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wilt's review against another edition
3.75
compared to the eight worlds books, this one shows its age a bit more, starting strong with at least 3 different unfortunate, ignorant racial remarks within the first 10 pages. there also isn't as much play with sex and gender. the centaurs are there, and i love them, but their presence is relatively brief. i did really like the queer relationship between cirocco and gaby though. you can't ignore it, it has an interesting build-up, it doesn't feel randomly tacked on, and it's definitely not shallow. and i like how john varley writes women. he has a way with it that i find compelling, compassionate, and complex, especially for its time. here is an adventure novel with a flawed character at its heart experiencing a deeply strange world with another woman who would follow her anywhere, through peril and hardship and life-threatening danger, because she loves her, without asking anything in return except for cirocco to not force herself to return her feelings. and what an adventure it was. the sheer scale of gaea is very effectively presented. it boggles the mind at every step and of course i really enjoyed the fantasy flavoring of centaurs and angels within this complex space construct.
curious to read on and see what else is in store.
curious to read on and see what else is in store.
seano312's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books I read back when it came out and then let sit on my shelf for a couple of decades.
I did the same thing with Dune, Silverberg’s Majipoor
Chronicles, and other books of that era.
There were somethings I remember, like the centaur-like Titanides, And a lot of stuff I didn’t.
It’s a good book, and I’m interested in reading the next two novels if they ever come out cheap on the Kindle. I’m pretty sure I’ve tossed the old paperbacks I owned.
Good classic Sci-Fi. It hasn’t aged terribly poorly.
I did the same thing with Dune, Silverberg’s Majipoor
Chronicles, and other books of that era.
There were somethings I remember, like the centaur-like Titanides, And a lot of stuff I didn’t.
It’s a good book, and I’m interested in reading the next two novels if they ever come out cheap on the Kindle. I’m pretty sure I’ve tossed the old paperbacks I owned.
Good classic Sci-Fi. It hasn’t aged terribly poorly.
metaphorosis's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
On their way to explore Saturn's moon Iapetus, a small crew encounter an unexpected object that looks to be a huge, complex spaceship. And then it grabs them.
Review
I remember Titan and its sequels (when I read them as a teen) as slow-moving, philosophical, and a bit disordered. I was therefore very surprised, this time around, to find a pretty straightforward adventure story – albeit one with more sex and drugs than I was probably used to at the time (though it’s from the 70s, so maybe not). Equally surprising was that it has a pretty rocky start. Until the crew actually reaches the world/object they’ve found, it’s unclear an not really very appealing.
Once they arrive, though, Varley finds his footing and plunges ahead. He name checks any number of SF classics, including a Dune movie that never got made (presumably Jodorowsky’s intended film), which is kind of fun, though he never mentions Rendezvous with Rama, with which Titan has a lot in common. Maybe he felt a reference to (in my copy), 2000 [sic]: a Space Odyssey was enough (some commonality there too).
In any event, the book’s nowhere near as weird as I remember, but it does have the centaurs. And much less concern for the team’s environment than I’d thought; they kind of slash and burn their way through in typical human fashion without much thought for consequences.
Despite its somewhat derivative feel, the story works because a) the world is interesting, and b) the characters are fairly strong and engaging. If you haven’t read it, it’s not quite the classic I recall, but it is a fun read.
Summary
On their way to explore Saturn's moon Iapetus, a small crew encounter an unexpected object that looks to be a huge, complex spaceship. And then it grabs them.
Review
I remember Titan and its sequels (when I read them as a teen) as slow-moving, philosophical, and a bit disordered. I was therefore very surprised, this time around, to find a pretty straightforward adventure story – albeit one with more sex and drugs than I was probably used to at the time (though it’s from the 70s, so maybe not). Equally surprising was that it has a pretty rocky start. Until the crew actually reaches the world/object they’ve found, it’s unclear an not really very appealing.
Once they arrive, though, Varley finds his footing and plunges ahead. He name checks any number of SF classics, including a Dune movie that never got made (presumably Jodorowsky’s intended film), which is kind of fun, though he never mentions Rendezvous with Rama, with which Titan has a lot in common. Maybe he felt a reference to (in my copy), 2000 [sic]: a Space Odyssey was enough (some commonality there too).
In any event, the book’s nowhere near as weird as I remember, but it does have the centaurs. And much less concern for the team’s environment than I’d thought; they kind of slash and burn their way through in typical human fashion without much thought for consequences.
Despite its somewhat derivative feel, the story works because a) the world is interesting, and b) the characters are fairly strong and engaging. If you haven’t read it, it’s not quite the classic I recall, but it is a fun read.
sarahrigg's review against another edition
5.0
This was a re-read for me in 2009. I'd previously read the trilogy back in my early 20s. I enjoyed it a lot the second time around.
A volume of Varley's short stories called "Blue Champagne" was one of the very first books I ever bought with money from my first job, and I've always liked Varley's early mind-blowing novels. He is excellent at writing women characters with depth, and the main character, Sirocco Jones, is a delight.
So many weird and wacky ideas and world-building in this novel! I really don't understand why Varley isn't revered by more people in the same vein as Asimov, Bradbury, and Philip Jose Farmer.
A volume of Varley's short stories called "Blue Champagne" was one of the very first books I ever bought with money from my first job, and I've always liked Varley's early mind-blowing novels. He is excellent at writing women characters with depth, and the main character, Sirocco Jones, is a delight.
So many weird and wacky ideas and world-building in this novel! I really don't understand why Varley isn't revered by more people in the same vein as Asimov, Bradbury, and Philip Jose Farmer.
secretbadass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Still processing this but I can say it was wild conceptually. A very unique world, creatures, and lore but at times confusing and a bit convoluted. I found the descriptions hard to visualize and pacing was off; sometimes skipping to conclusions without much explanation and other times taking ages to describe something or some event that felt less important.
I didn't find the characters likeable but I personally don't need that if the story/world is intriguing enough which I would say this was. Plus it seems on purpose that they are a bit annoying.
The end was a bit of a slog but did well in wrapping up questions and loose ends. Overall, it started strong but ended a little flat.
I didn't find the characters likeable but I personally don't need that if the story/world is intriguing enough which I would say this was. Plus it seems on purpose that they are a bit annoying.
The end was a bit of a slog but did well in wrapping up questions and loose ends. Overall, it started strong but ended a little flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Abortion
dogs_cats_books's review against another edition
3.0
Fun romp interspersed with rape and forced pregnancy
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
babyleo22's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was an interesting read. There were multiple occasions that I was like “what the hell is going on” but not in a bad way. It was pretty enjoyable read, I loved how each character interacted with each other. I also felt like the ending isn’t what you were expecting but was exactly what you needed to have a good ending.
garden's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
kat_sanford's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75