Red Lightning

The sequel to Red Thunder is ';a cosmic coming-of-age novel... [with] enthralling everyday heroics' from a Hugo and Nebula Awardwinning author (Paul Di Filippo, SciFi.com). It doesn't matter that Ray Garcia-Strickland's father was one of the first men on Mars. The now overdeveloped planet has lost its hip factor, its luxurious hotelslike the one Ray's father managesoverrun with gravity-dependent tourists from Earth. Ray is over the Red Planet. Soon he gets his own chance at interplanetary adventure, when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami. Ray heads back to Florida to help family and friends who've survived the devastationand soon learns the so-called natural disaster could have unnatural consequences... ';The book Robert A. Heinlein would have written if he lived in George Bush's America.' Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing ';A highly satisfying sequel to Red Thunder... Much more than a simple adventure story, full of poignant moments and relevant social commentary.' Kirkus Reviews, starred review ';Drawing unabashedly on current events from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, the author mixes space operaesque adventure and merriment with uncensored images of disaster areas and teenage sex. At his Heinlein-channeling best, Varley preaches the gospel of individual responsibility with all the fervor of a space-age libertarian revival preacher.' Publishers Weekly ';John Varley blends past fiction, current events and future tech to create a story all his own, but with classic roots in at least a half dozen of Heinleins juveniles.' SF Site