Double Solitaire

Wild Cards #10

by Melinda M. Snodgrass, George R.R. Martin (Editor)

Fleeing the battle between the Jokers, Aces, and Nats, Blaise heads for the planet Takis in the body of Dr. Tachyon, leaving Tach trapped in the pregnant body of a teenage runaway.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Superheroes, Fiction, Short Stories, Alternate History, Anthologies

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1992

About the author

MELINDA M. SNODGRASS

Melinda Snodgrass was born in Los Angeles, but her family moved to New Mexico when she was five months old making her almost a native. She studied opera at the Conservatory of Vienna in Austria, graduated from U.N.M. with a degree in history, and went on to Law School. She practiced for three years, and discovered that while she loved the law she hated lawyers so she began writing.
In 1988 she accepted a job on Star Trek: TNG, and began her Hollywood career. Her novels, The High Ground, In Evil Times and The Hidden World are available from Titan Books. She is the executive producer on the upcoming Wild Cards shows being developed for Hulu. Her passion (aside from writing) is riding her Lusitano stallion Vento da Broga.

Reviews

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The problem with Double Solitaire is that it follows directly in the footsteps of "Lovers", quite possibly the worst story in Wild Cards history, and most definitely the least pleasant, the least comfortable, and the least fun to read. (Because it wasn't just rapey-rapey, but it actually used superpowers to weaponize rape.) Double Solitaire is by the same author and directly continues with the same storyline. I'm sure I'm not the only reader who dived off the Wild Cards train somewhere between book 9 and 10 as a result — at least I did the first time I read the series, in the '90s.

I think one of the problems with "Lovers" was that it was the first half of a Hurt/Comfort story. And there was definitely (excessive, unpleasant, unnecessary) Hurt. Then we had to wait until Double Solitaire for the Comfort. It's a fanfic-ish genre that I'm not entirely fond of, but Snodgrass carries it off well, with the Comfort being quite an interesting and surprising contrast for who it involves.

Overall, Double Solitaire is totally unlike its predecessor. It's much more what I expect from Snodgrass, which is a great character piece. It's actually impressive how many characters she manages to give great arcs to. That includes Tachyon, Zabb, and Jay, definitely. Mark Meadows gets a somewhat truncated arc, but it's an interesting one. Even minor characters like Kelly and Bat'tam get great attention. Overall, Snodgrass made me care about and understand a lot more people in the Wild Cards universe.

And, yes, it's a science-fiction political story. It's very different from other books in the Wild Cards series. Personally, I think that's one of the strengths of the series, the ability to move into other genres like this. I also found it fascinating to see Wild Cards involved in a globe-spanning war.

Finally, I'm quite impressed with the conclusion of Double Solitaire. It's a real milestone in the Wild Cards universe that feels like it closes the door on a few different characters. And as for the other characters, they've been changed, and I'm intrigued to see how that affects them going forward.

If it weren't living under the shadow of "Lovers" this might easily have been one of the top Wild Cards books. As is, it's still very good. You just had to flinch a bit whenever Blaise came on screen and started issuing yet more rape threats.

[Martin Doychinov · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Двоен пасианс" е десетата книга от поредицата и се явява spin-off на триадата за Рокс, макар и да е директно продължение на Jokertown Shuffle. Хронологично, историята се развива паралелно с третата част от трилогията за Рокс - Dealer's Choice.
Това е и първият немозаечен роман в Wild Cards, написан изцяло от само един автор - измислилата доктор Тахион и принципно помощник-редактор на поредицата Мелинда Снодграс.
Началото започва отчаяният Тахион, затворен в тялото на бременна тийнейджърка. Това като цяло води до сериозен mind-fuck по време на романа, щото докторът е умствено мъж, но физически - жена. Племенникът му е избягал към родната планета на Тахион (заедно с тийнейджърка, затворена в тялото на Тахион), а последният трябва да открие начин да стигне дотам и да се справи с него, като е абсолютно задължително и някак да го накара да ги размени. Последното по възможност преди да роди. Докторът открива начин да замине за Такис, а на всичкото отгоре взима със себе си и Марк Медоус и Джей Акройд.
Почти цялото действие се развива на Такис - кастово общество, където ментатите са се разделили на фамилии и се борят ожесточено помежду си. Блес прави някакви невероятни неща там, като успява бързо да овладее една от фамилиите - нещо, което ми бе доста трудно да повярвам, при положение, че е шестнайсетгодишен психопат. Оттам-нататък сюжета е политически трилър, който завършва със здравословна доза екшън.
Авторът не се е и опитал да прикрие собствените си възприятия за патриархално общество и колко е по-трудно да си жена, като цяло. Вкарала е и доста от фанатичните отклонения на разни религии, защото на Такис жените едва ли не се ползват само за разплод.
Доста раздвоен се чувствам, защото от една страна романът ми хареса немалко, но от друга ме подразниха някои авторови решения и доста крайната "адженда" в него.
3,5

[Baal Of · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the previous book, but still one of the weaker entries in this series. I never really cared about the Takisian "political and military machinations" (phrase taken from the back cover). I kind of wanted most of the characters to just die. Blaise is still a horrible asshole, and it looked like he was going to get away with little repercussion, but then Snodgrass put him into a pretty bad ending. I think it would have been better if Tachyon had to stay in the female body, but she also made everything back to normal again at the end. Two more books to go of the ones I borrowed from my friend. Depending on their quality, I may not continue after that point. This book wasn't bad, just kind of lack-luster.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soooooo.

Rereading volume X, I've come to the conclusion that this is the hind end of the Wild Cards franchise. You'd better REALLY like Tachyon and the Takisians, because if you don't this book is a slog of unpleasant characters doing unpleasant things to each other. X is also the rare book where a female author writes with a male author's breast obsession. I truly don't get that. I say that it was a matter of self-awareness but this was 1992 and I can't buy it.

On the other hand, Mark's story continues and leads into XII, presumably to be reprinted next year.

[Lucy Batson · Rating 1 out of 5]

While not quite as filled with sexual violence as the Wild Cards novel that preceded it, Double Solitaire nonetheless puts readers in for a bad time as a full-length novel that follows up on Jokertown Shuffle's worst sub-plot. Protagonists casually using racial slurs? Check. Lots of boring time spent on boring Takis? Check. The only saving grace is that readers won't have to think about Takis nonsense for a very long time*.

* I hope...

[Jessica Riddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Wild cards X double solitaire, but It did have its faults I really would have loved even just one Blaise POV chapter, I have done a full review of the book on my youtube channel if anyone is interested https://youtu.be/rXqMHt8fljY

[Kirby Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having Jay Ackroyd the detective on an alien world is a neat idea, but this one wasn’t for me. Most of the other characters included I could take or leave; Blaise is as “interesting “ a villain as a Ramsay Bolton.

[Charlton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The majority of the book takes place on an alien planet. Which makes the whole atmosphere more interesting. It makes for a whole new culture to learn about while not forgetting a few MCs being human.
Despite a rape, the storyline was good. One house/kingdom attempts to take over the alien planet.

[Aaron P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite Wild Cards book thus far. Part of that has to do with the fact that it felt the least like a Wild Cards book than any of the previous installments. I can deal with the switches in formatting from short story collections to full length novels if they are executed well. (though I still prefer the short story books) The problem for me here is that even the standby characters don't feel like themselves in this. The whole jumper storyline with Dr Tachyon losing his body was a plausible idea I suppose but not one I particularly liked. Snodgrass has every right to do what she wanted with Tachyon being that she created him so that's not even my biggest quibble though the relationships and dialogue did get really weird in spots - especially with Tach and Zabb. What seemed to bug me the most was the way that characters like Turtle and Trips interacted with the female Tachyon. I'm glad the whole Blaise storyline seems to have wrapped up. Still,the main reason this hardly felt like a Wild Cards work to me was that it started to feel like any number of standard sci fi genre mush. The series is starting to feel like it needs some major shifts and new blood. I know I'm still a couple volumes away from the New Cycle, and it's a welcome thing too.

[Gary Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of the Wild Card Novels since I first discovered them in the '80's. I've been slowly re-reading them, and have finally reached what I consider to be the culmination of the 2nd arc of the series (involving the Jumpers, although it doesn't involve any jumper other than Blaise).

The main characters in the novel are the aforementioned Blaise, Tisenne (Dr. Tachyon), Mark Meadows (Captain Trips), Jay Ackroyd (Popinjay). the earth girl Kelly (who is currently in Dr. Tachyon's body), and Zebb, Dr. Tachyon's cousin. Add The Network and a trip to Dr. Tachyon's homeworld and you have the makings of an excellent space opera.

All in all, it was an excellent read, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ultimate resolution of the Blaise fiasco, as that little bastard got exactly what he deserved. While the earth-bound jumper storyline wasn't finished, I'm guessing they will be mopped up in the next installment.

[Brainycat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. What made this series so great at the beginning was the premise: an alternate, contemporary history filled with aces and jokers. It became a soap opera couched in a classic fantasy story with too few characters, none of which really had true dimension, lazily winding their way down the "fated last battle" story arc we've all read a gazillion times. It got so bad that I was finding websites to waste time at rather than dig my ereader out of my backpack, and that's BAD. I've got hundreds of books to read and there is no prize at the end of this series. I give up, and I'm moving on to better books.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double Solitaire (Wild Cards, #10)
by George R.R. Martin (editor)
Double Solitaire, By Melinda Snodgrass, wow! The drama of Takis, but things work out only in the last pages… but as usual leave you with questions. Double solitaire is a great story. The Jumpers have taken the body and powers of many different Aces, and Jokers, leaving a plague of victims. Dr. Tachyon is not only the most recent victim. His torture only begins with being jumped. Blaise has decided on a dramatic path for Tachyon, one that provides not only problems on earth, but Problems on Takis with a capital P. This is a great story that will haunt the series.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one leaves all the Earth related stories behind for a trip to Takis. It doesn't really tie in to the Rox series at all, it is a stand alone story. Good, but doesn't touch on anything really happening on the earth storylines if you are looking for that.

[Angeleah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am trying to process the acid trip that I just finished.

[Craig Childs · Rating 2 out of 5]

"We marry for power, we breed for posterity, we love… only rarely."

Baby is gone. Blaise is fleeing the Rox for his grandfather's home world Takis, along with Kelly who is still trapped in Tachyon's body. Tachyon meanwhile remains trapped in the young girl's body pregnant with his own great-granddaughter…

The is the first standalone novel in the Wild Cards series. It stands alone in the sense it is not part of the larger Rox triad. However, you must still read the two preceding volumes in order to understand what is happening.

At first glance, there is a lot to enjoy in this 10th Wild Card entry. Jube and Fortunato make surprise cameo appearances in the early chapters. Zabb and the Network return to play a significant role in the plot. Captain Trips is along for the ride with his full complement of alter-personalities in tow.

Most of the action takes place amid the beautiful cities and opulent courtyards of Takis, which has never been depicted in the novels. (Up until now, readers only had a quick glimpse in a few panels in the comics.) The intricate machinations of Takisian society--inspired in part by Nazi obsession with racial purity--is front and center in the battle for control of House Ilkazam.

Blaise starts a cultural revolution by appealing to the masses to turn against the ruling Houses. He overturns the bans on mixed marriages between telepaths and the mind-blind commoners. This leads to outright atomic civil war that soon engulfs the planet.

Tachyon (full name: Tisienne brant Ts'ara sek Halima sek Ragnar sek Omian) must balance his desires to take back his House, save his unborn daughter, and reclaim his rightful male body.

It should be an exciting narrative with lots of callbacks to earlier characters and situations in the Wild Cards universe. Unfortunately, the book is also severely marred by erratic pacing, too many abrupt point of view shifts, and too many subplots.

For every amusing or effective scene that really works for me--Popinjay trying to seduce an alien but completely misunderstanding how her biology works; or Durg's sacrificial death to save Moonchild--there is an overblown space battle, an unnecessary storming of a castle, or yet another torture scene at the hands of Blaise.

One aspect of this novel in particular distracted me almost to the point of ruining the whole experience. After Tachyon and Kelly were "jumped" into each other's bodies in Jokertown Shuffle, the omniscient narrator switched their pronouns. Tachyon became a "she" and Kelly a "he" even though they still thought of themselves as their original gender. The long-time womanizing Tachyon instantly became attracted to men. Mark Meadows began calling him "sugar". Turtle tried to sleep with him. It was as if the narrator wanted to hammer home the idea that gender and sexual orientation are driven solely by biology. If a man's consciousness is transferred into a straight female body, it instantly becomes a woman, end of story. The consciousness is not influenced by past experiences, environment, or learned gender roles. This seemed an odd way to approach the story, and it was jarring whenever the pronouns did not match the self-identification of the point-of-view character.

Another aspect of the story that did not feel authentic is Tachyon having an affair with his cousin Zabb, who was his mortal enemy when they were both male, but now the two seem irresistibly attracted to each other.

I am now wondering if Tachyon's decision in the final chapter to stay behind on Takis and assume his father's rule signifies the end of his arc in the Wild Cards universe.

[Rafal Jasinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

To w końcu musiało nastąpić... Akcja "Podwójnego pasjansa" zabiera nas (wreszcie) na rodzimą planetę Doktora Tachiona - Takis. Planetę, z której pochodzi również wirus, który w 1946 zmienił zwrotnice znanej nam historii i spowodował pojawienie się ludzi o nadnaturalnych zdolnościach oraz mutantów, zwanych Dżokerami...

Trudno, próbując odnieść się do fabuły tego tomu, uniknąć zdradzenia ważkich wydarzeń z poprzednich części cyklu, więc ograniczę się tylko do krótkiego zarysu - Tachion, detektyw Jay "Znikacz" Ackroyd i Mark "Kapitan Trips" Meadows udają się na Takis, by zapobiec katastrofalnym wydarzeniom, których prowodyrem jest psychopatyczny, niebywale groźny antagonista, który urósł do rangi niebotycznego zagrożenia w tomie uprzednim. Ważą się losy nie tylko bohaterów, ale też całego świata, który w wyniku działań wyżej wspomnianego złoczyńcy, zostaje skorumpowany i zmierza ku ewidentnej katastrofie.

Melinda Snodgrass, która w tym wypadku przejęła w całości ster nad tą odsłoną cyklu (w uprzednich tomach były to "powieści mozaikowe", autorstwa kilku autorów), stworzyła historię w pełni spełniającą warunki literatury science-fiction. Przy czym, zaznaczyć trzeba, że zrobiła to w stylu, który wyraźnie odwołuje się do "złotego wieku science-fiction", gdzie bardzo - przez rozmach, wszystkie zwroty akcji i sieci knowań i spisków, których zarzucanie mieszkańcy Takis opanowali do perfekcji - czuć vibe "Fundacji" Isaaca Asimova.

Małym zgrzytem wydaje się lekkie spłycenie charakterów postaci - cykl opiera się na tym, że poszczególni autorzy wprowadzali swoich własnych bohaterów i to (zdecydowanie) oni najlepiej umieli oddać mentalność i pobudki swych "pupili" - które trudno tu dokładnie wytknąć palcem, ale ma się takie niejasne wrażenie, że sposób ich wysławiania i zachowania odbiegają od tego, do czego się przyzwyczailiśmy.

Bardzo dobry i - póki co - ostatni z wydanych w Polsce tomów "Dzikich kart", który - z racji tego, że wraz z bohaterami udaliśmy się w przestrzeń kosmiczną, pozostawił nierozwiązane wątki związane z działalnością Opasa, jego Skoczków i Dżokerów i "wojny domowej", na jaką się zanosi na Ziemi. Oby Zysk i S-ka nie zapomniał o fanach serii i nie przerwał wydawania cyklu u nas! Polecam!

[Jamieb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly don't know how 'Lovers', the story that ruined book 9 for me, ended up being spun off into it's own story by the same author. If it hadn't revolved around Takis' very dumb brands of sexism and classism and Tachyon being a pregnant woman and falling in love with 'her' cousin as much as it did, then it might have redeemed that for me somewhat.

In reading book 9 it's mentioned that Cody believed that Tachyon had been jumped into various Joker bodies as torture before being killed, and that honestly would have been so much more interesting a storyline than ensuring we know how irredeemable Blaise is by having him be an incestuous rapist with plans for torture through forced pregnancy. This book even had him talk about enjoying killing animals with an old 'friend' he'd mutilated, which was about as close to him liking drowning puppies as you can get on the 'see look this character is so so so evil, don't you just hate him' side of badly written villains.

Imagine how much better it would have been for Tachyon, who cares for Joker's through pity but still finds them disgusting due to his culture's hang-ups with 'deformities', to end up forced to experience Joker life. They could have had him trapped on the Rox with no one believing he's really Tachyon and treating him like he's just a crazy Joker, while Blaise jumps him to another body whenever he gets bored or someone starts to believe him. This book would have also been more interesting because then we could have seen Tachyon forced to confront his peoples prejudices and try to fight against Blaise while being treated like an abomination, instead of him experiencing misogyny mainly just to help elevate his cousins position, and then coming to the realisation that it's actually misogynistic to treat your female family members like Handmaiden's once they can procreate (especially when he still seemed to be fine with them having sterilised sex slaves, just not with their upper class women being kept in seclusion).

[Ben Lund · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was different, it takes place almost entirely on Takis, the home planet of Dr. Tachyon. It felt less like a wildcards book too. I realized I really liked the first couple books because they contained separate stories taking place in a shared universe, while these later books just feel like a single story. There is nothing wrong with either way of telling a story, except the former was different and an interesting way to explore a created world.
The problem with wildcard books that only feature a few of the characters is that I always miss the ones I don't read about, and since most of the books so far have taken place on Earth, I'm more invested in them than in people on a whole different planet.
The end result is "Holy Crap Takasians are weird", and "Let's get back to earth".

[Julio Englander · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot believe the série kept going after this one. It was very bad. Popinjay usually is a nice character, but here.... Tack’s love story is bad, it doesn’t make much sense, and Jay’s one comes out of the blue... it is bad, very bad.
Not sure I will be back to the next one, but I will keep reading the new generation for a while longer.

[Howell Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A LOT happens in this book. The action all takes place on Dr. Tachyon's home planet. Dr. Trips is a major player. Dr. Tachyon's spends the book still trapped in the body of a 16-year-old girl. And she is still trapped in his body. And the planet is engulfed in a world war!

[Andrew Stadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good!

Usually Snodgrass isn’t my favorite author in these books, but I raced through this story. I’m curious with how certain characters arc will continue, just her absolute best work. Definitely recommend for anyone reading the series

[Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superlative ending to Tachyon's story, and one I hope isn't permanent. Snodgrass shows a mastery of her craft

[Zachary Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

They did it again

A must read for the series. Heart-rending and uplifting, this series continues to impress on earth and into the stars and beyond.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of seemed to drag in the middle. But, still had a good plot.

[Ylva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairy-tale palace with great big horror-movie teeth. Glad we're invited. I'd hate to crash this party.

On all levels except actual, I hated this book. Even the format of it should be enough: mosaic storytelling is what makes Wild Cards what it is, and while the dual narration of DEAD MAN'S HAND was mostly okay, a solo novel is just. Not.

Also, there is a reason why big cosmic enemies were phased out after ACES HIGH. A grand, uniting force is just not really conducive to the kind of stories that these authors are trying to tell. Wild carders are messy and they're human, and so their arcs and conflicts should be as well.

Except now, eight books later, Melinda Snodgrass is not just going solo, but also intergalactic.

Tisianne had always preferred comfort over principle. Until that last wild gesture, Zabb corrected himself. He had plucked small memories of Earth from her mind, and most were either sad or terrifying. No, fifty years in the mud had taught Tis to suffer.

The problem is that it kind of works.

Or, well, 'works'. The plot itself is a mess of unrealized potential, and so are most of the dynamics, but what Snodgrass manages to never lose sight of is the very, very human heart of it all. Yes, Tachyon/Tisianne is back on Takis in the wrong body (this is a can of worms that we will not get into today). Yes, her sociopathic socialist(ish) of a grandson is stirring up chaos. Yes, there is a space war on like four different fronts and grand political schemes that are as arbitrary as they are batshit insane, but this is Tisianne's story, and as messed up as it is, Snodgrass knows what she's doing with the most fully realized Wild Cards character. And she does it.

She spoke English. Jay knew it was unconscious. Knew it would drive her crazy if she knew.

In a lot of ways, this book is a love letter to the character that has held Wild Cards together since the very first book. It deconstructs everything that Tachyon (Tisianne) is and has ever been about, and pieces him (her) back together into a new, but still achingly recognizable, form. There is not a single character that has lived through more, and Snodgrass tirelessly continues to delve deeper into that.

And it's awful. It's brutal. The torture that Tisianne is put through, both mental and physical, almost made me set this book down time and time again. This is a metamorphosis of the most terrible kind, but try as I might, I can't bring myself to hate it as much as I know I should.

'Are you a good lover?'
'The best.'
'All men say that,' Tis said dismissively. 'I even said it.'

Because yes. There is also Zabb.

I kind of want to re-read ACES HIGH and see if that character is at all recognizable.

The awful truth, though, is that I'm not sure I would care. Messy, painful love stories are what I am all about, and this might just be the messiest, most painful one yet.

Their souls rubbed sandpaper raw against each other.

I mean,

'Will you capture him?'
They stared at each other. Softly Zabb said, 'I renew my offer.'
'I repeat my refusal. And offer this as surety - give me what I want, and I will leave. Never return. Please, Zabb, let me go home.'
He touched her cheek with a forefinger. 'I promise I will capture him for you.'

And as underdeveloped as this, along with most of the other truly fascinating dynamics introduced and enhanced throughout this book are, the sheer potential of it was enough to keep me hooked. Takis and its inhabitants do not get the development they deserve, but I've begun to accept that as one of the staples of the Wild Cards universe. That is, I think, what makes this series the wonderful, terrible masterpiece that it is.

Roxalana just looked at them for a long, long time. Then she stood and said, 'Sometime I hate us because nothing and no one is precious to us.'
'The House, vindi,' Zabb said softly. There is always the House.'
'Demons take the House! It's made up of individuals, but we always forget that. Well, kill him if you must.' And she walked to the far wall.

This book belonged to Tachyon/Tisianne. A declaration of love, pain, heartbreak, duty, sacrifice, and everything else that the character has meant to this series. The world won't be the same, but (again) try as I might, I cannot think of a better sendoff.

They were almost back to Takis before Mark spoke. 'Today, for the first time in all the years I've known you, you really felt like a Takisian to me.'

[Glen U · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Double Solitaire" is the 10th book in George R. R. Martin's Wild Card series. It is unique to the series for a number of reasons. One, is it is the first Wild Card series book written wholly by one author, Melinda M. Snodgrass, instead of a consortium of writers. Two, it is a departure from the Alternate History genre that all the other Wild Card books have utilized. And three, it takes place on an alien planet, not Earth, which contributes to the feeling of a more traditional science fiction tale. For all that, Snodgrass is an excellent writer and this story works very well. What it lacks in the interplay of the different writers and their varied storylines, it makes up for in a more cohesive and finished product. Her attention to detail, especially in her imaginative cultural and political descriptions of an alien world is exquisite. All in all, a very credible addition to the Wild Card series, but hopefully the series will go back to its multi writer ways that makes it such an unique series.

[Colateral Damage · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book is a departure from the wild card based premise I liked it. We finally get to see the Takisians as a people and not just a few glimpses from the Ideal and Tachyon's childhood. We also get a bit of a more detailed primer on The Network as well while we're at it. This book brings us in on the intrigue, plots and social structure of Takis while also making us actually develop an actual like for Zabb, Tachyon's cousin from book two. Hell it does the same, though a bit poorly, for Durg. We essentially get to learn all this while Tachyon is relearning and reevaluating it himself.

The only real issue I had with this book was that since it dives you straight into this foreign culture it loses its modern feel and becomes more fantasy though I suppose the end of the previous book brought fantasy into the "real" world anyway.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my least favorite of the Wild Cards series. The unique aspect that makes them stand out so much from other series books is the different voices from multiple authors and such a wide range of characters, but this one is a straight-through single story by a single author. Also, the subtle differences between the Wild Card Earth and the real world timeline is lost for the most part because it's set primarily on Dr. Tachyon's home world. There are some good bits with him and Captain Trips, but I was happy when the books got back down to Earth.

[Kruunch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Wild Cards book written by a single author (Melinda Snodgras) takes place on the planet Takis and features Dr. Tachyon, Captain Trips and Popinjay.

The story revolves around Blaise fleeing to Takis, wresting control from a noble house and waging war across all of Takis in an attempt to capture Dr. Tachyon.

I wanted to like this book more but I found that while the story was more cohesive it still felt almost mosaic (like the other books) rather than developed more fully.

All in all an easy read and if you're a fan of the series a fun book.

[Eric Bauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I can explain why, but this entry in the Wild Cards universe just didn't do a whole lot for me. Maybe because it doesn't take place in New York, maybe because it deals only with a small subset of the major characters. It could also be because it has more of a fantasy feel, and I have a hard time with fantasy novels (usually because I have a hard time keeping the names and made up words straight).