Red Thunder Audiobook By John Varley cover art

Red Thunder

The Thunder and Lightning Series, Book 1

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Red Thunder

By: John Varley
Narrated by: Eddie Lopez
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $16.07

Buy for $16.07

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida decide to take matters into their own hands. If they can quickly build their own space-worthy ship using scrap metal, appliances, and power tools, they have a chance to come from behind - thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory.

©2004 John Varley (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing Adventure Fantasy Fiction Hard Science Fiction Humorous Science Fiction Space Exploration Mars Interstellar Solar System Comedy
Engaging Adventure • Memorable Characters • Thought-provoking Content • Multicultural Representation • Credible Accents
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
I read this book several years ago and enjoyed it. I also listened to this copy and enjoyed it. I purchased the next two on the series and will listen to them next. John Varley gives good reads and I enjoy listening/ reading them again and again.

A good read / listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Red Thunder is one of my favorite stories - thought provoking, very topical for today and just plain happy. Eddie Lopez credibly pulled off the Cajun accents and Jubal in particular.

If you loved the book, you will love the Audible performance.

Highly Enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed this story for almost 10 years, when I first heard it on audio but I can't remember the first narrator, and Lopez does a great job bringing the book to life

A 10 year favorite

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. The science is way off and not accurate often, but sounds plausible. The stereotyping in the story reads as if the story was written in the 1950’s, not the 2000. Reminds me of Heinlein at times. Bottom line is I recommend it.

A fun, yet unrealistic, listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Exciting, moving, fun adventure that while it doesn’t take itself too seriously, has plenty of depth. Friends, family, and community. Great read

One of the best adventures I’ve read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very entertaining. Good plot, good pace and story is set up to continue to book 2 in the story.

Good sci-fi stiory

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Set in Daytona, Florida and filled with characters from many diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, this story about a gentle genius and his hard drinking, loving cousin, four teenagers, and their parents is contemporary, fun, funny, poignant, and reminiscent of Robert Heinlein's Rocket Ship Galileo and Have Spacesuit Will Travel. You'll have to buy into a major alteration in the laws of physics. But once you do, hold on and enjoy the ride as this group of misfits join together to build a spaceship and fly it to Mars and, along the way, learn things about life and themselves and building a family of their choosing.

Highly recommend.

Modern Version of Heinlein Favorites

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love this book! it and it's follow on books in the series really capture what it must have been like to be part of the first REAL Constant-G spacecraft! I think John Varley's best work!

Red Thunder is Magnificent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This story grabs you right in and takes you for quite the ride! ..and that’s just the beginning!! This series is one of my favorites, it’s got all the fun sci-fi adventure elements that keep you enthralled. John Varley is one the best living authors today, read all of his stuff as soon as you can -

New spins on Classic Science Fiction with memorable characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is full of enough unique description to bring it to life, but not too much jargon. It is an easy listen, with events and characters trackable, though the narrator tended to slip a Cajun accent in to various characters at random rather than keeping it to a few people and occasional teasing but bothers it seemed designated for. There is also some dated language, but the story and sci-fi elements are still pretty solid.

Enjoyed all the way through

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews