Sequel to Red Thunder. This one stands on its own relatively well, and Varley slips in the necessary background and plot from Thunder in a smooth and graceful manner. But the first book is pretty darned good in its own right, and if you haven't read it, I'd recommend starting there.
Our narrator this time is Ramon ("Ray") Garcia-Strickland, son of Thunder narrator Manny Garcia. The family runs a posh Mars hotel, catering to spoiled Earthlings on vacation. There's just a hint of political tension between Earth and Mars, and that tension is brought to a boil when disaster strikes on Earth. It's not a natural disaster, exactly; something strikes the Atlantic at great speed, causing a massive tsunami that wipes out most of the Caribbean and swamps the east coast from Florida -- where Ray's grandmother lives -- to New York.
That sets in motion Varley's story, which is somewhat reminiscent of early Heinlein, and would appeal to the same bright teenage audience. Does Grandma survive the tsunami? What was that thing that hit the ocean, anyway? And why has Cousin Jubal, the socially disordered scientific savant, suddenly disappeared from his home in the Falkland Islands?
Ray's an affable narrator, and Varley's tale zips along with great momentum and lively energy. In an afterword, Varley discusses the book's parallels with real-world events -- the 9/11 attacks, the Christmas 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina -- some of which inspired the novel, and some of which echoed what he was writing in eerie ways.
Red Lightning, like its predecessor, is great fun for anyone who enjoys their SF on the light and breezy side.
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