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Wild Cards Volume XI — Dealer’s Choice
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Published By
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Bantam Books
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First Published
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1992 (softcover)
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Previous Novel
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Following Novel
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Dealer’s Choice is the eleventh volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R.R. Martin.
Plot[]
This book is the final chapter of the Jumper triad. It is presented in the mosaic style where in a 48 hour period, we are presented with the entire story from the perspectives of six main protagonists.
The powers that be decide to enlist aces to attack Ellis Island and get rid of Bloat and his joker army. The great and powerful Turtle is part of the main attack team that first tries to negotiate with Bloat before open fighting begins. Unknown to him, Carnifex is leading a underground team to the Rox to kill the Bloat during the ‘distraction’.
Modular Man switches sides on the orders of an addled Dr. Travnicek, even though he’d rather avoid the entire conflict and leave with Patchwork.
Wyungare hitches a ride with Sewer Jack to the Rox, to confront Bloat about his abuse of the world’s collective identity, known to him as the Dreamtime.
All the while Bodysnatcher and the other jumpers keep everyone guessing. The battle rages, aces fall, others get jumped, some even triumph. In the end, the Rox is destroyed - or is it?
Book Covers[]
The cover shown here depicts Herne the Wild Huntsman racing across the Hudson River from New York to Ellis Island . The art was by comic book artist Timothy Truman.
Trivia[]
- The real world incident of the Secret Service investigating Steve Jackson Games (publisher of the GURPS Wild Cards supplement) for "cybercrimes" due to the publication of their Cyberpunk role-playing handbook is briefly mentioned as an embarrassment to the ace Carnifex, who was given charge of investigating "Jack Stevenson Games" in the Wild Cards universe.
Quotes[]
Cameo "You're bleeding."
Billy Ray "Yeah, I do that a lot."
Stories[]
Dealer’s Choice contains the following stories:
| Character | Author(s) | Description |
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| "Bloat" | Stephen Leigh | Bloat's powers have increased exponentially, but so have his problems. The US government is preparing for a final assault upon his private kingdom and they have assembled perhaps the biggest coalition of aces ever to help do it. |
| "Modular Man" | Walter Jon Williams | Modular Man discovers that his creator can no longer repair him, but he is still unable to disobey his orders, even when he joins the joker revolt upon the Rox. |
| "Billy Ray" | John Jos. Miller | Carnifex gets into a scrape with Dylan "Hunstman" Hardesty. Joining other ace recruits, he helps lead a sneak attack on the Rox, only to face an insane ace resurrected from the dead. |
| "The Great and Powerful Turtle" | George R.R. Martin | Turtle has to stay behind while two fellow aces travel into outer space with Dr. Tachyon. Instead he goes to war on the Rox and finds love with the ace Legion, but when his lover is grievously wounded the Turtle's telekinetic wrath is fearsome to behold. |
| "Bodysnatcher" | George R.R. Martin | Bodysnatcher helps prepare the Rox for war and that means jumping aces. |
| "Wyungare" | Edward Bryant | Wyungare helps cure the ailing Sewer Jack and advises the increasingly desperate Bloat, but pays the ultimate price. |