Rating: 
Summary: The best work of one of the best SF writers around . . .
Review: As noted before in my posted reviews, I'm a big fan of Varley's work. I first read this one, which is easily his best, when it first came out. In the near-decade since then, I had forgotten most of the details . . . which means it was time to re-read it and enjoy it all over again! The Invaders mopped up Earth in three days and went about their business -- think of it as spraying for termites -- and mankind is now limited to the eight worlds of our solar system to which we had already managed to spread. Now it's nearly the Bicentennial, and keeping Luna running and all its millions of inhabitants happy is the job of the Central Computer. And C.C. has done a pretty good job of it, too. No one messes with research in physics anymore, but the biological sciences have exploded to the point that changing your sex involves no more than a quick trip to a boutique. Everyone's body is loaded with nanobots (thanks to the Central Computer again), hardly anything is illegal, and the oldest Loonies are pushing three hundred years. And then C.C. begins to develop psychological problems. . . . Varley's style is similar to Heinlein's -- but far better developed and much more "literary" -- and he also models himself on R.A.H. in spewing out original ideas and quirky thoughts on every page. This is a fat book, more than 560 pages, but trust me: You're going to wish there was more.
Rating: 
Summary: "Steel Beach" is Varley at his usual
Review: For a diehard Varely fan (since Analog's condensed version of "Titan" appeared) it was good to see Varley back in the literary game again, after a long absence. His book draws mostly from Opiuchi Hotline and Blue Champagne material, with some disappointing cyberpunk leitmotifs. Good action, interesting characters, sloppy plot (that's the cyberpunk influence again). Overall, a fun read for those of us who have long appreciated Varley's storytelling talents.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, great pity it's out of print
Review: Hardly heard of over here in Europe, John Varley's Steel Beach was a revelation. I liked his short stories a lot, and preferred this to his trilogy. His off beat vision and humour are definitely given more scope in this 'hard' sci fi genre. Steel Beach is a funny, very imaginative, thought provoking homage to Heinlein, starting with a picture of techno-upbeat lunar society, run with the help of an all powerful but intrusive computer. Living seems easy - body change, immortality, the lot. Plus 'reserves' -giant theme-parks- where you can live a 19th century Texan life, if you wish. But lunar society, plus the hero/heroine, feisty newspaperperson Hildy, is hiding from the fact of Earth's takeover by aliens. A few anarchists hold out against the master computer, including the hero/heroine's mother, who breeds dinosaurs for meat. (The dinosaurs stampede to death their deep green trade unionist representative, at one point, an un PC event which may account for the book's out of print status). Eventually mental health is restored when suicidal ruling computer is brought under control, and Heinleinian geniuses leave to explore space. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: Must-read for any true sci-fi fans
Review: I also regard this book to be one of the best I've ever read- I am a great fan of John Varley's works, and believe that Steel Beach is a culmination of something Varley's been saying with his Gaean Trilogy and Millennium- that life is only worth living when the fight is still there. I thought Steel Beach was a great commentary on the lives we live today, and what kind of a future we could be heading toward. He didn't have to kick humanity off of the planet to make the point he does with Steel Beach, but would we care about the lives of faceless billions, versus the hundreds isolated on the moon? The story, plot, characters, and fine details of Steel Beach will make it one of the most memorable stories I've ever read. I urge anyone with an open mind to pick it up
Rating:
Summary: One of Varley's finest works
Review: I am a great fan of all things Varley, and Steel Beach is no dissapointment. His future seems so real one can feel oneself in it; the narrator (Hildy) is much more natural than most sci-fi narrators, assuming that the reader is also part of her world. This narrative device creates an atmosphere that draws the reader into this world completely. Varley's future is, as always, not only compelling but utterly believable, showing a remarkable sense of human nature.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish the voting system had no stars
Review: I could never finish it. Maybe it became more varied and interesting later in the story, but the story line was dull and the characters were with out any true development. The author did show the boredom of life created by the too regulated society.
Rating: 
Summary: Book drags on for ever!
Review: I did **eventually** manage to persuade myself to finish this book, mainly because I had enjoyed Varley's "Titan" so much. But this is nothing like as good.
It has some interesting ideas, such as the recreational sex-change idea, the country communities and some of the central computer stuff, but it seems to go on for ages with nothing much happening.
Give it a miss!
Rating:
Summary: Is Heinlein REALLY dead?
Review: I find it suspicious that author Robert A. Heinlein's life overlapped with John Varley, and that during the time period when Varley "disappeared" into the malstrom of Hollywood, Heinlein "passed away." What sparked these suspicions? My first, second and third readings of _Steel Beach_. After reading Heinlein's _Time Enough for Love_, and then encountering Varley's book, I had to think. Hmmmmmmm...can you say "Lazurus Long"? _Steel Beach_ is not just a great read, it is an excellent literary work by any measure. Characters are, literally, multi-faceted, and they play out their lives across a stage replete with war, peace, love, revolution, surreality, sex, drugs, intelligences both alien and artificial, and really cool fight scenes. All of the biggies, as they say in the movie biz. All of this is done with a wit and style that takes no prisoners from the soi-disant intellectual elitists of the present and the future. This is a long book, but don't be itimidated. It is an experience, rather than a task. Take big bites, and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Why Is a Harsh Mistress Homage a Bad Idea?
Review: I had not read a science fiction book for 10 years or so and was in the mood to do so. Going on the recommendation of Tom Clancy I purchased Steel Beach. Bad decision. I'll give the positive critque first. Varley has quite a vibrant imagination. The book is filled with 'entertaining' visions of what could be and Varley has the ability to bring those visions right to you. But that's it. The plotline and substance of the book contain such nihilistic angst and 'entertainment as distraction from dispair' that I was tempted on numerous occasions to not finish. I should have gone with the temptations. For those of you who value your time and would rather not spend it on wandering plotlines here is what the book is about: Shallow male/female character becomes bored with life; attempts suicide unsuccessfully many times; has peyote-like experiences with the Central Computer (who is also thinking of suicide); computer goes crazy, kills many people; main charcter gets pregnant but baby dies; computer is destroyed and rebuilt. That's it.
Rating:
Summary: Is this the state of Sci Fi?
Review: I had not read a science fiction book for 10 years or so and was in the mood to do so. Going on the recommendation of Tom Clancy I purchased Steel Beach. Bad decision. I'll give the positive critque first. Varley has quite a vibrant imagination. The book is filled with 'entertaining' visions of what could be and Varley has the ability to bring those visions right to you. But that's it. The plotline and substance of the book contain such nihilistic angst and 'entertainment as distraction from dispair' that I was tempted on numerous occasions to not finish. I should have gone with the temptations. For those of you who value your time and would rather not spend it on wandering plotlines here is what the book is about: Shallow male/female character becomes bored with life; attempts suicide unsuccessfully many times; has peyote-like experiences with the Central Computer (who is also thinking of suicide); computer goes crazy, kills many people; main charcter gets pregnant but baby dies; computer is destroyed and rebuilt. That's it.
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