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Wild Cards #23.1
The Thing about Growing Up in Jokertown
The Wild Cards universe has been thrilling readers for over 25 years. In Carrie Vaughn's "The Thing about Growing Up in Jokertown," a group of teenage jokers yearn to explore outside the confines of their strange little neighborhood and get a real taste of the Big Apple.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 21, 2016
22 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Vaughn
282 books4,549 followersCarrie Vaughn is the author more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories. She's best known for her New York Times bestselling series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. In 2018, she won the Philip K. Dick Award for Bannerless, a post-apocalyptic murder mystery. She's published over 20 novels and 100 short stories, two of which have been finalists for the Hugo Award. She's a contributor to the Wild Cards series of shared world superhero books edited by George R. R. Martin and a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop.
An Air Force brat, she survived her nomadic childhood and managed to put down roots in Boulder, Colorado, where she collects hobbies.
Visit her at www.carrievaughn.com
For writing advice and essays, check out her Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/carrievaughn
An Air Force brat, she survived her nomadic childhood and managed to put down roots in Boulder, Colorado, where she collects hobbies.
Visit her at www.carrievaughn.com
For writing advice and essays, check out her Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/carrievaughn
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 20, 2021
We’re not in Jokertown anymore.
First off, we’re the only jokers in sight. All kinds of people fill the sidewalks, rushing back and forth to wherever. Young, old, men, women, all ethnicities, in suits and skirts and raggedy jeans and workout clothes. None of them are jokers. It’s actually weird, seeing so many people and not a scale or tentacle in sight.
hey, just me again over here reviewing my weekly tor short a little bit behind schedule.
last week was another week sans a new shorty dropping, but now that i can hang with y'all wild cards kids, i have ample oldies from which to choose, like this charmer of a tale.
since i had been so mystified years ago reading Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza before i was initiated into the wild cards-verse, i decided to read this one, also penned by carrie vaughn, with my newfound understanding of what this world is all about.
and it is a delightful, almost YA-feeling romp of a story, full of the wholesome energy and feel-good vibes that are What We Need Right Now.
it's a reasonably self-contained/self-explanatory story, so even if you are completely new to wild cards (or someone like me, with a whopping 4 WC stories under yer figurative belt), you won't be out of your depth here. sure, the specific details might be unfamiliar, but the woes of the adolescent experience are pretty much universal.
I’m sixteen, and near as I can figure all my friends and I do is worry. What are we gonna be when we grow up, who’s gonna ask us to prom, how the hell do you fit in when you don’t look like anybody else in the whole world. We’ve got a lot to worry about.
the worriers in this case are a group of four joker pals: a gentle fuzzy giant with horns and claws called beastie, splat (née franklin steinberg); who can flatten his body out bonelessly, kris; whose skin is a color-shifting human mood ring, and our narrator miranda; who is built like a whippet with mongoose-like fangs earning her the nickname rikki. and rikki can RUN.
they all live in jokertown on the lower east side, whose residents enjoy a lovely sense of community rooted in their shared-but-varied afflictions, and there's a real old timey small-neighborhood vibe to the place, marred only by the occasional gawking tourists.
Jokertown gives you some weird ideas of what’s normal, but if you never leave, you never need everybody else’s normal. Normal normal.
still, part of growing up is a restless yearning for new experiences beyond the hometown's borders, and rikki's particular joker-trait makes her especially restless—barred from competing in high school track because of her unfair advantage against the nats, she's longing to release some of that pent-up running energy and just ...GO!
There’s gotta be something out there for me to do, where I can run and have it be useful and not just some weird joker trick.
to that end, the foursome decide to take the subway to central park, and, after braving the stares of commuters, they have a fine day in the sprawling privacy of cultivated nature and rikki does indeed find something useful to do with her gift.
i liked this one very much, and i'm glad i was able to right the wrong i'd previously done to carrie vaughn. her relief, is, i am sure, immense.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2016/12/21/the-th...
come to my blog!
January 10, 2017
Review first published on Fantasy Literature:
In this fairly lighthearted short story, a Tor.com online freebie, we enter the WILD CARDS universe, originally based on a role-playing game, developed into a story concept by George R.R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass, and now shared by some thirty authors. In this alternative history, an airborne alien virus that was released after WWII has spread worldwide. The virus kills 90% of the humans who come into contact with it and mutates the rest, with 9% (the “jokers”) developing useless and/or repulsive deformities and just 1% (the “aces”) gaining superpowers without an adverse effect on their appearance.
Miranda, known as Rikki, lives in Jokertown, a community on the outskirts of New York City where Aces and Jokers have gathered to live among their own kind and avoid the stares and prejudices of natural people (the “nats”). Rikki’s parents both have the wild card mutation ― her mother is a woman with an octopus’ bottom half who delights in startling sightseeing nats who come into the convenience store where she works ― so she inherited her wild card gene from them. Rikki has superspeed, but she’s burdened by a whippet’s shape, with a miniscule waist and barrel chest, as well the mongoose-like fangs that led to her nickname.
Rikki and her group of teenage friends, all jokers as well, are restless within the safe confines of Jokertown. So Rikki talks the group into taking an excursion to Central Park, which they’ve never seen before. It’s an amusing tale, a little slight and predictable, but charmingly told, and given some depth by the group’s universal desire to spread their wings, despite their fears of trouble from those who aren’t like them. And the unusual (semi) superpowers of Rikki’s group of friends are captivating.
In this fairly lighthearted short story, a Tor.com online freebie, we enter the WILD CARDS universe, originally based on a role-playing game, developed into a story concept by George R.R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass, and now shared by some thirty authors. In this alternative history, an airborne alien virus that was released after WWII has spread worldwide. The virus kills 90% of the humans who come into contact with it and mutates the rest, with 9% (the “jokers”) developing useless and/or repulsive deformities and just 1% (the “aces”) gaining superpowers without an adverse effect on their appearance.
Miranda, known as Rikki, lives in Jokertown, a community on the outskirts of New York City where Aces and Jokers have gathered to live among their own kind and avoid the stares and prejudices of natural people (the “nats”). Rikki’s parents both have the wild card mutation ― her mother is a woman with an octopus’ bottom half who delights in startling sightseeing nats who come into the convenience store where she works ― so she inherited her wild card gene from them. Rikki has superspeed, but she’s burdened by a whippet’s shape, with a miniscule waist and barrel chest, as well the mongoose-like fangs that led to her nickname.
Rikki and her group of teenage friends, all jokers as well, are restless within the safe confines of Jokertown. So Rikki talks the group into taking an excursion to Central Park, which they’ve never seen before. It’s an amusing tale, a little slight and predictable, but charmingly told, and given some depth by the group’s universal desire to spread their wings, despite their fears of trouble from those who aren’t like them. And the unusual (semi) superpowers of Rikki’s group of friends are captivating.
February 3, 2017
But if both your parents are wild carders? If they both have the virus, and therefore the gene is written into their DNA? You’re gonna have the gene, and you get the same odds as anyone who gets the virus: ninety percent chance of death. One percent chance of becoming an ace. Nine percent chance of being a human whippet, or octopus mermaid, or whatever.
Jokertown gives you some weird ideas of what’s normal, but if you never leave, you never need everybody else’s normal. Normal normal.
“It’s a free country,” Beastie says. Out of us all, he looks like the monster, but he’s the calmest. The most sensible, even. He only scares people when they deserve it. “We’re not in a cage. We can go anywhere we want.”
“Yeah, right,” Splat says, laughing.
We all know what he means: Sure, it’s not like there are any laws that say a bunch of joker kids can’t go walking up Broadway and then buy a hot dog and hang out in Times Square like anyone else. But hardly anyone actually does it. People would stare. We might not be able to find someone to actually sell us a hot dog. Splat would do okay; so would Kris. But Beastie? Me? A cop or two would start tailing us, and maybe even stop us and ask questions. What’re you kids doing so far from home? —because they wouldn’t have to ask where we’re from. And if we were lucky, the encounter would end with them saying, “Maybe you kids ought to get on home before you get in trouble,” and there’d be just a little bit of a threat in the statement.
Read the story here
You are dropped into this world without much explanation but just enough was hinted at for me to enjoy the story and for none of that to be an issue.
This was so much fun :) Wish this had been longer so I could spend more time with these people... hopefully they show up again in one of these Wild Card volumes.
Seems I have some catching up to do haha
Jokertown gives you some weird ideas of what’s normal, but if you never leave, you never need everybody else’s normal. Normal normal.
“It’s a free country,” Beastie says. Out of us all, he looks like the monster, but he’s the calmest. The most sensible, even. He only scares people when they deserve it. “We’re not in a cage. We can go anywhere we want.”
“Yeah, right,” Splat says, laughing.
We all know what he means: Sure, it’s not like there are any laws that say a bunch of joker kids can’t go walking up Broadway and then buy a hot dog and hang out in Times Square like anyone else. But hardly anyone actually does it. People would stare. We might not be able to find someone to actually sell us a hot dog. Splat would do okay; so would Kris. But Beastie? Me? A cop or two would start tailing us, and maybe even stop us and ask questions. What’re you kids doing so far from home? —because they wouldn’t have to ask where we’re from. And if we were lucky, the encounter would end with them saying, “Maybe you kids ought to get on home before you get in trouble,” and there’d be just a little bit of a threat in the statement.
Read the story here
You are dropped into this world without much explanation but just enough was hinted at for me to enjoy the story and for none of that to be an issue.
This was so much fun :) Wish this had been longer so I could spend more time with these people... hopefully they show up again in one of these Wild Card volumes.
Seems I have some catching up to do haha
March 5, 2022
I eat like a vulture. Unfortunately, the resemblance doesn't end there.
Groucho Marx
This Tor.com shorty is part of the Wild Cards series...where, sometime in the 1940's, the world was affected by a virus which caused mutations in some people. Worth reading George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards if you're interested.
This, I think, is a thinly veiled lesson on the evils of bigotry, prejudice is bad, don't be racist, yadda, yadda, yadda. It must be aimed at juveniles because I felt I was being lectured by a kindergarten teacher.
Groucho Marx
This Tor.com shorty is part of the Wild Cards series...where, sometime in the 1940's, the world was affected by a virus which caused mutations in some people. Worth reading George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards if you're interested.
This, I think, is a thinly veiled lesson on the evils of bigotry, prejudice is bad, don't be racist, yadda, yadda, yadda. It must be aimed at juveniles because I felt I was being lectured by a kindergarten teacher.
October 12, 2019
Carrie Vaughn does it again! The Thing About Growing Up in Jokertown tells the story of four adolescents who have never been outside their own community in New York. They live in (you guessed it) Jokertown, a place reserved by default for the more freakish victims of the Wild Card virus. In less kind terms, it's a slum. They decide to visit Central Park, as they've never been. Adventure ensues.
June 7, 2018
The Thing About Growing up In Jokertown, is another short story single from Carrie Vaughn, set in the Wild Cards universe.
This is a very nice slice of life story. Is it huge and impactful? No. Is it needed for previous continuity? No. What it is, is a low key story that touches the heart in all the right places.
Sort of a coming of age story about the young people of Jokertown, that lower Manhattan neighborhood that those lucky enough to survive the Wild Card Virus, but unlucky enough to turn over a Joker, call home. What makes this story of Jokertown different from some others however, is that this isn’t about the more well know villains or heroes of that place. Rather, it is about the everyday people who call Jokertown home. We see that though this “Bad Neighborhood” may be home to gangs and powerful friends and enemies, it is also the home of families that just try to get by and raise their kids.
This is the story of one of those kids: Miranda Michaelson, known to friends and family as Rikki, for her Mongoose-like looks. She is in her own way one of the “special” Jokers, those with a super power to go with the freaky appearance that normal “Nats” find frightening or offensive. She is super-fast. But what good is it when you are 15 years old, and can’t even go out for the track team at school because you would have an unfair advantage?
Rikki is her parent’s miracle baby. She was born with the Wild Card, because both parents are Jokers. She lived; her mom and dad look at her as the most important thing they ever made. They worry about her on the gang infested streets at night, but are lifted up because she’s such a good and sweet girl.
But for Rikki, a 15 year old girl that can run the length of the city in an hour if she wanted, the little Jokertown New York environment is like a prison. There must be more. I have never even set foot out of Jokertown, she thinks. A whole legendary town is only a short subway ride (or a super quick run for her) away.
The story kicks into its main focus as she hangs with her posse of fellow Joker teens; good kids who are just wondering how to spend a warm day in the city. We meet Rikki’s friends:, Kris, Beastie, and Splat.
Kris: a teenaged girl whose skin changes color at the slightest change in her mood or feelings. She is always hiding her face and arms in her hoodie. Imagine being a teenager unable to cover up the slightest change in emotion. That’s Kris.
Beastie: he could be a star on his high school football team. He loves football. But he can’t play because people fear his strength and size. Covered in hair with horns sprouting from his head, he is what would be an obvious Joker-Ace, with super human strength and durability. People are frightened of him, but his friends know he’s the gentlest of any kid at school.
Splat: you would think he has it easy. He looks pretty much like any Nat. But his Ace is a Deuce. He can flatten himself against anything like water spilled on the floor, but he is completely helpless in this state. For him it’s like being given a power to do nothing but be annoying to his friends. That is his power.
Hanging out in a tiny park on a warm day puts ideas in Rikki’s head. The idea she would like to see Central Park! Turns out none of her friends have ever been there either. Why not us Rikki thinks, we aren’t breaking a law by going, and have just as much right as anyone else to head north to the playground of the city. Thus begins a trip on the subway and on foot to see what they can see.
This is a gentle adventure, and our hero Rikki discovers that she has more to offer and be than just a store clerk in Jokertown. She wants to live and see and be and help the world around her. This is the story of a kid making her parents proud, by being what and who she is; but also looking for more.
This is a very nice slice of life story. Is it huge and impactful? No. Is it needed for previous continuity? No. What it is, is a low key story that touches the heart in all the right places.
Sort of a coming of age story about the young people of Jokertown, that lower Manhattan neighborhood that those lucky enough to survive the Wild Card Virus, but unlucky enough to turn over a Joker, call home. What makes this story of Jokertown different from some others however, is that this isn’t about the more well know villains or heroes of that place. Rather, it is about the everyday people who call Jokertown home. We see that though this “Bad Neighborhood” may be home to gangs and powerful friends and enemies, it is also the home of families that just try to get by and raise their kids.
This is the story of one of those kids: Miranda Michaelson, known to friends and family as Rikki, for her Mongoose-like looks. She is in her own way one of the “special” Jokers, those with a super power to go with the freaky appearance that normal “Nats” find frightening or offensive. She is super-fast. But what good is it when you are 15 years old, and can’t even go out for the track team at school because you would have an unfair advantage?
Rikki is her parent’s miracle baby. She was born with the Wild Card, because both parents are Jokers. She lived; her mom and dad look at her as the most important thing they ever made. They worry about her on the gang infested streets at night, but are lifted up because she’s such a good and sweet girl.
But for Rikki, a 15 year old girl that can run the length of the city in an hour if she wanted, the little Jokertown New York environment is like a prison. There must be more. I have never even set foot out of Jokertown, she thinks. A whole legendary town is only a short subway ride (or a super quick run for her) away.
The story kicks into its main focus as she hangs with her posse of fellow Joker teens; good kids who are just wondering how to spend a warm day in the city. We meet Rikki’s friends:, Kris, Beastie, and Splat.
Kris: a teenaged girl whose skin changes color at the slightest change in her mood or feelings. She is always hiding her face and arms in her hoodie. Imagine being a teenager unable to cover up the slightest change in emotion. That’s Kris.
Beastie: he could be a star on his high school football team. He loves football. But he can’t play because people fear his strength and size. Covered in hair with horns sprouting from his head, he is what would be an obvious Joker-Ace, with super human strength and durability. People are frightened of him, but his friends know he’s the gentlest of any kid at school.
Splat: you would think he has it easy. He looks pretty much like any Nat. But his Ace is a Deuce. He can flatten himself against anything like water spilled on the floor, but he is completely helpless in this state. For him it’s like being given a power to do nothing but be annoying to his friends. That is his power.
Hanging out in a tiny park on a warm day puts ideas in Rikki’s head. The idea she would like to see Central Park! Turns out none of her friends have ever been there either. Why not us Rikki thinks, we aren’t breaking a law by going, and have just as much right as anyone else to head north to the playground of the city. Thus begins a trip on the subway and on foot to see what they can see.
This is a gentle adventure, and our hero Rikki discovers that she has more to offer and be than just a store clerk in Jokertown. She wants to live and see and be and help the world around her. This is the story of a kid making her parents proud, by being what and who she is; but also looking for more.
December 21, 2016
A pretty great short story. Story is about a Rikki who is a joker (body shaped like a Whippet) who lives in Jokertown. Rikki and her friends take a trip to Central Park. Even though no major events happen with in this story. Its get to get another view into the Wild Cards universe. So far I have really enjoyed what I have read within the Wild Cards universe. Hope Tor releases more stories. Especially the novels that are currently out of print.
January 5, 2017
Great voice. Fun. Understated.
January 19, 2025
Four Joker teenagers decide to go uptown to Central Park.
A good short story introduces an interesting character and has an engaging plot and leaves readers satisfied at the conclusion.
A great short story almost always ends in disappointment. I could have wallowed in Rikki's world and buoyed myself up with her optimism and self worth. Vaughn has left me wanting more from her take on the 'Wild Cards' world.
A good short story introduces an interesting character and has an engaging plot and leaves readers satisfied at the conclusion.
A great short story almost always ends in disappointment. I could have wallowed in Rikki's world and buoyed myself up with her optimism and self worth. Vaughn has left me wanting more from her take on the 'Wild Cards' world.
April 29, 2020
Great short story
November 28, 2023
I'm smitten. Now maybe I do want to read more Wild Cards. And of course get more caught up on Vaughn.
April 26, 2021
I guess under this old and cynical exterior there is someone who thinks that the under-dog will someday get its day. So when I read a story where those who are rejected or shunned win through it catches my attention - as is the case of "Thing about growing up in Jokertown".
Now this tale focuses on a group of young Jokers who are basically decent kids who as a result of the Wild Card virus are marginalised through no other fault. So when they want to go out and explore the world outside of Jokertown things get interesting.
And as you can imagine there is a whole new world waiting to greet them - how they are greeted is a whole different story. I think what catches me out is that even though their appearance can be jarring, even shocking they are decent people - sometimes even putting us to shame.
Now this tale focuses on a group of young Jokers who are basically decent kids who as a result of the Wild Card virus are marginalised through no other fault. So when they want to go out and explore the world outside of Jokertown things get interesting.
And as you can imagine there is a whole new world waiting to greet them - how they are greeted is a whole different story. I think what catches me out is that even though their appearance can be jarring, even shocking they are decent people - sometimes even putting us to shame.
June 4, 2017
Author Carrie Vaughn brings us into the universe of Jokertown, Jokertown is a place were people who have been mutated go to live out their lives in peace and they have kids, this story is about one of those kids a teenager named Rikki who has what can be called the speedforce for a joker but she is a cut above her friends because she wants to get involved and have adventures which she dose as her and her friends take a trip to central park. This is a great story and one not to be missed.
February 25, 2017
The thing about growing up in Jokertown. It's a great short story. I loved the characters and the protagonists insight into living in Jokertown. It doesn't link in with any bigger plot in the books and it doesn't have some big twist but I loved it all the same.
November 26, 2019
Great short story. Love these little stories from the Wild Card universe and seeing little snippets of life there.
May 21, 2020
Original Review at Jaunts & Haunts
5/5
I gave this short story five superpowered stars!
I've never read anything in the Wild Cards universe and found this free read on Tor's website. Man was I blown away!
In this story, we follow Rikki, a superpowered 'joker', who wants to go on an adventure with her friends outside of Jokerstown. She's never been to Central Park, and why can't she and her joker friends go, even if the nats will stop and stare?
This was truly great. The characters were relatable, unique, and had their own quirks about them. I loved each of their unique powers, even if some of them weren't quite so useful. They made a great rag-tag team of buddies.
The plot was simple but handled expertly, and I couldn't get enough. There is obviously so much more to this universe and I have to know more!
Though there were terms I didn't understand at first, the writing explained it pretty easily and there was no confusion after that.
All in all, this is a perfect read whether you're a fan of the Wild Cards Universe or just a noob like me.
Definitely recommend!
5/5
I gave this short story five superpowered stars!
I've never read anything in the Wild Cards universe and found this free read on Tor's website. Man was I blown away!
In this story, we follow Rikki, a superpowered 'joker', who wants to go on an adventure with her friends outside of Jokerstown. She's never been to Central Park, and why can't she and her joker friends go, even if the nats will stop and stare?
This was truly great. The characters were relatable, unique, and had their own quirks about them. I loved each of their unique powers, even if some of them weren't quite so useful. They made a great rag-tag team of buddies.
The plot was simple but handled expertly, and I couldn't get enough. There is obviously so much more to this universe and I have to know more!
Though there were terms I didn't understand at first, the writing explained it pretty easily and there was no confusion after that.
All in all, this is a perfect read whether you're a fan of the Wild Cards Universe or just a noob like me.
Definitely recommend!
May 5, 2023
This is a fun little story that's basically a day in the life of a group of teenagers growing up in Jokertown. There's almost no action, and while some of the protagonists have physical advantages they're short of the superheroics we see from the Aces - the central character can run really fast, but only because of her whippet-like build, not because she's like the Flash or whomever. So what we get instead is social commentary on life as a joker, a slice-of-life that's more optimistic than that might normally imply (or that we'd normally see in a George RR Martin story). While jokers outside of Jokertown seem to be rarer here than implied in most other stories, it's a glimpse into a key part of the world from the eyes of somebody who is essentially a normal person - even if others don't always see her that way.
July 30, 2022
One of the greatest strengths of the wild cards universe, imho, are the very straightforward allegories, through the jokers, to some of the very real discrimination that exists in our world. This 'kids will be kids' story plays that out in an entertaining, but thoughtful, manner.
August 26, 2024
Another wholesome slice of life tale by Carrie Vaughn in the Wild Cards universe. Wild Cards is grim sometimes (you know what you signed up for) and it's refreshing to see these tales of the ordinary lives of extraordinary people.
November 15, 2020
A cute enough short story in the Wild Cards universe. The more I read these, the better idea I get about what's going on.
August 19, 2021
This is the first I've heard of Jokertown and the Wild Cards! It was awesome, can't wait to read the whole series!
December 28, 2016
The Thing About Growing Up in Jokertown
by Carrie Vaughn
The human side of things is brought to bear in this story. The actual look of the children of the Taxis-a virus how their world is changed because of the strange development of the virus, yet they long for the same things as all teenagers.
Having the ability to run like a human greyhound has its benefits and its negatives. Sure she can out run anyone else. Yet the school rules make it so she can not compete against the Nat children. Its not her sole disadvantage but its what she accepts as part of growing up. Growing up as the miracle baby the only child of her joker parents to survive she has been sheltered and adored by her family. The outside world is not as strange or fearful for her as it is to any teenager struggling to find their way in life. She has friends that she can depend on, and the most exciting thing is to go out of the neighborhood and explore the other places like any teenager. This is a great story to add to the accumulative literature of the Wild Cards mosaic novels.
by Carrie Vaughn
The human side of things is brought to bear in this story. The actual look of the children of the Taxis-a virus how their world is changed because of the strange development of the virus, yet they long for the same things as all teenagers.
Having the ability to run like a human greyhound has its benefits and its negatives. Sure she can out run anyone else. Yet the school rules make it so she can not compete against the Nat children. Its not her sole disadvantage but its what she accepts as part of growing up. Growing up as the miracle baby the only child of her joker parents to survive she has been sheltered and adored by her family. The outside world is not as strange or fearful for her as it is to any teenager struggling to find their way in life. She has friends that she can depend on, and the most exciting thing is to go out of the neighborhood and explore the other places like any teenager. This is a great story to add to the accumulative literature of the Wild Cards mosaic novels.
December 23, 2016
Yeah, another Wild Cards story! This one features a group of teens who decide to venture outside of Joker Town to visit the rest of New York. For a Wild Cards story, it's surprisingly uplifting. There's the usual racism comparisons, but for once there's so hope and acknowledgement that maybe not everyone is terrible!
December 30, 2016
An entertaining short story set in the George R.R. Martin's Wildcard universe. It is intended as a prequel of another, longer novel, but it can be enjoyed as stand-alone. The story focuses on 3 young jokers, living and growing up facing discrimination in New York City... An enjoyable short story full of hope.
Read
December 23, 2016Wild Cards' mutant ghetto shouldn't still be the font of such relevant allegories this many decades down the line. Though worse is the likelihood that the real world story this story shadows probably wouldn't have ended half so well.
December 28, 2016
Not the sort of thing I'd normally dip into, but it was a quick, easy read, perfect for this time of year. Though I would venture one more criticism: to my uneducated eye, for a story set in New York City, it wasn't really a New York City story.
May 3, 2018
Wild Vaughn
Wild Cards is a fun series and Carrie Vaughn is a captivating author. Combined, this makers for a solid short YA/SFF piece. We've got the travails of otherness, growing up, dealing with parents, and hanging out/having fun with friends. Recommended.
Wild Cards is a fun series and Carrie Vaughn is a captivating author. Combined, this makers for a solid short YA/SFF piece. We've got the travails of otherness, growing up, dealing with parents, and hanging out/having fun with friends. Recommended.
January 1, 2017
I love that Tor releases these short stories and I really love the art that accompanies them. Great way to get a quick Wild Cards fix.
February 3, 2017
I loved the author's Kitty Norville series, so I read this short story by her set in the Wild Cards Universe. I had never read anything in that series before, so I did not understand the world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews