Synopsis
Two young people take a trip to Old Archimedes on the Nearside of the Moon for a picnic. They think Archimedes is deserted until they come across an old man.
History
First publication: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August 1974
Review
An excellent beginning for Varley. The story has a lot of imagination and good characterization. The contrast between old ways from the old man and the new society that has developed leads you to question. Along with this is Varley’s vision of a society where biotech advances have turned all of our social and sexual mores on their head. Taboos are no longer taboos and the characters don’t even see why they ever were. A fascinating story. Recommended.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
The Barbie Murders, paperback, Berkley, 1980-09-00
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August 1974, edited by Edward L. Ferman, magazine, Mercury Press, 1974-08-00
All of the stories in the Eight Worlds series:
Picnic on Nearside
Retrograde Summer
The Black Hole Passes
In the Bowl
The Phantom of Kansas
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance
The Funhouse Effect
Good-Bye, Robinson Crusoe
Lollipop and the Tar Baby
Equinoctial
Options
Beatnik Bayou
