Wizard

Gaean Trilogy, Book 2

By: John Varley

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

One of the greatest science-fiction epics ever written, John Varley's Titan, Wizard, and Demon comprise a groundbreaking trilogy that will live forever. Human explorers have entered the sprawling mind of the alien Gaea. Now they must fight her will. For she is much too powerful. And definitely insane....Download more titles in John Varley's Gaea series, including book 1, Titan, and book 3, Demon.©1979 John Varley (P)2008 Audible

The Whole Series is Great

Would you listen to Wizard again? Why?

I don't really re-listen to books, but that doesn't diminish the fact that this book was fantastic.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Robin was very cool. I grew to like her a lot.

What does Allyson Johnson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is in my top 3 audible readers. Scott Brick and Victor Bevine also doing an outstanding job. I am certainly not a critic but at some point an excellent reader is essentially an actor. I believed she was the characters. It's amazing to me.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A movie would ruin this great book. Sci Fi books have more imagination than any movie ever made. This book will keep you interested and invested every step of the way.

Any additional comments?

This is really an adult book.It deals with sexual roles, norms, violence, culture, mass media, acceptance...it does so in a non-heavy handed manner. Its entertaining, funny and exciting. I cannot understand why Varley is not held in higher esteem. I read this on the recommendation of Michael (Audible Reviewer) and I am very happy I did. Wildly entertaining!

classic sci-fi for the ages

I could make my complaints, poking about why it wasn't absolutely perfect but the truth is I listened to the entire book in less than 30 hours. my life is better amd happier, I can rum faster and jump higher, due to this novel.

The narrator is fine, story is unique, but...

For the love of Gaia, whoever put the loud music over the voice of the narrator at the beginning, randomly in the middle, and at the end should find a new line if work. This was the only thing I'd really complain about. I hope the do a new, better production. Oh and the chapters don't line up. In the middle, it seems like it's starting over but really it's just poor production.

Other than that it's definitely an interesting story that melds aliens, gender, sexuality, and mythology.

A sci fi masterpiece

I gave read the Gaean trilogy many years ago and loved it. It was creative and very well developed without being overly wordy or overly descriptive. The world is clearly painted without becoming dull in endless descriptions. Very interesting well developed characters that leave you wanting more. The narrator did an excellent job. Her voice is very clear. The characters voices are distinct and it is not difficult at all to tell which characters are meant to be speaking at the time. I highly recommend this book series.

Loved it when I read it years ago

And loved the entire series again in audio. The characters are compelling and the world of Gaea is inventive and the creatures Gaea made inspired by Earth movies are wonderful. The Titanides are centaurs with a complex reproductive system involving up to 4 parents and they are particularly appealing. They use the names of the Greek musical modes (Aeolian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian) coupled with the words "solo", "duet", "trio" or "quartet" to describe the number of parents the individual has, and the ways in which genetic material is transferred between them. They are also brightly colored with intricate patterns.
I never forgot the Titanides or the Blimps or Cirroco Jones from my early reading of the trilogy and it was great fun to relive the experience in the audio version.
In this second part of the trilogy Cirocco is falling from grace after living for decades on Gaea and she's not as appealing as a drunken wizard but the world of Gaea is always fascinating and worth the trip.

Circumnavigator’s Club Sets the Stage

After the introduction that is the novel TITAN this second volume in the trilogy widens the scope of the story into a vast playground. WIZARD lets us foray into the inner workings of the living artificial world that calls herself Gaea. She is insane, and that is the basis for all the fun. In this volume we learn the true lay of the land through what amounts to a travelogue of the wheel. There is much that much be laid out and put in place before we can feel we know our way around the place. This necessary tour sets the stage for the main event. This story unfolds and we are allowed to see the nature of the conflict that is brewing; never mind that it is a struggle that Gaea has carefully orchestrated to suit her sense of celluloid drama, she is, after all, crazy. When reading this for the first time I felt the ever widening sense of wonder that I had come to love from Science Fiction, and even now, twenty-five years later, I still enjoy this story for that amazing rollicking appreciation of strangeness. Varley has invented a scenario where almost anything can happen and still remain in the preview of Science Fiction. The being Gaea is so significantly advanced in her technology for her works to seem like magic. This is a fun book and a grand adventure on its own. But when you are done with this one realize that the next one, DEMON, escalates the conflict to Hollywood Epic proportions. I labeled TITAN the prolog. WIZARD can be thought of as the introduction. DEMON will be the main text. Let the games begin.

Allyson Johnson’s effort here is much more satisfying than in the previous book. Thankfully there are many more characters in this novel for her to explore her vocal range. She manages to cast her voice in a deeper tone much of the time which suits me better for long hours of listening. I liked how she assigned different accents to the various Titanides. The character with the French name carries a French accent. I liked it.

I am a fan of the entire series!

I started from book one and followed through all the way to the end. The story kept my attention and I could not take the headphones off. A very good read!

Dissension on Gaea

John Varley's Wizard is the sequel to Titan. The story takes place 75 years after Titan. Cirocco has taken on the role of the 'wizard' and serves as an essential component in titanide reproduction. This function along with the inexorable cognitive decline of Gaea has made her an alcoholic. Gaea entertains selected 'pilgrims' who come to Gaea to be cured. In her sick joke sort of way she toys with them and promises a cure in exchange for some heroic deed. Two pilgrims accompany Cirocco and Gaby on a trek across Gaea where strange things happens while Cirocco appears to be planning something with the Gaean secondary brains.

Wizard suffers from the typical middle child syndrome common in trilogies. It comes off as a hodge-podge of themes and plot lines in an attempt to set up a more satisfying denouncement with some resolution of the evolving Gaean madness. The tale's specific characters, Robin and Chris (with intentionally ambiguous names) enter with weird illnesses and introduce lots of philosophical musings on religion and gender roles as well as an interspecies romance in addition more traditional' brokeback mountain interludes. Probably the most salient commentary is that Gaea's penchant for movies and film has led to her mental instability.

Narration is well done with good character distinction and reasonable pacing.

Older Scifi done well

Great beginning to a great trilogy. Superb narration. This is a great book all by itself, but the trilogy is so unique that you just have to read/hear it!

One of my favourite trilogies.

Been reading this triolgy for years, and the narrations are well done and respect the subject matter. A story unabashed & willing to present its character in an unedited existence. A more adult story in presentation, but enthralling & within good limit. Highly recommend.