Book 1

Red Thunder

by John Varley

Published 31 December 2003
"An unlikely group of seven suburban misfits band together to construct a spaceship built out of old tanker cars that they call Red Thunder, determined to beat the Chinese in a race to become the first humans to set foot on Mars"--NoveList.

Book 2

Red Lightning

by John Varley

Published 4 April 2006

Book 3

Rolling Thunder

by John Varley

Published 1 March 2008
Lieutenant Patricia Kelly Elizabeth Strickland--otherwise known as Podkayne--is a third-generation Martian. Her grandfather, Manny, was one of the first men to set foot on Mars. So Poddy has some planet-sized shoes to fill. That's why she's joined the Music, Arts, and Drama Division of the Martian Navy. Though some may say her voice is a weapon in itself, Poddy passed the audition. And now she's going to Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons, to be an entertainer. But she's about to learn that there's plenty of danger to go around in the Martian Navy, even if you've just signed on to sing.

Dark Lightning

by John Varley

Published 5 August 2014
Known for “superior science fiction" (The Philadelphia Inquirer), author John Varley returns to his Thunder and Lightning series with a novel of how one man’s volatile genius could alter a starship’s epic plunge into a future where human survival is just a theory…

On a voyage to New Earth, the starship Rolling Thunder is powered by an energy no one understands except for its eccentric inventor, Jubal Broussard. But now, on his emergence from a state of suspended animation, Jubal makes a shocking announcement: The ship must stop, or everyone will die.

These words from the mission’s founder, the man responsible for the very existence of Rolling Thunder, will send shock waves throughout the starship—and divide its passengers into those who believe and those who doubt. And it will be up to his twin daughters to stop a mutiny, discover the truth, and usher the ship into a new age of exploration…

The Thunder and Lightning Series

by John Varley

Published 22 September 2020