Customer Reviews

Double Solitaire (Wild Cards, No. 10)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It's odd, that with all of the great SF writers who took part in the Wild Cards series--editor George R.R. Martin, Chris Claremont, Walter Jon Williams, even the late, great Roger Zelazny--the two people who got to write entire books by themselves were the two most irritating writers in the entire series, Victor Milan and Melinda Snodgrass. Both writers are technically accomplished hacks whose characters and themes echo some of the most tired cliches of science fiction and fantasy fan-written stories, aka fanfic.

Snodgrass is probably best known for having been a writer and story editor on Star Trek: The Next Generation. After series creator Gene Roddenberry died, Snodgrass took the opportunity to insult Roddenberry's memory a couple of times in public, apparently because she disagreed with him about certain aspects of the characters. Based on the example of this book, keeping Snodgrass from ruining TNG was probably the second-best thing that Gene Roddenberry ever did.

Snodgrass seems to generally write in the manner of a bad fanfic author whose technical skill conceals, up to a point, her shoddy plotting and view of human interpersonal relations that is second only to John Norman's Gor books for sheer hideousness. Just to give you an idea of how bad her characterization is, let me tell you how the book starts out (not really a spoiler, since it's the basic premise of the book): Dr. Tachyon, an alien who is the central figure of the entire Wild Cards series, has had his mind transferred into the body of a young girl, following which he is savagely and repeatedly raped by his psychopathic grandson Blaise, who then steals Tachyon's living starship and goes off to conquer Tachyon's home planet of Takis. A pregnant Tachyon is going after Blaise to stop him--oh, did I mention that the fetus is telepathic? No, I'm not kidding, that's how the book starts out, and it gets worse as it goes along. You don't even want to know about the relationship between Tachyon and his evil cousin Zabb.

Amazingly, even after this book, Snodgrass was permitted to continue contributing to Wild Cards. Her later stories included a cute centaur who has sex with human women. Somewhere in fanspace, Ensign Mary Sue is beside herself with jealousy. I sure hope that John J. Miller's solo Wild Cards book is better than this.

I was almost scared off from reading this by other reviews. However, I did read it and enjoyed it. Finally, we see Takisian society and that other great space-faring society of which Jubal is a member. The character depictions were heartfelt and sincere. Dr. T is treated well this outing compared with the higher-rated previous novel. Everything wraps up nicely and we actually have a happy ending for one of my favorite characters-- Popinjay. This was a nice break from the bleak and depressing storyline that is developing back on Earth. I recommend this book.

I think this book was one of the Best in the series. For once we get to actually see some of the characters work together and go through a whole book together.The Book holds to much information to understand the rest of the series to skip and is very good>>

First of all.. I LOVE the Wild Cards...but...

I would rather get the Wild Card Virus than read this again....

Skip this and read #11 and you wont even notice that there was a book in the
middle...Its just a story about Tachyon on his home planet trapped in the girls body.
There is none of the best Wild Card Characters (with the exception of a few one
liners from Poppin-Jay)Its very annoying seeing Tachyon raped and abused in his
time as a woman...and i wont spoil the ending but let me assure you that it is far
from climactic...

This book is the only major blemish on the wild card series...

even GRRM admits that the jumpers were a mis-step in this series...

End of story...

destroy this book if you have it so no-one else can ever read it...Go buy the new
Dueces Down... It was a nice read...

I am a long-time, HARDCORE fan of this old-but-still-good series. I've loved them since a friend first introduced the series to me waaaaay back in 1988 (OMG...was that really 17 years ago?!).

I was absolutely thrilled to learn that the series was being reissued, so a whole new generation of readers could enjoy it. And now I don't have to risk loaning out my own treasured out of print editions!

I hate to be a party pooper, but this book is actually my favorite of the entire old and new series. Part of the reason I loved this one so much is because it focuses almost entirely on my favorite character, Dr. Tachyon. And I really enjoyed the fact that it's a novel written by a single author (Melinda Snodgrass), rather than the usual anthology format of the rest of the series.

For me, it was really refreshing to be able to follow a single storyline for an extended time, rather than a short story. One of my (very tiny) complaints about the series was usually that my attention span was longer than the stories; they usually ended right when I was getting really into them! I was always eager to spend more time developing and expanding a single character or plotline, so this was a nice break.

Yes, some of the more violent scenes (like Tachyon's unwilling body swap and subsequent rape at the hands of his jumper grandson, Blaise) I could have done without, but honestly, they were no more violent or graphic than other Wild Cards stories in the series. The whole Mark-Meadows-in-Vietnam thing from Wild Cards XII was worse, if you ask me.

Anyway, as one of only two single-author volumes in the series (the other is Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards, by Victor Milan), it's a nice change of pace. I highly recommend it, and all of the others in this still-engaging series.

It is poor characterization when the characters switch alliances in the blink of an eye... or at least it seems that fast because the passage of time is not at all communicated except at the end of the novel when someone mentions that they have been at Takis for a year.

Plenty of plot holes as well. Like for instance, there were still jumpers around at the start of the novel. Why didn't Tach do a 3-way jump with someone so he didn't have to travel to Takis in Kelly's body... like an extremely powerful ace... The Great and Powerful Turtle comes to mind. He could have gone to Takis and cleaned house instead of spending most of his time in the maternity ward.

Finally, the ending was not very good. There was no real payoff to all the soap opera meandering of the first 90% of the novel... a quick space battle and a phantom menace style raid on Blaise's hq. Insert plot twist that anyone would have seen coming. Done.

This is definitely the worst Wild Cards novel. Pretty much completely and utterly Tachyon focused again. Blaise, a psycho who now decides being a conqueror would be a good idea, steals Tachyon's ship Baby and heads for Takis. Yep, he's crazy.

The whole Jumper thing sees Tachyon in the body of a woman, and Blaise can do whatever he likes to such a vulnerable creature. Rape, impregnate, the whole deal. And on Takis, women are definitely second class citizens.

So, some Takisian politics and intrigue, a look at the background of Xenovirus Takis-A, and of Jubal the odd joker who isn't a joker.

I love the wild-card series. I hated Double Solitaire.

The wild card series is a mosaic plot - a collection of authors writing about the same world. It worked great with the Man Kzin Wars (friends of Larry Niven) and in Wild Card Books 1-9.
Unfortunately, this book isn't a mosaic novel. Even less forturnate, Melinda Snodgrass is the author. Ms Snodgrass is better suited to writing cheap romances or mercenary soldier books. She should never have been let near this plot. The wild card talent in this book is rape, physical and mental. Naturally, the physical rapes described in loving detail. Dr. Tachyon is transformed from a flawed hero-type into woman-as-victim. My reactions went from impatience to distaste and finally to boredom. Couldn't finish the damn thing. This book will appeal to friends of the author - maybe.
Get the series, get the black trump trilogy, but skip this one.

I love the Wild Card series to an embarrassing degree. There's something about clever, wise people having such fun from such ludicrous premises that gets to me. But this book I couldn't finish. Reading it is like being trapped in a room with a bad comedian for hour upon tedious hour.

It's not a good book.