The Ophiuchi Hotline

by John Varley

Overview

THE BRILLIANT NOVEL THAT LAUNCHED THE VARLEY PHENOMENON

 

The invaders came in 2050…They did not kill anyone outright. they said they came on behalf of the intelligent species of Earth—dolphins and whales. The Invaders quietly destroyed every evidence of technology, then peacefully departed, leaving behind plowed ground and sprouting seeds. In the next two years, ten billion humans starved to death. 

The remnants of humanity that survived relocated to the moon and other planets. But they are not alone in their struggle—someone or something, somewhere in deep space, is sending them advanced scientific data via the Ophiuchi Hotline. And by the twenty-fifth century, the technological gifts from the Hotline—especially its biological and medical solutions—have created a world unlike any ever known or imagined…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780441634842
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/01/1993
Series:	Eight Worlds , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	4.15(w) x 6.71(h) x 0.61(d)
Age Range:	18 - 17 Years

About the Author

John Varley is the author of Slow Apocalypse, the Gaean Trilogy (Titan, Wizard, and Demon), Steel Beach, The Golden Globe, Red Thunder, Mammoth, Red Lightning, and Rolling Thunder. He has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards for his work.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
John Varley's debut novel, 1977's The Ophiuchi Hotline (a science fiction masterpiece that has been called his finest work ever) has been repackaged and reissued in paperback by Ace Books, along with his classic Gaean trilogy (Titan, Wizard, and Demon).

After a race of supremely advanced aliens invade Earth to liberate the planet's intelligent species -- whales and dolphins! -- the majority of humankind is exiled into space, where, through the magic of bioengineering, they begin to adapt to and thrive in their unforgiving environments. Cutting-edge tech means that humans can modify any body part, regularly store their memories for cloning purposes, and even merge with seemingly benevolent alien beings (known as symbs) to create another entity altogether. The discovery of a steady -- and mostly indecipherable -- stream of data originating from a star system 17 light-years away offers humankind some kind of hope of advancing the species and retaking their homeworld. But when the novel's protagonist (a series of successive clones named Lilo-Alexandr-Calypso) travels out to 70 Ophiuchi, what she finds may not be salvation for the human race but its damnation….

Almost 30 years after it was first released, Varley's first novel -- like Joan Rivers's face -- has barely shown any signs of aging at all. Just as thematically cutting-edge and wildly entertaining as it was back in 1977, The Ophiuchi Hotline is a must-read for anyone claiming to be a science fiction fan. (You know you're an undeniably hard-core genre fan, by the way, if you can properly pronounce this title.) Paul Goat Allen

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