Suicide Kings | |||||||||
edited by George R.R. Martin, assisted by Melinda M. Snodgrass | |||||||||
Tor, 448 pages | |||||||||
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A review by Nathan Brazil
The main theme of the story opens with a dirty little war, between the PPA, (People's Paradise of Africa), and
Caliphate of Arabia. The PPA is a despotic regime run by corrupt revolutionary siblings, Dr. Nshombo and his
sister Alicia. Think Robert Mugabe, and Idi Amin in drag, for a fair idea of what these two are like. The
Caliphate is under the leadership of Prince Siraj, who was installed earlier in this sequence via the meddling
of British Ace Noel Matthews. As usual when one country interferes in the affairs of another, things haven't
worked out quite as planned. Initially, the Caliphate has military superiority, but this is quickly countered
with Ace power. Not only do the Nshombo's have the world's most powerful Ace, Tom 'Radical' Weathers working
for them, they're also manufacturing new child Aces. It's a process whereby the children of the PPA are forcibly
volunteered, and infected with the Wild Card virus. Most die, or become hideously deformed Jokers. A few
survive, and have powers which are immediately put to work for the revolution. Concurrent with this thread, are
two other themes. One features Michelle 'The Amazing Bubbles' LaFleur, who wakes from her year-long coma due to
powerful dreams projected from a little girl, trapped in a pit of bodies in PPA-controlled Congo. The other theme
also concerns the fate of a young African child, Lucien, who is the pen-pal of Wally 'Rustbelt' Gunderson. Rusty,
as he is most often referred to, hasn't heard from his pal in a while, and persuades fellow Committee Ace
Jerusha 'Gardener' Carter to accompany him on an unofficial mission into PPA territory, in order to determine
Lucien's fate. All three threads include the clandestine activities of former Double Helix agent Noel Matthews,
who has retired to family life, until circumstances force him to act. In particular, when a member of
the committee attempts to embarrass him at a public function, by
revealing his other Ace identities. Unfortunately, the revelation is made to someone in disguise, who is Matthews
nemesis, and potentially the world's worst nightmare.
As might be expected, the main story is by far the most intricately plotted and best executed. It's also the most
fun, and shows off the Wild Cards universe at its best. This is the kind of material which has kept
me reading the series for over twenty years. The two other threads are a mixed bag. I enjoyed the character
development of Rustbelt and Gardner, two of the lesser Ace and Joker/Ace's introduced very recently to
the Wild Cards chronology. Because neither have been around long, the characterization needed to
be strong in order to make readers care, and it certainly did the job. Less satisfying was the thread involving
The Amazing Bubbles, along with the foul-mouthed Hoodoo Mama, and briefly, Bubbles lesbian lover, Ink. For me,
the most interesting of the three is Ink, and she was woefully underused. Hoodoo Mamma, got more page count,
but often came across as being just a sidekick. Try as I did, I still don't like the way The Amazing Bubbles
is presented any more than I did when I first met her, and nothing done here leads me to believe things will
improve. It's a dull character, promoted at the expense of better inventions. What did impress me was the way
that the illustrious Wild Cards history is being bound in with the present, and outstanding
issues resolved. The one big drawback with this, is that whenever characters with gravitas and plenty of prior
appearances take the stage, they can easily eclipse any of the recent gang. Newer readers may have an entirely
different perspective, but I doubt it. Quality always shines through, and what made those characters great in
the first place still remains. An effort has been made to mature the formerly irritating character of
Jonathan 'Bugsy' Hive, and to give depth to the best of the new Aces, Lohengrin. But one look at the closing
credits, where the creators of all the characters are revealed, shows that the most memorable -- old
and new -- are the inventions of the Wild Cards old guard writers. Quite why this should be I
am unsure, as the quality of writing by the newer Wild Cards writers is very much up to standard. Perhaps this
is editor George R.R. Martin's secret superpower.
Suicide Kings keeps the ball in constant motion, and is an immensely enjoyable read. The single serious
negative, in my humble estimation, is the irreversible disposal of the wrong character among the newbies. That
issue aside, my enthusiasm for the series remains undiminished. A new book, Fort Freak, which will follow the
police of Jokertown, is already in planning, and long-time fans will be delighted to know that Tor books
intend to re-release the first three Wild Cards titles, with the first containing three all-new
short stories. In summary, Wild Cards is hands down the best text-based portrayal of superheroes
ever done, and I can unreservedly recommend it to all fans of the genre.
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