tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9929185531475485502024-03-07T17:34:14.604-08:00 Unspeakable HorrorsEsevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-84288904049524173922023-06-01T18:55:00.001-07:002023-06-01T18:55:19.568-07:00Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Inside Straight<p> The iBooks revival of Wild Cards was short lived. Only two books were published and the series went into dormancy again. This time, however, the dormancy would be short lived. Only two years later, Tor Books would begin publishing the series, this time with<i> Inside Straight, </i>the first book in what would come to be known as the Committee triad.</p><p>This time, however, the new start would bring a soft reboot of the series. Unlike the previous book Death Draws Five, which also tried to reintroduce the series but also focused on established characters and resolving old plotlines,<i> Inside Straight </i>(for the most part) chose to focus on a cast of completely new characters. The old characters are still around and while several of them cameo, this book entirely belongs to the new characters with the exception of John Fortune, who gets a POV story for the first time here.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGrry8vzmjSxq0Cjx_iSwVtDkFOEj_TqveaqG8ukN8Ii7QWRwx85ZWmPY2KHL5IeX41yIUNTL01XBW484ZQdyr4eBV2g5LHGQG62Hbk30S6cBPFfkxPH9F8zcIeSYDLf9BlXykmEulkennJqgErgdD50unhjNS7ioVpbs7cEaClBdsReHlL-B7OXZozQ" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGrry8vzmjSxq0Cjx_iSwVtDkFOEj_TqveaqG8ukN8Ii7QWRwx85ZWmPY2KHL5IeX41yIUNTL01XBW484ZQdyr4eBV2g5LHGQG62Hbk30S6cBPFfkxPH9F8zcIeSYDLf9BlXykmEulkennJqgErgdD50unhjNS7ioVpbs7cEaClBdsReHlL-B7OXZozQ" width="159" /></a></div>There are two main intersecting plotlines throughout this book. First, long-time Wild Cards villain, the Noor al-Allah, has conquered most of the Middle East, placing it under the iron heel of his Caliphate. Things get worse when the Noor gets assassinated, causing to his mentally unstable son to ascend the throne and order the massacre of all Jokers in Egypt, an act which lead to civil war.<p></p><p>Meanwhile, back in America, a new reality show has just launched. Young Aces from all over the country come together to compete on <i>American Hero</i>, a reality show for aspiring super-heroes. This plot thread primarily serves to introduce all the new characters and give them a reason for interaction. Of course, as the story progresses, the events of <i>American Hero </i>begin to connect with the events in Egypt in unexpected ways.</p><p>Discussing <i>Inside Straight </i>presents some headaches. The stories in this book proceed fairly linearly with many stories being more or less direct continuations of proceeding story. I am going to try to avoid spoilers but no promises.</p><p>The story begins with:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQi67DTXvdT2YM1LJcQYrIrxGj0XdNZhQOz7mWiG-_bQbP_DdcOmHFeyZMXU2av8x1aJ0hY5DV18ifVNa5qZildNJ4dnz_grvI5s06GWZenAtGxOWYsCaQJC0U357qy3JtgrwqDPouQXCQ3DoTuzeMSOZNygJSHUHtaxSbnTUPWZJfcvRi3rGsWW_kPg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="129" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQi67DTXvdT2YM1LJcQYrIrxGj0XdNZhQOz7mWiG-_bQbP_DdcOmHFeyZMXU2av8x1aJ0hY5DV18ifVNa5qZildNJ4dnz_grvI5s06GWZenAtGxOWYsCaQJC0U357qy3JtgrwqDPouQXCQ3DoTuzeMSOZNygJSHUHtaxSbnTUPWZJfcvRi3rGsWW_kPg" width="98" /></a></div><b>Jonathan Hive </b>(by Daniel Abraham, starring Jonathan Tipton-Clarke/ Jonathan Hive): The main interstitial story for this book. Jonathan Tipton-Clark, aka Johnathan Hive, aka Bugsy is an aspiring journalist who also the ability to transform into a swarm of bugs. Looking for the inside scoop on American Hero, and not averse to making himself part of the story, he auditions for the show not knowing that it will change his life forever. The story is hard to judge on its own, more so than other interstitial stories. Because the book the stories in the book are tied together more tightly than in other Wild Cards novels, <i>Johnathan Hive </i>has the thankless task of providing connective tissue, a sort of transition from one story to the next. It helps that Bugsy has enough good points his corrupt journalist act coming off as charmingly sleazy rather than unlikable. <b>Rating: 3/5</b>.<p></p><p><b>Dark of the Moon </b>(by Melinda Snodgrass, starring Lilith): This is the story that kicks off the main plot. Lilith, an Ace assassin with the power to teleport, sneaks into the Caliphate to carry out the assassination of the Noor Al-allah. The story is a good thriller and Lilith is an intriguing enigma of a character who's alignment remains murky. It's a bit of a shame to see the Noor go out like this. It always seemed like such a long-term villain deserved a better sendoff, but on the other hand, he was a cliched character who had perhaps outstayed his welcome. A good start to the book. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b></p><p><b>From the Desk of Rebecca Leiberman: </b>This isn't technically a story, but is include here for completions sake. Nominally, an in-universe broadsheet of promotional material for the <i>American Hero </i>reality show, its real function is to serve as a cast list introducing the contestants on the show and their powers. Other than that not much to say about this one. <b>Rating: NA.</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtdEftAd39ruuck75db_GRkDOKl-3bPPWx5FqIVXWN2K94XiEG2hecfKLU-Q54ObHZLZbayiIioCTzErEIi9C-Zk9sLLD57Z3uMrO5K6fpX7UJkVfgYBvffQvZAev8m4hUU3366rQeMxr6cdE3KKt_L1J0r5KnDf19kS7Qe9KBudcDJb4QBFP4j5p-lA" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="168" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtdEftAd39ruuck75db_GRkDOKl-3bPPWx5FqIVXWN2K94XiEG2hecfKLU-Q54ObHZLZbayiIioCTzErEIi9C-Zk9sLLD57Z3uMrO5K6fpX7UJkVfgYBvffQvZAev8m4hUU3366rQeMxr6cdE3KKt_L1J0r5KnDf19kS7Qe9KBudcDJb4QBFP4j5p-lA" width="142" /></a></div><b>Chosen Ones </b>(by Carrie Vaughn, starring Ana Cortez/ Earth Witch): Anna Cortez is in over her her head. An Ace with the ability to control dirt and rocks, she didn't expect to make the show when her younger brother cajoled her into applying for American Hero. Now, the newly-dubbed "Earth Witch" finds herself using her in front of millions of people. Forced to work together with her cast-mates on the show to complete various challenges, she quickly discovers that working as a team present more challenges than she ever expected. This is the first story where we get to see a lot of the new cast in action. As a result, it's given over to character development and establishing relationships. It's a nice slow story before the action starts. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Looking for Jetboy</b> (by Michael Cassutt, starring Jamal Norwood/Stuntman): Jamal Norwood, the regenerating Ace called Stuntman, has never had much luck with his career choices. An aspiring athlete turned failed actor turned Hollywood stuntman, his newly discovered powers have finally given him a chance for success when he appears on <i>American Hero</i>. As the game ramps up, Stuntman will find himself crossing ethical lines to make sure that he is the last hero standing. Stuntman is in some was one of the more subversive Wild Cards characters. Wild Card's protagonists are often flawed and selfish people who are often capable of great heroism when the moment calls for it. Stuntman, on the other hand, is a narcissistic jerk with daddy issues who when the chips are down stays a narcissistic jerk with daddy issues. Michael Cassutt has generally been the writer who seems least interested in the superhero aspects of Wild Cards so it's interesting that he chooses to make his most conventional superhero character deliberately unlikable. It's a choice that pays off as the character becomes a contrast to the other new heroes around him. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b><p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIyVtVOSgXA9W_tR46MGXZuD5YG7yRyf_hs64ptUmfoU384nKGOIj8KOcjWWCxdcVitrKEd4bVMIRaPUmChhOHlusK5AcV4l5R-4DJ73iZsISiRkYlJnsI2JXwKoRta1VF9-fbDASn0gkxNWngqgsNOXhOUiut9kInAuAZQcm-fLd_7I0lfYLiKeW9AA" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIyVtVOSgXA9W_tR46MGXZuD5YG7yRyf_hs64ptUmfoU384nKGOIj8KOcjWWCxdcVitrKEd4bVMIRaPUmChhOHlusK5AcV4l5R-4DJ73iZsISiRkYlJnsI2JXwKoRta1VF9-fbDASn0gkxNWngqgsNOXhOUiut9kInAuAZQcm-fLd_7I0lfYLiKeW9AA" width="193" /></a></div><b>Metagames</b> (by Caroline Spector, staring Michell Pond/ The Amazing Bubbles): Michelle Pond, the Amazing Bubbles, is easy to underestimate. Her powers are designed to feed her insecurities: She can absorb any force used against her, converting it into mass, then converting that mass into a stream of energy bubbles that she can use against her opponents, literally gaining and loosing weight as she uses her powers. Not the most popular competitor on American Hero, she enters into an alliance with her new crush, the ace Tiffani. But on a show where there can only be one winner, how much is such an alliance worth? Another strong story in this collection, this one introducing more characters but with a stronger focus on the dark side of reality shows: mainly, how the contestant to manipulate in each other in unethical fashion in order to win. I found Bubbles to be a likable character which gave some suspense to the relatively low stakes reality show setting. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b></div><br /><div><b>Star Power </b>(by Melinda Snodgrass, starring Noel Matthews): Around this portion of the book, the reality shoe and the Middle East subplots begin to intertwine. Noel Matthews is a celebrity magician and Ace who conceals his exact power from the general public. He's also a British intelligence operative who is deliberately causing the unrest in the Middle East. When making a guest appearance on American Hero, he discovers that one of the contestants had a family connection that may disrupt his plans. Noel isn't my favorite character among the new additions. He's cruel and calculating and, in this story, at least, there's not much more to him than that. However, the story is necessary in that it provides the books two plot threads with some much need connective tissue and with that it get the job done. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQOqI4M9iVYLsOA4bhGu_Kd4BH3xs-ykMpAeBhQkG8UhwsiIJ-QFM2YQmiFbmhr5SbUv-7tGlnBmW-NGRpZAFx4gJUX1MzO4_S0HmGE_d2UKja5FIQsM4V8pz1K8aUcmafxbvV8ikeMdMxulZ14UDyao5ZX2K9p-1JA9kC7236IEGI_tOkMEpV3-eInA" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQOqI4M9iVYLsOA4bhGu_Kd4BH3xs-ykMpAeBhQkG8UhwsiIJ-QFM2YQmiFbmhr5SbUv-7tGlnBmW-NGRpZAFx4gJUX1MzO4_S0HmGE_d2UKja5FIQsM4V8pz1K8aUcmafxbvV8ikeMdMxulZ14UDyao5ZX2K9p-1JA9kC7236IEGI_tOkMEpV3-eInA" width="162" /></a></div><b>Wake the Lion </b>(by John Jos. Miller, starring John Fortune): After losing his powers in the last book, John Fortune had been reduced to working as a PA on the set of American Hero. Jumping at a chance to regain his powers, John finds himself the host of the symbiotic Joker/Ace known as Sekhmet. Now John has to decide if he will do as Sekhmet asked and use his newly regained powers to intervene in Egypt. Yet another strong story. I will admit that I do not find John Fortune as compelling a character as others in this book. He's another young person trying to prove that he's a hero and unfortunately, that describes a lot of the other characters in the book. <b>Rating: 3/5.</b><br /></div><div><b><br /><br /></b></div><div><b>Crusader </b>(by George RR Martin, starring Klaus Hauser/ Lohengrin): The last story George RR Martin has written to date for Wild Cards. When John Fortune decided to help stop the massacre in Egypt, he drags Bugsy and Lohengrin, a German ace, appearing as celebrity guest on American Hero, with him. Obsessed with chivalry and the idea of heroism, Lohengrin has the ability to literally transform himself into a knight in shining armor, creating medieval weaponry with the power of his mind. But will a man who is quite literally a German crusader make a volatile situation better or worse? Another character out to prove himself a hero but this time with a little more depth. There's a sense her that, while Lohengrin's heart is in the right place, he is naive and his desire to play hero might endanger the very people he wants to help. Some of this story definitely hasn't aged well: Martin inadvertently gave Lohengrin a catchphrase that is actually used by hate groups in the real world (which is why it never appears again after this story). Still, it's a good last story from the writer who started it all. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Tin Man's Lament </b>(by Ian Tregellis, starring Wally Gunderson/ Rustbelt)<b>: </b>Rustbelt's experience on American Hero has not been anything to write home about. Thanks to a dirty trick by a fellow competitor, he's been falsely smeared in the national new media as a racist. But that's not the only thing that's bothering the metallic joker-ace. He's beginning to believe that he should be using his powers for more than just chasing celebrity especially as he see more news stories about the massacre in Egypt. Soon, Rustbelt will take a step that will change the Wild Card Universe forever. Yet another story hero featuring an aspiring new hero but this one is refreshing in how it doesn't try to be anything more that that. While the other characters in this book want to be heroes for a complex series of motivations, Rustbelt's motivation is simply --- he's a really good person who wants to do good in the world. That kind of simplicity of motivation is kind of refreshing in Wild Cards where even the more noble characters tend to have trauma based motivations. Plus, this was the point in the book where I realized where the story was going. I'll talk more about it later but for a long time superhero fan like me, it was about time Wild Cards tried a story like this and it was a great entrance for new readers. <b>Rating: 4.5/5.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Incidental Music for Heroes </b>(by SL Ferrell, starring Michael Vogali/ Drummer Boy): Drummer Boy is another character who had a bad time on American Hero. A famous musician, he only participated for the celebrity exposure and the only thing he has to show for it is a failed romance with fellow contestant Curveball. However, when Rustbelt lead a group of American hero losers to help in Egypt, Drummer Boy takes the opportunity to win back the girl and possibly save the day in the process. This story contains the climax of the story but its marred by the fact that Drummer Boy isn't a terribly likable character. We keep getting hints that he has a shred of decency but we aren't actually shown much of that. In this book, whatever good deeds he does are motivated entirely by his (self-inflicted) girl problems. Still, as a climax to the overarching narrative, this story works well enough. <b>Rating: 3.5/5.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div></div><div><b>Blood on the Sun </b>(by Melinda Snodgrass, starring Bahir): This final story focuses on Bahir, an Ace in the service of the Caliphate. However, he's not quite the loyal servant he presents himself as he has an agenda all of his own. This story is difficult to talk about without spoiling one of the larger plot twists in the book so I will refrain from going into further detail. I will say however, that it is a twist that a) caught me off guard and b) makes sense when you go back and reread the stories in this book. What more can you ask from a surprise ending? <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>This book was the shot in the arm the series needed. With the last attempt to relaunch the series fizzling out, a break with the past was just what the doctor ordered. With the largely new cast and setting, Inside Straight allowed new readers to jump in without having to know anything anything about the setting and characters. </div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of my thoughts on the book are hard to discuss without <b>SPOILERS </b>which I will present now. The end of the book sees the newly introduced characters (except Stuntman) forming the Committee, a UN backed strike force of Aces designed to intervene in foreign affairs. Essentially, this is Wild Cards version of the Justice League or the Avengers. In a world based on superheroes, it always struck me as a little odd that there wasn't a group like this so it was cool to see that vacuum filled. This book was, in the end m n excellent new beginning for the series.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Addenda:</b> In addition to the new heroes who form the Committee, this book introduces several side characters who will be important in later volumes. Several of the contestants of American Hero including Wild Fox, the Candle, Jade Blossom, the Gardener and Pop Tart would have expanded roles in their own stories (some of them eventually going on to join the Committee).</div>Testhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02512885214799971701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-60716496360342610122022-11-10T18:04:00.001-08:002022-11-10T18:04:34.320-08:00Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Death Draws FiveThis was the book that was supposed to relaunch the series. It had been almost ten years since the last Wild Cards novel back in 1995. (<i>Deuces Down </i>had come out just a few years earlier but that was a straight up anthology). <i>Death Draws Five</i> had the unenviable task of reintroducing the series and its universe as well as moving the story forward while remaining as accessible as possible to new fans. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbLy2UfuTseW12AR2xpcIb9v--K-MCTgErXH7povxv0iJ7LN7M6tvU2f-2u7D6Cr8bC5tKqLJu4f3FkNkrBShtT2KhIHJ_xDLaiWQTMLEP3LVkxt5LSIYzEO96yp0uAeJa12Miwy8Y0-Yh7tJjgk9_wvbMHCUFMux5PikQ1UVX_U2xtnns4V06Q2WzHw" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbLy2UfuTseW12AR2xpcIb9v--K-MCTgErXH7povxv0iJ7LN7M6tvU2f-2u7D6Cr8bC5tKqLJu4f3FkNkrBShtT2KhIHJ_xDLaiWQTMLEP3LVkxt5LSIYzEO96yp0uAeJa12Miwy8Y0-Yh7tJjgk9_wvbMHCUFMux5PikQ1UVX_U2xtnns4V06Q2WzHw" width="160" /></a></div>Unfortunately, it would never have a chance to succeed. The series' publisher at the time, iBooks, would fold leaving the series without a home. Ultimately, Wild Cards wouldn't truly be relaunched until 2008.</div><div><br /></div><div>However<i>, Death Draws Five </i>is a milestone in another way. It is the last of the three Wild Cards novels that is written by a solo writer. This time it is John Jos. Miller, handling the writing duties. Whereas previous solo novels in the series largely focused on a singular character in a novel-length adventure, Miller broke with that pattern by formatting his novel more like a typical entry in the series. That means that the book has an ensemble cast whose narratives combine to form a singular story.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story begins with a long promised event in the series: young John Fortune finally gets his superpowers. The son of two OG Wild Cards heroes, Peregrine and Fortunato, John Fortune and his eventual destiny have been a plot point since way back in Book Four. With incredible but increasingly hard-to-control powers, Fortune is quickly kidnapped by the Alumbrados, a secret sect of the Catholic Church that is convinced that he is the anti-Christ.</div><div><br /></div><div>The kidnapping quickly attracts five different heroes each with their own agenda. Fortune's long time bodyguard, Jerry Strauss, the shape-shifting <b>Mr. Nobody,</b> is out to get his client back. By a similar token, Fortune's father, the mystic Ace <b>Fortunato</b>,<b> </b>finally returns to America intent on finding his son. Meanwhile, former President Leo Barnett is convinced that Fortune is the Second Coming and has dispatched government operative, Billy Ray <b>(Carnifex) </b>to find him. Assisting Billy Ray is a new character, <b>the Midnight Angel</b>, a true believer in Barnett's cause, who clashes with the more irreverant Billy Ray. Finally, another new character, mercenary <b>John Nighthawk </b>works as an agent for the Alumbrados but secretly has an agenda of his own.</div><div><br /></div><div>The novel was clearly intended to be a jumping on point for new readers. The plot takes all five characters on a tour of the Wild Cards universe, introducing new faces and reintroducing several old ones, sometimes to the detriment of the plot. (There's a scene where Ti Malice, a villain who has absolutely nothing to do with the book's plot, shows up and the story basically stops for several pages for an extra fight scene). On the other hand a lot of the new characters are introduced with neat powers and abilities. I really liked Mushroom Daddy, a hippie with a mysterious past and the ability to grow excellent weed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikGjwb16e7_vzR8vafwGJIpodewPWtMPDFDAsSLbZOrcnQKbs8Qfclpmr1E4D5Pu1FqHMLD4-N8cLxfw-aOrY8doKvYWE5X0Bh5uKCH1NTylYBaizaVUqWkKBaPa8L1VxaYLR24Pj9yYPyEnXuCd3vvOX1JA-VzntXp8nZ3QeRjinUoCEDZWFhNPDMCA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikGjwb16e7_vzR8vafwGJIpodewPWtMPDFDAsSLbZOrcnQKbs8Qfclpmr1E4D5Pu1FqHMLD4-N8cLxfw-aOrY8doKvYWE5X0Bh5uKCH1NTylYBaizaVUqWkKBaPa8L1VxaYLR24Pj9yYPyEnXuCd3vvOX1JA-VzntXp8nZ3QeRjinUoCEDZWFhNPDMCA=w179-h272" width="179" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>As a stand alone story, <i>Death Draws Five </i>is a better than average example of superhero prose. As a way of introducing new readers to the series, it really doesn't work. Ultimately, the book is too invested in rehashing old plot lines to feel completely satisfying. A lot if it depends on attachment to established characters which a new reader to the series wouldn't have. Fortunately, a new chance to reinvigorate the series would come with the next book <i>Inside Straight.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Addenda:</b> The book introduces some new characters who will have stories in late books like John Nighthawk and the Midnight Angel. John Fortune's new powers will be a recurring plot point in later books.</div>Testhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02512885214799971701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-1884818918041088872022-09-11T16:35:00.001-07:002022-09-11T16:35:26.848-07:00 Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Deuces Down<p>The Wild Cards format has changed a lot over the series. Originally conceived as a series of trilogies with every book written by multiple writers, the series had abandoned that by the sixth book in favor of longer arcs interspersed with the occasional novel written by a solo writer. But the one thing they all had in common is that --- they were novels. Even in the books with multiple stories, those stories interlinked to make a larger narrative. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmEEQwf0FxdTh1k0SS9FpuZXGik9yHTJLQK4sk7H96kB8QFV4Z4llukF_0qh19bPeR34vlieC00h_lz2AFZNQfP6qZPR12olRsjpikdpO8KXduWPXPyIJzdN3jOu-MepSvw2CbqoJu6avfZGAII-LDehKX0jh0jrIScjiR9HwS5egG84CfRgNMKtcemA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1685" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmEEQwf0FxdTh1k0SS9FpuZXGik9yHTJLQK4sk7H96kB8QFV4Z4llukF_0qh19bPeR34vlieC00h_lz2AFZNQfP6qZPR12olRsjpikdpO8KXduWPXPyIJzdN3jOu-MepSvw2CbqoJu6avfZGAII-LDehKX0jh0jrIScjiR9HwS5egG84CfRgNMKtcemA" width="158" /></a></div><i>Deuces Down</i> is different. For the first time, there is no overarching narrative through line connecting the stories together. The stories stand on their own as single pieces. The only thing connecting these stories is a) they cover the history of the Wild Cards universe, with the first story taking place in the 1950s and the last in present day and b) they all focus on Deuces, people whose infection with the Wild Card virus gave them unimpressive or useless abilities. In other words, <i>Deuces Down</i> is the first Wild Cards book that is just a straight up anthology.<p></p><br /><p>As with any anthology, the stories are going to be a mixed bag. Fortunately, the stories aren't really connected so, unlike in other books, one bad story doesn't drag down the whole. And, this book contains "Promises"by Stephen Leigh, one of the all time best Wild Cards stories. But we'll get to that in due time as we go through the stories.</p><p><b>"Storming Space"</b> (by Micheal Cassutt, starring Cash Mitchell): Once again, Michael Cassutt has written another one of his trademark stories about how the Wild Card virus affected the history of the space program This one focuses on Cash Mitchell, a small time smuggler with the ability to lessen gravity on any object he gets a grip on. Unfortunately for him, he finds himself involved with a small time criminal who plans to set up an operation travel to the Moon and needs his power to do so, a series of events that leads to Cash being part of the first lunar mission. I have to admit this story kind of left me cold. Cash is not the interesting of a character (lovelorn "nice guy" protagonists are not exactly uncommon in this franchise) and the story is not all that exciting. A merely serviceable story in an anthology full of them. <b>Rating: 2 out of 5.</b></p><p><b>"Four Days in October" </b>(by John Jos. Miller, starring Digger Downs): Tabloid reporter Digger Downs has been a character in Wild Cards since the books first started. Blessed with the ability to literally smell people who have the Wild Card virus and very little in the way of journalistic ethics, Downs has used his powers to enrich himself and make a name for himself as reporter. This serves as an origin story for him, as a young reporter for a school newspaper named Thomas Downs discovers that someone on the 1969 Brooklyn Dodgers may be an ace. The story has some enjoyable parts; Downs, even as a child, is entertainingly sleazy and we see the backgrounds of some established characters (theres an even a blink and you miss it origin story for minor series antagonist, Wyrm). The downside of the story is that it is overly focused on baseball. There are long paragraphs where the story just kind of stops to deliver a long play-by-play description of various baseball games. What's worse, these are long descriptions of fictional baseball games. (In the real world, the Dodgers had already moved to Los Angeles). For baseball fanatics only. <b>Rating: 2.5 out of 5.</b></p><p><b>"Walking the Floor over You" </b>(by Walton Simons, starring Robert "Bob" Cortland): Another story focusing on a new character, "Walking the Floor over You" introduces Bob Cortland, a comedy club owner with the rather unimpressive ability to turn into a puddle and Carlotta DeSoto, a comedian who has the power to make people laugh involuntarily. When Carlotta is kidnapped by her vengeful ex-husband, Bob gets dragged into the wider world of Aces when e hires Croyd Crenson, the Sleeper, to get her back. This story derives a lot of its power from nostalgia; there are cameos by all sorts of Wild Cards characters that haven't been seen in a while (like Hiram Worchester and Peregrine). Unfortunately, the most memorable parts of the story are the callbacks to older stuff; Bob is another nice guy with girl troubles, a blander version of Cash Mitchell from earlier in the book. Ultimately, without a strong protagonist, the story just has to coast on references to more interesting characters. <b>Rating: 2.5 out of 5.</b></p><p><b>"A Face for the Cutting Room Floor" </b>(By Melinda Snodgrass, starring Dr. Bradley Finn): Before he was a doctor, Bradley Finn, the Wild Card universe's local centaur, was an actor, using his appearance to serve as a living special effect in low budget fantasy movies. Meanwhile, his movie executive father happens to be producing a new film starring Grace Kelly, who, in the Wild Cards universe, is apparently blessed with an unaging appearance and never retired from acting. When her personal makeup artist disappears, Kelly suddenly goes into seclusion and Finn's father asks him to investigate the disappearance. This is an odd little story, more about subverted expectations. It's more of a homage to noir films minus the violence and the mystery at the center is easy to figure out. A nice detective story but nothing too special. <b>Rating: 3 out of 5.</b></p><p><b>"Father Henry's Little Miracle"</b> (by Daniel Abraham, starring Father Henry Obst): Unlike the other stories<i> Deuces Down</i>, this story actually takes place during the events of a specific book, specifically the gang war between the Mafia and the Shadow Fist Society in Book 5. Father Henry Obst is a Catholic priest with the job-appropriate ability to transmute water into wine. Unfortunately, that power is all that he has to rely on when a young woman in possession of stolen heroin comes to him for help. Worse both the Mafia and Shadow Fists are after the drugs and the Shadow Fists have hired Demise, the Ace whose looks can kill. "Little Miracle"is essentially a Demise story told from another character's point of view. This has the effect of emphasizing how terrifying Demise's power is to the average person on the street while still showcasing the character's propensity to be injured in comical ways. A nice throwback to old school Wild Cards. <b>Rating: 3.5 out of 5.</b></p><p><b>"Promises"</b> (by Stephen Leigh, Starring Gary Bushorn/ The Burning Man<b>): </b>I won't lie. This story made me tear up. The first story to take place after the Card Shark trilogy, we find out what happened to Gary Bushorn, a minor character from the previous book. Gifted with an unusually high body temperature, Gary's activities in the previous book have left him a wanted man. Trapped on the joker colony of Raithlin in Ireland, unable to leave without risking arrest, Gary meets Caitlyn, a young woman whose Wild Card abilities are slowly killing her and her daughter, Moira, a young girl whose Wild Card hasn't turned yet leaving her a ticking time bomb. "Promises" is an exploration of love and loss set against the backdrop of the Wild Cards universe. It's actually the first story, I think, that really deals in depth with the fact that for most of the people who get it the Wild Card virus is a death sentence. Plus, the ending is utterly devastating. <b>Rating: 5 out of 5.</b></p><p><b>"With a Flourish and a Flair"</b> (by Kevin Andrew Murphy, starring Sam Washburn/ Swash): The collection ends on a high note with this story, a straightforward superhero adventure. Deuce artist Swash, with abilities that transform him into the ultimate sketch artist, gets roped into assisting Ace magician/heroine Topper when she loses her hat, which she requires to use her powers. As the search intensifies, more and more familiar faces from the Wild Cards universe get roped into the mayhem. We see familiar characters like Mr. Nobody, Cameo and Peregrine while meeting new characters like the Jokertown Boys, a rock band made of Jokers, Aces, and Deuces. It's a nice reminder that although the Wild Card Universe can pretty dark there is room for fun as well. R<b>ating: 4 out of 5.</b></p><p>And that would be it but as I was writing this piece, Tor Books published an expanded rerelease. This rerelease added three more stories, including a frame story attempting to link each piece into an overall narrative. In service of this, it rearranged the order of several stories, breaking the chronological theme. However, to be completely fair, the stories were already so disconnected that this decision winds up having no practical effect on the book's overall structure. </p><p>The new stories are as follows:</p><p><b>"Age of Wonders"</b> (by Carrie Vaughn: Starring Raleigh Jackson): <b> </b>The new framing story follows Raleigh Jackson, the daughter of minor Wild Cards character, Aurora, as she goes to work at magazine <i>Aces. </i>While there she get her big break, being assigned to write a series of articles about Deuces and other forgotten Wild Cards, which form the other stories in the book, while also undertaking a personal quest for the identity of her biological father. While the story starts promisingly enough, it is full of subplots that don't really go anywhere. The search for Ralieigh's father fizzles out as does a later subplot about her work upsetting members of the Mafia. More unforgivably, "Age of Wonders" inadvertently spoils the ending of "Promises" which robs that story of much of its punch.<b> Rating: 1.5 out of 5 (2 out of 5 without the spoiler). </b></p><p><b>"Tasty" </b>(by Mary Ann Mohnaraj: Starring<b> </b>Retazos): Joker repairman Retazos is having a bad week. His girlfriend is cheating on him. A local gang is intimidating some of his friends. And his attempt to make a patio for his grandmother inadvertently releases an alien monstrosity that devours everything in its path. You know, a normal crappy week. "Tasty"explores one of the theme of the "Wild Cards" universe: What exactly makes a superhero? In a universe, where a large portion of the population has a funny name and powers, even a repairman with less than impressive abilities can save the day once or twice. One criticism I have is that Retazos' girlfriend is a two-dimensional character going from loving companion to cruel harpy as the plot demands. <b>Rating: 3.5 out of 5.</b></p><p><b>"Dry to the Touch"</b> (by Caroline Spector: starring Joe Belenky/ Joe the Cleaner): This store is a loose follow up ( and dark reflection of) to "Storming Space" covering some of the open plot threads left by that story. The protagonist is Joe Belenky, whose ability to turn human bodily fluids into dust has led him to be forcibly pressed into service by the Mafia as an unofficial clean-up man for mob hits. However, when the chorus girl he has a crush becomes the target of his superiors, Joe winds up having to take a stand to break free of his bosses once and for all. This is my favorite of the new stories. With "Storming Space" and "Walking the Floor Over You", <i>Deuces Down</i> already had two stories that involved a schlubby man coming to the aid of a beautiful women who then falls into his arms as a reward. This story inverts that with a much bleaker and more emotionally honest ending that comes as a gut punch to the reader that stays with you after you read it. <b>Rating: 4 out of 5.</b></p><div>All in all, it's hard to have an opinion on the book as a whole. Though the new edition may have added a frame story, the book was originally an anthology and the stories largely stand and fall on their own merits. The book's variety of tones something here for every reader but it also lacks the fun of different narrative threads coming together that some of the other books have. It's a good book for a casual fan of the series: if one story doesn't work, another one will.</div>Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-23365314622988041062021-12-02T18:35:00.517-08:002022-03-10T18:20:38.849-08:00 Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Black Trump<p><i> Black Trump </i>found the Wild Cards series in a strange place. For the first time since its inception, the series was about to find itself without a regular publisher. To give some perspective, before <i>Black Trump</i>, the series has been running continuously since 1987. After <i>Black Trump</i>, it would be seven more years before another book in the series was published. As a result, the end of the Card Sharks series had the unenviable task of serving both as a coda to the ongoing series while keeping enough plot threads open so that <i>Wild Cards</i> could be resumed again in the future. Because of this the books in the series, this one is difficult to discuss without<b><u> SPOILERS</u></b> so expect them ahead.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvrfu6PVesK9hsy4EorWcOXPee2ZYP4BXaQbcJ5Z4lq9aqat58c8WPAlBLtvGqc67Fm3ucXh1zU4KXm-yevDvDEdK6L8Pw5pB7qj9_RnY0YKMg6PUE9kZHfTcOZOwDjep9c6whlvyeEyPGWgrK28tL1gOQ9A02CBEwg4bi63sS5YZH28lpKT-x8zREWQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="311" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvrfu6PVesK9hsy4EorWcOXPee2ZYP4BXaQbcJ5Z4lq9aqat58c8WPAlBLtvGqc67Fm3ucXh1zU4KXm-yevDvDEdK6L8Pw5pB7qj9_RnY0YKMg6PUE9kZHfTcOZOwDjep9c6whlvyeEyPGWgrK28tL1gOQ9A02CBEwg4bi63sS5YZH28lpKT-x8zREWQ" width="150" /></a></div><p>The book itself pick up where the last one left off: The organization know as the Card Sharks has possession of three vials of the titular Black Trump, a lethal virus that targets people with the Wild Card virus. <b>Senator Greg Hartmann </b>(written by Stephen Leigh), trapped in the deformed body of a Joker at the end of the previous book, sets off with sympathetic human Hannah Davis to find the vials before they can be used. Unfortunately, Hartmans' own Wild Cards powers are beginning to return and with them his evil alter ego, Puppetman, who has plans of his own for the pandemic. Hot on his trail is the Ace government agent Billy Ray aka <b>Carnifex</b> (written be John Jos. Miller) who has been sent to bring in Hartmann for questioning by a government more concerned with covering up the existence of the Black Trump than stopping it. Meanwhile, private detective Jay <b>"Poppinjay"</b> Ackroyd (written by George R.R. Martin) sets out on his own quest to find and destroy the vials while Mark Meadows, the transforming Ace know as<b> Captain Trips </b>(written by Victor Milan) is kidnapped by the Card Sharks and forced to use his biochemistry knowledge to help them perfect the Black Trump. Finally, young Ace <b>Zoe Harris </b>(written by <b>Sage Walker) </b>is forcibly recruited by the Joker terrorists know as the Twisted Fists to steal a nuclear bomb in a last-ditch attempt to threaten the Card Sharks with mutually assured destruction. </p><p>As an ending to the Card Sharks triad, <i>Black Trump</i> largely works. The major story arcs are wrapped up; everything is tied up more or less in a neat bow at the end. There are a few structural complaints: It's pretty clear that there were conflicting visions on the final fate of the Card Shark's leader, Dr. Pan Rudo. As a result, a new antagonist, Dr. Carter Jarnavon is unceremoniously introduced for the first time, primarily so that Poppinjay can have a mad scientist to face off in a long set-piece that call back to the very first Wild Cards story while Rudo was occupied in other plotlines. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg11rB_i2kqCuA-av9G2vg8jT_FpAl_qZtjN3TYqjWOTZ98JVf3XlfUeBKQHsabUQ-enkj2E3SEpbJdKh8ERQRNh8iwmBVaOMKFjlHjRT8iHVZZB_A4UoHwruEXmsQTUTq6z0H4gDmfvCmwJB1Bxoi8hxYbd2hI9o5H9eWnM7Hl2Ufn_IWUU-k051tMRw" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="242" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg11rB_i2kqCuA-av9G2vg8jT_FpAl_qZtjN3TYqjWOTZ98JVf3XlfUeBKQHsabUQ-enkj2E3SEpbJdKh8ERQRNh8iwmBVaOMKFjlHjRT8iHVZZB_A4UoHwruEXmsQTUTq6z0H4gDmfvCmwJB1Bxoi8hxYbd2hI9o5H9eWnM7Hl2Ufn_IWUU-k051tMRw" width="235" /></a></div>As for the plot-lines themselves, the standouts are the ones that focus on the long time characters with George R.R. Marin and Victor Milan's contributions being the best. Martin's story is an uncomplicated detective adventure tale while Milan gets to answer some long running questions from all the way Captain Trip's very first story. <p></p><p>Stephen Leigh's Gregg Hartman story is a strong third place with several unsettling sequences. Puppetman is a character whose escapades has always bordered on horror, and when he gets loose, it is suitably terrifying. Unfortunately, the story is framed as a redemption story for Hartman and, by this point, he's done too many terrible things even without his maniacal other self for that to really ring true. Furthermore, he spends too much time giving into Puppetman to make his final stand against his "darker side" seem authentic. Still, Leigh is a skilled enough writer that these flaws, while glaring, do not ruin the entire story. <br /></p><p>While Carnifex's plotline is serviceable, the real weak link here is Zoe Harris. It's pretty clear that there were at least tentative plans to have the character evolve from the wannabe hero shown in the last book to the next major Wild Cards villain. The problem is that the character is simply not sympathetic enough that the change comes as a major shock. (In all fairness, some of things Harris does were forgivable for a protagonist in the 90s but absolutely do not fly in 2022). Furthermore, Harris simply doesn't make a credible villain. Compared to established antagonists like the Astronomer and Demise, her Wild Card abilities aren't that impressive and she lacks the resources of an organization like the Card Sharks. It's not really surprising that this storyline was abandoned and the character all but disappears from the books after this point. </p><p>The end of the Card Sharks trilogy is --- good enough. It works largely as a wrap-up to major storylines and as a pause point for the series. Unfortunately, whether it was from the struggles with the publisher or just that the series had been ongoing for so long, there was a sense that the writers were running out of steam. Even though not everything is resolved, and future book are set up, Black Trump really does seem like a stopping point, like even the writers weren't sure where to go next. It would take two more books before the series found its new direction. </p><p><b>Addendum: </b>The British Ace organization, the Order of the Silver Helix, is introduced. We meet their leader Captain Flint, who will get his own story years down the line. Captain Trips ends the story having apparently permanently transformed into his Radical persona, who is now behaving erratically, which will be a big part of the later books. Gary Bushorn, the "Burning Man", who has a story in the next book makes a cameo appearance as pilot who helps fly Gregg Hartman into Ireland.</p>Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-89752513521116889462021-11-18T18:30:00.002-08:002021-11-18T18:30:34.051-08:00 Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Marked Cards<p>The second part of any trilogy is always a tricky beast. By definition, it needs to move the plot forward without actually resolving it. If done well, it leaves the reader wanting more. If done poorly, it can stop the momentum of the story dead in its tracks and feel like the author didn't have enough material to fill three books. That's a hard task for a single author with a solid vision of where his or her story is going, let alone one with multiple authors all contributing their own ideas.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUu8arPi1ujAxPwnBOUmh2SSi5Lgh5VuF5xU2UmcAQGRHWitD0ROGjL4yqFIXlXaRpCb47qX6aLl6gBthtxIJWFoYfTJNbUI6tgWfndGecLrEfJEHBf4mIYf4XMUqn7uo-67NX9sQG37bW/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="223" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUu8arPi1ujAxPwnBOUmh2SSi5Lgh5VuF5xU2UmcAQGRHWitD0ROGjL4yqFIXlXaRpCb47qX6aLl6gBthtxIJWFoYfTJNbUI6tgWfndGecLrEfJEHBf4mIYf4XMUqn7uo-67NX9sQG37bW/w173-h271/image.png" width="173" /></a></div><br />As a result, <i>Marked Cards</i> is a mixed bag creatively speaking. While none of the stories are exactly bad, some of them really don't seem to advance the story very much. That's not to say that this book is a complete waste of time. There are some good stories here but on the whole it is mostly average.<p></p><p>This time in there are two interstitial stories interspersed throughout the book:</p><p><b>The Color of his Skin </b>(by Stephen Leigh) picks up right where the previous book , <i>Card Sharks </i>left off, with the previous book's main character, Hannah Davis taking her evidence of the Card Shark's existence to <b>Senator Gregg Hartman,</b> formerly the villainous Puppetman. Seeking redemption, Hartman decides to help her cause, but finds that the Card Sharks have recruited the body-swapping Jumpers to their side and finds himself trapped in the body of a Joker and framed for murder. What made Hartman an effective villain in earlier Wild Cards story was his ability to pose as a good person, even more so than his superpowers. This story raises the stakes by showing how Hartman copes when he is stripped of his greatest asset. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YSnWud4Yf_1AyIxjs7m32U8tJ1Jq3-Or2HS_djt2Wy3lG_nuDN9Wm3ABxK7Jgfd1crMeA66MiPbvL_D2vKytd-WwvYl09n5fdy41eNXl02lI-9Y1M_poXyc_WlqJznJoyYckI1P_H5iB/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="266" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YSnWud4Yf_1AyIxjs7m32U8tJ1Jq3-Or2HS_djt2Wy3lG_nuDN9Wm3ABxK7Jgfd1crMeA66MiPbvL_D2vKytd-WwvYl09n5fdy41eNXl02lI-9Y1M_poXyc_WlqJznJoyYckI1P_H5iB/" width="173" /></a></div><b>Feeding Frenzy (</b>by Walter Jon Williams: starring <b>Neil Langford/ Black Shadow</b>): Last time we saw Ace vigilante Black Shadow. he was being arrested after being framed for multiple crimes by the Jumpers. In this story, he breaks out of prison to settle the score. Unfortunately, the remaining Jumpers have thrown their lot in with the Card Sharks and Black Shadow soon finds himself fighting a conspiracy to body-jack the president of the United States. This story is a good action story that makes a valiant attempt to tie in to the overarching narrative. The first half of the story begins with a villain prison break (one of my favorite genre tropes) and ties in with Senator Hartman's ongoing narrative. The second half of the story -- well -- it's hard to shake the feeling <b>(SPOILERS)</b> that "Feeding Frenzy" was more about making sure that the Jumpers never appeared in Wild Cards again. There was, by this point in the series, among both the fans and the writers themselves, the belief that the Jumpers sub-plot been around for to long. "Feeding Frenzy" definitively closes the chapter on these characters, in a way that reminds one of Poochie from the Simpsons. In the end the story isn't bad, (Williams is to skilled a writer) but it's hard not to be aware that the story is more about a bit of series housekeeping rather than advancing the plot. <b>Rating: 3.5/5.</b><p></p><p>The one -off stories in this book include:</p><p><b>Two of a Kind </b>(by Walton Simons, starring <b>Jerry Strauss/ Mr. Nobody</b>): When he last appeared shape-shifting ace, Mr. Nobody, was being swept away to his apparent death in a flooding tunnel. In this book, it's revealed that he survived his apparent demise and has gone into business with as a private detective, partnering with Jay Ackroyd aka Poppinjay. In this story, he is hired to investigate the Card Sharks only to discover a plan to steal a live sample of the Wild Card virus. As a Wild Cards story, this one is average: the superhero stuff generally works. Unfortunately, on the character level, it's unsatisfying. Mr. Nobody's whole personality is that he is chronically insecure and beset by girl problems. This whole schtick can be grating, and in this story, it's particularly annoying. In the end, not the weakest story in the book but not the best either. <b>Rating: 3/5.</b></p><p><b>My Sweet Lord</b> (by Victor Milan: starring <b>Mark Meadows/ Captain Trips and J. Robet Belew/ The Mechanic</b>): By the end of his last appearance, Captain Trips, the hippie Ace with transforming powers, had made the unlikely transition from fugitive to President of South Vietnam, with the enigmatic Mechanic acting as his consigliere. The two Ace's tenuous alliance is disrupted when the illusion casting guru, Ganesh, begins to pull Trips into his cult, causing him to neglect his responsibilities. When the Mechanic discovers Ganesh's horrible secret, he has to convince Trips of Ganesh's true intentions before it's too late. My least favorite of Victor Milan's Trips stories: One of Milan's talents has always been writing Trips, who leftist politics Milan clearly disagrees with, sympathetically and heroically. In this story, Trips is just weak willed and willing to abandon his responsibilities to an obvious charlatan. There is some attempt to justify it but ultimately it feels hollow and Trips comes off as an unlikeable idiot. Still, Milan remains a very good writer even when misfiring. <b>Rating: 2.5/5.</b></p><p><b>Paths of Silence and Night </b>(By Leanne C. Harper: <b>starring Suzanne Melotti/Bagabond</b>): Leanne C. Harper's animal-controlling heroine Suzanne Melotti has not appeared since way back in Book Five, since she left for Guatemala. Now, nine books later, we finally check back in with her to see what she's doing. It turns out the answer is living in a small village, having completely abandoned her Bagabond persona. Unfortunately, this changes when a photographer who has found evidence of the Card Shark's ultimate plan arrives in her village on the run from the Guatemalan Army. Suzanne has no choice but to become Bagabond once again in order to lead the photographer to safety before he brings trouble down on the village. This is actually my favorite stand-alone story in the book. Bagabond has never been a particularly pleasant character and the decision to send her off to Guatemala had the effect of preventing her from appearing in any major stories. However, Harper uses the time away to give Bagabond some much needed character growth. The character presented here, while still battling inner demons, is more sympathetic than she has been in past appearance. This allows "Paths of Silence and Night" to be an adventure story with a flawed but still likable heroine. <b>Rating: 3/5.</b></p><p><b>Breath of Life</b> (By Sage Walker; <b>Starring Zoe Harris</b>): This story introduces Zoe Harris, a disgraced former CEO ousted from the company she founded due to trumped up embezzlement charges. This forces Zoe to move back in with her parents - who are both Jokers living in Jokertown. Zoe herself is secretly an ace with the ability to animate objects by breathing on them. Worried about escalating violence in Jokertown, Zoe turns to original generation Wild Cards hero, the Great and Powerful Turtle, for help mastering her powers. This story works best as a piece of world-building rather than as a stand-alone story. It illustrates just how desperate thing have gotten in Jokertown and and the story builds to a genuinely upsetting climax. On the other hand, I don't think it works well as a stand alone story. The ending seems abrupt more like set-up for the next book. While many Wild Card's stories end on cliffhangers, I would argue that there's a a difference between a cliffhanger ending and a story feeling half-finished. Unfortunately, "Breath of Life" falls into the latter category. <b>Rating: 2.5/5.</b></p><p><b>A Dose of Reality</b> (By Laura J. Mixon and Melinda Snodgrass: Staring Dr. Bradley Finn and Clara van Rensaeller): In this story, the centaur-like Joker Dr. Finn has to deal with two bit of bad news: First, he has been passed over for the coveted position of Chief of Medicine at the Jokertown Memorial Clinic. Worse, the position has been given to Clara van Ransaeeler, who is secretly an agent of the Card Sharks and is using her position at the Clinic to aid them in their master plan: the development of a bioweapon that targets people infected with the virus. Van Ransaeeler soon finds her loyalties divided however due to a burgeoning attraction to Finn and mysterious connection to the snake-like Joker, Lamia. It's an adequate story, never quite overcoming the fact that Dr. Finn and Van Rensaeeler are just not that interesting. A story that's so important to the plot deserved better lead characters. <b>Rating: 2.5/5.</b></p><p>The problem with <i>Marked Cards</i> is not that it's bad exactly. It's that it's mediocre. Some stories are better than others, of course, but none ever really exceeds "pretty good, all things considered." The book really suffers from being the middle part of a trilogy. It's mostly marking time between books until the next one starts. It's not the worst book in the series: it's far from the best. It's just kind of there. </p>Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-49551084499650630832021-07-02T19:12:00.000-07:002021-07-02T19:12:25.790-07:00State of the Union<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffEuNS3C2zcEC0KhDv-FQIFpmgOzJE_ko-N4MRRXlEGnUX7NRbzv065_mkvu3uVb71gjG8S2KjgX-vQl2Sj9vUycNtCRuV0vRj2-Gu5V1zW21pmUyvW3P3phzc7W8GIofhq5tZ-ivyNAW/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffEuNS3C2zcEC0KhDv-FQIFpmgOzJE_ko-N4MRRXlEGnUX7NRbzv065_mkvu3uVb71gjG8S2KjgX-vQl2Sj9vUycNtCRuV0vRj2-Gu5V1zW21pmUyvW3P3phzc7W8GIofhq5tZ-ivyNAW/" width="240" /></a></div> Taking a break from Wild Card for a post primarily because I just finished the newest Marvel comic book series, <i>The Union</i>, and anytime I am filled with an urge to fling the comic book I'm reading as hard and fast I can at the nearest wall, it is worth discussing. (Don't worry, book lovers. I didn't do it. I just really wanted to). It was a bad suffice to say; failing as a good comic but also exposing a deeper flaw that goes to the heart of today's comic book industry.<p></p><p>In order to provide some background, <i>The Union</i> is a miniseries from Marvel Comics starring that rarest thing: a largely new cast of characters. These new characters are heroes drawn from every member state of the United Kingdoms. The team gets thrown into turmoil when their leader, Britain's greatest hero, Britannia gets killed and is replaced by the working-class British hero, Union Jack (the only established Marvel hero in this comic).</p><p></p><br />The writer on this series is Paul Grist, a British comic book writer and artist, whose love for the character of Union Jack is well known. His most well-known series, <i>Jack Staff,</i> is basically a Union Jack comic book with the serial number filed off. The problem is that this the same thing is true for T<i>he Union</i>. Instead of developing the characters who, you know, are supposed to be the main characters, Jack is clearly the main character and most of the time, the Union kind of stands there in the background while he does his thing.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9Sg5e8vkHB2wK4MhzAPmobKXPr4C09c_kYEnU4BV_gQqK0wnVgC_LVgIJiqrFothOjIhTf1KfR7rc1ZjP9BidVXE9TTAsCqf9gujIkNQTSSvAfXDhXmh5CH7vnIid2VwlSPGUZvFiRdI/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9Sg5e8vkHB2wK4MhzAPmobKXPr4C09c_kYEnU4BV_gQqK0wnVgC_LVgIJiqrFothOjIhTf1KfR7rc1ZjP9BidVXE9TTAsCqf9gujIkNQTSSvAfXDhXmh5CH7vnIid2VwlSPGUZvFiRdI/" width="156" /></a></div><p>Some of this is clearly the work of pandemic. Originally, the Union was going to be part of Marvel's<i> Empyre</i> crossover only to be hastily rewritten to be part of <i>The King in Black</i> crossover when COVID-19 disrupted the publishing schedule. Strictly speaking, only the first issue crosses over with The King in Black with rest of the series time skipping to after the event, ostensibly to set up the characters and their world. Still, we have a work that was supposed to be part of one story hastily rewritten to be part of another.</p><p>Except it doesn't work out that way. Ironically, <i>The Union </i>might have been better if it had just stayed a straight crossover because at least having generic space aliens as the villains might have given the series more space to focus on The Union. As it stands the main characters of the series in this order: 1) Union Jack, 2) a British parliamentarian attached to the team (seriously this guy is the secondary protagonist), 2) a z-list British super villain, 4) a tech billionaire who is helping to finance the Union and who, to no one's surprise, will turn out to be evil, and 5) The Union --- you know, the characters who the book is named after but who don't actually do much. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXGryUiOT5vzwdy56OsfpVJKR0NAMyFJ0-D7mmGzPACe47vGF7tdsy9sqCa-sTDEYg8iFYD15DBq7NAOSpr3mXkIBL9Yq3DFD76owQLigbFfnW5Dbwf2RR7hMu2YIT16LvufNa_D1qaIX/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="244" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXGryUiOT5vzwdy56OsfpVJKR0NAMyFJ0-D7mmGzPACe47vGF7tdsy9sqCa-sTDEYg8iFYD15DBq7NAOSpr3mXkIBL9Yq3DFD76owQLigbFfnW5Dbwf2RR7hMu2YIT16LvufNa_D1qaIX/w250-h212/image.png" width="250" /></a></div><p></p><p>And I think this is the problem: As I read more, I get an increasing sense that some people has Marvel has kind of thrown it's hands up and given up on creating new characters. Which from a sales point of view I can kind of understand. The comic book market has traditionally been unkind to new character ideas. Why do anything new, when you can have success doing 100 versions of the same character. (See the Flash, Spider-Man, Captain America, and Ghost Rider for particularly bad offenders though pretty much every major superhero has a backup version). </p><p>But part of me wonders if it this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It does not strike me as a coincidence that all the A-list talent is put on books with established characters and books with new characters get, well, writers and artists who are not as polished. These books don't sell as well, the executives say new characters don't sell, and thus only put their least experienced writers and artists on what few books do feature new characters. In the case of <i>The Union</i>, Paul Grist is, admittedly, an experienced comic-book writer but he is also know for having a highly experimental writing style and, more importantly, drawing his own comics. In other words, putting him on a traditionally written comic which he is not drawing was not exactly an ideal choice. </p><p>I have to get The Union credit for one thing. At least, it tries to give the character's their own corner of the Marvel Universe complete with an original supporting cast and rogue's gallery. If <i>The Union'</i>s flaw is spending to much time on everyone but the main characters (and it is), at least it's better then some of Marvel's other recent attempts to launch new characters where not enough time is spent on creating original characters to populate the heroes world. For instance, recent series <i>Mosaic</i> and, even more so, <i>Monsters Unleashed </i>seemed to spend a lot of their time having the protagonists fight established Marvel villains and bumping into established Marvel heroes then taking their characters into new territory in their limited time. </p><p>So how to fix this? It might be interesting if someone at Marvel wnet up to one of the A-list writers and "Pitch us something original, your own idea for a superhero." They could even sweeten the pot a little: offer some sort fo profit sharing or royalty program. Jonathan Hickman or Jason Aaron ultimately can only do so much with the Avengers and the X-Men: I'd like to see what they'd do with characters who don't have such a massive weight of continuity on their back. But thats only possible if the publisher's don't settle for yet another new Spider-Man and are willing to take a chance on finding the next Spider-Man.</p>Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-48515122866937751682021-04-29T17:33:00.000-07:002021-04-29T17:33:17.225-07:00 Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Card SharksThe<i> Card Sharks </i>triad is a bit of a contradiction for the series: at once, a departure and a return to form. One one hand, it was the first storyline since the original novels to confine itself to only three books. It also follows the traditional Wild Cards structure in that the first two books are made up of interconnected short stories with the third structured as a straightforward novel. <div><br /></div><div>On the other hand, this was the first volume in the series from Baen Books rather than the series' long running publisher Bantam Books. In fact, instead of continuing the volume numbers from the previous book, Card Sharks was billed as the first in a new Wild Cards series. (In addition, somewhere along the line someone decided that the cover to each book should look as much like a bad Harlequin romance novel as possible).</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsx2sSqQY-4qTmPzZfylVpyhL_pI2s6IGlzBRrnpgu8nvRaaKjfe753wy6Qn6Ov6extdoC4NMNroiMKW8MUVDqbCOLno4VY7mufDn9IWYNSMqx8NVzgdyW-6BBO1cq_9WNkeE5i-IU-AZT/" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="487" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsx2sSqQY-4qTmPzZfylVpyhL_pI2s6IGlzBRrnpgu8nvRaaKjfe753wy6Qn6Ov6extdoC4NMNroiMKW8MUVDqbCOLno4VY7mufDn9IWYNSMqx8NVzgdyW-6BBO1cq_9WNkeE5i-IU-AZT/w187-h285/image.png" width="187" /></a>In keeping with the idea of this being a new trilogy, the frame story <b>The Ashes of Memory </b>(by Stephen Leigh), is told from the perspective of new character, Hannah Davis, a civilian arson inspector. Hannah is assigned to investigate when the Church of Jesus Christ, Joker, the local Joker church is firebombed. Unfortunately, her hopes of resolving the case quickly are dashed when she begins to discover a connection to a far reaching conspiracy against anyone with Wild Card Virus.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's an interesting choice, telling the story from the perspective of someone outside the world of Jokers and Aces set up in the last several books. And, to me, it's one that largely works. Having the protagonist be an ordinary person means that there is an excuse to provide exposition to new readers, but is also adds to the suspense as she realizes just how far over her head she really is in a world of super-powered intrigue. (Teleporting joker-ace Quasiman makes a welcome reappearance as a supporting character meaning that there are still super-heroics to be found in this story).</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtukaocCBUHjnUvQwunki0we-2r8OP5u0SfQVGnViDOHQ6IgUW_ZeEyfp5QA_dsR9iWsMQJ0vpkYBolg5ivWxEHLV9D-2RuFqwmai6A9BLGxjJzhVMkty20RRnvEN2wh9Ui15huKe39HZ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="171" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtukaocCBUHjnUvQwunki0we-2r8OP5u0SfQVGnViDOHQ6IgUW_ZeEyfp5QA_dsR9iWsMQJ0vpkYBolg5ivWxEHLV9D-2RuFqwmai6A9BLGxjJzhVMkty20RRnvEN2wh9Ui15huKe39HZ/" width="140" /></a></div>The other stories in the book are told in flashback as Hannah interviews various leads in her investigation: They are, as follows: </div><br /><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Till I Kissed You</b> (by William F. Wu, starring Chuck Tanaka/ Chop-Chop): Like Hannah, Chuck Tanaka isn't a super-hero. Unlike Hannah, Tanaka is a Joker, disfigured into a racist character, resembling the comic-book character from which he takes the name "Chop-Chop." Unfortunately, his relatively peaceful life is upended when he meets a beautiful girl with a dark secret: a connection to a plot to burn down the Jokertown in New York. Now, Chuck has to get help from a pair of small-time Joker criminals to prevent his home from being destroyed. While this story is a fine film noir riff, it never really rises above that. It's well told and doesn't do anything wrong but it's also relatively self-contained and does the least to contribute to the overall story of the anthology. <b>Rating:3/5</b>.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Crooked Man</b> (by Melinda Snodgrass, starring Dr. Bradley Finn): First introduced back in Book Five, Dr. Bradley Finn, the centaur Joker working at Dr. Tachyon's clinic, finally gets his own story as he recounts his days in the Peace Corps, working to vaccinate Joker children in Kenya. During his stay, Finn gradually becomes aware of external force sabotaging his vaccine campaign and that his mentor, Doctor Etienne Faneuil, is keeping an awful secret. This is the story where the stakes begin to become clear. Not only does it introduce a major recurring villain, it shows how formidable the conspiracy is. On the down side, Finn is not as interesting a protagonist as Snodgrass's previous hero, Dr. Tachyon. Though Tachyon could be annoying and often unlikable, the fairly straightforward Finn comes of as bland by comparison. The villain's plan, once revealed, is almost comically evil, usually something I enjoy but it gives this story an anti-vaccine subtext that has become, if anything, more cringeworthy as time has passed. <b>Rating: 3.5/5</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitude</b> (by Michael Cassutt): Michael Casutt's stories in Wild Cards have always focused less on the superheroics and more on how the existence of aces would affect the course of history. Here, he tells the story of an attempt by the US government to use aces in the space program, a project that went disastrously wrong. This story makes it clear early on that the whole affair will end in disaster. The narrative plays out as an old-fashioned tragedy as the narrator, a scientist, is ultimately manipulated by forces he is unaware of and his own petty jealousy into destroying his life's work. "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitude" is a cautionary tale about how scientific advancement can be destroyed by prejudice and small-mindedness, a theme which has only grown more resonant with time. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>A Wind from Khorasan</b> (by Victor Milan, starring J. Robert Belew/ The Mechanic): Ever since the first book, Wild Cards has alluded to a failed attempt by Jimmy Carter to use Aces to resolve the Iran hostage crisis. Finally, readers get to see what happened in a story told from the perspective of J. Robert Belew, the Mechanic, who lead a rag-tag group of Aces on that doomed mission. As is standard with Milan, their are some well-done action set-pieces, but the flashback format proves to be a double edged sword, On one, hand, "A Wind from Khorasan" gives us insights into the past of several long running Wild Cards characters like Poppinjay and Carnifex. On the suspense is undercut by the fact that four of the Aces are character we have seen in stories set later in the timeline and three of them are characters we've never seen before. (It's--it's not hard to figure out who isn't making out of this one in one piece). <b>Rating: 3.5/5</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Long Sleep </b>(by Roger Zelazny, starring Croyd Crenson/ The Sleeper): This was the last story Roger Zelazny write about the ongoing travails of Croyd Crenson, the Sleeper. In this story, Croyd details his visits with hypnotherapist, Dr. Pan Rudo, in an attempt to finally control his ace ability. Unfortunately, it becomes clear that Rudo may have his own plans for his patient. As you may have guessed from the title, "The Long Sleep" is a noir riff in a book that already has quit a few of them. It also has the distinction of being Zelazny's last Sleeper story before his passing. The story is a relative high note introducing major characters and revealing the backstory of one of Wild Card's trademark Capital-E Evil villains. My main complaint is that Croyd receives several clues to Dr Rudo's true agenda but ignores those clues until it is too late. Technically, the hypnosis provides an in-story reason for this, but it's poorly explained and Croyd winds up looking like an idiot as a result. <b>Rating: 3/5</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cursum Perficio </b>(by Kevin Andrew Murphy, starring Nic Williams/Will-O-Wisp): Speaking of noir-riffs, "Cursum Perficio" can best be described as Sunset Boulevard with superheroes. In this story, Ace medium Cameo uses her abilities to channel the sprit of Nick Williams, a deceased detective operating in 1950s Las Angeles, as he tells the story of the events that led to his demise. William's last case begin when he is hired by Orson Welles to protect an upcoming film project from sabotage. Unbeknownst to his new employer, William is juggling multiple secrets, the least of which is the fact that he is an electrical Ace who, somewhat reluctantly, operates as the vigilante known as Will-O-Wisp. As things gets dicey for the picture, Williams encounters several familiar faces, not only character from Wild Cards, but historical figures like Marilyn Monroe and Hedda Hopper. This is my favorite story in the book: the 1950s LA setting is used well, and the noir and the superhero tropes are combined almost perfectly. <b>Rating: 4.5/5</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Lamia's Tale </b>(by Laura J. Mixon, starring Joan Van Renssaeler/Lamia): The last story in the book is that old Wild Card's (and superhero) staple, an origin story. This time the story details the transformation of Joan Van Rensaleer, a self centered socialite caught in an unhappy marriage, into the snake like Joker, Lamia. Like many origin stories in Wild Cards, this story is more of a character study: However, it manages to integrate itself into the ongoing narrative surprisingly well, due to the lead character's personal connection to the central conspiracy at the heart of the whole book. In addition, for long time readers, there is one effectively creepy scene involving an old school Wild Card villain that sets up the twist ending of the book. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Although far from the best book in the series, <i>Card Sharks</i> is a good start for the a new triad in the series. "The Ashes of Memory" works particularly well as a framing story, connecting all of the different tales in the book into a coherent narrative. The flashback formant serves as a good set-up for the new group of villains, showing how they impacted various events throughout Wild Cards history, which creates a sense of menace and illustrates the scope of their plans. Furthermore, long-time readers of the series will be rewarded with a genuinely shocking twist ending.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Addenda:</b> SPOILER WARNING!! DON'T READ AHEAD IF YOU HOPE TO AVOID SPOILERS. By the end of the book, it is clear that several minor characters who have been introduced in the Rox Triad are part of the an anti-Wild Card conspiracy known as the Card Sharks. </div>Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-20021988348571325062020-12-03T19:51:00.006-08:002020-12-03T19:51:49.850-08:00 Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Book XII: Turn of the Cards<p>In a lot of ways, <i>Book XIII - Turn of The Cards</i> can be compared to a long running TV show trying to regain it's footing after a lackluster season. After the Rox Triad extended to four books, one of which was a series low point, it was time for <i>Wild Cards </i>to take some time and catch its breath. <i>Turn of the Cards </i>by Victor Milan<i>, </i>the second novel by a single author in the series, marks a sort of breather for <i>Wild Cards </i>wrapping up plot threads from the previous storyline and transitioning to the next arc.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFAi3JsLPp3VtiyO9c2V5V07zFt_07iMtH-gF8KWkGPuM-37FxRHnoRB6MWXqMWr1RwapJMEcsJcEdBJreuk7JXxUub6nT1KpSBzwe8uxBGwRood2PHUUMcQVbsN1N67Ftgqhy9hLSkqa/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="174" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFAi3JsLPp3VtiyO9c2V5V07zFt_07iMtH-gF8KWkGPuM-37FxRHnoRB6MWXqMWr1RwapJMEcsJcEdBJreuk7JXxUub6nT1KpSBzwe8uxBGwRood2PHUUMcQVbsN1N67Ftgqhy9hLSkqa/w166-h278/image.png" width="166" /></a>The Rox Triad has seen Milan's hero, Mark Meadows a.k.a. Captain Trips suffer multiple traumas. One of the more versatile characters in the series, Trips could transform himself into five other Aces, each possessing their own powers and personalities, through consumption of illegal narcotics. Unfortunately, this power had left a wanted fugitive on the run from the DEA and separated from his daughter Sprout. Worse, during Trips's last adventure, one of his Ace personas, Starshine, was "killed" and he is having increasing trouble keeping his remaining alter egos under control.</p><p>After several fraught encounters with the law, Trips takes refuge in Vietnam where the government is recruiting Aces and Jokers to use as soldiers. Offering his services, Trips balks at an order to wipe out a civilian village and soon finds himself leading a rebellion. Meanwhile, the mysterious Ace known only as the Mechanic has his own agenda for Trips, hoping to recruit him into his own private war.</p><p>Victor Milan, the sole writer of this volume, was known as an author of libertarian science fiction. While his point of view has been present in the earlier stories , this book is where it become undeniable. For instance, the DEA agents pursuing Trips are all cartoonishly evil and bumblingly incompetent. (Their ultimate humiliation is particularly cringe inducing in these more enlightened times). Furthermore, the Mechanic is an avatar for the author's political views: A intelligent conservative who quotes Eastern philosophy and kicks ass in the name of freedom.</p><p>Fortunately, the Mechanic isn't the main character of the story: Trips is. It is a clear the Milan thinks Trips leftist political views are naive and misguided. Yet, despite this, he write Trips as a good person who has internal strength of character and his own powerful sense of right and wrong. Furthermore, he resists the temptation to give Trips' a political awakening where he realizes the error of his ways. It takes a certain amount of skill to write a hero you deeply disagree with any amount of sympathy and Milan certainly succeeds in that.</p><p>What's less forgivable is Milan's overt political stance regarding the Vietnam War. How overt? Milan felt the need to include a disclaimer at the back of the book denying any political subtext. However, since the book is a groups of white American super-humans basically refighting the Vietnam War and winning, the author would seem to protest to much. While I thought the book was good enough in other respects to make up for this problematic aspects, other readers might disagree.</p><p>In terms of the series as a whole, "Turn of the Cards" serves as a transition point between the previous story arc and the next. It follows directly on from the "Rox Triad" and sets up threads that will be important in the upcoming "Card Sharks" trilogy. At this point, it was just what the series needed: to jump directly to the next big story line would have been too rushed after the lengthy "Rox" triad. "Turn of the Cards" gave the readership time to pause and catch their breathe as it were. Plus, taken on it's own merits it's a good read: not the best book in the series or even the best novel but certainly in the Top Ten. </p><p><b>Addenda:</b> This book introduces J. Robert Belew, the ace known as the Mechanic, and his rival, non powered CIA agent, O.K Cassidy. The Mechanic's power make him a neat variant on the cyborg superhero: He can cut off various body parts (which eventually grow back) and replace them with whatever machinery is at hand making him into a DIY cyborg. It is established the Cassidy is part of an organization devoted to wiping out people with Wild Card virus. Captain Trips transforms into his evil alter ego, Monster, for the first time.</p>Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-32593479651297601512020-07-04T19:01:00.003-07:002020-07-04T19:02:09.929-07:00 Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Book XI: Dealer's ChoiceIt's been a much longer time than I thought between blog posts. Given the state of the world right now, I thought it might be in poor taste to continue a series about books that deal with a deadly virus. But the current troubles haven't put the book series on hold so I decided to continue with this blog retrospective during these tense times.<br />
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So, back to the books... After the first true novel in the series took a detour, it was time to get down to business. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are finally at the concluding novel of the "Rox Triad" with Book Eleven: <i>Dealer's Choice</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YoYEv7MKL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YoYEv7MKL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="213" /></a>While Book Ten dealt with wrapping up Dr. Tachyon's story in space, Book Eleven returns to Earth to deal with the other dangling plot threads. In Books Eight and Nine, the joker terrorist known as Bloat had transformed Ellis Island an independent Joker nationstate known as the Rox. To this end, he had allied himself with the Jumpers, a street gang who had been gifted with ability to steal peoples bodies by the criminal Ace known as Prime. In <i>Dealer's Choice</i>, the US government assembles a group of Aces to invade the Rox and take out Bloat once and for all.<br />
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As is the case with most story arc finales in Wild Cards, the finale blends multiple perspectives together to tell a single story. The immobile Bloat (written by Stephen Leigh) find himself fighting a war with the outside world just as his ability to literally make his dreams reality begins to spiral out of control. Unfortunately, fighting for his people means allying himself with some unsavory people such as Zelda, a Jumper introduced in previous books, who has returned as that organization's new leader, the psychotic Bodysnatcher (written by George R.R. Martin).<br />
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On the other side of the equation, two strike teams of Aces are sent to invade the Rox. The Great and Powerful Turtle (also written by George R.R. Martin) is part of a group of flying Aces sent in from the air while Carnifex (written by John. Jos. Miller) joins another group of Aces on a stealth mission to find Bloat himself. Meanwhile, the android hero Modular Man (written by Walter John Williams) starts off as part of the Turtle's group. However when his creator choses to side with Bloat, Modular Man's programming forces him to defect to the other side. Finally, a third party emerges as the Australian aboriginal ace Wyungare (written by Stephen Bryant) comes to the Rox on a mission to prevent Bloat's increasing powers from going out of control.<br />
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As wrap ups go, this ending is better then the "Rox Triad" arguably deserves. By this point, the Rox storyline had gone on for over four books including series low point, Book Nine. I'm pretty sure that at this point, the writers and the readers were both anxious for this storyline to be over.<br />
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Of the story threads, the Carnifex thread is the stand-out. The character has appeared since Book Three and, although he is a hero, up to this point in the series his function has mostly been to be manipulated into fighting other heroes. This book takes his perspective for the first time and fleshes him out some. While the character remains the violence-loving fighter of the earlier books, he is also shown to have a sense of morality that he abides by which,. paradoxically makes him one of the more honorable characters in the book.<br />
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Book Eleven is permeated with a sense of moral ambiguity. While the heroes of Wild Cards are hardly paragons of virtue, the villains usually compensate for that by being undeniably and irredeemably evil. However, Bloat is merely fighting back against a system that dehumanizes and degrades people like him. On the other hand, the book doesn't let him off the hook completely, pointing out that Bloat and his allies have harmed innocent people and left a large body count in their wake. Even relatively traditional heroes like the Turtle wind up crossing moral lines in this story and more outright evil characters like the Bodysnatcher are given sympathetic moments.<br />
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In keeping with this theme, while Bloat and his cohorts are the main "antagonists", it becomes clear that there's a greater evil hiding in the shadows.Various government official and powerful men begin showing an unusual interest in the proceedings. As it turns out, the true villains aren't super-powered terrorists like Bloat and his colleagues but rather seemingly ordinary men who use power and privilege to harm the powerless. (Actually come, to think of it, this part of the book has aged really well).<br />
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As to what doesn't work, there are, of course, plot threads that are never paid off in later books. Furthermore, a subplot where various mystic Aces attempt to stop Bloat doesn't really work. Mostly, this is done to justify Wyungare's involvement in the plot. This is unfortunate, because Wyungare is really not that interesting. His role is giving the other characters sage advice and helping them out of tight spots. The character has no agency of his own which is a little problematic. Also, I'd like to point out that having Buddy Holly be a) alive and b) one of the mystic Aces is just kind of weird and off putting.<br />
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Overall, this book is the best part of a bad storyline. Lest I be seen as damning with faint praise, I should clarify that even on its own, it's a good book, and taken as the end of a trilogy, it does its job admirability. I just find myself wishing that the buildup was worth the payoff.<br />
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<b>Addenda: </b>One of the new aces introduced in this book is Cameo, an ace medium who can channel the spirit and personality of dead Aces. Another new hero that is introduced it Legion, an Ace with a single consciousness and multiple bodies. Important government officials like George G. Battle (a thinly veiled version of G. Gordon Liddy), Dr. Pan Rudo and others offer assistance to the Aces in their fight against Bloat but are implied to be serving their own agenda. Mr. Nobody from Books Eight and Nine reappears, having apparently become a private detective since we last saw him.Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-86388805574461242212020-03-06T18:17:00.001-08:002020-03-06T18:17:44.303-08:00Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Book X: Double SolitaireThis book marks something of a first for the series: A genuine honest to goodness novel by a single writer. Eschewing the format of the previous books, the story focuses on a single character, telling his/her story from beginning to end. It's a stylistic choice the series would only repeat twice.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81c%2BBEu-DlL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for Wild Cards Double Solitaire" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81c%2BBEu-DlL.jpg" width="211" /></a>It's hare to know how to place <i>Double Solitaire</i> 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 <i>Eleven </i>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 <i>Double Solitaire </i>as an unofficial part of that trilogy, a sort of part 2.5.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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One of the reasons that <i>Double Solitaire </i>is an improvement is that<i>,</i> unlike "Lovers", has more varied setting. While in "Lovers", Tachyon is imprisoned in one place for most of the story, <i>Double Solitaire</i> 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.<br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1306849941l/214622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Double Solitaire (Wild Cards, #10)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1306849941l/214622.jpg" /></a>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.<br />
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More importantly, this story is an end of an era for Wild Cards. <b>(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)</b>. Since <i>Book I,</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 <i>Book III: Jokers Wild </i>and <i>Book VII: Ace in the Hole </i>and he played a major role in both those books.<br />
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But <i>Double Solitaire </i>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<br />Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-61834393816538285782020-01-29T18:43:00.002-08:002020-01-29T18:43:14.946-08:00Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Book IX: Jokertown ShuffleEvery long running series is going to have high points and low points. Which is a nice way of saying we are at definite low point here. If <i>Ace in the Hole </i>and <i>Dead Man's Hand</i> were my favorite books in the series, <i>Jokertown Shuffle</i>, the second book in the Rox triad is my least favorite. I've been dreading my review of this one for so long mainly because its (in my opinions) the most upsetting of the series. In a series thats never shied away from graphic depictions of sex and eroticized violence, that's saying something. Thats as much as a trigger warning as I'm going to give you, so read this review at your own risk---<br />
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If the last book was about setting up the body-swapping Jumpers as major villains, this book is about revealing the full scope of their agenda. The previous volume revealed that the Jumpers are allied with Joker revolutionary known as Bloat, who has occupied Ellis Island and turned it into the Joker safe haven known as the Rox. In <i>Jokertown Shuffle</i>, Bloat and the Jumpers put their plan into action, a extortion scheme in which the wealthy are imprisoned in the bodies of Jokers with only two options: do the bidding of their captors or spend the rest of their lives as a deformed freak.<br />
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There are two interstitial stories in this one are <b>"The Temptation of Herionomous Bloat" </b>(by Stephen Leigh; starring <b>Theodor Honorlaw/Bloat</b>) and <b>"Lovers"</b> (by Melinda Snodgrass; starring<b> Dr. Tachyon</b>). We'll discuss "The Temptation" first since that's more pleasant of the two stories.<br />
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"The Temptation" give us a first look into the mind of Bloat who, in something of first for Wild Cards, is a major antagonist who is a sympathetic character. The Joker revolutionary is a teenager whose telepathic abilities come with the downside of being trapped in a gigantic immobile body. In this story, he has to navigate his tenuous alliance with the Jumpers while holding off the authorities as they attempt to reclaim the Rox. Meanwhile, his power is stating to grow in unexpected ways. It's a humanizing story for character who had been presented as a more repulsive character in the last book.<br />
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Unfortunately, it suffers by being intertwined with "Lovers." At the end of the last book, Dr. Tachyon's grandson, Blaise, had become a Jumper. In this book, he put his new power to use by trapping Tachyon in the body of a teenage girl and imprisoning him on the Rox. Even though Bloat personally admires Tachyon, he is powerless to prevent Blaise from going to truly repulsive lengths to get his revenge.<br />
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"Lovers" is the answer to the question what if <i>The Accused</i> was a superhero story. That rather glib summary is the best way I feel to discuss a story that delves into topics I would rather not discuss on this blog. Even if those topics are worthy of further analysis, the story itself is not. It offers very little other than Dr. Tachyon being tortured brutally, and at length, for several interminable passages. If I had to guess, the reason the fans of the series regard the Jumper arc as a low point is because they associate it mostly with this story which is just an unending painful slog to read though.<b> Rating: "</b>The Temptation of Heironomous Bloat" (<b>1/5</b>) and "Lovers" (<b>0/5</b>).<br />
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The other stories in this volume are:<br />
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<b>"And Hope to Die" </b>(written by John Jos. Miller; Starring <b>Daniel Brennan/Yeoman</b>): Since Book Seven, Daniel Brennan had been in semi-retirement from his career as the vigilante Yeoman. Unfortunately, this retirement is shattered when the Shadow Fist Society reemerges, leaving his lover, the Ace known as Wrath, in a coma. Yeoman's subsequent quest to heal his girlfriend ultimately leads him to a final confrontation with his nemesis Kien Phuc, fresh off of faking his death in the previous book. This story works fine as as a coda for Yeoman. It gives his personal journey a satisfying resolution and is the logical end to his character arc. Unfortunately, as the end of the long running Shadow Fist story line, it falls flat. The previous books have spent a lot of time building up the criminal organization as credible antagonists. To see them written out in a single story so that the series can deal with other subplots seem like all the setup went to waste. And don't get me started on Trace, the mysterious new character who is set up to be important and then is never seen again. Rating: <b>2/5</b>.<br />
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<b>"Madmen Across the Water" </b>(written by Victor Milan: Starring <b>Mark Meadows/ Captain Trips</b>): The last book put Captain Trip through Hell as he lost custody of his daughter and became a wanted fugitive. Now hiding out on the Rox, the drug powered Ace puts in motion a rescue operation to break his daughter out of state custody while also having to contend with Blaise and the Jumpers. This is, by far, the best story in this volume. Trips and his alter egos are always fun and, unlike the stories in the early books which were more about introducing the character, this story has genuine personal stakes with the character having to make life altering decisions. I found Trips' attempts to bond with a young Jumper genuinely heartbreaking and, in a book like this, anything that can make me feel something is good. Rating: <b>4/5.</b><br />
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<b>"While Night’s Black Agents to Their Prey Do Rouse" </b>(written by Walter John Williams: Starring <b>Neil Langford/Black Shadow</b>): The second best story in this book. Way back in Book Five, it was revealed that a pair of background characters were actually the same person, false identities assumed by an unknown Ace. Here, the identity of that Ace is revealed as Black Shadow or "Shad", an Ace vigilante who briefly appeared back in the very first book. Wanted by the police for his vigilantism, Shad assumes multiple personas in his war against crime. In this story, a request for help from an old friend sets him against the Jumpers. Shad is a fun character and sometimes its nice to see a Wild Cards character who is more of an old school superhero, wearing a costume and fighting crime. It also gives us a look at how the civilians of the Wild Cards universe are impacted by the Jumper's extortion scheme which has the effect of humanizing the conflict. Unfortunately, Shad's relationship with the Joker Chalktalk has some disturbing consent issues (more on her end than his), which given the other stories in this book, ultimately make for an uncomfortable read and taints what is otherwise a good story. Rating:<b> 3/5.</b><br />
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<b>Riders </b>(written by Lewis Shiner: Starring <b>Veronica</b>): In the previous book, former prostitute Veronica lived through the death of her girlfriend and discovered that she is an Ace. Now armed with the ability to suck the life from men, which is a bit on the nose, Veronica falls in with the radical feminist group WORSE, acting as a vigilante to right wrongs against women. However, she soon becomes suspicious of WORSE's motivations and, much to her horror, discovers that they have a connection to the Jumpers. This story is better then Veronica's last outing. Unfortunately, it's a pretty bland read, as it is mostly watching Veronica discover things and learn things the audience already knows. It feels like the author's heart wasn't in this story. In fact, claiming it is a story is a little generous as it is more like set-up for the next story, ending on cliffhanger that leads directly into---<br />
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<b>Nobody Does it Alone</b> (written be Walton Simons: Starring <b>Jerry Strauss/Mr. Nobody</b>): In the last book, Jerry Strauss, the shape-shifting Ace also known as Mr. Nobody discovered that crooked lawyer, St. John "Loophole" Latham was Prime, the leader of the Jumpers. Unfortunately, Jerry failed to his attempt to kill Prime, barely escaping with his life. In this story, Jerry returns for Round Two. On one hand, the story does conclude the character journey that Mr. Nobody began in <i>One Eyed Jacks</i>. However, one can't shake the feeling that this story would have worked better in the previous book where Mr. Nobody was arguably the central character where here he's relegated to a short story -- and even that story is the direct continuation of another character's story. "Nobody Does it Alone" doesn't have enough space to breathe with all the subplots in the book and thus, Jerry's story kind of get lost in the shuffle. Rating: <b>Riders </b>(2/5) and <b>Nobody Does it Alone</b> (3/5).<br />
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In addition, two more stories were added when the book was republished in 2019:<br />
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<b>The Unintended</b> (written by Cherie Priest: Starring <b>Leo Storgman/Ramshead</b>): When he first appeared in the 2011 Wild Cards novel, <i>Fort Freak</i>, horn headed Joker policeman Leo Storgman a.k.a. Ramshead was an old man on the verge of retirement. Like fellow character, the Magpie, this made it easier to insert the character in stories set in the past when the earlier books when they were republished. Here, the younger Storgman investigates the aftermath of incidents shown in other stories in the books, only to discover that his precinct had been infiltrated by Jumpers. This story is a welcome addition to the book, showing how genuinely unsettling the Jumpers can be as Leo has to determine which of his co-workers have been replaced. Furthermore, Leo relative lack of superpowers means that he has to rely on ingenuity and luck to triumph, enhancing the suspense. Rating: <b>4/5</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://jeancocteaucinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/joker-600x900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for wild cards jokertown shuffle" border="0" height="320" src="https://jeancocteaucinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/joker-600x900.jpg" width="213" /></a><b>Unravelling</b> (written by Caroline Spector: Starring<b> Joanne Jefferson/Lady Black</b>): A direct sequel to the Lady Black story from the last book, this story details the energy absorbing Ace's continued investigation into the happenings at the Rox. More of a character piece than the other stories in this volume, "Unraveling" doesn't add much to the overall narrative except for some additional insight into Bloat's background. Although Lady Black works for a government super-hero team, her professional woes are all to to grounded in real wold concerns: As an African-American woman, her insights and concerns are overlooked by her white supervisors. While its a topic worth exploring, unfortunately, the story didn't do much for me. I don't feel like it added much that was new to the overarching storyline and it wasn't super compelling as a stand alone story. Ultimately, I feel kind of indifferent to it. Rating:<b> 3/5</b>.<br />
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This book is the series low point and that is largely due to "Lovers." It's a overly violent slog of a story filled that filled with brutal violence against a female-bodied character. In fairness, gendered violence is one of the flaws of the series, especially in the early books but, even so, at least those books had other things going on in them. "Lovers" makes it the primary focus of the story and the fact that it was written by female author does not make it better.<br />
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Unfortunately, because "Lovers" is the story on which much of the central narrative is predicated it winds up dragging the rest of the book down. Many of the stories wind up connecting to it in some way which means that none of them can escape its shadow. Even the good stories aren't good enough to make up for how bad "Lovers" is. Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel as the next book takes the series to a whole new place.<br />
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<b>Addenda:</b> Not much in this book. Zelda, one of the jumpers, is paralyzed which sets up her status quo two books down the line.<br />
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<br />Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-15003690353288566212019-10-28T18:48:00.002-07:002019-10-28T18:48:18.605-07:00Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Book VIII: One Eyed JacksThis is where things started to go off the rails. The Wild Cards series went through two long hiatuses. This was partially due to internal dynamics with the publishers of the books but, at least for the first hiatus, it was also due to a subplot that got out of hand, a plot that would dominate the next four books and that would not be fully resolved for several books after that. This is the beginning of the "Rox Triad", a storyline that makes Wild Cards fans inwardly wince whenever the word "Jumper" is mentioned.<br />
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After the events of the last two books, Wild Cards was starting to run low on villains. The Astronomer, Puppetman, Ti Malice, the Mafia -- by Book Nine, the only major villains left standing were the Shadow Fist Society.You know, the massive criminal organization with multiple super-powered members that had been built up as a looming threat since the second book. Logically, they would be the next major antagonists.<br />
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Unfortunately, as well see that's not the way the series ended up going --- mostly. The new villains, a street gang called the Jumpers, had some ties to the Shadow Fists but they quickly overshadowed that organization. The members of the Jumpers all have the same ability: They can swap bodies with anybody they make eye contact with. Since the Wild Card virus affects everyone differently, the central mystery of this book becomes why everyone in this new groups seems to share the same ability.<br />
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The interstitial story this time is <b>"Nobody's Girl"</b> by Walton Simons featuring the shape shifting ace Jeremiah Strauss a.k.a. Mr. Nobody. Each chapter of the story has a different title like <b>“Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby”, “Mr. Nobody Goes to Town”</b>--- you get the general idea. Strauss has been a minor character in Wild Cards since the first book but here he takes center stage. Recovering from a nervous breakdown, the wealthy Strauss has become fixated on Veronica, a prostitute he frequents. When she goes missing, Strauss investigates her disappearance which leads him to the Jumpers and their connection to the Shadow Fists lawyer, St John "Loophole" Latham.<br />
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The story is another dive into the noir mystery genre for the series. All the elements are there: the femme fatale, the detective, the shadowy criminal conspiracy behind everything. Strauss plays the role of investigative well and the story is at its best when it focuses on his investigation of the Jumpers. Unfortunately, his fixation on Veronica, while clearly meant to be kind of pathetic, just comes off as creepy when read by a modern audience. Still, it's one of the better stories in the book and given what's to come that's enough for a<b> 4/5 rating.</b><br />
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The other stories are, as follows:<br />
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<b>Luck Be a Lady (</b>by Chris Claremont, introducing <b>Dr. Cody Havero</b>, Guest-Starring <b>Dr. Tachyon</b>): The story that opens this volume is most notable for being the sole Wild Cards story written by Chris Claremont, the comic book writer most known for his lengthy run on Marvel's <i>X-Men</i>. I will go on record saying that I am not the biggest fan of the man's work: He created a lot of what I enjoy about the X-Men but his refusal to resolve subplots, along with a penchant for weird BDSM subtexts in his stories, ultimately left the series kind of a mess. However, this story which focuses on new character Dr. Cody Havero, a potential love interest for Dr. Tachyon, is surprisingly good perhaps because Claremont wasn't given any ongoing subplots to tackle. Aside from introducing Dr. Havero, the story has nothing to do with the overarching plot except for a vague thematic connection to the Jumpers (the central antagonist of the story is a Wild Card who can spread his abilities to others). Its just a nice little adventure story which allows for a break from the main storyline. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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<b>Horses (</b> by Lewis Shiner, starring <b>Veronica): </b> A counterpart to "Nobody's Girl", this story story focuses on Mr. Nobody's crush, Veronica. A supporting cast member since Book III, Veronica is sent to therapy to overcome her addiction to heroin and winds up falling in love with her therapist, Dr. Hannah Jorde. The story gets points for portraying an LGBTQ romance in a positive fashion (issues of professional ethics aside). Unfortunately, the characters are flat and I had trouble connecting with them on an emotional level. Furthermore, the brutal twist ending where the story connects with the book's overarching plot undoes any goodwill that the central romance earns. <b>Rating: 2/5</b>.<br />
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<b>Snow Dragon</b> (by William F. Wu, starring <b>Ben Choy/Lazy Dragon</b>): Another long-time character to getting their first shot at the spotlight is Lazy Dragon, an ace member of the Shadow Fists, who is dispatched to deliver a message to Ellis Island. This is no easy feat as the Island has been occupied by Joker terrorists. This story is a character piece which winds up working to its detriment. The problem with a lot of the books in this section of the series was that Wild Cards would soon undergo the first of two long hiatuses resulting in a lot of subplots being dropped. For instance, the twist ending of this story was clearly supposed to set up subsequent stories starring Lazy Dragon's more heroic sister, Tienyu. Unfortunately, this never happened, meaning this story is mostly a lot of set-up that is never paid off. <b>Rating: 3/5</b>.<br />
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<b>Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (</b>Written by Victor Milan, starring <b>Mark Meadows/Captain Trips): </b>Despite begin an important character in the first two books, Victor Milan's hero, the transforming ace Captain Trips hadn't had much more than a cameo since Book Three. Milan decides to rectify that in a big way, putting his hero through the ringer for the next several books. It begins in Book Nine as Trips' ex-wife sues him for custody of their daughter Sprout. As Trip's life get thrown into disarray, it becomes clear that his ex's attorney, "Loophole" Latham has an unpleasant agenda of his own for the hero. This story is less a stand-alone story and more about setting up Captain Trips' new status quo for later books in the series. Still, Trips and his alter egos are fun characters and it's good to spend more time with them even if the story feels incomplete. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51z0HsCtMOL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51z0HsCtMOL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b>Sixteen Candles</b> (Written by Stephen Leigh, starring <b>the Oddity</b>): After appearing in several books, Joker vigilante the Oddity finally gets a story to themselves. A rather unique character, the Oddity is a fusion of three people into one horrifically deformed being. After sixteen years of this, one of the Oddity's composite selves is considering suicide much to the consternation of the other two. The story is a by-the-numbers superhero tale: the Oddity is ultimately forced between a potential cure for their condition and doing the right thing with relatively little suspense about which they'll choose. However, the Oddity's unique nature makes the story fun to read and keeps it from being too predictable. Overall, one of the better reads in this book. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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<b>The Devil's Triangle</b> (Written by Melinda Snodgrass, staring <b>Dr. Tachyon</b>):. It's been clear since he first appeared that Dr. Tachyon's grandson, Blaise, is a deeply troubled child. This finally boils over to a head when Blaise's crush on Tachyon's new love interest, Dr. Havero, takes a turn into violent obsession. Soon, Tachyon finds that his newest mortal enemy is his own grandson. Blaise's turn to the dark side has been foreshadowed since he first appeared so it's good to see some movement on that plot but, alas, this is another story where I have a problem with the ending. We find out how the Jumpers are created and unfortunately, the way the story handles it is in poor taste, I like to keep this blog free of spoilers, as well as mostly PG-13, so I will say only that this story, unfortunately serves as an unpleasant sample of what is to come in the next book. <b>Rating: 1/5</b>.<br />
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<b>Dead Heart Beating</b> (Written by John Jos. Miller, starring <b>Phillip Cunningham/Fadeout)</b>: The story begins when Kien Phuc, the leader of the Shadow Fist Society, is found dead by his lieutenant Fadeout, an ace gifted with the power of invisibility. This is a problem for Fadeout as he was planning to kill Kien and seize control of the Shadow Fists for himself. Instead, he finds himself having to find the killer. This villain centric story is one of the last good showings of the Shadow Fists. It makes a major change to their status quo and reestablishes them as a credible group of villains. It's a shame that all this promise is squandered in the very next book. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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As with Books 1 and 2, when the series was reprinted two new stories were added. They are as follows:<br />
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<b>The Tower of Gold and Amber</b> (Written by Kevin Andrew Murphy, starring <b>/ Trudy Parindell/</b><b>Magpie</b>): If there's one thing to take away from this story it's that Kevin Andrew Murphy does not like Donald Trump. Actually, it's a fictional Trump stand-in named Desmond Towers, but it's pretty obvious who he's supposed to be from the tiny hands to the tendency to name everything after himself. He's giving an exhibition of the forgotten treasures of Catherine the Great which prove too tempting a target for several Ace criminals, including Trudy Pirandello, the 60 year old teleporting thief know as the Magpie. Magpie was actually introduced in a later book but this little insert story shows what she and several other characters was up to during the earlier portions of the series. The story also give us more background and information about several of the more interesting minor characters who unfortunately never really had much development in the original run of the books which is an unexpected treat. With only a few allusions to the main plot, it's a fun little self-contained heist story that whose appeal largely depends on your side of the political spectrum. <b>Rating: 5/5</b>.<br />
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<b>A Broken Thread in a Dark Room </b>(Written by Carrie Vaughn, Starring <b>Joann Jefferson</b>/<b> Lady Black</b>): The story begins with energy absorbing ace known as Lady Black, an agent of the government Wild Cards task force SCARE, investigating a series of animal mutilations. This brings her into contact with the vampiric joker ace Vlad who is obsessed with entering the Rox, a separatist community set up by disgruntled jokers on Ellis Island. In the introduction to this review, I mentioned that this arc of the series is called the "Rox Triad" but in the original edition of Book Nine, the jokers of the Rox only plays a major role in a few of the stories with the decision to focus more on the Jumpers. "A Broken Thread" helps foreshadow the Rox's importance in the later books while also serving as a poignant character peace. Deconstructing superheroes has always been a core part of Wild Cards and the ending shows how often times, despite all their powers, heroes ultimately can't save people from themselves. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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Overall, this book was not the series at it's best. To damn with faint praise, it's also not the series at its worst. It's simply a mediocre book. The stuff that works is good enough and the stuff that doesn't isn't bad enough to merit too much in the way of outrage. If the next book was good, perhaps, the "Rox Triad" could have been saved. Unfortunately, as we will see in our next post, the series was heading to its lowest point.<br />
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<b>Addenda: </b>This introduces the Jumpers who will be around for some time to come. The Jumper's leader, the mysterious Prime, is introduced, although in fact he is an old character in a new guise. Zelda, a jumper introduced in this book, will be a point of view character in later volumes. The book also introduces Bloat, the teenage leader of the Joker terrorists that have taken over Ellis Island. Gigantic and immobile, (think Jabba the Hutt's larger younger brother), he is also blessed with telepathic abilities. He doesn't get to do much in this book but will become one of the more nuanced Wild Cards antagonists by the time the story is over.Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-34604459360861870882019-07-18T17:29:00.000-07:002019-07-18T17:29:02.642-07:00Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Book VII: Dead Man's Hand<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91ipIPdy5xL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for Wild Cards Dead Man's Hand" border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91ipIPdy5xL.jpg" width="264" /></a>As I discussed in my last post, both "Wild Cards Book VI: Ace in the Hole" and "Wild Cards Book VII: Dead Man's Hand" began life as part of one single book. The original idea was that this book would have six plot threads devoted to wrapping up the long running storyline involving Wild Cards' first major villain, Greg Hartman, a.k.a. Puppetman and two plot threads involving a murder mystery story that would also wrap up other long running storylines. When the two writers working on the murder mystery plot line wrote so much material that it would not fit in Book VI, a decision was made to spin the murder mystery story into it's own separate book.<br />
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Thus, while most of the Wild Cards books proceed chronologically, "Dead Man''s Hand" and "Ace in the Hole" take place about the same time. While most of the Wild Card Character's are occupied with the event of the Democratic primary chronicled in "Dead Man's Hand", long time supporting cast member, the joker information broker, Chrysalis is found murdered. Her bodyguard, private detective Jay Ackroyd, known to his chagrin as Poppinjay (written by George R.R. Martin) for the distinctive popping sound that occurs when he uses his ability to teleport the objects he points at, finds the body and take it upon himself to catch the killer. Meanwhile, Chrysalis' former lover, the non-powered vigilante, Yeoman (written by John Jos. Miller) finds himself implicated in the killing and comes out of hiding to catch the real killer.<br />
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Naturally, the two cross paths alternately as adversaries and allies. Interestingly, Ackroyd never seriously considers the possibility that Yeoman might be the killer. Instead, Ackroyd's strong moral code and dislike of violence clashes with Yeoman's use of lethal force to deal with his enemies. In the meantime, the two cross paths with almost every major antagonist in the series. Bludgeon, the Shadow Fist Society, Ti Malice, and the Shadow Fist Society all put in appearances.
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<a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/wildcards/images/4/4d/Wc07.png/revision/latest?cb=20091018224954" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Wc07" border="0" height="320" src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/wildcards/images/4/4d/Wc07.png/revision/latest?cb=20091018224954" width="193" /></a>Even Puppetman casts his shadow over this book. One of my few complaints about "Ace in the Hole" was that Jay Ackroyd was kind of a deus ex machina: He shows up out of nowhere with damning evidence of Greg Harman's crimes in his possession. This book has the opposite problem. Here, we see Ackroyd find the evidence and we see a few scenes from the previous book from his perspective but the thread just kind of ends. The book does everything but outright say "Read the last book to find out how all this turned out." It serves as a distraction from the mystery at the center of the book especially since "Ace in the Hole" already established that Hartman is not the killer.<br />
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Of course, villains like Puppetman are not the book's sole concern. The final confrontation is ultimately between the two leads and their wildly different visions of justice with both sides bringing up valid points. Yeoman and Ackroyd are both heroes, yes, but they are too different to ever really be on the same side. Like "Ace in the Hole" before it, the ending is more nuanced the hero beats villain (though there is some of that too) and the story is better for it.
I would recommend reading "Ace in the Hole" and "Dead Man's Hand" together. The stories are really two halves of a whole: exploring what it means to do the right thing and be a hero when confronted with complex moral choices. Although individually both books have their flaws, together, they are my favorite books in the series.Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-48997627577111975732019-03-30T18:41:00.002-07:002019-03-30T18:41:51.714-07:00Wild At Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective- Book VI: Ace in the Hole"Wild Cards Book VI: Ace in the Hole" and it follow-up, "Wild Cards Book VII: Dead Man's Hand", are the series at its best. To talk about why, we need to talk a little bit about the history of the book. The original plan with Wild Cards Book VI was to structure it much like Book III: As a novel with multiple POV characters whose stories would intersect rather then the anthology format of the previous two books.<br />
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<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for Wild Cards Puppetman" border="0" 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" style="cursor: move;" /></a>Book VII was conceived as a much more complex novel: with eight characters and seven writers divided up into two major plot arcs. Six of the stories would primarily deal with the first major plot arc which would see Greg Hartman, the evil ace known as Puppetman, attempt to become the Democratic nominee for president. Two of the stories would deal with the second plot arc, a murder mystery of sorts where the heroes investigated the death of long time supporting cast member, Chrysalis.<br />
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It was, ultimately, to much to contain in a single book. (The original manuscript was supposedly over 1,000 pages long.) Fortunately, the two writers handling the murder mystery story had written enough material to fill a book on its own. And thus, what was one once one book became two.<br />
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This means that, unlike Book III, Book VI has the benefit of a singular focus: the heroes and villains of Wild Cards attending the 1988 Democratic Convention. Gregg Hartman, the emotion manipulating Puppetman, (written by Stephen Leigh) is finally making his play for the Democratic nomination. His public commitment to jokers' rights and his public persona as a compassionate politician have duped the heroic aces and convention delegates Jack Braun, aka, Golden Boy (written by Walter John Williams) and Dr. Tachyon (written by Melinda Snodgrass) into supporting him. Meanwhile, Hartman has sent his henchman, the intangible killer who calls himself Mackie Messer (written by Victor Milan) to tie up any loose ends that can expose his alter-ego. Unfortunately, he also has to deal with Sarah Morganstern (also written by Milan), a reporter who is one of the last living people to know his secret, and Demise (written by Walton Simons), an ace assassin who has been hired to kill him.<br />
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This book manges to effectively combine political thriller with superhero story, a combination that yields excellent results. It is the perhaps the only superhero book to take an in-depth look at the back room deals and compromises that go into selecting a presidential nominee. However, the book also doesn't skimp on the superhero action with multiple great fight scenes and an unconventional ending thats a little more nuanced then the usual "hero beats villain."<br />
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This is not to say that everything is great. Dr. Tachyon is at his worst here, willfully ignoring signs that Hartman is evil including several characters outright telling him so until you want to reach into the book and slap him. (His treatment of women, while never great also reaches an all time low here). Furthermore, the decision to split one book into two has an impact on the narrative structure: The discovery of key evidence against Hartman occurs during the murder mystery plot line which means that it is covered in the next book. In practical terms, that means that Book VI has a deus ex machina where a character who has not previously been in the book suddenly appears with an important plot device.<br />
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<br />Really, this book is the villain's show the whole way through. In some ways, Gregg Hartman's greatest ability is not his super-powers, bur rather his ability to make other people believe he is a good man. This actually leaves the heroes in the position of having to oppose a beloved public figure, one whose defeat may ironically cause irreparable damage to aces and jokers alike, but whose victory would be even worse. This leaves the heroes genuinely having to struggle with a genuinely impossible choice.<br />
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<a href="https://www.wildcardsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/demise-300x226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for Wild Cards Demise" border="0" src="https://www.wildcardsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/demise-300x226.jpg" /></a>However, the real stand out character this time is Demise. The eternally put-upon ace assassin has never been more relatable, operating by a twisted code of honor which renders him somewhat sympathetic while still being a completely irredeemable lunatic. (The fact that, by this point in the series, he only kills irritating people helps. One of the best sequences involves him disposing of a street mime in a hilarious fashion). He also gets a few moments which provide some insight into who he was before he became a killer and give him an oddly touching motivation for his actions in the story.<br />
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All in all, the weaker parts of the book are minor and the excellent parts are really excellent. This book is definitely one of the strongest book in the series. Book VI is a good read but would Book VII be able to keep up the energy. To find out, read the next part.<br />
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<b>Addendum</b>: To say too much would count as a spoiler. Really the only major character introduction of note is the ace Topper who can pull any item she needs out of her top hat. She appear in later books and play a major role in a story in the later book "Deuces Down."Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-69886468830030182082019-03-06T18:26:00.000-08:002019-03-07T18:50:56.997-08:00Wild at Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective - Book V: Down and DirtySince the last Wild Cards book went all the way around the world, <i>Wild Cards Book V: Down and Dirty</i> returns the action to New York to check in with members of the cast who weren't in the last book. This means we get to check in on long standing heroes like the Turtle, Yeoman, and the Sleeper, among others. We also get introduced to our first joker super-hero, Quasiman, and the events of this book would, for good or ill, change the direction of Wild Cards forever, setting up the long running "Rox" storyline that ended the series' initial run.<br />
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For now, however, the series was on the second part of the "Puppetman Quartet." Ironically, the villain this storyline was named after is barely in this book. Instead, the set-up this time is that a gang war has broken out between the super-powered Shadow Fist Society criminal organization and the Gambione crime family. When this war threatens the people of Jokertown, Dr. Tachyon assembles of group of joker-aces, jokers with super-powers, to fight off both gangs.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NLSwvWQHL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NLSwvWQHL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="211" /></a>Or that would have been the plot if the publisher hadn't rejected it out of hand for being to derivative of similar plots in other works begin published at the time. Thus, George R.R. Martin amended the pitch to include a second overarching plot. In addition to the gang war, the new plot would see Croyd Crenson, the Sleeper, become a carrier for the Wild Card virus, infecting and re-infecting anyone he came into contact with. This causes a massive outbreak in the middle of the city that the aces have to deal with. These two plots come together with mixed results as we will see.<br />
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In a big change from previous books, the interstitial stories take up the bulk of the book this time. They are:<br />
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<b>Only the Dead Know Jokertown</b> (by John Joseph Miller, starring Daniel Brennan/Yeoman): The return to New York begins with the re-introduction of non-powered vigilante, Yeoman, as he goes undercover to takedown the Shadow Fists from within. The story has some questionable choices, most notably Yeoman's decision to impersonate an Asian man as part of his disguise. Still the question of how far Yeoman will go to get his vengeance on the Fists makes this story compelling. Furthermore, it is is the rare story that suggests that a vengeance-obsessed vigilante might be able to move past his trauma which makes the upbeat ending a welcome surprise especially given the grimness of the rest of the book. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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<b>All the King's Horses </b>(by George R.R. Martin, starring Thomas Tudbury/The Great and Powerful Turtle): The last time we saw the Turtle, at the end of Book III, he had barely survived the Astronomer's attack on New York's aces. With his armored shell destroyed, Thomas Tudbury, the Tutle's alter-ego has decided to retire. That is, of course, until he gets caught up in the Sleeper's Wild Card outbreak. This is, to put it bluntly, not George R.R. Martin's best work, which means it still a pretty good story if a bit predictable. If you read any comic book story where the hero decides to retire, you know how its going to end. Unfortunately, "All the King's Horses" never really lets us see the Turtle in action, saving that for later volumes, so his inevitable decision lacks even the emotional impact of the stories it emulates. <b>Rating: 3/5</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.wildcardsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/sleeper1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sleeper1" border="0" height="320" src="https://www.wildcardsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/sleeper1.jpg" width="122" /></a><b>Concerto for Siren and Serotonin </b>(by Roger Zelazny, starring Croyd Crenson/ The Sleeper): The hardest story to review and also my favorite in the volume. It starts of with Croyd Crenson, the Sleeper, the ace whose appearance and powers change every time he wakes up, being recruited by the Gambiones as muscle. Unfortunately, midway through the book, it becomes apparent that everyone Croyd is meeting is getting infected with the Wild Card. Even worse, by that point in the book, the narcotics that Croyd relies on to regulate his sleep habits have rendered him paranoid, causing him to rampage throughout the city when the authorities try to bring him in for treatment. This is Roger Zelazny's best Sleeper story perhaps because it is more central to the books main plot then Zelazny's other contributions. I've mentioned that I find that Zelazny had a habit to talking about, rather than showing, the deleterious effects of Croyd's drug use on his mental state. This story rectifies that, showing Croyd at his worst. In a way, the superhero the Sleeper owe the most to is the Hulk: Sometimes on the side of the angels but just as often a force of destruction. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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<b>Breakdown</b>, <b>Takedown, and "What Rough Beast ---" </b>(by Leanne C. Harper, starring Suzanne Melotti/Bagabond): Since Book IV took place outside of New York, it meant that we didn't get to see either of the sewer dwelling ace heroes, Bagabond and Sewer Jack. That was probably for the best as the two characters never really seemed to mesh well with the other Wild Cards characters, kind of occupying their own corner of the universe. The three interconnected stories, "Breakdown", "Takedown", and "What Rough Beast ---", focus on Bagabond, the ace who can talk to animals, as she must ultimately choose between her friendship with Rosemary Muldoon, the head of the Gambione crime family, and her friendship with Sewer Jack and his niece. This story had the potential to be the emotional core of the book when the war between the Gambiones and the Shadow Fists was the main plot. However, with the decision to include the Sleeper storyline, Bagabond and her problems seem low-stakes compared to what's going on in the rest of the book. <b>Rating: 2/5</b>.<br />
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<b>Blood Ties</b> (by Melinda M. Snodgrass, starring Dr. Tachyon): A counterpart to "Concerto for Siren and Seratonin", this story shows Dr. Tachyon struggling to raise his newly-discovered grandson after Book IV. When the conflict between the Shadow Fists and the Gambiones spills into Jokertown, Tachyon assembles a group of joker-aces into a neighborhood watch to keep the peace. Very quickly, however, this gets sidetracked by the new Wild Card outbreak and Tachyon's goal soon shifts to using the team to bring in the rampaging Sleeper. The story continues the unfortunate regression of Tachyon's character, including one ridiculous scene where he literally has a temper tantrum like a five-year old, making it hard to root for him. However, once the Wild Card outbreak plot kicks in the story picks up, with Tachyon's efforts to capture the Sleeper providing a good counterpoint to the Sleeper's misadventures in his own story. The two stories work together provide most of the narrative weight for this outing. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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As always, there are also stand-alone stories which focus on other characters in the Wild Cards universe:<br />
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<b>Jesus Was an Ace</b> (by Arthur Byron Cover, introducing Quasiman and the Reverend Leo Barnett): For the first time in Wild Cards (not counting stories retroactively inserted into older books), we get to see a Joker hero: the teleporting hunchback Quasiman. Quasiman's power's cause him to fluctuate in both time and space, meaning that he owes almost as much to Billy Pilgrim as to other monstrous heroes like the Hulk and the Thing or even even his obvious antecedent, the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Quasiman's deal is that, as the groundskeeper at the Jokertown church, he is often sent to use his abilities to help others at the behest of the joker priest, Father Squid. Sent to prevent an assassination that will escalate the war between the Shadow Fists and the Mafia, Quasiman comes into contact with radical anti-Wild Cards priest, Leo Barnett. Barnett crates an interesting counterpart to Quasiman. Even though he is prejudiced against joker's and is not at religious as her pretends to be, he's not mindlessly evil and genuinely thinks he's doing the right thing. Unfortunately, this was Arthur Byron Cover's only story for Wild Cards and all of Barnett's character nuance was ignored by later writers in favor of a more outright villainous portrayal. It's a shame because the character we meet is interesting. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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<b>The Second Coming of Buddy Holly</b> (by Edward Bryant, introducing starring Jack Robicheaux/ Sewer Jack and Cordelia Chaisson): Edward Bryant is a fan of Buddy Holly. He really wants you to know how awesome Buddy Holly is. And that as far as I can tell is why Buddy Holly is alive in the Wild Cards universe for no adequately explained reason. He just is and no attempt is ever made to explain why. The plot theoretically centers on were-alligator Sewer Jack begin asked to work security at a comeback concert and there's some vague attempt to connect it to the rest of the book but mostly this story is there to remind of us how awesome Buddy Holly is. And then, for no reason, it ends with a brutal sexual assault scene that comes out of nowhere and is tonally at odds with rest of the story. This is not the worst Wild Cards story I have ever read but it is close. <b>Rating: 1/5</b>.<br />
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<b>The Hue of the Mind</b> (by Stephen Leigh, starring Misha/ the Kahina and Greg Hartman/Puppetman): This volume's Puppetman story is harder to judge. At the end of the previous book, several people had discovered the secret of Senator Greg Hartman's alter ego. In this story, he sets about dealing with that problem with the aid of his new henchman, the homicidal ace Mackie Messer. Despite this being a Puppetman story, the character appears only briefly and the story is primarily told from he perspective of the Kahina, a Muslim ace with precognitive powers. Thus, Puppetman is more of hidden presence who preys on the characters from off screen before appearing for a bloody climax. Like the previous story, this story does end with a rather brutal scene of sexual assault, a trope I must confess I am not fond of. Here, at least, it feels organic to the characters and not simply gratuitous violence for violence's sake. I'm docking it a point for that but its its not enough to ruin the story for me. <b>Rating: 3/5</b>.<br />
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<b>Addicted to Love </b>(by Pat Caddigan, starring Jane Lillian Dow/Water Lilly): This story is probably even more horrific than the "Hue of a Mind." The hydrokinetic ace Water Lill gets her first story since book two. Unfortunately, it sees her become a "mount" of the joker, Ti Malice. We got to see the revolting parasite in Book IV but here we get a better idea of how his powers work: the people he preys on literally become addicted to his vampiric kiss and, thus, essentially become his slaves. This is a fairly obvious metaphor for drug addiction but it's well done. The lengths that Water Lilly goes to under Ti Malice's influence are harrowing especially with a character who had been a hero in previous volumes. (Nor is she the only hero to suffer under Malice's ministrations). This is an upsetting story but it's supposed to be. My main complaint is that it ends by setting up plot threads that are never paid off because, like many other writers, Pat Caddigan never wrote another Wild Cards story. <b>Rating: 3/5</b>.<br />
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<b>Mortality</b> (by Walter John Williams, starring Modular Man): Walter John William, in my opinion, is the MVP of the Wild Card writers. "Witness", from the first volume, remains my favorite Wild Cards story and his stories maintain a consistent quality. Basically, I'm always glad to see his name in a book. In Book III, William's android hero, Modular Man was another hero who came out the worse from a fight with the Astronomer. In Book V, the rebuilt Modular Man has to deal with the trauma of "dying" as events conspire to being him into conflict with the Sleeper. Of the one-shot stories, this one has most to do with the main plot and even contains the climax of the Sleeper arc. It's also the most straightforward superhero story in the book which is not a criticism. A good solid story in a wildly uneven book is nothing to sneeze at. <b>Rating: 4/5</b>.<br />
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Book V just has too much going on in it. The storyline about the gang war competes for space with the Wild Card outbreak which competes with all the writer's trying to advance the individual characters story which competes with a bizarre hagiography of Buddy Holly. It's far from the worst book in the series (that's Book IX) but it is one of the most uneven.<br />
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Furthermore, there really should be some long term changes to the Sleeper's character as a result of this story, especially since a) the outbreak he inadvertently kills thousands of people, and b) his story ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger. Other characters in the series have to deal with the consequences of their actions, but next time we see the Sleeper, he's back to his old self and everyone seems to be fine with that. This creates a strange discontinuity in later books where the Wild Card outbreak and his role in it are constantly mentioned but no one actually seems to blame him for it. ("Hey, man, remember the time you literally unleashed an alien virus in the middle of New York? Crazy times, right, man?")<br />
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But that's all right as the next two books are the series at it's best. The end of the Puppetman storyline would begin in earnest with the next book, <i>Ace in the Hole</i>.<br />
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<b>Addendum: </b>The Sleeper outbreak affects several characters in different ways. Modular Man's creator, Dr. Trevnacek, gets turned into a joker and loses his intelligence. A minor character in this book, Shadow Fist lawyer, "Loophole" Latham, gets exposed to the virus, as does the protsitute Veronica. (This would be followed up on in the "Rox Triad" that begins with Book VIII). As for important character introductions, in addition to Quasiman, the book introduces the Oddity, a joker-ace who is literally three people fused together, and Lazy Dragon, a Shadow Fist ace with the ability to animate carvings of animals that he makes himself. They'll each get a story later. The book also introduces Mr. Gravemold, a joker-ace with cold powers, and the Wall Walker, a minor ace mentioned back in Book III, but quickly establishes that they are the same person. Why there is a new ace with multiple identities will be revealed in Book IX. We see more of Dr. Tachyon's grandson, Blaise, and get more confirmation that he's going to be a problem in the future. Finally, the book contains with Sewer Jack and Bagabond's last hurrah as viewpoint characters for a while.Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-90448688929161263432019-01-21T17:10:00.001-08:002019-02-11T17:46:31.224-08:00Wild at Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective - Book IV: Aces Abroad.With the end of Book III, Wild Cards brought the original triad of books to a close. Having spent the first three books in New York, the writers decided that the next trilogy would open with a book focusing on how the virus had affected the wider world. This would become "Aces Abroad", the first in what would be dubbed"The Puppetman Quartet" after the villain who is the connecting thread between the next four books.<br />
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Book IV has a the simple overarching plot: The US government, alongside the World Health Organization, has decided to send a delegation of famous politicians, aces and jokers on a world tour to observe the effects of the Wild Card virus worldwide, naturally having adventures along the way. This allowed established characters like Dr. Tachyon, Puppetman, Golden Boy, et al. to play a major role in the book while at the same time introducing new characters to the Wild Cards universe.<br />
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Like in Book II, there are two interstitial stories that serve as the spine of the book. These are:<br />
<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for Wild Cards Xavier Desmond" border="0" 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" /></a><b><br /></b>
<b>The Journal of Xavier Desmond</b> (by George R.R. Martin, starring Xavier Desmond): This story is written as the journal of jokers right advocate, Xavier Desmond, as he comments on the events of the tour, while also coming to terms with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. This story has the thankless task of providing both exposition without losing site of its main character. Fortunately, it rises to the occasion. Desmond is a tragic hero, trying to wrap up a life with some dignity, in a world where he will always be considered an outcast. Martin does such a great job making us feel for the character that the world building aspects of the story never seem forced, making this the stand out in this volume. <b>Rating: 5/5.</b><br />
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<b>The Tint of Hatred </b>(by Stephen Leigh, starring Senator Greg Hartman/ Puppetman): This story sees Senator Greg Hartman, and his psychotic alter ego, Puppetman, dealing with a reporter out to expose his secret. Hartman must also deal with a physical threat in the form of fundamentalist Muslim ace, the Nur-Al-Allah, who has plans to put a violent stop to the WHO tour. This story differs from Puppetman's outing in Book I in that it gives us more than brief glimpses into the head of the psychopath, making the character into a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. (Here both personas are evil, but with very different motivations and goals). The new villain, the Nur is a bit of a cliche terrorist, by today's standards, but he does the job of setting up a threat and adding some action to the story. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b><br />
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The one shot stories, as in the first volume, are largely stand alone bits focusing on a single character. These include:<br />
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<b>Beasts of Burden </b>(by John J. Miller, starring Chrysalis): Here the cast of Wild Cards visits Haiti where the joker members of the WHO tour are taken prisoner by parasitic joker Ti Malice and his voodoo cult. The only escapee, the translucent skinned joker Chrysalis, must use her wits to free her fellow jokers. "Beasts of Burden" suffer from what could be called a dated view of Haitian culture and people. If your thinking voodoo and zombies, you would be right. The only thing that really resonates about this story is Ti Malice, who may be the first joker character in Wild Cards who is completely unsympathetic. Truly a villain you root to see get what is coming to him which is unfortunate because he will be hanging around for a bit more. <b>Rating: 2.5/5.</b><br />
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<b>Blood Rites (</b>by Leanne C. Harper, introducing the Hero Twins) : Taking a different tack for her story, Leanne C. Harper introduces a pari of Thor analogues, writing an origin story for the Hero Twins, two indigenous Mayans in Guatemala transformed by the Wild Card virus into incarnations of the mythical heroes, Hunapu and Xbalanque. Only tangentially related to the main plot of the book, the story is ultimately hampered by its setting. Because the Hero Twins are based in Guatemala, and the rest of Wild Cards generally takes place in the United States ,means that they don't get a lot of screen time in future books. This makes it frustrating that the story spends a lot of time setting up more stories with the characters that never came to pass. There are hints that Hunapu and Xbalanque will ultimately come into conflict over their differing views on Mayan tradition but since they don't make another appearance until a cameo in book 13, the hints go nowhere. This makes the story come off as pointless and disconnected from the rest of the book and, indeed, the series as a whole. <b>Rating: 3/5.</b><br />
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<b>Down by the Nile</b> (by Gail Gerstner-Miller, starring Amari Sweet/Peregrine): Finally, the Wild Card Universe's premier supeheroine gets her own story. It's a shame she doesn't get to do much in it. One of the aces on the tour, celebrity talk show host Peregrine, has finally entered into a stable relationship with her new boyfriend. Unfortunately, in the previous book, Peregrine slept with the ace Fortunato and that comes back to haunt her in the form of an unplanned pregnancy. Really, this is another story that is more about setting up future plot threads including a subplot about Peregrine's and Fortunato's future child being an object of worship to an Egyptian cult. Unfortunately, as a result of this, Peregrine doesn't get to do much in her own story. In fact, she is sidelined by her pregnancy during the story's big action sequence. This is rendered more egregious by the fact that this was the only story Peregrine would ever get in the books. <b>Rating: 2/5.</b><br />
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<b>The Teardrop of India </b>(by Walton Simons, introducing J.C Jayewardene, gust-starring Dr. Tachyon): Book IV can be credited with an increased focus on the "supporting cast", characters who aren't really superheroes or villains but get caught up in the madness anyway. J.C. Jayewardene is one such character, a Sri Lankan government official with precognitive abilities. When his powers reveal a secret about a recurring Wild Card character, he has to enlist the help of Dr Tachyon and the other aces on the WHO tour before tragedy strikes. This is one of the most accessible stories in the book. It's heavy on the superhero action and ends with the introduction of a "new" hero who will appear in later books while also being a relatively self-contained adventure. This story is just good fun. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b><br />
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<b>Down in the Dreamtime</b> (by Edward Bryant, starring Cordelia Chaisson, introducing Wareen/Wyungare): Oh God, this story. The story has the least to do with the overarching plot of the book other then a tenuous mention. Instead, it features Cordelia Chaisson, niece of the ace Sewer Jack, as she is sent on a business trip to Australia by the toy company she works for. There, she gets pulled into an adventure with the Aboriginal revolutionary ace, Wyungare, as she is targeted for assassination by his rival. Aboriginal Australians are an underrepresented group in superhero stories but the handful that do exist are often stereotypical mystics who can enter the mystical realm of Dreamtime because this is all white people know about Aboriginal Australians. Wyungare does not exactly break from tradition. This story is so disconnected from the main narrative that it feels like there is no real reason for it to be in the book. It comes of as padding and is easily my least favorite story in the book. <b>Rating: 1/5.</b><br />
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<b>Zero Hour </b>(by Lewis Shiner, staring Fortunato): As the end of the last book, Fortunato (Wild Card's resident pimp and mystic) decided to leave New York and head to Japan to find himself. When the WHO tour comes to Japan, he finds himself crossing paths with old friends, including his former lover, Peregrine, and gravity controlling ace Hiram Worchester. When Hiram is targeted by the Yakuza, Fortunato finds himself drawn back into the violence he left New York to escape. This story itself is decent but it primarily serves as an epilogue for Fortunato, wrapping up the character's arc that began back in book one. This will be the last book where he get his own story for quite some time. One of Wild Card's strengths is its willingness to let old characters slide out of focus to make room for new characters, which is on display here. <b>Rating: 3/5.</b><br />
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<b>Puppets </b>(by Victor Milan, staring Greg Hartman/Puppetman, introducing Mackie Messer/ Mack the Knife): Author Victor Milan takes a break from his usual character, Captain Trips, to focus on a new villain, Mackie "Mack the Knife" Messer. A psychotic ace with the ability to walk though walls, Mackie is part of a Communist revolutionary group sent to kidnap Greg Hartman when the WHO tour goes through Berlin. This does not go well. The story alternates between Hartman and Mackie's point of view and is genuinely suspenseful. However, Mackie as a character, is an unfortunate stereotype: A killer who murders due to repressed homosexuality. The first few books have done a decent if not perfect job of dealing with LGBT content. Mackie is an unfortunate step back in a lot of respects.<b>Rating: 3/5.</b><br />
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<b>Mirrors of the Soul </b>(by Melinda Snodgrass, starting Dr. Tachyon, guest staring Jack Braun/ Golden Boy): When the WHO tour arrives in Paris, Dr. Tachyon discovers, much to his shock, that thanks to a dalliance during his exile in Paris in the 1950s, he has a grandson he has never met. Unfortunately, the grandson has been raised by a group of radical terrorists, forcing Tachyon to team up with Golden Boy, the man responsible for his Paris exile, to recover the boy. This story would generally be good if it wasn't such a big step backwards for Dr. Tachyon. The last two books had implied that Tachyon was beginning to develop beyond his self-loathing and was even ready to give up womanizing and pursue a serious relationship. This story, and indeed the whole book, undoes that character development and turns him back into a chronically depressed womanizer. Indeed, in later books, the character would only regress, an unfortunate cycle that begins here. <b>Rating: 2/5.</b><br />
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<b>Legends</b> (by Michael Cassutt, starring Polyakov): Michael Cassutt's stories in Wild Cards, tended to focus on hidden aces, who conceal their powers. This is best exemplified by his character, Georgy Vladimrovich Polyakov, a Russian intelligence official who is also a secret ace. Issues arise when he stumbles onto Greg Hartman's dark secret but finds himself disbelieved and on the run from his own government. This story would have been more interesting if it wasn't so similar to several earlier stories in the book, specifically "The Tint of Hatred" and "Puppets." As it stands, it seems like a little more could be done to make this story stand out. <b>Rating: 3/5.</b><br />
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As with the first book, when Book IV was republished in 2011, two new stories were added.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.wildcardsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wc4a-1-265x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad" border="0" height="320" src="https://www.wildcardsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wc4a-1-265x400.jpg" width="212" /></a><b>Warts and All </b>(by Kevin Andrew Murphy, starring Howard Mueller/ Troll): This story follows a relatively underdeveloped character who appears several times throughout the book series, Dr. Tachyon's body guard, the super strong joker Troll. He shows up several times and is a hero in his own right but the books never delve to deeply into his motivation and backstory. This story rectifies that by developing Troll's character, revealing that the brawny joker also has a large brain and a love of folklore. It is also a good adventure story that expands on the backstory of characters that appear in more recent books. (The Messenger in Black, a joker literally made out of bugs, is a character I look forward to seeing more of). All in all, a good read. <b>Rating: 4/5.</b><br />
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<b>It's Always Spring in Prague </b>(by Carry Vaughn, starring Joann Jefferson/ Lady Black): This story focuses on Lady Black, a government Ace who is acting as a bodyguard on the WHO tour. A long running character in the book stories, like Troll, this is also the first time the character gets her own point of view story. The plot of this story sees Lady Black looking for the joker daughter of a wealthy family who has gone missing in Prague. The story is, however, mostly an exploration of Lady Black's inner life, as her ace ability literally renders her touch lethal, leaving her isolated from society. The story is fine enough but, unfortunately, it feels kind of low stakes. Like a lot of prequel stories in general, the story is hamstrung by the fact that we already know the main character will be fine in later volumes of series. Whereas "Warts and All" makes up for this by having some genuinely impressive action set pieces and memorable characters, unfortunately, with exception of the main character, the characters in this story are nowhere nears as memorable and the action is kind of bland. Priest will return to Lady Black with better results in later volumes. <b>Rating: 3/5.</b><br />
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Like all anthology, this book was a mixed bag with some good stories, a few OK ones, and one truly bad story. Like Book I, each story in Book IV is more of an anthology with each story more or less standing on its own. It also served to expand the world of Wild Cards and give a sense of how the outbreak of the virus affected the global community. The book uses this opportunity to introduce a bunch of new characters, some of whom would be destined to fade into obscurity and some of whom would be major players in later books. Overall, the book is a good read with the good parts outweighing its bad.<br />
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<b>Addendum</b>: This book introduces several new characters, some of which I have already mentioned. The government ace Billy Ray is reintroduced and we finally learn his ace name "Carnifex". The malevolent joker Ti Malice will follow the WHO tour back to New York to become a major antagonist and Wyungare, the aboriginal Ace, will get a story of his own. More importantly, Dr. Tachyon gains custody of his grandson, Blaise Andreaux and its pretty clear right of the bat that the kid has some serous mental issues. We learn that Xavier Desmond dies shortly after the events of this book. The Joker priest, Father Squid, will take up the role of being Wild Cards Professor Xavier analogue. The new Magneto analogue, introduced in this group, will be the Black Dog and the Twisted Fists, a Israel-based international joker terrorist group. (This also confusingly enough, introduces a second antagonist group with the word Fist in their name.) We first hear mention of anti-Wild Card fundamentalist preacher, Leo Barnett, who will appear in later volumes. Jerry Strauss, the Projectionist, a shape-shifting ace with a cameo in book one, is reintroduced and will become a POV character in later volumes.Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-47784699884956325002019-01-05T15:23:00.001-08:002019-01-05T15:23:06.161-08:00Why there's more to "Escape Room" then you might thinkBy now, the reviews are in for <i>Escape Room</i>. This (relatively) gore-free Saw knock off was put out in January, the traditional dumping ground for movies the studios don't expect to make any money. It currently stands at only 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's basically an "F", for those keeping track.<br />
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I'm not here to say that those reviewers are wrong. <i>Escape Room</i> is dumb. It is unapologetic about what it is and really doesn't aspire to any great intellectual statements about the human condition. This is not exactly <i>Get Out</i> is what I'm saying.<br />
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And yet there's a bit of unexpected brilliance in the movie. Unfortunately, this is impossible to discuss without giving away the ending so <b>SPOILERS.</b><br />
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The movie's heroine is Zoey, played by Taylor Russel. Zoey is a socially withdrawn college student, who is prefers to spend time thinking about physics in her room than partying with her school mates. By all genre conventions, Zoey falls into that category of stock horror character known as the "Final Girl."<br />
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As most horror fans know, the "Final Girl" is generally the virginal innocent female character whose purity is rewarded by surviving the movie. The "Final Girl" lives: everybody else dies except, of course, for the killer who returns in innumerable sequels.<br />
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Except in this movie, it's different. Near the end of the film, there are only two survivors of the game Zooey and Ben, played by Logan Miller. Zooey is able to escape one of the rooms, not by following the clues, but by tricking the people behind the game into believing she is dead. Given an opportunity to escape, however, she chooses to rescue Ben from the game, resulting in two survivors instead of one.<br />
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Many horror films would just stop there. However, Zoey is not content to count merely escaping as a win. Instead, she ends the film convincing Ben to help her pursue and stop the people behind the game. She's not content merely to survive the game: She refuses to cower helplessly from her tormentors.<br />
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And that make her something more than just a "Final Girl", who often only survive through luck and the demands of the script. (Indeed, the movie has her reject the label, in a scene where she explicitly states that she does not want to be a sole survivor.) It makes her a heroic female character with a sense of agency, a rarity in horror. That' something that should be elaborated, even in a cheesy film like <i>Escape Room</i>.Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-32383036133544887562018-11-28T18:24:00.000-08:002019-01-16T17:18:43.320-08:00Wild at Heart: A Wild Cards Retrospective - Book III: Joker's WildSo I had to step away from this for a while. I wasn't happy with the way the posts were turning out. I had a piece written up for book III but I decided to re-write it from scratch so it was something that I was more comfortable with.<br />
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We're going to be trying something new going forward with this retrospective. Starting from now on for each story, I will put the title, the name of the main character, and the author in bold to make it easier to follow along.<br />
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This will be easier to do with the third book in the series which is substantially different from the previous two. Books 1 and 2 were essentially anthologies with interconnecting plot threads between the stories forming a single novel. Book 3 is formatted more like a traditional novel. Throughout the novel, the narrative switches perspective between eight different characters during the fortieth anniversary of the release of the Wild Card virus. Each of these changes in perspective is handled by a different writer. From this point on, books that set up story arcs in Wild Cards will be formatted like anthologies while the book that end those story arcs will be formatted like a more traditional novel.<br />
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The third book in the series deals with two major threats to the Wild Cards universe: one returning from the previous book and one relatively new. The returning threat is the Astronomer, the homicidal Ace, who is back for revenge against the Ace heroes who defeated him in book two. His return draws the attention of his arch nemesis, the tantric wizard <b>Fortunato </b>(written by Lewis Shiner) who must stop the Astronomer when he starts racking up a body count. On the other side of the equation, the Astronomer's henchwoman, <b>Roulette</b> (written by Melinda Snodgrass), gifted with the Ace ability that literally kills the men she seduces, is sent to assassinate Dr. Tachyon, the man she blames for her condition.<br />
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The new threat takes the form of the Shadow Fist Society, a criminal organization mentioned in previous books, but here showing itself for the first time. A coalition of various of street criminals, jokers, and aces, the organization is led by Kien Phuc, the arch-nemesis of the vigilante Yeoman. When a new character, Jennifer Malloy, the costumed thief known as <b>Wraith </b>(written by John Jospeh Miller) steals a ledger containing the Shadow Fist's ilicitdealing, she finds herself pursued by both the Fists and Yeoman, who wants the ledger for himself. In addition, gravity controlling, restaurateur <b>Hiram Worchester </b>(written by George RR. Martin), formerly the hero Fatman, find himself drawn into the conflict when the Shadow Fists begin running a protection racket against his restaurant's suppliers.<br />
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Meanwhile, the Shadow Fist's expanding territory has led to a war with the local mafia family, the Gambiones. <b>Bagabond</b> (written by Leanne C. Harper), the animal controlling Ace introduced in bBook 1, winds up involved in the conflict as her friend, Rosemarie Muldoon, the local district attorney, is secretly a member of the Gambione family. Complicating matters, the Shadow Fists hire the ace assassin James Spector, aka <b>Demise </b>(written by Walton Simons), who kills through eye contact, to take out the Gambione leadership. Tying it into the other plot threads, Demise is being pursued by his former employer, the Astronomer, who wishes to forcibly recruit him into his revenge scheme.<br />
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And, to cap things off, were-alligator <b>Sewer Jack</b> (written by Edward Bryant) is searching for his niece who has run away to New York City, intersecting with the other characters as he does so.<br />
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If that seems like a lot that's because it is. Later books using the novel format will be better at sticking to a central plotline, but this one is overstuffed with story, which leads it to have an unfocused feel to it. The Shadow Fists and the Astronomer make for formidable threats and the books high points are when it goes into full superhero action. The Astronomer bits especially raise the stakes as heroes introduced in book 1 are killed off, in ascending importance, leading to the a shocking scene that features the apparent death of a major character. By contrast, the subplot focusing on the Gambione family are kind of pointless and it's kind of a let down when after the climactic confrontation with the Astronomer we get several pages of low-rent Soprano's type drama. Mobsters just aren't that interesting in a world where super-villains plot world domination.<br />
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The book does do a good job in developing established characters. Walton Simons used this book started to transition Demise from an utter monster to more of a Wile E. Coyote-esque figure, who suffers incredible physical punishment over the course of the book to the point where it seems the universe itself is out to get him. It has humanizing effect on the character, making it easier to empathize with him, even though he is undoubtedly a terrible person. Meanwhile, we learn more about Sewer Jack, who may be one of the first positively portrayed gay characters in superhero fiction. And with Wraith, <i>Wild Cards</i> gets credit for introducing the rare heroine (or hero for that matter) whose not motivated by a dark and troubled past. (It's just kind of a shame she never got anymore stories).<br />
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<b>Housekeeping Notes: </b>This volume introduces several characters who will get stories in later volumes. Most notable of these are Billy Ray, a government employed ace with healing power and super strength, who winds up being used as a pawn by the Shadow Fists. We finally see Jay Ackroyd, aka Poppinjay, a private detective with teleporting abilities who was mentioned in the previous volume. We also meet Fadeout, a Shadow Fist member with the power to turn invisible, who will get a single story in an upcoming volume. One character who will return as a prominent antagonist is St. John "Loophole" Latham, the Shadow Fists corrupt attorney. Finally, both "Digger" Downs, an unscrupulous reporter, and Father Squid, the religious leader of Jokertown, who play larger roles in later books are introduced here.<br />
<br />Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-84816763997725898192018-11-11T15:11:00.002-08:002018-11-11T15:11:21.250-08:00Tales from the Bargain Bin: "The Town That Forgot How to Breathe" should really take up breathing exercisesSo since, I had a lot of fun with the last Tales From the Bargain Bin I decided to do one more. As I said last time, this review series is about reviewing books that I've 1) read at least one year ago that 2) also aren't very good 3)(almost) entirely from memory. But this time, I'm going back further then one year. I'm going back almost seven years.<br />
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Since in my last article, I picked on a book whose politics I profoundly disagreed with, this time I'm going to pick on a book whose politics are closer to my own. At least to the extent that the books politics are, you know, "Gee, guys. Pollution and disrespect for nature really are bad aren't they."<br />
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This bring me to "The Town that Forgot How to Breathe", a book which, at the least, has it's heart in the right place. You could feel that the writer cared passionately about the environment. It's just a shame that he had to stop what could have been a really interesting story to be preachy.<br />
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The premise would not be out of place in a horror movie and indeed the first part of the book plays about much like a Stephen King novel. The main character is a recently divorced father who brings his young daughter to that oldest of horror tropes: a small town with a secret. In this case, the town is a settlement in Canada with a history of fairy sightings and more recently, the dissapearance of a local father and his daughter.<br />
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Our protagonist, Generic Protagonist, soon befriends the mother of the missing girl who is dealing with problems of our own. Mainly, she is seeing apparitions of her husband and their daughter. Is this haunting connected to the mysterious plague causing the town's residents to asphyxiate?<br />
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The answer is maybe? Kind of? The book is pretty vague on that point. There's nothing wrong with ambiguity in favor of a good story. Unfortunately, this is not a good story: it's a weird technophobic screed about the evils of technology. SPOILERS from this point on:<br />
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The answer to all the supernatural goings on turn out to be that human activity has screwed up the connection between the town and the world of the faeries. This has created the supernatural equivalent of intestinal blockage, and the strange happenings are a magic enema, creating a torrent of magical diarrhea so that everything can be set right. (That metaphor may have gotten away from me).<br />
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By the way, the human activity that causes all this chaos: Putting up power lines. Not pollution. Not overuse of natural resources (indeed, the townspeople's overfishing is treated sympathetically). No: it's just the use of electricity. Because technology is the devil and the we should all go back to before the time of indoor plumbing and live in the trees.<br />
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Look, I try to be environmentally conscious but it's not an either or situation. There are going to need to be some tough decisions made about the overuse of technology in the future but it doesn't mean that we should give up all the technological advances of the last several centuries.<br />
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Also, the book treatment of the ghosts is really messed up. It's implied that the father murdered the daughter and killed himself. But that's ok because they're happy being ghosts. That's a really uncomfortable minimization on child abuse by any standard.<br />
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Looking at the book's Amazon page , they changed the cover in an attempt to mark it as more of a horror novel. But this book is at best a mediocre literary novel with some horror elements. The sad thing is that there are some effective scare scenes. If this book had just stuck to ripping of Stephen King, it might actually have been good.<br />
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<br />Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-66244045310463476292017-07-24T16:33:00.001-07:002017-07-25T16:19:14.784-07:00Tales from the Bargain BIn - Or how I learned to stop worrying and hate "Forge of the Elders"We're going to try something new today, faithful blog readers. (OK, reader). We assume that most other book reviewers carefully read each book and turn their reviews in after they've read the book. Maybe they wait a few hours to digest what they've read. Maybe they take notes on the book's plot and themes while their reading. That way they know that their not getting plot details wrong when they sit down to right.<br />
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But not all book are created equal. That are some books that are so bad, so painful to read that they simply don't deserve the same level of thought one would put into a review of the classics of literature like <i>The Great Gatsby,</i> <i>Hamlet</i>, and of course, <i>I Was A White Trash Zombie.</i> Some books need a taking down by some one who not only doesn't remember the details right but doesn't actually care. That's why I'm giving you a new column called "Tales from the Bargain Bin", a review of terrible books that I bought on the cheap and read some years ago. Because these books really do deserve it...<br />
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<a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTP6XdwmCLIXNP_iDPJ4Ql5gOioAx_UJqSsNwKkB5xy-UxPIPyU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="293" height="320" src="https://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTP6XdwmCLIXNP_iDPJ4Ql5gOioAx_UJqSsNwKkB5xy-UxPIPyU" width="190" /></a>So to start with we're going to start with libertarian SF writer's, L Neil Smith's novel/manifesto <i>Forge of the Elders</i>. Now, I must admit that I don't share Smith's politics and I worried time that my hatred for this book had something to do with this. Then, I read the <i>Illuminatus</i> trilogy which advocates for anarchy and AE Van Vogt's <i>The Mind Cage</i> which appears to come out in favor of monarchy and dictatorship and I liked both of them. So it's not the shaky politics that I found revolting about<i> Forge of the Elders</i>.<br />
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But, let's start with what's good about the book. It has a nice cover. A really, really nice cover. Painted with rich colors, lots off detail, shows the characters, gives the reader an idea of the book's plot. They just don't make covers like that anymore.<br />
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Now to the things that are not so good namely, the plot, the characters, the writing. The plot is set in the far future where America has been taken over by the Soviet Union. (Which is actually pretty prescient come to think of it). A group of political undesirables are assigned to a space mission to harvest the resources of an asteroid to help sustain the soviet state.<br />
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Unfortunately, mostly for the reader, the asteroid is occupied by a group of humans and animal people from a parallel universe. These animal people are led by the titular Elders, a group of giant libertarian squids. Among the asteroid dwellers is our hero, the human Eichra Oran (I don't know if I'm spelling that correctly and I don't care), one of those Randian Ubermensch types who is so perfect and heroic that you kind of find yourself rooting for the villains.<br />
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Here's a summary of the story:<br />
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CREWMAN: I have doubts about the Communist system but I am afraid to voice them.<br />
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EZRA ORTAN: Libertarianism is awesome. You should be a libertarian. Have I mentioned that I am a libertarian today? Libertarian.<br />
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TALKING DOG SIDEKICK: I'm a talking dog sidekick.<br />
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EVERY MAJOR FEMALE CHARACTER: Oh, Edrard Onan, you're so manly. I must sleep with you.<br />
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SHIP'S MORALE OFFICER: I'm a hardline communist. I hate you, Eckhardt Oman. However, the fact that I am clearly a moron who is not qualified to run an Arby's should make it obvious that I am not the main antagonist and will see the error of my way at the end of the book.<br />
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EVIL RUSSIAN CYBORG TRILOBITE MAN: I am the main antagonist. I'm poorly explained and literally come out of nowhere.<br />
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READER: Could- could this book be about the Evil Russian Cyborg Trilobite Man instead?<br />
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So, yeah, there you have it a book hundreds of a pages long whose only selling point is a character who literally only show up in the last few chapters. All the rest of the book is basically indistinguishable from reading a political pamphlet passed out by an unhinged man. In fact, reading the pamphlet might actually be less of a waste of your time.<br />
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<br />Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-32872526743137474232017-06-12T15:54:00.001-07:002017-06-12T15:54:12.398-07:00Wild at Heart- A Wild Card's Retrospective- Book 2: Aces High Part 2Having looked at the interstitial stories in the previous post, we start our look at the one-off stories with a look at science-fiction grand master Roger Zelazny's contribution to this volume. Unfortunately, like his last contribution, it's the low point of the book.<br />
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Zelazny's story, "Ashes to Ashes", continues a plot thread introduced in the interstitial story "Jube" where Jube hires Zelazny's recurring anti-hero, Croyd Crenson, aka the Sleeper, to steal the body of the alien who was killed by the Swarm. Along the way, Croyd discovers that other parties want the body for themselves and have hired another mercenary to find it.<br />
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It's harder to put my finger on why this story didn't work for me. Unlike Zelazny's previous Wild Cards story, "The Sleeper", which very little happens, in this story, I felt that almost too much happened. Where as "The Sleeper" gave Croyd a lot of potentially interesting character threads, but ultimately did nothing with them, here we get almost no sense of what drives Croyd at all. He's just another generic lovable rogue, one of a million similar characters who inhabit the realms of fiction, which ultimately makes the story fall flat.<br />
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Next up is the story "If Looks Could Kill" by Walton Simons, which is our obligatory villain-story for this volume. This story introduces one of the Wild Cards Universe's long-running villains, James Spector aka Demise. An accountant whose Wild Card virus killed him, an emergency procedure returned him to life with the ability to literally kill people through eye contact.<br />
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The story is fairly straight-forward: Demise, on the run for murder, winds up being recruited by the Astronomer to act as an assassin. Demise himself is not a particularly engaging character in his first appearance. He will become a more complex character in the later books but here he is a psychopath and misogynist who revels in killing. The story is notable, primarily, for a rather shocking human sacrifice sequence which shows just how messed up both Demise and the Astronomer really are. Unfortunately, it's sole purpose seems really just to show us that the bad guys are in fact bad guys, something we already know from reading the earlier stories in this book.<br />
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The next story "Winter's Chill", written by Martin himself, is a short character piece focusing on Thomas Tudbury aka the Turtle, which is the book's highlight. Although it very slightly advances the overarching plot, the story mostly deals with the emotional fall-out of the Turtle's old flame getting re-married. Twenty years have passed for the character since we last saw him and his life has not been going great. The Turtle's popularity as a hero has been eclipsed by those who came after him and he feels taken for granted. Meanwhile, as Tom Tudbury, he has become riven by insecurities, living alone and unable to use his great powers outside of his Turtle shell. "Winter's Chill" is ultimately a tragedy about how even super-heroes can have their lives torn apart, not by a villain, but by their own self-loathing.<br />
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The Turtle's insecurities continue in the story "Relative Difficulties" by Melinda M. Snodgrass which sees him team up with Dr. Tachyon and Mark Meadows from the previous book to fend off Tachyon's people, the Takisians, who have returned to take their errant prince home in the wake of the Swarm invasion. Although nominally about Tachyon's relationship with his people and family, this story is more about re-introducing Mark Meadows and showing off his array of super-powers.<br />
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/48/8d/d1/488dd18e09409f01c2d394dc8a88d07f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="236" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/48/8d/d1/488dd18e09409f01c2d394dc8a88d07f.jpg" /></a></div>
In the previous book, Meadows may have briefly changed into a hero called the Radical under the influence of LSD. In Book Two, we learn that his attempts to become the Radical again have largely met with failure. Instead, Meadows has become Captain Trips, a drug-fueled riff on <i>Dial H For Hero </i>(or <i>Ben 10 </i>for any millenials reading this). By taking different mixtures of drugs, Trips can turns into (or switch places with) five distinct heroes for an hour at a time, each with their own powers, memories, and personality.<br />
<br />The next story "With A Little Help from His Friends", by Victor Milan, is basically a retread of "Relative Difficulties". The Takisians return for round two and Tachyon and Trips (minus the Turtle this time) have to stop them. It does, however, introduce my favorite Trips alter-ego: Starshine, a well-meaning oaf prone to lectures on the evils of capitalism and composing poetry at inappropriate times. (He's right about a lot of what he says but he tends to do it when he should be focusing on the crisis at hand). Ultimately, because both "With a Little Help from His Friends" and "Relative Difficulties" are really a chance to showcase most of Trips' alter-egos, they work best as straight action stories. They are both fine in that respect although "Friends" seems a little redundant as it covers most of the same territory as "Relative Difficulties."<br />
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The heroes' final confrontation (for this book, anyway) with the Astronomer comes in "By Lost Ways" by Pat Cadigan. This story introduces the new ace, Jane Lillian Dow a.k.a. Water Lily blessed with ability to control water. Making her way to New York with the hopes of becoming a celebrity ace, she quickly finds herself kidnapped by the Masons. Although "By Lost Ways" concludes with a big superhero battle, it is largely hampered by being from the perspective of Water Lilly. This is a problem as she is the book's only female lead and she spends most of that time as a hostage, relying on others to rescue her, not really showing any agency until the very end of the story. And having read the later book in the series, I can say the character will only get worse from here, not better.<br />
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<a href="https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/wildcards/images/c/c1/Waterlily.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/163?cb=20111209211303" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="163" src="https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/wildcards/images/c/c1/Waterlily.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/163?cb=20111209211303" /></a>The amusing "Mr. Koyama's Comet" by Walter John Williams is basically a short piece about an egotistical amateur astronomer (no pun intended) that largely serves to set up the final salvo of the Swarm invasion. That salvo comes in "Half Past Dead" by John J. Miller, where the non-super powered vigilante Yeoman winds up having to team up with Dr. Tachyon, Fortunato, and Mai, an ace healer, to defeat the Swarm.<br />
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This story gets credit for having a better ending than just destroying the big alien monster and further points for having that ending set up in the pervious book. It looses points for mostly beings an excuse for putting the Yeoman character in the book. Despite the contrivances to justify Yeoman's presence, with all the powerful aces Tachyon knows, it really doesn't make sense to recruit the character who has no powers other than archery skills to save the world. There's a reason, after all, that Hawkeye is the least believable Avenger.<br />
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<i>Aces High</i> is the first time the series had an overarching plotline throughout one book and, while the stories are inconsistent, the book showed it could be done. All thing being equal, the book does a good job setting up plot threads and then continuing through multiple stories by different writers. The overarching invasion plotline is advanced in each story and the book does manage to bring it all together into what I found to be a satisfying conclusion.<br />
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Ultimately, if the first book was about introducing the characters and their world, the second book is about showing the status quo of the Wild Cards universe. Of the early books in the series, this one is the most like a standard super-hero story: Heroes fight villains, hero wins, repeat as necessary. In the end, the major characters are all in place for the next book, ready for round two. Unfortunately for them, Book Three is coming and not everyone is going to get out unscathed...Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-63052115526299843102017-05-26T13:12:00.003-07:002017-05-26T13:22:27.530-07:00Wild at Heart- A Wild Card's Retrospective- Book 2: Aces High Part 1If <i>Wild Cards Book I </i>was about setting up the world and characters, then <i>Wild Card Volume II - Aces High </i>was about showing that the world's and characters could be used to tell a singular story line. Unlike the first book, a single narrative thread bind all the stories: an alien invasion of Earth.<br />
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The book begin in 1979 where we found out what everybody's favorite tantric magician, Fortunato, has been up to since the first book in a story called "Pennies from Hell", written by Lewis Shiner. The answer to that question turns out to be continuing his vendetta against the cult he antagonized in Book I which are revealed to be a branch of the Egyptian Masons. </div>
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This story introduces a running theme of Fortunato's character arc: the fact that his actions tend to have unintended consequences to the people closest to him. The realization of this clashes with the character's fundamentally selfish attitude towards life, driving much of his internal conflict going forward. That being said, the sexual nature of Fortunato's powers comes off as trying to hard to shock and ends up just being silly. Reading the scene at the end of "Pennies from Hell", where Fortunato (apparently) destroys the Masons, the details of which I will mercifully spare you, prompted a snicker when I first read the book as a teenager and time has not made it any less silly.<br />
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<a href="https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/wildcards/images/2/26/Jube.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/191?cb=20091104202010" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/wildcards/images/2/26/Jube.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/191?cb=20091104202010" /></a>The book jumps ahead to 1985 to two interstitial stories, "Jube" (uncredited) and "Unto the Sixth Generation" by Walter John Williams. Starting with this book, Wild Cards novels contained interstitial stories divided into multiple chapters throughout the book and advancing the book's overarching plot. These stories contrast with individual stories which takes up a single chapter.<br />
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In this case, the two stories share an inciting incident: A dying alien arrives on Earth with an experimental teleportation device with a warning of an oncoming invasion by a race of world devouring aliens called the Swarm. "Jube" tells the story one of the alien's associates, Jube the Walrus, a newsboy who appears to be a deformed joker, but is in fact an alien himself: an agent planted by a group of space trader know as the Network to spy on the Wild Cards. Jube spends most of the book trying to build a device to call the Network to summon help to fight off the Swarm.<br />
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<a href="https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/wildcards/images/9/9f/Modular_Man.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/211?cb=20091117235135" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/wildcards/images/9/9f/Modular_Man.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/211?cb=20091117235135" /></a>"Unto the Sixth Generation" introduces a new hero, the android Modular Man, created by Dr. Maxim Travnicek, an ace whose ability make him a gifted inventor. Being a self-obsessed misanthrope, Travnicek has designs on fame and programs Modular Man to fight crime as part of a plan to get rich by selling androids to the military. Quickly becoming a celebrity, Modular Man is accepted into the ace community, and as a result gets a front-row seat for the Swarm invasion.<br />
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Both Jube and Modular Man were good choices for protagonists as they are both likable characters. In Jube's case, the idea of an alien passing as a disfigured human is a clever one. Furthermore, he is the rare Wild Cards character who simply has a good heart. He cares about other people and the character's ernest desire to save Earth is endearing even if his story ultimately comes to a rather cynical conclusion.<br />
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Modular Man is another character who is basically a good person. Unlike android comic-book heroes, like the Vision or the Red Tornado, who Modular Man owes a clear debt to, fitting in with humanity proves to be the easy part. Modular Man loves life and embraces it fully. Like many characters in the series, Modular Man is a womanizer who likes alcohol. Unlike the other characters, this doesn't come of as much as a character flaw but rather as a side effect of the character's sheer joy d'vivre. Its hard to hate some one who enjoys life so much. The character's real conflict comes from the dawning realization that he is essentially enslaved by his creator, Dr. Travnicek.<br />
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Modular Man's story, "Unto the Sixth Generation" is the story that focuses more on super-hero action with several genuinely suspenseful fight scenes. It also has the honor of introducing the story's major human villain, The Astronomer, the leader of the Egyptian Masons who survived Fortunato's assault in the first story and has his own reasons for wanting the Swarm to invade. He's also an old man in a wheel chair so how terrifying could he possibly be?<br />
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-- Oh. That terrifying. Despite his age, the Astronomer is a particularly nasty villain. His ace ability grants him incredible psychic powers which he charges by killing people, which he does in several sequences that are not for the faint of heart. He is unsettling because, while he is clearly a psychopath, he is also a master planner. His evil plan is genuinely clever, which give the story a villain that seems like a genuine threat, no easy feet for a book with so many powerful heroes.<br />
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In part two, we'll explore the individual stories and catch up with Wild Cards mainstays like Dr. Tachyon and the Turtle.<br />
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Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-35011418041133598462017-04-17T16:39:00.002-07:002017-04-17T16:39:54.384-07:00Rue Morgue Reading - "Skin" was probably pretty shocking back in the dayThe great thing about the Rue Morgues list of the top 100 horror novels is that it drew from several hundred years of material. In fact, <i>The Monk</i>, the oldest book in the series was written in the eighteenth century. Ironically, while <i>The Monk</i> has aged pretty well over the centuries, Kathe Koja's <i>Skin</i>, published in 1992, has not.<br />
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<a href="http://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297222257i/219588._UY475_SS475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297222257i/219588._UY475_SS475_.jpg" width="320" /></a>This is not to say that it's a bad book. In fact, <i>Skin </i>has compelling characters , a fascinating plot, and deals with extreme body modification, a subject that is always ripe for horror. (If you don't believe me, just look at the extreme piercings and ritual self-mutilations of the Cenobites from the Hellraiser series of films). It's just not really scary which is kind of bad news for a book that bills itself as "psychological horror."<br />
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But I'm getting ahead of myself. <i>Skin,</i> at it's heart, is a story about Tess Bajac, a struggling metalworker who wields together mechanical sculpture. Her artwork attracts the attention of Bibi, an aspiring dancer, who draws Tess into using her talents as part of a performing art group. However, it becomes clear over time that Bibi is mentally ill and has an obsession with self-mutilation that leads her to modify her own body in unhealthy ways though piercings and surgeries. Add into this the Svengali-like Micheal who exert influences over both of the female leads, we have a volatile mix ready to explode.<br />
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--Only it never quite does. All throughout the book, we are left with the idea that a something is going to go horribly wrong. But when it does, once in the middle of the book and once again at the end, it turns out to be nothing you wouldn't find in any conventional thriller novel. To put it in perspective, there are James Patterson novels that are more horrific than anything that happens in <i>Skin</i>. <br />
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Then, if the action is not the source of horror, then it must come from the psychological states of the characters. Unfortunately, that's not scary either. Tess, the point-of-view character, certainly has issues but she is also a decent person who has relationships with toxic people. As a heroine, she is ultimately too likable for her mental problems to elicit horror. Bibi is too dysfunctional to be sympathetic and Michael is deliberately supposed to be unlikable. As a result, the story comes off as a tragedy about relationships, and not necessarily a bad one, but again ultimately not a horror story.<br />
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Then, the only remaining source of horror could be the physical transformation that Bibi practices on herself as she is driven increasingly to modify her body. But again, while certainly not something a healthy person would do to themselves, it never gets to the point where it becomes scary.<br />
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I think that a lot of it has to do with the age of the book. Back when it was written, the idea of voluntary surgical body modification was unexplored in popular culture and the people who practiced it were largely an unseen subgroup. Unfortunately, the last few years have resulted in a surge of horror movies regarding surgical body modification with granddaddy of them all being the <i>Human Centipede</i> films, a film series with a premise so disturbing I can't even bring myself to watch them. Furthermore, real people with extreme body modifications began appearing on the public's radar thanks to reality television and online news providers need for click bait. (Google "Lizardman" if you don't believe me). In today's world, the modifications described in Skin, wile still off-putting, just aren't as disturbing as they were when the book was written.<br />
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In the end, I'd say give this book a read if you're a fan of tragedy or relationship drama but if you go in expecting horror, expect to be disappointed<br />
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<br />Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-59338104146579236152017-03-31T11:57:00.002-07:002017-03-31T11:58:15.050-07:00Wild at Heart- A Wild Card's Retrospective- Book 1: Wild Cards Part 3So here we are the last entry for book 1. As I said in the last post, the stories I'm going to cover here were not included in the original publication of the first book of Wild Cards. Instead, they were written for the book's republication by Tor.com in 2010, twenty-three years after the novel's first publication. This is both a blessing and a curse: the stories are no longer bound by having to set up plot threads for the next novels but at the same time they have to take care not to contradict the events of the other twenty-two books.<br />
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This problem shows itself most fully in the first new story "Captain Cathode and the Secret Ace" by Michael Casutt. The titular "secret ace" is one Karl von Kampen, a television producer who secretly possesses the power of "fokus," his pet-name for his superhuman eye-site. Karl produces the children's sci-fi TV show, <i>Captain Cathode</i>, which is up for a lucrative sponsorship deal that is being jeopardized by the lead actor's tendency to disappear for long periods of time. When Karl tries to investigate of the situation, he finds himself the target of the Medusa Killer, a murderer who literally turns his victims to stone.<br />
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To me this story is the epitome of a wasted opportunity. The sole story in the book to completely break free from the traditional origin story paradigm, it is, unfortunately, also pretty much pointless. The characters introduced in this story don't show up again in later books and because of the story's retroactive nature, none of the plot threads can be taken up again until past Book Twenty-Three. Writing new stories for Wild Cards could have been an opportunity to develop some of the characters introduced in the first book. Instead, "Captain Cathode" just feels like a place holder, there to pad out the page count.<br />
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<a href="http://valor.militarytimes.com/assets/images/recipients/33580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://valor.militarytimes.com/assets/images/recipients/33580.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a>Things improve somewhat in the next story, "Powers" by David D. Levine, which may not be essential but does at least serve a purpose. This is the Wild Cards universe retelling of the real-life story of Francis Garry Powers, an American pilot who was shot down and captured while piloting a spy plane over the Soviet Union. In the real world, Powers was released as part of an exchange of hostages by both sides. In this version of the story, he is rescued by the story's protagonist, Frank Majewski, a middle-aged ace.<br />
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"Powers" uses the real-life incident as a backdrop for what is essentially another origin story. (Majewski receives an appropriately super-hero-y sounding name at end of the story). However, it has a lot of fun riffing on the similarities between the super-heroes and the spy genre, namely code names and secret identities. Also, it shows what the aces were doing during the McCarthy era, a period of time that is constantly referenced but not really shown during the series proper. It also answers a minor mystery about the fate of a side character, 24 years after it was introduced in the first edition of this book, and then never mentioned in subsequent books. (See what I mean when I say that it could take a while for this series to wrap up plot threads.)<br />
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Another problem presented by these stories is there placement in the book as a whole.The book maintains it's chronological conceit which means that the new stories are inserted into the appropriate place between the older stories. The problem with this is that three of the older stories "Witness', "Degradation Rites" and "Shell Games", contained a plot arc that continued from one story to the next. In older editions, these stories followed one another, allowing for a uninterrupted narrative thread. However, since the new stories take place years before "Shell Games", they are inserted after "Degradation Rites". The result is that the book main narrative arc comes to a complete stop to tell two essentially unrelated stories and, as a result, the narrative flow is broken, to the book's detriment.<br />
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The last story, "Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan" by Carrie Vaughn, is the best of the new stories. Set in the 80s, the story tells the backstory of Jennifer Malloy, aka Wraith, a heroic thief who is prominent in the later books in the series. Here, she is still just a reserved young woman who is hiding her ace ability to turn intangible at will. Unfortunately, an evening clubbing with a friend goes south when she inadvertently encounters Croyd Crenson, the Sleeper, and gets embroiled in a conflict over some stolen money. While doing this, she learns to loosen up and enjoy stealing other people's things. (There are probably worse lessons to learn but none immediately spring to mind.)<br />
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"Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan" is the best of the new stories, mainly because it ties in more to the series as a whole. In the original version of the series, Wraith was not introduced until the third book, by which time her career as a thief was already well underway. "Ghost Girl" gives us a sense of how she got to that point as well as working as a stand alone heist story.<br />
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Because the Wild Cards series has so many characters, theres simply isn't enough room to flesh all the character's backstories as much as one might like. Thus, the opportunity to write new stories for a new edition of the first book was an opportunity to go back and fill in some of the gaps. (I personally would have liked to get some background on Perigrine, who is arguably the most public female heroine in the early books, or seen some of Hiram Worchester's days at the crime-fighting Fatman.) Since only "Ghost Girl" takes full advantage of this opportunity, the other stories seem less consequential to the series as a whole. Thus, I would argue that the 2010 edition is for hard-core completists only.<br />
<br />Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-992918553147548550.post-35006820501252922452017-03-11T14:34:00.000-08:002017-03-11T14:34:10.256-08:00Rue Morgue Reading- The Straw MenToday, my blog will undertake a new project. Yes, yet another project that will come out in nowhere near a timely fashion. As my friends and family know I am an avid reader of <i>Rue Morgue </i>magazine which focuses on horror in all aspects of popular culture. It is, in short, the thinking man's <i>Fangoria</i>. A few years ago I read their article on the 100 best horror novels and decided to read them all. Every--- single--- one.<br />
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And I'm going to be sharing my opinion on every single one of them you my dear readers. I'm going to read them in no particular order but I will read them and discuss whether or not I think they are any good. Aren't you lucky?<br />
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First up: The Straw Men by Michael Marshall.<br />
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<a href="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309212413l/128642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309212413l/128642.jpg" width="198" /></a>Let's get the first thing out of the way. This book is the first in a trilogy that deals with the efforts of Ward Hopkins, ex-CIA agent, in opposing the enigmatic criminal/terrorist organization that call themselves the "Straw Men." I actually the second book in the series some years ago and was left unimpressed (SPOILERS: If the end of your gritty thriller novel about a serial killer involves telepathic Neanderthals, reconsider your ending.)<br />
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By all logic, I should hate the "Straw Men" as well. And I will admit that there are some parts of the story that seem to tread into ridiculousness. (The "Straw Men" are implied to be behind pretty much almost everything bad that has happened for the last sixty years from the Altamont concert shootings to the war in the Middle East).<br />
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And yet it works. The story is a murder mystery dual investigation plot where two seemingly separate investigations turn out to be connected. One plot follows Ward Hopkins as he discovers evidence that the car accident that killed his parents may have been deliberately arranged. His search leads him to a gated community called the Halls, which is run and inhabited by members of the Straw Men. Hopkins is left trying to find out his parents' connection to the organization, a search which leads to disturbing revelations about his own past.<br />
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The second thread follows Jim Zandt, a former police officer who left the force after his daughter was abducted by a serial killer called the "Upright Man."When the "Upright Man" returns, abducting a fourteen year old girl named Sarah Becker, Zandt is called in by his ex-lover, FBI agent Nina Baynam to assist in the investigation.<br />
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This sounds like pretty formulaic crime thriller fair but make no mistake-- "The Straw Men" is a horror novel. The Straw Men's philosophy feeds into one of the most basic fears- that human beings are hopelessly corrupt on a fundamental level and that it is not evil, but rather virtue, that is an aberration. The book contains some scene that can only be described as nihilistic (the revelation of what animals the Straw Men keep in their stables is incredibly bleak and depressing).<br />
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Plus, Ward Hopkins is good lead. Just enough of a shady past with government that it's plausible that he could survive the unlikely scenarios he finds himself in but with little enough combat experience, that it's clear that he is completely in over his head. It makes the stakes so much higher and thus, his victories so much more rewarding.<br />
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The ending of the book as befits a trilogy is open-ended, leaving room for the next book. But trust me when I say that reading the sequel is a massive waste of time, especially because of Marshall's decisions to introduce science-fiction elements to the plot. The first book has enough a resolution that I was satisfied but that's a subjective judgment and if you're the type who absolutely need to know what happens to the characters in a book series, you might want to give it a miss.<br />
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<br />Esevoneghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13508082065650457179noreply@blogger.com0