Wild Cards I: Wild Cards, Book 1

A year ago, I had no desire whatsoever to delve into a 23-volume shared universe series that has been running since 1987. However, four things changed my mind:1) I read James Maxey's Whoosh! Bam! Pow! trilogy, which showed me how much fun superhero novels can be.2) I read some reviews stating the later Wild Cards books (since Tor took over in 2008) were very high quality. Rather than just serving as a launching pad for new writers, now successful established authors like Carrie Vaughan and Charles Stross have become regular contributors to the project.3) Wild Cards got picked up for a new television series by Universal that promises high production values like Game of Thrones4) The cover art for the reissues piqued my imaginationThe book begins when humans first "drew the wild card" and it traces a 40-year alternate history up to 1986, the original date of publication. It succeeds as a comic book novel. It succeeds as alternate history because each story captures a different era in American history. It succeeds as mosaic novel; the multiple writers add depth but manage to keep a consistent tone and coherent narrative."Thirty Minutes Over Broadway" Howard Waldrop gets things off to a rollicking start with his story of how an alien gene-mutating virus gets unleashed over the skies of New York City in 1946. His hero Jetboy harkens back to a golden age, a blend of Audie Murphy meets The Rocketeer. He lied about his age to join the fight against Hitler, became a hotshot pilot with 500 Nazi kills to his credit, and was immortalized as a larger-than-life comic character idolized by millions of children. His last (ultimately unsuccessful) mission to stop the deranged Dr. Tod from releasing the virus makes him the world's last genetically un-enhanced hero. The beauty of this story is how Waldrop grounds his characters in a real place and time but allows the prose story to stay faithful to its four-color roots. This is Waldrop's only contribution to the Wild Card universe so far."The Sleeper"Roger Zelazny sets a high bar for creative use of mutants right out of the gate. Croyd Crenson aka The Sleeper was a 14-year old boy when he got infected with the virus. Now he goes into hibernation every two weeks and wakes up with a completely different body. Sometimes he is an ace (blessed with superpowers), sometimes he is a joker (deformed in some odd way). He exhibits deep loyalty to friends and family, he abuses drug habitually, he champions the rights and safety of jokers, and he primarily makes his living as a thief. His story is fun, and of course he is perhaps the most versatile character in the series -- he can literally be anyone or anything in any author's story."The Witness" I have conflicted feelings towards Walter Jon Williams' Nebula-nominated short story. I enjoyed the arc of Golden Boy, an ace with Superman-like powers whose life is ultimately ruined not by lack of strength, but by his lack of integrity and will. I appreciate how this story went so obviously against type and also how it explored the consequences of black, Jewish, and female superheroes in 1950's America. The alternate history aspects were also intriguing: Aces round up all the Nazi war criminals, prevent the Berlin Wall, save Ghandi from assassination, and overwhelm the North Korean army. Some historical events were too powerful to stop: China still became communist; South America still became infested with fascist dictators.I took issue with the large role of HUAC in the story. Maybe I am too far removed from the era, but it is hard for me to believe America's anti-Communist hysteria would have existed in a world that had just suffered an alien terrorist attack and saw 9% of the population of New York mutated into hideous jokers. In fact, I think the presence of jokers would probably have had a more profound impact on both the Cold War and the American civil rights movement. Americans, Russians, blacks, and whites would have all found a new breed of person to despise and marginalize.(George R.R. Martin course-corrects this issue in his interstitial piece "Red Aces, Black Years." He establishes that the initial fears against communism morphed into a fear of aces, which was exploited by Senator Joe McCarthy for political gain.)"Degradation Rites" by Melinda SnodgrassThis story covers many of the same events as "The Witness" but from the point of view of Dr. Tachyon and The Brain Trust. It goes a long way in establishing Tachyon as a sympathetic and tragic figure."Captain Cathode and the Secret Ace" by Michael CassuttA Hollywood producer trying to conceal his identity as an ace deals with erratic actors, financial pressures, and a serial killer in 1956. This is new story written for the expanded edition was entertaining, but I wished the crime and noir aspects had been more developed."Powers" by David Levine Frank Majewski is an aging CIA analyst who has never done field work, but his ace power allows him to freeze time for up to 11 minutes, rendering him effectively invisible. When a U2 spy plane is captured by the Soviets in 1960, President Eisenhower authorizes him to sneak into Vladimir Central Prison outside Moscow to rescue pilot Gary Powers. Frank, aka Agent Stopwatch, ages rapidly when he uses his power, so the mission is literally a race against time. I really enjoyed this hesitant, doubt-riddled character, but sadly he appears to be a one-off."Shell Games" by George R. R. MartinWhen the beautiful but fragile Angelface is kidnapped during a raid at her nightclub in Jokertown, Tachyon must move beyond his grief, recover his sobriety, and rediscover his life purpose. He teams up with the Great and Powerful Turtle, a timid man who can use telekinetic powers but only when he feels safe in his "shell", an armor-plated Volkswagon bug. This story featured some great characters, especially Angelface, but it is windy and slow. The dark, adult-oriented prose loses the frenetic pace and gee-whiz elements of surprise that make comic books characters fun."The Long, Dark Night of Fortunado" by Lewis ShinerFortunado is a half-black, half-Japanese pimp whose powers include astral projection, slowing down time, and perhaps even telepathy. He can only recharge his abilities through tantric sex, absorbing power from his partners as long as he does not allow his own energy to… ahem, spill out. He can even use his sperm to reanimate the dead. This story is just as sleazy as it sounds, but I cannot deny Fortunado is one of the more entertaining characters in the Wild Cards pantheon so far."Transfigurations" by Victor MilanThe prose is a bit clunky at times, but this story features a strong narrative that mixes superheroes, the hippie movement, 60's rock n' roll, and the politics of Vietnam. It introduces three new aces: The Lizard King is a violent anti-Vietnam protestor who sympathizes with Chairman Mao and wants to spark a revolution. Hardhat is a Polish immigrant who suffered under the Soviet regime and believes in traditional American values. Radical just wants to give peace and love a chance. The first two characters do not seem to recur in the series, but Radical and his meek alter-ego Mark Meadows are series regulars."Deep Down" by Edward Bryant and Leanne C. HarperThis is a busy story that pushes too far and jumps the shark for me. It involves four characters, all of whom will recur in the series. Sewer Jack is a giant killer crocodile living in the subways of New York City. Bagabond is a homeless lady with the ability to communicate with animals (her own drug use and mental breakdown play as much a factor in her state as the Wild Card virus). CC Ryder is an activist and rape victim who turned into a sentient subway car when she was pushed onto the tracks. Rosemary Muldoon is a nat, the daughter of a mob boss who became a social worker to atone for her family's sins."Strings" by Stephen LeighIn the summer of 1976, the Jokertown ghetto erupts in riots and political protests. The author does an amazing job putting the reader in the thick of the action and making it feel like it a real race riot. He also introduces The Puppeteer, a Democratic senator who wants to be president and who harbors the secret villainous ace power to manipulate people through a weak sort of telepathy. I believe he will become an arch-villain for several arcs in the series."Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan" by Carrie VaughnIn the appendix of the original edition of this book, there was brief mention of a woman who ran naked through solid walls. For the 2010 expanded edition, Carrie Vaughn fleshed out a character from this scant reference and wrote a story about Ghost Girl and The Sleeper. She set her story in 1981 rather than 1946 (the original time reference) and featured a punk rock concert, which added a new glimpse of NYC in the early 1980's. A light-hearted but entertaining story."Comes a Hero" by John Jos. MillerYeoman is an action-adventure ninja antihero straight out of the 1980's. Although technically he is a nat, he is widely mistaken for an ace due to his special forces military training and his mastery of kyudo (zen archery). In fact, in this origin tale he successfully outduels an ace with the power of teleportation. Yeoman is chasing a shadowy Vietnamese crime lord who once betrayed him. Yeoman makes a tenuous alliance with Chrysalis, a once-beautiful women whom the virus cursed with completely transparent skin. Both are recurring series characters.

George R. R. Martin's Wild Cards series is a collaborative effort by many well-known science fiction writers, and has been expanding for nearly 30 years. Vastly different from the immensely popular epic fantasy, A Song of Ice and Fire, this one takes place in our own mundane world, but in a world that has been forever altered by the release of the Wild Card virus. An experimental system developed on some far-off alien world, the Wild Card virus introduces drastic, but apparently random changes in those that contract it. The effects can be immediately deadly, warping, or sometimes extremely beneficial. Jokers are typically disfigured mutants while Aces are given supernatural abilities. These are tales from that now-bizarre world, clever tales that speak to issues in our own world and time."Thirty Minutes Over Broadway", by Howard Waldrop, tells of the release of the Wild Card virus over Manhattan. This is where it all started and involves the superhero-like Jetboy as he and Tachyon unsuccessfully try to prevent the disaster. [4.5 stars]"The Sleeper", by Roger Zelany, is one of my favorites. It describes the horror of the initial virus outbreak and tells the story of one of the strangest manifestations of the virus. Sten Duncan changes powers (or mutations) every time he sleeps, and it wrecks his life in more ways than one. [5 stars]"Witness", by Walter Jon Williams, starts getting into the political and cultural responses to the Wild Card virus. Focusing mostly on Jack Braun of the Four Aces, this is a look at how mundane life continues in spite of incredible powers, fame, and fortune. [4 stars]"Degradation Rites", by Melinda Snodgrass, is told from the perspective of Tachyon (the alien who came here to try to prevent the release of the virus, and star of the series), and deals with the Red Scare and the political witch-hunt by a Congressional committee including some evil-seeming Republicans like Richard Nixon [3 stars]"Shell Games" is the only full story by George R R Martin, and introduces The Great and Powerful Turtle, aka Tom Tudbury, a would-be superhero with amazing telekinetic powers. Of all the stories, this one pays the most homage to the comic book roots of the series. [4 stars]"The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato", by Lewis Shiner, is a frankly disturbing story, focusing on a NYC pimp whose whores have been getting murdered. When he discovers a latent Ace ability linked with him orgasming, he becomes a sort of strange detective/avenger/superhero. The story ends without feeling complete, and seems likely to continue in future volumes. [3.5 stars]"Transfigurations", by Victor Milan, focuses on the cultural clashes of the 1970's between hippies and the status quo. This is a great story featuring fights between aces (Hardhat and The Radical) but that mostly tells of the the maturation of a boy (Mark Meadows) into a man. [4.5 stars]"Down Deep", by Edward Bryant and Leanne C Harper, is a pretty weird tale that takes place mostly in the NYC subway tunnels. Half detective story, half horror, this one seems like a bit of a mis-fit compared with the rest of the book. Shape-shifting and communing with animals, the characters here don't feel like the superheros found elsewhere in the series. [2.5 stars]"Strings", by Stephen Leigh, takes on a very serious tone, with the evil Puppetmaster's attempts to gain political power. Social rights of Jokers takes center stage here. We also meet some memorable characters in this one, especially Gregg Hartman, Succubus, and Miller. [4 stars]"Comes a Hunter", by John J Miller, Introduces Yeoman and tells of his efforts to rescue a kidnapped girl from a dangerous gang. Violent and fast, with little impact on the series as a whole. [3.5 stars]In all, this is a mixed bunch that tells a cohesive overall story in a series of discontinuous tales. Tachyon and a few others provide common anchors for multiple of the stories, but mostly they are completely independent. They are presented in chronological order, taking place between 1950-1987, and are best read in that order. I look forward to following the series, which apparently includes more stories from some of these characters as well as introducing even more.From looking at the reviews, it appears that the 2010 version  Wild Cards I  contains these stories plus 2-3 more. I went with this version without knowing that and now feel like I have missed part of the story, so you may want to seek that one instead of this one.

I don't often read anthologies of short stories and whilst I enjoyed this, it does remind me why. I feel knocked out of the story at each jolt to a new character, a new viewpoint, a new issue or concern. It was far more noticeable here than with a few other anthologies I have read, due to the sheer amount of stories. There is twenty here in total (and that doesn't include the appendices!); a few of the interludes only a handful of pages long, whilst others stretch easily to 25,000 words.All relate to this world in which an alien virus is released, killing 90% of those who contract it and causing strange changes in those remaining. The lucky few become Aces; beings with subhuman powers. The 90% of the survivors... don't. It becomes known as the Wild Card virus as it is a true wild card as to what you draw; Ace, Joker, Deuce, Black Queen. Whatever you draw, it will change your life and even if you are one of those who wasn't in range of that immediate virus, life will still never be the same again.I also found that the writing styles to be variable and whilst all were well written, some simply didn't grab and hold my attention. Some characters just failed to excite or intrigue me and some events made me uncomfortable rather than interested. There are a couple of short stories here with a firm focus on a grimy underworld of sex, violence and expletives that I struggled more with. I also found myself struggling to re-engage each time, particularly by half way through the book as the chopping and changing was giving me a headache.For all of that however, I can't help but be impressed with this anthology both for how realistic and thorough the world-building is and for how well the stories worked together in this intricately balanced world. There are no inconsistencies jarring you between different stories and that has to be considered virtually miraculous. The way different authors 'borrow' characters that earlier entries have introduced, whilst keeping them in character is clever and gives a grounding to keep the universe steady and linked. Sometimes its a throwaway comment, other times key early characters play a forefront role and it nearly always works.The interlinking of fantasy events with true history is also beautifully done, making that fine line between reality and distortion difficult to find in some cases. There's some real imagination in the nature of the distortions and disfigurements of both Aces and Jokers, but there is also an uncanny ability to meld truth into fiction. The way the McCarthy years are used like a scalpel goes beyond clever, and the political implications reverberate through later tales. It is all joined up and that allows for these twenty odd stories to build a comprehensive world to dip your feet in.

An alien species decides to use Earth to test a new bioweapon. An airborne criminal seizes the weapon and tries to use it to blackmail the city of New York. A former WWII flying ace tries to stop him. And, on 15 September 1946, the world is forever changed when the wild card virus is unleashed in the skies over Manhattan.Ninety percent of those infected by the virus die instantly. A further nine percent develop crippling deformities or abnormalities, becoming known as 'jokers'. And one in a hundred of those infected develops a wondrous superpower. They become the 'aces'. As an alternative history of the 20th Century unfolds, the American government first tries to use the aces for their own ends and then, in a paranoid frenzy, turns against them, before they finally win some recognition for themselves. But for the jokers, forced to live in a ghetto in Manhattan, their road to recognition and respect will be much harder.Wild Cards is the first book in the series of the same name, which of this time of writing spans twenty-one volumes with two more planned. This isn't a series of novels, but collections of stories written by many different authors. George R.R. Martin (of A Song of Ice and Fire fame) and Melinda Snodgrass provide editorial control, ensuring that each volume has its own narrative drive and point beyond just collecting random short stories together. The stories are set in their own milieu, with authors sharing ideas, using each other's characters and building up a consistent, coherent shared world.The first Wild Cards book opens with a bang, with Howard Waldrop giving us the origin story for the entire setting in 'Thirty Minutes Over Broadway'. This is a terrific slice of fiction, with Waldrop fusing pulp energy with his own idiosyncratic style to give us something weird, resolutely entertaining and rather tragic in its own right. Roger Zelazny - yes, that one, the author of the Amber series and Lord of Light - then provides the origin story for Croyd Crenson, the Sleeper, one of the original aces whose powers shift every time he goes to sleep. Crenson's periods of hibernation provide a handy way of fast-forwarding through the immediate aftermath of the crisis, showing how New York, the USA and the world adapt to the arrival of the virus. Walter Jon Williams and Melinda Snodgrass then show us two sides of the same tale through 'Witness' and 'Degradation Rites', the story of the Four Aces and their betrayal by the American government. These opening four stories provide a quadruple-whammy of setting up this alternate history and doing so whilst telling stories that are well-written (superbly so in both Waldrop and Zelazny's cases, though the others are not far behind), finely characterised and as gut-wrenchingly unpredictable as anything in the editor's fantasy stories.Later stories remain highly readable, though perhaps not quite on a par with this opening salvo. Martin's own 'Shell Games' is, perhaps unexpectedly, the most uplifting story in the book, the story of the bullied boy who becomes a superhero. Michael Cassut's 'Captain Cathode and the Secret Ace' and David Levine's 'Powers', two new additions for the 2010 edition of the book, are both decent, filling in gaps in the history. Lewis Shiner's 'Long Dark Night of Fortunato' introduces one of the setting's less salubrious characters and makes for effective, if uneasy, reading. Victor Milan's 'Transfigurations' shows how the anti-Vietnam rallies of the late 1960s and early 1970s are changed by the presence of the wild card virus (and gives us an ace-on-ace rumble that is particularly impressive). 'Down Deep' by Edward Bryant and Leanne Harper is probably the weirdest story in the collection (which in this collection is saying something), a moody trawl through the underbelly of New York (figurative and literal). It's probably a little bit too weird, with an ending that is risks being unintentionally comical, but is still reasonably effective.Stephen Leigh's 'Strings' and Carrie Vaughn's 'Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan' (the latter being another new addition in this edition) return to the quality of the opening quartet. The former depicts the jokers' battle for civil rights, resulting in riots and chaos in Jokertown and New York that a shadowy figure is manipulating for his own ends. 'Ghost Girl' is a straight-up adventure with the titular character teaming up with Croyd Crenson to find her missing friend. 'Ghost Girl' could be a novel in its own right, with the battling criminal gangs and dodgy drug-taking rock bands providing a canvas that's almost too big for the story, but Vaughn's method of keeping the story under control and resolving it is most effective. Finally, John J. Miller's 'Comes a Hunter', in which a 'nat' sets out to avenge the death of his friend by going up against some criminal aces, is a superbly-written thriller which examines how 'normal' people can stand up against aces and jokers.The book as a whole is excellent, with the stories entwining around real history and changing it in a way that is mostly organic and convincing. There are a few issues with plausibility here - most notably the way no-one seems particularly bothered about the proven existence of an alien race that has just tried to poison the entire planet - but for the most part the writers use the premise to tell stories about the changed history of the USA (from McCarthyism to civil rights to Vietnam) in an intelligent, passionate manner.Wild Cards (*****) introduces the world, setting and many of its memorable characters through a series of well-written, smart stories. There isn't a weak card in the deck, and the best stories (those by Waldrop, Williams, Snodgrass and especially Zelazny) are up there with the best of their original work.

So imagine if you will that in 1946 the world changed, an alien virus is released that mutates human dna creating supermen (and superwoman or super people maybe i don't know, you come up with your own term) in 1% of cases, freaks in 9% and unfortunatly killing the other 90%, well you can stop imagining and you can read this book (handy right it's like i knew this book exsisted).The virus gives birth to these people, Aces and Jokers as they come to be known (dieing is known as pulling the black queen, there are also othe catogories like deuces but frankly i'm not going into all that read the book yourselves if you want to know)and a new time line is born and this is what this book feels like a chronicle of an alternate timeline where events that happened in real life get given a superheroy (not a word, i know stop shouting)twist. It all starts with Jetboy a gifted flyboy from the second world war who is tasked with stopping the realease of the virus (guess how he does, sorry i know spoliers) and bulids the mythology from there, going through the years we are introduced to the Aces that go on to form the backbone of the original trilogy, Dr Tachyon the alien telepath (think a randy short Mick Hucknall with an odd dress sense), The Turtle a telekanetic who has an unuasl shell, Yeoman an archer witha vendetta (technicly not an Ace i know, shush), Fortuanto a pratictioner of trantric sex magic (yes you read that right), Dr Mark Meadows and his little helpers, Croyd who is possible the most unusual superhero ever and other such as Puppetman, Sewer Jack and Bagabond frankly there to mank to go into here but each one is given there own story all by different authors each progresing the story and mythology a step foward. Now i was only going to give this book 4 stars but the short story Witness taks it easly to 5 by itself, the story of the Golden Boy and Black Eagle told against the communist witchhunts of the 1950's is simply one of the best short stories ever written i would recommend this book on it's strength alone that and it's kind of follow up Degregation Rites our the standout pieces and really combine the mythology of the wild cards with history fantasticly making something both familiar but still surprising enough to pack one hell of a punch.I cannot recommend this book highly enough, it's one fault the short story format can brake up the pace a little but each story is a gem in it's own right and most stand by themselves as well, so give it a try you might just like what you see.

being at least the 3-4 time in the last 20+ years and primarily because the more of the books you read the more you pick up on the references that you would never have before.This is undoubtedly the strength of this series, the sheer volume of character development and back history throughout the existing 21 volumes that is still evident in the 21st volume that I recently read.I did start rereading my original 1989 copy, idly looking it up on Amazon to see if it was available second hand. I noticed this reprint edition, with no real interest to buy, as a book is a book no matter what print run it comes from.I then noticed that there were 3 new stories included and despite being a hardened consumer I had to have the reprint to see what had been added. It also did not help that there is very little information to be found on what the stories actually are to evaluate their worth.A blog entry by Martin in 2009 stated that due to the decade leaping nature of the book that 3 stories had been added from differing decades, easily being slotted into the continuum as there are so many gaps.The first - 1956 Captain Cathode v the Secret Ace - is about a secret ace television producer having problems with his series star actor with a side plot of the Medusa killings. Short and forgettable.Second - 1960 Powers - Another secret ace in a cold war rescue story. Again short but more entertaining than the first.Third - 1981 Ghost Girl takes Manhattan - The best of the three as it takes the already known Jennifer Maloy - Ghost Girl, and makes this her first appearance in the WC universe over her future appearance. It also brings in two other known characters that she interacts with and the weaving of the characters is what WC is all about.Not much to write home about, but for a whole series fan anything new is welcome.The only negative I have with the book is its size. Originally over 400 pages it was a normal sized novel, this edition is a softback hardback sized book approaching 500. I find it bulky and unwieldy and unless there is a binding/printing reason think the size increase is a minus.But other than that, for new readers the place to start, for old worth a reread plus the added bonus of 3 new ace exploits to read about. And how this has not been picked up for television/film development is beyond me, if Heroes was so popular this could not but succeed.

I remember read this when it first came out. I was impressed by it though some of it went over my head. No I am even more impressed by how credible the world building is. There are plenty of humorous elements like the fake articles by the likes of Tom Wolfe and Hunter S Thompson.Most of this book is concerned with world building and setting the scene for further volumes. Compared to actual comics it is much more realistic and consistent. Virtually all of the stories work though some especially towards the end of the book are a little prosaic. I really enjoyed it and for once the reality was better than the memory.