Steel Beach

So I just finished reading Steel Beach by John Varley. It's out of print, but I finagled a copy from Bookmans.

Interesting, but a little long in that it could have been edited a bit and not lost anything. Varley has a seriously odd sense of humor:

Brenda sat up, wide-eyed. "You're a Heinleiner!" she said.

It was MacDonald's turn to shrug. "I don't attend services, but I agree with a lot of what they say."

I didn't know we had services. Then again, maybe I wouldn't want to drink the soup. In all seriousness, Red Lightning is more tightly written. Actually Red Lightning reads a lot like a Heinlein Juvenile, but with more sex.