Rating: 
Summary: Wild Cards is back!
Review: "Deuces Down" is the sixteenth book in the Wild Cards canon, arriving after a seven-year publishing hiatus that had most fans of this wonderful series assuming that the franchise was pretty much extinct. For those who don't know, Wild Cards is a "shared world" series of book,s by multiple authors, that chronicles the adventures of people with superhuman powers in a "real-world" context. It is, simply, the finest example or prose superhero writing ever produced. (Skip those awful novels and short story collections based on Marvel characters like The Hulk or X-Men -- Wild Cards should be the first choice for the discriminating superhero fan.)"Deuces" is a somewhat modest offering-- seven stories spread throughout history (a la Books One and Thirteen), with the loose theme being "deuces" (Wild Card lingo for characters whose powers are negligable compared to supercharged "aces"). The stories get better as the book progresses, with the opening story by Michael Cassutt being competent but uninteresting, and the final story by Kevin Andrew Murphy being an absolute joy -- partly by virtue of being the only story in the volume set in the present day, allowing longtime fans a glimpse into what the WC universe looks like in the new millennium. Some breif commentary on each story... Cassutt's "Storming Space" is a sequel of sorts to his offering in Book Thirteen. Cassutt's style is good, but his Wild Cards stories are so slight that they almost disappear. He tends to put some interesting things around the edges of his tales, but the actual meat doesn't really satisfy. It makes for an unfortunately modest opener. John Miller's story is more fun. The story's primary flaw is that it gets bogged down in the details of baseball games -- and if you're not a fan of the sport, you might start to doze. However, his characterization of a teenage Digger Downs (a minor character in the series, most enjoyably utilized back in Book Seven) is affectionate and endearing. A good "origin" tale. Walton Simons delivers a limp tale of two rather uninteresting new characters -- somewhat surprisingly, since his two primary Wild Cards creations, Demise and Mr. Nobody, are both great (indeed, both Demise and Nobody are used in "Deuces" by other writers-- and quite entertainingly!). Kind of drab, this one, and like Cassutt's, it's damaged by its feeling vaguely inconsequential. The collection kicks up a notch in its second half, starting with Melinda Snodgrass' wonderful "Face for the Cutting Room Floor," a tale of Wild Cards Hollywood, every bit as good as Kevin Murphy's Hollywood excursion in Book 13. Starring Snodgrass' creation Bradley Finn (a "joker," or character with some unusual physical oddity rather than superpower-- in Finn's case, a body like that of mythical centaurs), it's filled with wonderful humor and clever little twists, as well as great characterization. Daniel Abraham's story "Father Henry's Little Miracle" is quite nice. Abraham is a newcomer to the Wild Card Trust of writers, but he seems utterly confident in spite of this, weaving -- in fantastic prose -- a tale that takes place in the midst of the gang wars from Book Five. Abraham's new character, Father Henry, is fun and instantly likeable, particularly in an entertaining confrontation with Simons' Demise (perfectly characterized here). Stephen Leigh's story, about a bit player from Book Fifteen, is warm, rich and evocative (if rushed in the beginning). Utterly inconsequential to the greater workings of the Wild Card universe, but still a great read in its own right. And it's restrained too-- mercifully not filled to bursting with the grotesquerie of Leigh's Puppetman and Bloat tales from earlier volumes. Kevin Andrew Murphy's concluding story, "With a Flourish and a Flair," is alone worth the price of admission. A meditation on magic -- both real and artificial-- in the Wild Cards universe, it's layered and fascinating. It's also joyously packed with characters, some familiar to WC readers, and some of Murphy's own ingenious design. The "Jokertown Boys" are a fresh and fun new addition to the WC mythos, demanding more screen time in future volumes of the series.
Meanwhile, Murphy gleefully and unrestrainedly tosses in clever references to previous stories and old, half-forgetten characters-- his affection for the intricacies of the Wild Cards practically leaping from every page. "Flourish" makes polishing off this latest Wild Cards volume a pleasure, and leaves the reader starved for the next installment in this happily-returned series.
Rating: 
Summary: The Return of a Great Series
Review: Browsing in a bookstore circa 1986 I came upon the first Wild Cards book. Curious, I bought it . .. and devoured it in a night.That set a patern I would follow with the release of all the subsequent books. The premise, the shared milieu, the contributions of the various writers, the twists, turns, and thrills, it was just so much fun. Like other fans, I was sorry when the series seemed to end, but I understood that the death of Roger Zelazny might want to make the others involved retire the concept. What cause for celebration then to see the Wild Cards resurrected! So, okay, this is not the most exciting entry in the series, dealing as it does with deuces, wild carders who powers seem to be useless. Not so, of course, the authors are quite ingenious at making those useless powers pivotal. There are cameos by some old favorite characters, and the last story, involving a frantic search for a specific top hat, is quite entertaining. But this book does differ from its predecessors in that it does not begin, suspensefully continue, or slam-bang conclude a story arc. I miss that Saturday serial kind of anticipatory excitement, and uneasily wonder if that means the series will not be continued any time soon. If not, too bad. I always left the Wild Cards world wanting more. I always hoped for a story about the Harlem Hammer, or the Troll, and like most fans, wondered whatever happened next to the Radical. C'mon, George R. R. Martin and co., don't leave us hanging!
Rating:
Summary: The Return of a Great Series
Review: Don't get me wrong, I have read all the wild card series to include the Card Sharks series. But these collection of short stories were just plain terrible. I think Deuces Down describes the writers better than it does the stories. The authors just showed that they don't know how to write a short story and most stories you just plain don't care about the chars or the story. I was very mad about one story that wasted my time being a BASEBALL story and almost nothing else. There is only one story that is only Ok but it includes a well know char from the series. Most of the others were just below average to bad, hoping that putting some named Aces and other chars from the main series would make the story . . . well it didn't. the sad part is that if you are a fan of the Wild Card Series, you will have to buy this bad read anyway since this is the first fix we have had in over 10 years for our Wild Card addiction.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish the title was Deuces down, writing down
Review: Don't get me wrong, I have read all the wild card series to include the Card Sharks series. But these collection of short stories were just plain terrible. I think Deuces Down describes the writers better than it does the stories. The authors just showed that they don't know how to write a short story and most stories you just plain don't care about the chars or the story. I was very mad about one story that wasted my time being a BASEBALL story and almost nothing else. There is only one story that is only Ok but it includes a well know char from the series. Most of the others were just below average to bad, hoping that putting some named Aces and other chars from the main series would make the story . . . well it didn't. the sad part is that if you are a fan of the Wild Card Series, you will have to buy this bad read anyway since this is the first fix we have had in over 10 years for our Wild Card addiction.
Rating:
Summary: New Wild Cards
Review: First things first. If you haven't read the previous books in this series, don't buy this one. Don't even bother reading this review. Check out the reviews for the first book and take it from there. The stories in this volume contain so many references to characters and events developed in earlier books that some bits won't make sense unless you're well versed in Wild Card lore. Also, if you're a fan of George R. R. Martin's work in the Song of Ice and Fire stories, you should know that the Wild Cards series is nothing like that. Martin does write a fair amount of material, particularly in the earlier volumes of the series, but this is a peculiar kind of science fiction without any of the elements that have made Ice and Fire so popular. Fans of the series may find this new book disappointing. The theme is "deuces" --- wild cards with minor or even seemingly silly abilities --- and the stories are set in different time periods, from the late sixties till the present day. Although the title page carries the usual "mosaic novel" tag, this is really an anthology of seven stories, and since there is no connecting narrative or sequence of events to tie the pieces together, the book lacks the impact of earlier volumes. Part of the genius of the "mosaic novel" concept was the cumulative effect of several shorter pieces that fit smoothly into a greater whole, and that is noticeably absent here. That's not to say that there is isn't the usual fine writing. I was particularly impressed by first time contributor David Abraham's story, which is touching, suspenseful, and moving. John J. Miller provides a brilliant baseball story, and Melinda Snodgrass's Hollywood tale is enjoyable. Kevin Andrew Murphy's piece is the weakest; although it bristles with fascinating ideas, the plot lumbers along and doesn't quite support the weight of the concepts. Michael Cassutt's and Walton Simons's contributions are good, but not spectacular; and Stephen Leigh's story is slightly below par for him. Of course this is essential reading, but not quite up to the standard set by earlier books, particularly Volumes 1-7. It would have been more satisfying if the stories had been connected in some way to provide the extra punch of the "mosaic novel."
Rating:
Summary: Where's the "Mosaic"?
Review: First things first. If you haven't read the previous books in this series, don't buy this one. Don't even bother reading this review. Check out the reviews for the first book and take it from there. The stories in this volume contain so many references to characters and events developed in earlier books that some bits won't make sense unless you're well versed in Wild Card lore. Also, if you're a fan of George R. R. Martin's work in the Song of Ice and Fire stories, you should know that the Wild Cards series is nothing like that. Martin does write a fair amount of material, particularly in the earlier volumes of the series, but this is a peculiar kind of science fiction without any of the elements that have made Ice and Fire so popular. Fans of the series may find this new book disappointing. The theme is "deuces" --- wild cards with minor or even seemingly silly abilities --- and the stories are set in different time periods, from the late sixties till the present day. Although the title page carries the usual "mosaic novel" tag, this is really an anthology of seven stories, and since there is no connecting narrative or sequence of events to tie the pieces together, the book lacks the impact of earlier volumes. Part of the genius of the "mosaic novel" concept was the cumulative effect of several shorter pieces that fit smoothly into a greater whole, and that is noticeably absent here. That's not to say that there is isn't the usual fine writing. I was particularly impressed by first time contributor David Abraham's story, which is touching, suspenseful, and moving. John J. Miller provides a brilliant baseball story, and Melinda Snodgrass's Hollywood tale is enjoyable. Kevin Andrew Murphy's piece is the weakest; although it bristles with fascinating ideas, the plot lumbers along and doesn't quite support the weight of the concepts. Michael Cassutt's and Walton Simons's contributions are good, but not spectacular; and Stephen Leigh's story is slightly below par for him. Of course this is essential reading, but not quite up to the standard set by earlier books, particularly Volumes 1-7. It would have been more satisfying if the stories had been connected in some way to provide the extra punch of the "mosaic novel."
Rating:
Summary: 3.5 stars really ... Worth a read...
Review: It was nice to visit the wild cards again... especially the Sleeper... However it was a bit sad knowing that Zelazny was not at the helm of that story... I also miss the Turtle and some of the other gang... but i guess this was a book for the deuces... i hope that there is another effort to revitalise this series. with GRR Martin's massive popularity (very deserved i might add) there should be an effot to get some writters together and have some adventures... Now that the jumpers and the rox is gone, hopefully we can get back to the 3 books per villain structure... although it will be hard to top the astromomer, or the swarm... It was nice to go back and visit again... but next time i want aces and jokers...
Rating:
Summary: 3.5 stars really ... Worth a read...
Review: It was nice to visit the wild cards again... especially the Sleeper... However it was a bit sad knowing that Zelazny was not at the helm of that story... I also miss the Turtle and some of the other gang... but i guess this was a book for the deuces... i hope that there is another effort to revitalise this series. with GRR Martin's massive popularity (very deserved i might add) there should be an effot to get some writters together and have some adventures... Now that the jumpers and the rox is gone, hopefully we can get back to the 3 books per villain structure... although it will be hard to top the astromomer, or the swarm... It was nice to go back and visit again... but next time i want aces and jokers...
Rating:
Summary: One story stands out.
Review: My perspective on this collection of stories is different than the other reviewers,because this is the first and only collection from the Wild Card series that I have read. To be honest, I did not think much of the stories in general, but one story stood out as excellent. Daniel Abraham's story, "Father Henry's Little Miracle" is the best short story I have read in sometime. The two main characters of the story are Father Henry and Gina. When I had read the story, I really wanted to take Father Henry out for a beer, and I really wanted to sleep with Gina.
Rating:
Summary: One story stands out.
Review: My perspective on this collection of stories is different than the other reviewers,because this is the first and only collection from the Wild Card series that I have read. To be honest, I did not think much of the stories in general, but one story stood out as excellent. Daniel Abraham's story, "Father Henry's Little Miracle" is the best short story I have read in sometime. The two main characters of the story are Father Henry and Gina. When I had read the story, I really wanted to take Father Henry out for a beer, and I really wanted to sleep with Gina.
| 
