John Varley is an acclaimed author celebrated for his innovative and thought-provoking works. His writing often delves into profound explorations of human nature, the future of technology, and the complexities of relationships. Varley's distinctive style and masterful storytelling immerse readers in worlds rich with imagination and intellectual inquiry. His ability to blend compelling narratives with philosophical reflection cements his status as a significant voice in contemporary literature.
This is the most wide-ranging and provocative look at punk rock as a social change movement over the past forty-five years, told through first-hand accounts of roughly 250 musicians and activists. John Malkin brings together punk's most famous figures as well as underground voices, creating a new and insightful history of punk throughout the ages.
The Cold War meets Mad Men in form of Karel Koechner, the most successful double agent who lived a life of shifting morals and blow-out hedonism from New York to Moscow. In the mid-1970s, the CIA and KGB both suspected Karel Koecher was working for the enemy. They were both right. With his wife Hana, Koecher arrived in the US as a KGB agent, posing as an anti-communist defector, and he soon learned that performing well in academia was the fastest path to the CIA. After graduating from Columbia he swiftly entered the ranks of the CIA, becoming a double agent during the height of the cold war. The Koechers eventually embraced the 1970s Manhattan high life -- cocaine, swinging, parties. Hana made money as a diamond dealer, occasionally relaying messages to Karel's handlers. The Koechers' lifestyle reflected both the times and their risk-taking. It was the apex of Karel's career, spy by day, swinger by night. The Koechers made it and even the once shy Hana got carried away with the euphoria. Life is good, and the Koechers felt unstoppable. But it was too good to last. Using newly declassified documents, interrogation tapes and extraordinary first-hand accounts from the Koechers themselves, Cunningham reconstructs their double lives and the fading Cold War, where a strange moral fog made it hard to know what truth was being fought for, and to what end.
This classic work on perspective is essential reading for artists and art students. With clear, concise explanations and helpful illustrations, John Varley guides the reader through the principles of linear perspective, tinted perspective, and the perspective of shadows. Whether you are a novice or an experienced artist, this book will help you to achieve greater accuracy and realism in your drawings and paintings.
Modern Literature and the Passions of Rationalization
Bureaucracy, once considered moderate and mild, drives people wild. It provokes both a rational fanaticism for more bureaucracy and a fanaticism that would, if only it could, do away with it once and for all. This confusion of rationalization and ex
In this book, leading member of the Railway Performance Society Alan Varley discusses and analyzes a lifetime of railway travel across the French Railways (SNCF) network - over a million kilometers worth! The performance of different types of train is assessed on the wide variety of routes on which they operated, giving the opportunity to see the impact of modernization, first from steam to diesel, and latterly to the dedicated high speed lines of the Trains a Grande Vitesse (TGV).
William Blake (1757-1827), hailed as 'the glorious luminary' by William Rossetti, is one of the great mystics in the history of Western art. This volume brings together some of the most illuminating writings by people who knew Blake, and brings this astonishing visionary to life
Set in the Eight Worlds universe, this noir novel follows a detective on a gripping quest to track down biohackers responsible for unleashing a perilous new disease. The narrative combines elements of science fiction and mystery, exploring themes of technology, ethics, and the consequences of human ingenuity. As the detective delves deeper into the case, the stakes rise, revealing a complex web of intrigue and danger.
Despite wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as 9/11, the United States’ dependence on foreign oil has kept the nation tied to the Middle East. A scientist has developed a cure for America’s addiction—a slow-acting virus that feeds on petroleum, turning it solid. But he didn’t consider that his contagion of an Iraqi oil field would spread to infect the fuel supply of the entire world… In Los Angeles, screenwriter Dave Marshall heard this scenario from a retired U.S. Marine and government insider who acted as a consultant on Dave’s last film. It sounded as implausible as many of his scripts, but the reality is much more frightening than anything he can envision. An ordinary guy armed with extraordinary information, Dave hopes his survivor’s instinct will kick in so he can protect his wife and daughter from the coming apocalypse that will alter the future of Earth—and humanity…
The son of one of the first explorers of Mars, Ray Garcia-Strickland is tired of the overdevelopment and tourists there, and when Earth is struck by a mysterious object, he is forced to return to his home plant and help solve the mystery. Reprint.