A review by ineffablebob
Red Thunder by John Varley

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Red Thunder is a near-term science fiction adventure, reminiscent of golden age classics (though with modern sensibilities around race, gender, etc). A small group of friends uses a breakthrough propulsion technology to fly their own mission to Mars. Much of the story is taken up with building their spaceship, since you still have to stay alive while riding a magical bubble engine. It's a fun ride through the trials of getting things up and running, as long as you can suspend your disbelief about a group of recent high school graduates figuring out spaceship design and construction in just a few months. The author tries to give the characters some depth and mostly succeeds, though they all felt just a little too perfect, always overcoming whatever flaws are introduced with ease. That doesn't keep the narrative from being interesting, though, and I thought it wrapped up nicely by the end, albiet with no real surprises.