The Persistence of Vision

Synopsis

The Persistence of Vision
With an Introduction by Algis Budrys

These nine stories show the best work of the decade's most exciting new writer of science fiction. His Quantum novel The Ophiuchi Hotline established the "Eight Worlds" setting of many of these tales--a bizarre future in which genetic engineering, sex changes, and arcane pleasures and trades are commonplace.

The title story, nominated this year for a Nebula award by the Science Fiction Writers of America, is a haunting treatment of communication beyond our normal senses, an unusually enriching and absorbing work.

The last tale in the volume, the one the book is named after, is particularly memorable. It features a man who becomes part of a colony of deaf-mute-blind people, who have developed a highly spiritual means of communicating.

Take, for instance, the plight of the hero of "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank." All he wanted was a relaxed weekend as a lion; but a meddlesome kid switched a circuit, and his psyche was trapped inside a computer. . . . And what creative spirit wouldn't envy the artist in "The Phantom of Kansas" who composes storms?

Most of us feel pretty negatively about skyjackers, but "Air Raid" shows an unexpected rationale for it; "Retrograde Summer," "The Black Hole Passes," and "In the Bowl" are (among other strange things) unique and confusing love stories; "In the Hall of the Martian Kings" is a new and enthralling twist on the planetary castaways theme; and "Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance" shows what a Tin Pan Alley of the centuries to come might be like.

Copyright:

1978

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

274 Pages

Publisher:

N/A

Date of Addition:

06/04/04

Copyrighted By:

John Varley

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Literature and Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy

Submitted By:

Garyp

Proofread By:

Liz Halperin

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.