Wizard: Gaean Trilogy, Book 2

John Varley's output is variable; some are winners and some are something else. When he gets it right, oh boy! This time, he got it right. He has hard SF, he has fantasy, and he has fun - all in one trilogy. The only fault I can find in these three books is that there aren't four books. This is Varley beyond his best. But them all!

For unknown reasons not available on Kindle -- like a great deal of fine American science fiction -- so I had to find space on a shelf for the book when it came to getting hold of a replacement copy (mine got ruined in a leak). In fact this trilogy of novels is becoming difficult to get hold of in the new format, which is a shame, because it showcases a writer at the height of his abilities.A lot of Varley's ideas were seen at the time as "revolutionary hedonism" and because SF of the 70s, and perhaps into the early 80s, tended to embrace anything remotely new or alternative, he got away with a lot of stuff that today might be seen as un-pc, or even a little disgusting and outrageous, especially concerning the "recreational reproductive" habits of youthful humans. How times change! Of course what's important is the writing itself, which is smooth and flowing and on the verge of humour but not quite breaking into comedy.The concept of "Titan", used for all three volumes of the trilogy, was somewhat psychedelic in its time, and the only downside is that Varley gets incredibly self-indulgent on occasion, going into needlessly extensive dialogues and descriptions. That puts him nicely among his peers of today (the twenty first century), so in that respect he was ahead of the competition when this was written, 1980.

I thought Titan was a good book with some decent intrigue + questions that needed answering. The thing is, by the end of that book, pretty much everything I wanted to know was answered. Wizard doesn't really have much to add.. it just fills a massive amount of detail about things I never really wanted to know more about.There's no new mystery to solve. It's all about fleshing out what we already know. I've been skipping chapters to see if there's anything new + interesting, but I'm now seriously thinking of getting a new book.

This is "Volume two of the Gaean Trilogy. It was a disappointment after "Titan" the first volume. "Titan" was a complete novel and was original and there were certain essential ingredients like a plot that kept you wondering what would happen next. Unfortunately, this sequel is just "The Further Adventures of ...." and there is little suspense or anticipation. We found out all we needed or wanted to know about Gaea in "Titan".The story is written in Varley's usual readable style and it is a pity the content is so unambitious. In my opinion, this is good example of why trilogies are a bad thing - the author had nothing to add to the original but was probably pressured by publishers/money/greed into writing sequels.

To put some perspective on this opinion... I read Varley's Titan when I was mid-teens, and loved the richness and variety it contained. Yes, some of the material was a little mature in nature, but from the start, I was hooked. I wanted to visit the setting for that book... live there, even. I wanted to hang out with Cirocco, go with her while she explored that truly unique and practically limitless world. Gaby was cool, but Rocky was the clear stand out.Now for Wizard. In my totally subjective opinion, this is one of Varley's best pieces of work. The story is interesting, with a wonderful mixture of drama, suspense, action, tragedy, humor, humanity, and richness that exceeded and amplified every aspect of the first book. Despite the jarring differences on many fronts, I still was almost immediately hooked here as well.. The characters were deep and compelling. Gaby became the standout. Not that I didn't sympathize with the Wizard's plight, but Varley had me so emotionally invested in Gaby that, while reading the book on a public bus, I drew alarmed reactions from the other passengers when I stood up and loudly said "No way!" Before returning to my seat, a bit embarrassed. (Anyone who has read it almost certainly knows exactly which part.) Gaby's growth was amazing. And then, at the end, we got to see a kind of redemption that was so well written, so filled with tension, that I could hardly stay seated (at home this time).This is not about Demon, the third part of the trilogy, but I will add that it has an equally jarring and seemingly disconsonant opening that took me a bit more to really get into, but it shared the same almost locomotive-like building of momentum that Wizard has... once rolling, both books just pull you along at sometimes breakneck pace... the words can't get from the page to your eyes fast enough.It would not be an exaggeration to say I love this trilogy, but Wizard in particular was, and continues to be on each successive reread (every few years) a source of amazement, wonder, and is (in my again subjective opinion) a model for great story telling.If you haven't read the trilogy, you should.

very good

I first read this series back in the stone age and was enthralled by it then. When nostalgia caused me to read it again I feared it wouldn't stand up to the test of time. I was wrong.While some of the tech references do date the material somewhat the story is still a fascinating study in what makes us human. The Titanides are a wonderful mirror for us to look into and try to see our better selves. In this second installment the characters have grown, the scars have deepened but we still see the hope and determination that makes for great stories. This is a must read trilogy for sci-fi and fantasy enthusiasts.

Thanks.

...yet this may be the reason why many people like it so much. To me it is a little too little Space Opera. But a Lord of the Rings Kind of Quest is quite a good read, too, is it not? So just for completion reasons and to see if some space will inflict on the big wheel, I shall move on to the final book.