Mammoth expectations

[threemonkeys]

From time to time I get this question "who is your favourite author?". It usually comes from some well meaning person who is not an SF fan - somebody who may have heard of Isaac Asimov if they have heard of any genre writer at all. Sometimes I tell them the truth - I do not have a single favourite, it depends on context, mood etc. On other occasions I also tell them a truth - John Varley.

Varley really blew my mind when I first encountered his work in the early 80s. He somehow managed to capture the off the wall spirit of the new wave writer in a clear simple style from the old school. And then he injected something distinctly his own. A way of representing the impact of social and technological change on the shape of society that I had never seen before. That extra was just the result of a wonderful vision. After an initial burst of activity, his production dropped down to a tiny trickle of novels with gaps of years between each. So a new Varley novel is a big deal when it comes along. Mammoth arrived on Friday and immediately rose to the top of my reading list.

Mammoth has not had good reviews and now that I have read it, I can see why. It isn't a bad book by any means. It is a well told time travel tale but it isn't a "Varley novel". It is way too ordinary. Now Varley's last novel was a Heinlein pastiche and could therefore also be considered not a "Varley novel". But it was a very good Heinlein pastiche and a lot of fun even if it wasn't what I really wanted.

I repeat - Mammoth isn't a bad book, in fact it is pretty good. But under the weight of expectation, it fails to deliver. I feel rather flat.

Comments

[stephen-dedman.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review. I'll order a few copies for Fantastic Planet, but won't expect too much of it. We sold our last copy of Red Thunder yesterday, before I could buy one, so will re-order that as well.

Have you heard about the new Varley collection coming out (with the less-than-astonishing title 'The Varley Reader'?). Have to get that, too: while I've enjoyed most of his novels, it's been his short stories and novellas that have completely blown me away.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I have the John Varley Reader. I bought it as soon as it became available in the States for no other reason than it had 4 or 5 short stories I hadn't read before. It is an excellent collection containing all my favourite short stories and some good historical footnotes by Varley which give some good insights into the man. If I could only own one John Varley book, this would have to be the one.