George RR Martin! For most now, this name means Games and Thrones and Dragons!
But he actually has another series that has been running since 1987! The Wild Cards series! Edited, overseen and mostly masterminded by Martin, this series explores an America hit by an alien virus in 1946 - killing most, twisting and mutating many (jokers), and… granting super-powers to a few (aces). It's a very different history, with real super-heroes and real super-villains at large! And let me tell you, it's not all justice league fun and avengers games - this is a gritty, violent, and intense series.
Full House is book 30 in the Wild Cards series and it's very good - but these disclaimers for the unwary:
1. This book is NOT the usual Wild Cards "mosaic novel" - it's an anthology.
2. This book is NOT new-reader friendly.
So, in turn -
1. "Full House" is a collection of ten separate short stories set within the Wild Cards continuity. In the scheme of the series, this book is numbered as volume 30, but that's a bit deceptive. Originally appearing on the publisher's website (torpublishinggroup.com) between 2012 and 2019, the stories in this book key into the various coinciding WC volumes to greater and lessor degrees, from 2009's Suicide Kings to 2016's High Stakes. This is the second WC story-collection, after 2002's Deuces Down, and like that volume, all these stories are complete within themselves and stand alone - they don't weave together, there is no over-all narrative.
The ten stories are all very good, are all solidly told, strike different tones and in just about every case give deeper insight into supporting characters (in the case of the final story, even introduce a new character). Croyd Crenson, an old fave, and Rusty Gunderson, a more recent fave, make strong appearances in two each of the ten tales, much to my happiness. I enjoyed each story, no weak points among the ten, and enjoyed the different moods and directions, from mystery, horror, humor, and emotional slice of life.
2. Full House is, in a way, a retrospective. The stories comprising the book were current to the moment when they originally appeared (2012-2019), but collected now, they reflect backwards over the past ten years of the WC series. They deal with characters and events current then, fresh then, new then. And because they are, after all, short stories, they move quickly, tell their tale and are done. Meaning - there's no catch-up for a brand new reader, no who's-who, no "Previously in the Wild Cards" recap to get everybody up to speed - you either know what's going on and what events characters are referencing, or you don't. If you don't, you will be lost. Sorry. (There are several fan websites and wikis that can get you up to speed and fill in any gaps.)
Adding to the above, oddly, the stories are not presented here in chronological order, so things are jumbled about even more continuity-wise (in one story, the character Drummer Boy suffers a serious, life-altering tragedy, and in the next, he's out on the road with his band). This particularly strikes me as a weird publishing decision - why the random shuffle, guys? Wouldn't it have made more sense and been just as easy to stack the deck in order? It wouldn't have done a lot, but it might have done a little, to help new readers have a little consistency.
In summation - Full House gives us ten really good Wild Cards stories, and makes these ten available in print-form for the first time (there are plenty more, something like 23 WC stories have graced the Tor website, so more books like this one will likely follow). Each story takes us a little bit deeper into the lives of aces and jokers from the past ten years, and illuminates some corners of the Wild Cards world. For those in the know, a nice addition. But tricky as a starting point…
Have you read this book? Get it here in the Library! Do you agree with the review above, or disagree? Share your thoughts!
