Edited by George R. R. Martin, with the assistance of Melinda M. Snodgrass
Authors - George R. R. Martin, Howard Waldrop, Roger Zelazny, Walter Jon Williams, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Michael Cassut, David D. Levine, Lewis Shiner, Victor Milan, Edward Bryant & Leanne C. Harper, Stephen Leigh, Carrie Vaughn, and John J. Miller
Shortly after World War II, an alien virus is released over New York City. The virus immediately kills 90% of those infected, and the remaining people develop strange mutations, some that resemble superpowers, and others that are disfiguring and possibly dangerous. This begins an alternate history which these "Wild Cards" affect the world as we know it - for better or worse.
This book is a collection of interrelated short stories that build on each other and create an alternate history. Its referred to as a "mosaic novel" because each story and each author fit another piece into the world to build an overall picture of the universe. It's actually a really cool concept. Some characters appear in several stories as time goes by in the book. Many references are made to earlier material and it really feels like individual pieces of a greater story - very much like a Marvel Comics series might contribute to the overall Marvel Universe. Clever idea!
If you're looking for something totally complete in this volume, this book may not be for you - this is the beginning of a universe. Many of these characters will appear again and again and their stories will build across multiple volumes of this series and they will develop further. Also, many of the stories in this volume have a background that's very political in nature (McCarthyism, New York politics, drug culture, and more). If you don't want to explore how those events might have influenced or been influenced by the actions of these characters, maybe this book isn't for you.
With all of that said, there are several fascinating characters in this book and I look forward to seeing where they go and meeting more of them in subsequent books. Roger Zelazny's character "the Sleeper" is a man who wakes up with a new appearance and set of powers after each time he sleeps. His story is focused on dealing with these powers and helping his family survive the challenges in the wake of Wild Card Day. He also appears a few more times in the book in small roles, but I was always happy to see what he was up to. Fortunato (Lewis Shiner)is really a New York pimp who discovers "Sorcerer Supreme" type powers through Tantric sex. Believe it or not, he's actually a sympathetic character and I'm curious to see where his story goes. Other characters are the Puppetman (written by Stephen Leigh) who can push people to commit actions that are their dark desires; Sewer Jack (Victor Milan) who can shapechange into an alligator in the New York sewers; and the Great and Powerful Turtle (Martin, himself) who is a powerful telekinetic who conceals himself inside a "shell" of steel hovering over the city.
I recently read the Expanded Edition of this book that includes three new stories added in 2010. I hadn't read any of these authors (David D. Levine, Micheal Cassutt, and Carrie Vaughn) previously and I enjoyed the new additions for the most part. Cassut's story felt a little flat to me and dealt with Hollywood in the 1950s (think of the movie <I>Hollywoodland</I>). Vaughn's story was fun with a lot of the feel of the movie <I>Adventures in Babysitting</I> as a young girl takes a one-night journey through the seedier parts of New York and finally puts her powers to use. Not sure if any of these characters will appear again since they were late additions, but it might be fun to see Ghost Girl again at least.
I feel this book, if not the series as a whole, is one of the most successful at using this interlaced format to tell stories. It truly is a shared universe with each author adding to the mythos, and able to "borrow" other characters occasionally to keep things unified. It provides for a lot of variety in storytelling from very dark and violent stories to those that are lighter and have a humorous tone. I can see where some readers might feel this is inconsistent, but I feel it gives variety and a relief from the darker tales. There are also a lot of homages to comic books, classic and more modern in this collection as well that will delight some readers with a "wink wink nod nod" sensability.
In addition to the stories themselves, there are several "interludes" included that mirror articles in popular publications like <I>Rolling Stone</I> magazine or the <I>New York Times</I>. There's even an appendix excerpting scientific journals discussing the nature of the Wild Card virus itself. These serve to cement the stories in history and give a framework to the changes in the world. Some are more successful than others, but it was a fun concept that I felt added to the feel of the book.
I felt this was a wonderful start to the universe and can be enjoyed by fans of comics or even straight science fiction.
