Paperback, 432 pages
English language
Published Sept. 25, 2001 by IBooks, Inc..
The alien virus arrived on Earth just after World War II - and the world was never the same. For those who become infected, there are two results: death, or transformation. And depending on the recipient, death is sometimes the preferable outcome. Only a few lucky ones become super-human "aces" as a side effect of the virus; the rest are turned into horrible, grotesque "jokers." It's a strange and wonderful, terrible and terrifying world where anything can go. A world that, in a twist of fate, could lie just outside your door. A world of Wild Cards.
I love the variety of characters, the complexity of their flaws and strengths. I DON'T love how the timeline inexplicably hews so closely to our own, as it gives so many touchstones of our public history a sense of inevitability, and that's just nuts.
