Lilo era morta, processata, condannata, suicidata. Ma era anche viva. Anzi, c’erano molte Lilo...Negli anni della dispersione dell’umanità sugli altri pianeti del sistema solare, dopo che gli Invasori ebbero conquistato la Terra, la clonazione era un sistema di sicurezza ormai comune. Clonazione, ovvero riproduzione di un essere umano completo di personalità e memoria, una tecnica rivelata attraverso misteriose trasmissioni provenienti dallo spazio, la Linea Calda Ophiucus, appunto. Nessuno sapeva come e perché quelle trasmissioni avvenissero, ma tutti applicavano entusiasticamente la nuova tecnica. Eppure la donazione era anche un pericolo terribile. E quando venne nelle mani di Tweed, ex capo della Luna, il pericolo diventò realtà, e prese la forma di un complotto contro la Terra. Finché un nuovo messaggio giunse da Ophiucus...John Varley, texano, autore di numerosi racconti di fantascienza, è al primo romanzo. Linea Calda Ophiucus è stato accolto con grandissimo favore negli Stati Uniti, sollevando tra critici e fans una “scioccante ondata di eccitazione”.

Per chi viaggia tra le stelle a velocità relativistiche ci sono strani modi per mantenere il contatto con l’umanità.Vincitore dei premi Hugo, Nebula e Locus per il miglior racconto breve (Short Story) in 1982.

Au-dessus d’Oakland, en Californie, un DC-10 et un 747 entrent en collision : c’est la plus grande catastrophe de l’histoire de l’aviation.Dans les siècles des siècles, une équipe de voyageurs du temps s’apprête à remonter dans le passé pour kidnapper ces gens promis à une mort inéluctable mais qui, si l’on prenait la peine de les consulter, préféreraient peut-être ce triste destin é l’avenir radieux qu’on leur prépare.Elle : superbe (quoique complètement en toc), elle dirige le commando chargé de ce détournement. Lui : alcoolo (mais séduisant), il dirige l’enquête officielle sur les lieux du désastre, Ils vont se rencontrer au détour du temps… et du destin. Mais qui est le marionnettiste cynique et narquois qui tire les ficelles cachées et mène où bon lui semble cette histoire — notre Histoire ?

Nagroda Hugo'85 Nebula'84"NACIŚNIJ ENTER" Johna Varleya, pomysł z obcym ukrytym w strukturze Sieci był w tamtych czasach (w Polsce nikt nie myślał o Internecie, choć słuchy docierały) czymś nowatorskim i odświeżającym. Ale to styl, w jakim napisano opowiadanie, zapada w pamięć. Dla chcących uchodzić za obytych w gatunku, jedna z pozycji z tzw. "must have" (czyli wstyd nie znać). Styl "NACIŚNIJ ENTER" był dobry, ale jest w zbiorku inne opowiadanie, które może stylem, a przede wszytkim KLIMATEM zostawia resztę daleko za sobą – chodzi o "Salvador" Luciusa Sheparda. Dla mnie było to odkrycie tomu, ale zacząłem o tym w ten sposób myśleć dopiero po opadnięciu pierwszego podniecenia wywołanego lekturą "NACIŚNIJ ENTER" – po prostu dwa rewelacyjne opowiadania były w zbyt bliskim sąsiedztwie (efekt należałoby natychmiast skonsultować z lekarzem badź farmaceutą).

A chilling story of the coming computer age, which feels far more prescient and convincing than Neuromancer which was published in the same year. Like Gibson's novel, it is set in an America wedded to Asia; but the Asia of this story is a place of pain and horror.

John Varley's Steel Beach is a daring, well-conceived work of science fiction. Humanity has been ejected from Earth by enigmatic aliens trying to save cetaceans. Homo sapiens finds itself exiled to strongholds throughout the solar system, foremost of which is Luna. There, human beings live in great comfort with almost all of their needs met and very little to worry about. As a result, they are losing their minds.Through the unremarkable antagonist Hildy, Varley asks what happens to human beings who lack challenges and who lack any real direction. Comforts there are aplenty in Luna. Technology makes sex changes routine and has all but defeated death itself. So now what? Humanity has slumped into a self-absorbed torpor that would be bad enough if the unimaginably complex supercomputer that controls every aspect of Lunar life weren't on the edge of a catastrophic breakdown. Hildy gains an increasing awareness of this problem as the narrative progresses; and he (later she) manages to struggle out of the cocoon of smothering comfort that threatens to make humanity incapable of responding to the imminent central computer breakdown.As with much good science fiction, Varley uses Steel Beach to ask what humanity ought to do with its capabilities. He suggests that it is human nature to use awesome abilities for small-minded diversions. We are our own greatest limitation, though we are also our own greatest resource.The story is overlong, though. The pace drags a bit. More ruthless editing would have yielded a story that was better-paced but still covered the important points.Though it can be uncomfortable to read (or perhaps because), Steel Beach is quite worthy of the reading.