Rating: 
Summary: Not worth it
Review: Varley's short story "Persistence of Vision" is one of my absolute favorite stories, so when I saw _Titan_, I thought I would be in for an interesting ride. This story, while moderately hard-SF, does explore themes of relationships (both in terms of sexuality-homo, hetero and incest-and companionship; of first contact of human to alien; and creatures to their God). However, I thought the writing fell flat during what is ultimately a quest and exploration story. The main female character, Cirocco, is sometimes more caricature than character (though I do agree that Ripley bears some resemblance in character). The plot was ultimately the driving force of the book, and many of the sequences felt forced. There is a definite feel that this was written in the 70s and the prevailing conventions and attitudes of the times are reflected and explored here.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding trilogy
Review: Well-written and unique, Varley presents the world with a true female main character. This series should never go out of print -- we need a new release of Demon. The trilogy makes little sense without the ending. Highly recommended for SF readers
Rating: 
Summary: Should probably be read as a trilogy
Review: _Titan_ is a good novel of its own right, but leave you hanging in a big way. I'd reccomend getting at least _Wizard_ in addition, which takes the characters to the next stange of their journey.I hadn't read any hard sci-fi for a few years when I picked this up recently, and found it absorbing and fascinating. Varley doesn't get too hung up on jargon, and instead focuses on the amazing mechanics of Gaia, and the portrayal of his dynamic characters. A very good read, but not essential.
| 
