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A review by scifimagpie
Wizard by John Varley
5.0
Okay, so this series has a bit of a reputation because of some of the worldbuilding, but honestly, it's worth it and it fits better than one might think at first glance. For classic-era sci fi, it's also pretty good for handling gender and queer issues, too! Not only do queer characters appear, there's discussions about privilege and identity that have both nuance and realism - and they aren't boring or preachy.
I actually had only heard about "the weird centaur thing", but I'd read some other Varley anthos and really loved them, so I had to give this a try when I found it in a used book story. It was totally worth it. If you want a realistic book with extremely well-written female characters who aren't just fetish objects, and a clever examination of fantasy tropes and the problem of divine authority along with it, this is a great choice. The representation of alcoholism and relationship dynamics is also nuanced and excellent.
The book's pace is quite meandering, and a good half the story is worldbuilding in a way. If you struggle with that, I wouldn't recommend this series, but if you're down for something hazy, trippy, yet sweet and earnest, and still not lacking in sophistication, then this is a very worthy series.
I actually had only heard about "the weird centaur thing", but I'd read some other Varley anthos and really loved them, so I had to give this a try when I found it in a used book story. It was totally worth it. If you want a realistic book with extremely well-written female characters who aren't just fetish objects, and a clever examination of fantasy tropes and the problem of divine authority along with it, this is a great choice. The representation of alcoholism and relationship dynamics is also nuanced and excellent.
The book's pace is quite meandering, and a good half the story is worldbuilding in a way. If you struggle with that, I wouldn't recommend this series, but if you're down for something hazy, trippy, yet sweet and earnest, and still not lacking in sophistication, then this is a very worthy series.