It's hare to know how to place Double Solitaire in the context of the larger series. By all logic, it should by the third and final book in the ""Rox Triad" considering that it follows books one and two of that sub-series. But the truth is the "Rox Triad" isn't actually three books long: The storyline goes on for four books or, as George R.R. Marten has joked, five. The "official" Wild Cards reading order states that Books Eight, Nine and Eleven are part of the Rox Triad whereas Book Ten is a stand alone novel. However, since it is a continuation of and conclusion to stories that began in the Rox Triad, it seems fair to label group Double Solitaire as an unofficial part of that trilogy, a sort of part 2.5.It's impossible to discuss Book Ten without discussing the ending of Book Nine, so SPOILERS ahead. The last book ended with a major villain, Dr. Tachyon's psychopathic grandson Blaise escaping into outer space, heading to Tachyon's home planet of Takis. This is a problem for Tachyon as Blaise has used his Jumper abilities to switch Tachyon's mind with that of teenage runaway, Kelly. Since Blaise has taken Kelly, still in Tachyon's body, with him, Tachyon goes after him on a quest for his original body. To help him on his quest, Tachyon takes two Aces with him: his friend, the drug fueled Mark Meadows, a.k.a. Captain Trips and teleporting private Detective Jay "Poppinjay" Ackroyd. To add a further complication, Tachyon's new female body is pregnant.
This is a step up from Book Nine which is ironic as the entire book is pretty much a sequel to Book Nine's (and the series') worst story "Lovers." As I said in the last review, "Lovers" was a miserable read, a grim and violent story which saw the newly-female bodied Tachyon brutally assaulted without the narrative craft necessary to make the unpleasant subject matter readable.
One of the reasons that Double Solitaire is an improvement is that, unlike "Lovers", has more varied setting. While in "Lovers", Tachyon is imprisoned in one place for most of the story, Double Solitaire has a broader scope, starting on Earth and ending on the planer Takis. This means that there's more time for character development, more time to see how other characters react to Tachyon's new body, and how Tachyon, whose attitude towards women was always can be described as condescending at best, reacts to being in a female body himself.
That being said, the most interesting part of the book involves our first good look at the planet Takis. The world building on display is well done, showing an alien culture that seems to be based on medieval Europe, where rival noble families scheme and plot for dominance via war and political assassination only with advanced alien technology thrown into the mix. Put a rival alien culture called the Network that practices hyper-predatory capitalism into the mix and you have a setting that could carry a series all on its own.More importantly, this story is an end of an era for Wild Cards. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD). Since Book I, Dr. Tachyon had arguably been the central character of the series, having appeared in every single book of the series so far. He had gotten a story in every book with the exception of Book III: Jokers Wild and Book VII: Ace in the Hole and he played a major role in both those books.
But Double Solitaire was the last Dr. Tachyon story in the series and its a well done send off. Tachyon come to terms with his actions over the course of the series, and what it means for him both as a native of Takis and as a citizen of Earth. We get some resolution to his family dramas, both his conflict with his grandson and his rivalry with his cousin.
If I had to come up with one word to describe the first solo novel in the Wild Cards series, that word would be "bittersweet." The book is a farewell to a major character and as such there is an air of melancholy to it, even between the action and sci-fi intrigue. The effect is probably more palpable for people familiar with the series so I don't know how someone coming in cold would react. But for fans, this is definitely a worthy entry in the series.
