Steel Beach

Many people have likened Varley to Heinlein (if fact he makes many references to that in this novel). And that would be true if we picked the later Heinlein, the novels where he rambled on as if in his dotage.

The plot picks up 70 pages from the end, unfortunately we have to wade through 400 pages to get there.

The book is entertaining but interminable with no sense of urgency or purpose until the end. Since a lot of this book is about suicidal thoughts perhaps Varley wanted his readers to have a first hand experience of them.