John Varley
John Varley began writing science fiction short stories in the early 1970s. His first novel, The Ophiuchi Hotline, was published in 1977. From the beginning, his work reflected feminist concerns, perhaps most obviously in the Gaean trilogy (consisting of Titan, Wizard and Demon). This series features Lesbian heroine Cirocco Jones and her sidekick/lover Gaby, in an extraordinarily lyrical and complex alien environment known as Gaea. As Varley was the first prominent male SF author to write respectful and plausible Lesbian characters, the (incorrect) rumor that he was actually a Lesbian writing under a pseudonym spread far and wide.
Many of his stories and some novels are set in the "Eight Worlds" universe where characters can (and do) change gender at will. Of particular note in this context is "Options," which takes place decades earlier than most Eight Worlds fiction, and describes the first social effect of quick and easy gender changes on a particular couple.
Varley has continued to produce sporadic novels, and many fewer short stories, since his period of high output in the 1970s and early 1980s. One early novel, Millennium (based on the short story "Air Raid") was made into a movie which Varley on his own site describes as "bad."
He lives near Portland, Oregon.
Works
- The Ophiuchi Hotline
- The Persistence of Vision
- Picnic on Nearside (aka The Barbie Murders)
- Steel Beach
- Blue Champagne
- Millennium
The Gaean trilogy
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