Titan By John Varley Discussed September 2006 Buy Titan from Amazon.com Buy Titan from Lambda Rising

Cast of Characters

• Captain Cirocco "Rocky" Jones - became a hero, could talk to Titanides
• Gaby Plauget - came out as a lesbian, worshiped Rocky
• Bill - lost most of his memory, knocked out of action by injuries
• Gene - went insane, attacked Gaby, raped Cirocco
• Calvin Greene - went native and bonded with Whistlestop
• April 15/02 Polo - turned into an angel
• August 3/02 Polo - lost without April

Gaea

• Twelve intelligences: Hyperion, Rhea, Crious, Mnemosyne, Oceanus, etc
• Whistlestop
• C Sharp Hornpipe (first contact and guide)
• Panpipe (lost in fight with angels)
• B Lullaby (healer)
• Angels

Story Pacing Notes

• Pages 1-34 (34 pages): Introduction and arrival at Gaea
• Pages 35-75 (41 pages): Cocoon, re-birth, reuniting, and discovery
• Pages 76-102 (25 pages): Meeting sentient life and exploring
• Pages 103-142 (40 pages): First journey to hub and Bill's injury
• Pages 143-162 (20 pages): Meeting the Titanides
• Pages 163-194 (32 pages): Angels attack and time in Titantown
• Pages 195-264 (70 pages): Ascent to hub and gene's attack on Gaby and Rocky
• Pages 265-309 (45 pages): Arrival, meeting Gaea and rescue

Themes

• Adventure story
• Character development (or lack thereof)
• Has Varley improved over time (Steel Beach - 1992; Red Thunder - 2003). This was his third book (second novel), and it was published in 1979
• Homage to Heinlein, Clark and Herbert
• Product of its time - the prevailing conventions and attitudes of the times (late 70s)?
• Science behind the fiction (Published in 1979, set in 2025)
• Success of combining moderately hard-SF and exploring themes of relationships?

Relationships

• Alternate breeding relationships for species
• Companionship
• Creatures to their God
• Effect of a powerful alien intelligence upon our own and vice versa
• First contact of human to alien?
• Heterosexuality
• Incest
• Homosexuality
• Man and God

Women

• Abortion
• Feminism
• Leadership roles

Other Books

• Gaea Trilogy - traces the arc of a hero's ascent, fall from grace and redemption
• Similar to Rendezvous with Rama?