Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction 22nd Series |
1976 |
Buy |
| Ascents of Wonder |
1977 |
Buy |
| Nebula Awards 13 |
1980 |
Buy |
| The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction / Great Science Fiction of the 20th Century |
1980 |
Buy |
| The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction 24 |
1982 |
Buy |
| Fourth Planet from the Sun |
1984 |
Buy |
| The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Second Annual Collection |
1985 |
Buy |
| Worlds Apart |
1986 |
Buy |
| The Dark Void |
1987 |
Buy |
| The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Seventh Annual Collection |
1990 |
Buy |
| Mondo Barbie |
1993 |
Buy |
| Superheroes |
1995 |
Buy |
| The Good New Stuff |
1999 |
Buy |
| Bangs & Whimpers |
1999 |
Buy |
| Explorers |
2000 |
Buy |
| Stars: Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Year’s Best Science Fiction: 21 Annual Edition |
2004 |
Buy |
| Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology |
2007 |
Buy |
| The Mammoth Book of Mindblowing SF |
2009 |
Buy |
| The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction |
2010 |
Buy |
| The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF |
2013 |
Buy |
Chapbooks#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| In The Hall of the Martian Kings |
1977 |
Buy |
| Press Enter |
1984 |
Buy |
Eight Worlds Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Ophiuchi Hotline |
1977 |
Buy |
| Lollipop and the Tar Baby |
1977 |
Buy |
| The Persistence of Vision |
1978 |
Buy |
| Blue Champagne |
1986 |
Buy |
| Irontown Blues |
2018 |
Buy |
Gaea Trilogy Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Titan |
1979 |
Buy |
| Wizard |
1979 |
Buy |
| Demon |
1984 |
Buy |
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Steel Beach |
1992 |
Buy |
| The Golden Globe |
1998 |
Buy |
Mondo Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Mondo Barbie |
1993 |
Buy |
| Mondo Elvis |
1994 |
Buy |
| Mondo Marilyn |
1995 |
Buy |
| Mondo James Dean |
1996 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| In the Bowl |
1975 |
Buy |
| The Black Hole Passes |
1975 |
Buy |
| Good-Bye, Robinson Crusoe |
1977 |
Buy |
| Air Raid |
1977 |
Buy |
| The Pusher |
1981 |
Buy |
| The Manhattan Phone Book (Abridged) |
1984 |
Buy |
| Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo |
1986 |
Buy |
| Just Another Perfect Day |
1989 |
Buy |
| Truth, Justice and the Politically Correct Socialist Path |
1995 |
Buy |
| The Bellman |
2003 |
Buy |
| In Fading Suns and Dying Moons |
2003 |
Buy |
Short Story Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Barbie Murders |
1980 |
Buy |
| Picnic On Nearside |
1980 |
Buy |
| The John Varley Reader |
2004 |
Buy |
| Good-Bye, Robinson Crusoe and Other Stories |
2013 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Millennium |
1983 |
Buy |
| Mammoth |
2005 |
Buy |
| Slow Apocalypse |
2012 |
Buy |
Thunder and Lightning Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Red Thunder |
2003 |
Buy |
| Red Lightning |
2006 |
Buy |
| Rolling Thunder |
2008 |
Buy |
| Dark Lightning |
2014 |
Buy |
John Varley is an American science fiction author who became a major figure in the genre during the late 1970s. His Eight Worlds stories, set in a future where aliens have expelled humanity from Earth, began with short fiction in 1974 and continued through novels including The Ophiuchi Hotline (1977), Steel Beach (1992), and Irontown Blues (2018).
His Gaea Trilogy (Titan, Wizard, Demon) follows an astronaut crew exploring a massive living alien structure orbiting Saturn. The series ran from 1979 to 1984 and earned both Hugo and Nebula nominations. His Thunder and Lightning series, starting with Red Thunder (2003), brought a more accessible adventure tone to his work.
Varley has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, primarily for his novellas and short stories. He is also known for the novel Millennium (1983), which was adapted into a 1989 film. He co-edited the Mondo anthology series in the 1990s.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has John Varley written?
John Varley has written 60 books across ten series.
What was John Varley's first book?
John Varley’s first book is In the Bowl, published in 1975.
What genres does John Varley write in?
John Varley writes science fiction across novels, novellas, and short stories. His Eight Worlds stories imagine humanity displaced from Earth by aliens, while the Gaea Trilogy takes place inside a living alien habitat orbiting Saturn. His Thunder and Lightning series is near-future adventure fiction. He has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards for his shorter work.