John Varley Books in Order
John Varley has written 33 books, published between 1975 and 2018. The first book is In the Bowl (1975) and the newest is Irontown Blues (2018). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 33
- Published
- 1975–2018
- Confirmed
- 1 of 33 titles
- Pages on record
- 9,204 in 25 of 33 books
- Reading time
- 153–230 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 9,204 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 25 of 33 titles with a page count on record.
John Varley (1947–2025) was an American science fiction writer. Hugo and Nebula awards went to the novellas The Persistence of Vision, PRESS ENTER and The Pusher. Thirty-two books are catalogued, from In the Bowl (1975) to Irontown Blues (2018), taking in Titan and Wizard, both 1979, and grouped into the Eight Worlds, Gaea Trilogy, Thunder and Lightning and Metal series. Space colonies, interplanetary voyages and space opera are the recurring subjects.
How many John Varley books are there?
John Varley has 33 books, released between 1975 and 2018. They include 4 series and 16 titles listed outside any series.
John Varley Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 33 John Varley books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1In the Bowl1975 · 407 pages · confirmed 1/419754071/4
- 2The Black Hole Passes1975 · confirmed 1/41975–1/4
- 319773161/4
- 419772341/4
- 519772931/4
- 6Good-Bye, Robinson Crusoe1977 · 344 pages · confirmed 1/419773441/4
- 7Air Raid1977 · confirmed 1/41977–1/4
- 81978–1/4
- 919793091/4
- 1019793841/4
- 11The Barbie Murders1980 · 260 pages · confirmed 1/419802601/4
- 12Picnic On Nearside1980 · confirmed 1/41980–1/4
- 13The Pusher1981 · confirmed 1/41981–1/4
- 14Millennium1983 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/419832721/4
- 1519841481/4
- 1619844801/4
- 17The Manhattan Phone Book (Abridged)1984 · confirmed 1/41984–1/4
- 1819862901/4
- 19Just Another Perfect Day1989 · confirmed 1/41989–1/4
- 2019925661/4
- 2119931853/4
- 22Truth, Justice and the Politically Correct Socialist Path1995 · 369 pages · confirmed 1/419953691/4
- 2319985171/4
- 2420034111/4
- 25The Bellman2003 · 665 pages · confirmed 1/420036651/4
- 26In Fading Suns and Dying Moons2003 · 544 pages · confirmed 1/420035441/4
- 27The John Varley Reader2004 · confirmed 1/42004–1/4
- 28Mammoth2005 · 341 pages · confirmed 1/420053411/4
- 2920063681/4
- 3020083761/4
- 31Slow Apocalypse2012 · 484 pages · confirmed 1/420124841/4
- 3220143521/4
- 3320182891/4
John Varley books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Eight Worlds in order
5 booksThunder and Lightning in order
4 booksGaea Trilogy in order
3 booksChap in order
2 booksMetal in order
2 booksMondo in order
1 book- 1. Mondo Barbie
Standalone books
16 books16 John Varley titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read John Varley books in order?
You only need to read John Varley books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with John Varley
Start with In the Bowl (1975), the earliest published title.
What is the newest John Varley book?
Irontown Blues (2018) is the newest John Varley book released so far.
Is there a new John Varley book coming?
No next John Varley book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards John Varley has won
Wikidata records 18 awards and 48 nominations for John Varley. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Locus Award for Best Collection2005Wonfor The John Varley Reader
- Seiun Award for Best Translated Short Story1992Wonfor Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo
- Locus Award for Best Collection1987Wonfor Blue Champagne
- Seiun Award for Best Translated Short Story1987Wonfor Press Enter■
- Nebula Award for Best Novella1985Wonfor Press Enter■
- Locus Award for Best Novella1985Wonfor Press Enter■
- Hugo Award for Best Novella1985Wonfor Press Enter■
- Locus Award for Best Novella1982Wonfor Blue Champagne
- Locus Award for Best Short Story1982Wonfor The Pusher
- Hugo Award for Best Short Story1982Wonfor The Pusher
- Locus Award for Best Collection1981Wonfor The Barbie Murders
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1980Wonfor Titan
John Varley at a glance
- Died
- John Varley died in 2025, according to Wikidata.
- Last book
- The newest book credited to John Varley on record dates from 2018.
- Release pace
- John Varley books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 9,204 pages across the 25 of 33 books with a recorded length, a median of 352 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most John Varley books, 10 of 33, were published in the 1970s.
What the John Varley books are about
27 of the 33 John Varley books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: science fiction is tagged on 17 of 27. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Science fiction 17 of 27 books
- Action & adventure 3 of 27 books
- Short stories 2 of 27 books
- Interplanetary voyages 2 of 27 books
- Space opera 2 of 27 books
- Space colonies 2 of 27 books