Rating: 
Summary: John Varley at his best...
Review: ...and, considering that John Varley at his worst is pretty amazing, you must definitely buy this book. If you're a Varley fan who doesn't own it, you probably haven't bothered reading the reviews, because you know what he can do.For those poor uninitiated souls unfamiliar with Varley's work, this book is an excellent place to start. It's the tale of former child star, current itinerant actor/con artist Kenneth "Sparky" Valentine, as he makes his way through the solar system. There's something of the guided-tour aspect present in this book as with many of Varley's other works...but his Eight Worlds universe certainly warrants such exploration. We see a natural moon being cannibalized to create an artificial satellite, the Amish community on Luna, the inner workings of a media powerhouse, AIs that are something more than their creators intended (or would perhaps want), a travel accessory that is second only to Terry Pratchett's Luggage.... All seen from the viewpoint of the well-drawn (which is not to say entirely reliable) Valentine. Varley's work is always a delight. This book is no exception, and it's cohesive narrative makes it one of his technical best.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to Steel Beach, but not bad
Review: Yes, the book meanders a bit. Yes, it's self-indulgent. Yes, it spends too much time on "look how clever I am" exposition. (Oberon II being the most outstanding example.) Yes, the ending events seem to come from nowhere. No, it's nowhere close to what _Steel Beach_ was. However, it's still better than 99% of the tripe being served up as SF these days. Varley can actually write characters that aren't mere cardboard cutouts. Sparky, for all his self-absorption, actually feels like a real person. The Eight Worlds universe is still one of the best out there, and Varley actually looks deeply into the sociological changes that various scientific advances will have, as opposed to the pervasive "1995 people with stardrives" that so many others write. A thumbs up, but not quite as high as I had hoped.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most memorable protagonists you'll ever meet
Review: A new novel from John Varley is a cause for celebration, as well as a reminder that it's probably time to get your booster shots renewed--every five or six years is their typical spacing nowadays. The wait is well worth it, however: _Globe_ is thrilling, richly-detailed, inventive, memorable... and occasionally science fiction. Only occasionally. Even though it's set in John Varley's universe, where one's body is as easy to change as one's makeup, and humans live almost everywhere in the solar system because they were kicked off the Earth, this book is much less involved with the ramifications and repercussions of nifty technologies than some of his previous stories and novels are. Instead, Globe is more concerned with characters. Most of them are the main character. Kenneth Valentine, alias K.C., alias Sparky, alias Dodger, alias Carson Dyle, alias Eustace McGargle, is one of the more memorable figures you're ever likely to find in science fiction, an actor/businessman/actor/con-artist/actor, and _Globe_ is a tale of the Stage Life. From frantic backstage disaster-recovery to stupid omnipotent studio heads, the book shows off the extremes encountered in the life of a star of stage and screen. There's a fair number of future features tossed in for verisimilitude, but most of this book could have been a work of regular old fiction, a journey told in flashbacks and side-jaunts leading to Sparky's Performance of a Lifetime. Along the way, we encounter the Bank Examiner swindle, the ghost of Jimmy Stewart, a formidable hit man from a planet of psychopaths, and the most enviable piece of furniture since Terry Pratchett's Luggage. It's a fantastic story, and one that's over much too soon--in fact, too soon for its own good. The last hundred pages feel rushed, as if an editor were holding Varley to a page limit (or, more likely, as if Varley was bound and determined to get this book finished and published and out of his In Progress pile already... maybe he realized he was approaching his next vaccination appointment). Still, what's here is wonderful enough to ease regrets over what is missing. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good; not quite up to STEEL BEACH.
Review: A very Henlein-esque effort, though not quite up to the standard of originality displayed in STEEL BEACH. A definite contender for 1999 PROMETHEUS AWARD.
Rating:
Summary: Side splitting satire at it's finest!
Review: A wonderful complement to the excellent "Steel Beach". Set in the same universe, Varley has let his satirical imagination run amok. Similar in tone to SB, TGG is a wonderful romp through the solar system that deftly manages to skewer modern American society's endlessly mindless fascination with popular media culture at the expense of the important issues of the day. In addition, Varley addresses this theme in a successfully hilarious, almost stream of consciousness, story. Great fun!
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Bag
Review: An entertaining, easy, read, but if you thought "Steel Beach" didn't measure up to Varley's past standards, you'll probably feel the same about "The Golden Globe." While I can recite the plot of the "Gaea" trilogy off-hand after nearly a half-decade since I read any of the books, I suspect that by the end of next week I'd be hard put to give you a synopsis of "The Golden Globe." It's that unmemorable. Varley was at one time equally masterful at plotting and characterization. While he still creates living, breathing characters, the plot of "The Golden Globe" (as with "Steel Beach") meanders fitfully over several hundred pages before finally giving up the ghost (no doubt Hamlet's father).
Rating: 
Summary: Can't win 'em all
Review: As a Varley fan I found this book not up to his usualstandards. If you found Steel Beach so great that you would bewilling to slog through miles of tortuous flashbacks in the story of an immensely uninteresting character just to see a cameo of Hildy Johnson again, then buy it. Otherwise reread Steel Beach and throw in Ophiuchi Hotline for desert. They are far more readable.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed, but with flashes of vintage Varley brilliance.
Review: Based as it is in the same solar system as "Steel Beach," and with a Shakespearian actor in the lead, I'm afraid I had my hopes set too high for this book, wanting it to be another "Demon" or "Steel Beach." It isn't. In contrast to the mix of great character, inventive settings and eye-popping plot those two boasted, "Golden Globe" relies much more heavily on Varley's character-building skills, with both setting and plot handled ably, but made much less central than in his other novels. Which isn't to say that Sparky isn't an interesting character -- he is, no doubt about that -- but he's an often frustrating figure and one that it's not terribly rewarding to spend time on. Varley loves his flawed protagonists, no doubt about it, but Sparky isn't so much flawed as flat-out broken. He's a troubling and unreliable narrator, and there were stretches where I was frankly sick of him and ready to put the book aside. (This from someone who's managed to track down all of Varley's work after being turned on to the Gaea Trilogy in my youth.) While this isn't Varley's weakest novel -- that would be "Millennium," without a doubt -- it's not of the same caliber of his other novels, which were much more crowd-pleasing affairs. Varley clearly set out to do something different with "Golden Globe," and while that's laudable, I don't think he pulled off the character study of one screwed up little boy nearly as well as he could have. Read this only after devouring "Steel Beach" and the Gaea Trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: sent me back to old stuff for more
Review: Ever since I first read The Barbie Murders (now tragically out of print) in the early 80s, I've gobbled up everything Varley. His no-nonsense vision of a future where biology has been brought to heel is so seductive and convincing, I think it might have been an early influence on my career path (I'm a molecular biologist). Though The Golden Globe was no less compelling than his other books, I'm tempted to knock a star off my rating for a lack of new Varleyesque ideas. The lack of new stuff is almost made up for by Sparky Valentine's novelty - what a cool character! I was actually a little turned-off by Sparky in the first part of the book - he seemed sort of too cute or contrived or something. But it quickly becomes evident that the cutesyness is a thin veneer over an extremely sophisticated character. I missed the Varley world enough after finishing the Golden Globe that I went back and re-read the Gaea trilogy - which still feels amazingly current, despite being nearly 20 years old. Varley is one of the true visionaries of the hard-core sci fi world.
Rating:
Summary: Pedestrian thespian to the moon or bust...
Review: First, let me say that I agree with the blurb from Tom Clancy on the cover that Varley is one of the best writers in America today. I have thoroughly enjoyed Titan, Demon, Wizard, The Ophiuchi Hotline, Steel Beach, even Millenium, some of them more than once. But throughout this novel I had to overcome the urge to leave it behind on the plane or toss it into a trash bin. Since I can't exactly pinpoint what is wrong with this novel, I won't say categorically that it is bad, but here are some guesses about what is wrong: 1) Too many hackneyed expressions from theater and show business. 2) Varley either doesn't like his main character, Sparky Valentine, or didn't get into him/her enough to be convincing (if you know Varley, you know what I mean by him/her). 3) To echo Sparky himself--"Where is my motivation?" I don't see it except when Sparky is fighting for his life and chumming around with his dog (Varley does the master--pet relationship beautifully). The rest of the time, on his/her odyssey from beyond Pluto all the way sunward to the Moon, I don't see Sparky's motivation at all. If you've already read and enjoyed Varley's other novels and stories, you might derive pleasure from this novel, because you'll be adding some depth to his universe, but if you haven't read Varley, don't start with this particular novel. Start with Titan, Steel Beach, or The Ophiuchi Hotline.
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