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A review by cybergit
Wild Cards I: Expanded Edition by George R.R. Martin, Wild Cards Trust
5.0
An unexpected gem
I must admit that this was an impulse buy! I had just finished reading all of the Game of Thrones books and enjoyed them tremendously. I enjoy Science Fiction, this collection was edited by George R R Martin and I thought this would be a good combination. I was expecting a collection of short stories set in an alternative history – what I got, was so much more!
Wild Cards is a series of short stories written by different authors but set in the same alternate history. The stories span the period from just after the Second World War to the mid 80's. George R R Martins careful editing seems to solve all of the continuity errors that usually plague these multi author collections. The stories are very diverse and engaging and they all have a 1950 and 60's feel, bringing the universe to life. The language of the time comes through very strongly making the characters and the world they inhabit seem very real. One story set during the Joseph McCarthy communist witch hunt, brilliantly captures the fear and intimidation that pervaded that sorry episode in American history.
The quality of all the stories is exceptional, with three stand out stories, in my opinion, that soared above the general high level of writing:
“The sleeper” by Roger Zelazny is the perfect opening for the series and lays the ground rules for the rest of the book. Zelazny at his minimalist best, bringing the world and his protagonist to life.
“Degradation Rites” by Melinda M. Snodgrass is the second stand out story detailing the doomed love affair of Dr. Tachyon. The character of Mrs Renssaeler is beautifully worked and you end up rooting for this tragic young woman as she slowly loses he mind and is pushed over the edge by the HUAC questioning.
“The Long, Dark Night of Dortunato” by Lewis Shiner is also a great read, but very dark and disturbing.
Two other stories that I enjoyed which were just fun were "Shell Games" and "Ghost Girl takes Manhattan"
I must admit that this was an impulse buy! I had just finished reading all of the Game of Thrones books and enjoyed them tremendously. I enjoy Science Fiction, this collection was edited by George R R Martin and I thought this would be a good combination. I was expecting a collection of short stories set in an alternative history – what I got, was so much more!
Wild Cards is a series of short stories written by different authors but set in the same alternate history. The stories span the period from just after the Second World War to the mid 80's. George R R Martins careful editing seems to solve all of the continuity errors that usually plague these multi author collections. The stories are very diverse and engaging and they all have a 1950 and 60's feel, bringing the universe to life. The language of the time comes through very strongly making the characters and the world they inhabit seem very real. One story set during the Joseph McCarthy communist witch hunt, brilliantly captures the fear and intimidation that pervaded that sorry episode in American history.
The quality of all the stories is exceptional, with three stand out stories, in my opinion, that soared above the general high level of writing:
“The sleeper” by Roger Zelazny is the perfect opening for the series and lays the ground rules for the rest of the book. Zelazny at his minimalist best, bringing the world and his protagonist to life.
“Degradation Rites” by Melinda M. Snodgrass is the second stand out story detailing the doomed love affair of Dr. Tachyon. The character of Mrs Renssaeler is beautifully worked and you end up rooting for this tragic young woman as she slowly loses he mind and is pushed over the edge by the HUAC questioning.
“The Long, Dark Night of Dortunato” by Lewis Shiner is also a great read, but very dark and disturbing.
Two other stories that I enjoyed which were just fun were "Shell Games" and "Ghost Girl takes Manhattan"