fantastic addition. Jul 22, Kay Hawkins rated it it was amazing.
Loved this book from the first page! Funny, creative, perverted, action-packed, adventure. Israel, Esq" and "The Post", respectively. This year, singer Mary J. When are the Golden Globes Awards ? Eastern Standard Time and will be presented by Seth Meyers.
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