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John Varley

Red Thunder, Red Lightning, and Rolling Thunder—“action-packed, science-packed homages to Heinlein’s best work”—now in one volume (Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing).
 
 Enjoy all three novels in Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author John Varley’s Mars saga!
 
Red Thunder
 As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida have a chance to beat them both—thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory . . .
 
Red Lightning
 Son of one of the first men on Mars, Ray Garcia-Strickland is over the Red Planet and its gravity-dependent tourists. And when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami, he’ll get his own chance at interplanetary adventure . . .
 
Rolling Thunder
 Stationed on one of Jupiter’s moons, Podkayne, a Martian navy lieutenant and daughter of Ray Garcia-Strickland, is finally realizing her dream of being a singer when disaster strikes. Put into a state of suspended animation, she awakens ten years later to face her—and humanity’s—greatest challenge . . .
 
Praise for the Thunder and Lightning Series
 
 “Superior science fiction.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
 
 “Fast paced . . . engaging characters.” —Rocky Mountain News
 
 “Much more than a simple adventure story, full of poignant moments and relevant social commentary.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 
 “The heart-pounding space race is on . . . in this riveting SF thriller . . . with hilarious, well-drawn characters, extraordinary situations presented plausibly, plus exciting action and adventure.” —Publishers Weekly

Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy

The Thunder and Lightning Series

“The heart-pounding space race is on . . . in this riveting SF thriller” from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of Red Lightning and Rolling Thunder (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
 
 As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida decide to take matters into their own hands. If they can quickly build their own space-worthy ship using scrap metal, appliances, and power tools, they have a chance to come from behind—thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory . . .
 
 “Varley’s great strength is in his characterizations, but in Red Thunder he also shows a strong sense of place. . . . If you are willing to simply fantasize about fleeing your office cubicle and becoming a heroic space explorer, this novel will fulfill your wishes.” —The Washington Post
 
 “Fast paced . . . Engaging characters.” —Rocky Mountain News
 
 “Full of little gems of wit and intelligence.” —Booklist
 
 “[A] fun-filled adventure. Varley matches a serious literary style with an outrageous plot, and he’s one of the few writers in the field who could make it work.” —Chronicle

Red Thunder

The sequel to Red Thunder is “a cosmic coming-of-age novel . . . [with] enthralling everyday heroics” from a Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author (Paul Di Filippo, SciFi.com).
 
 It doesn’t matter that Ray Garcia-Strickland’s father was one of the first men on Mars. The now overdeveloped planet has lost its hip factor, its luxurious hotels—like the one Ray’s father manages—overrun with gravity-dependent tourists from Earth. Ray is over the Red Planet.
 
 Soon he gets his own chance at interplanetary adventure, when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami. Ray heads back to Florida to help family and friends who’ve survived the devastation—and soon learns the so-called natural disaster could have unnatural consequences . . .
 
 “The book Robert A. Heinlein would have written if he lived in George Bush’s America.” —Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing
 
 “A highly satisfying sequel to Red Thunder . . . Much more than a simple adventure story, full of poignant moments and relevant social commentary.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 
 “Drawing unabashedly on current events from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, the author mixes space opera–esque adventure and merriment with uncensored images of disaster areas and teenage sex. At his Heinlein-channeling best, Varley preaches the gospel of individual responsibility with all the fervor of a space-age libertarian revival preacher.” —Publishers Weekly
 
 “John Varley blends past fiction, current events and future tech to create a story all his own, but with classic roots in at least a half dozen of Heinlein's juveniles.” —SF Site

Red Lightning

The third book in the Thunder and Lightning Series is “a smashing success . . . [with] action-packed, science-packed homages to Heinlein’s best work” (Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing).
 
 Navy lieutenant Podkayne, daughter of Ray Garcia-Strickland, is tired of her job as Martian consul in California—and Earth’s oppressive gravity. So she’s OK with getting called back to Mars even if it’s because her great-grandmother is sick and being put into suspended animation.
 
 After a family reunion, Podkayne’s next port of call is Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, where she can finally realize her dream of being a singer. But just when her life seems to be improving for the better, disaster strikes and Podkayne is put into her own state of suspension. Awakened ten years later, she will discover a solar system in turmoil—where the very survival of humanity is at risk . . .
 
 “This is well-crafted science fiction written by a master.” —SFRevu
 
 “These books are fond without being nostalgic, reverent without being old-fashioned. Everything about them is utterly contemporary, but it’s easy to believe that Heinlein would have written them (more or less!) today.” —Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing
 
 “Loaded with references, some subtle and others blatant, to Heinlein’s many books. Heinlein fans will get a chuckle, or maybe even a guffaw, when encountering one of these. Readers with no Heinlein background will enjoy the story too, but on a different level.” —National Space Society