Busted Flush / George R.R. Martin

Busted Flush

category: fantasy, author:

not really George R.R. Martin

book 19 of Wild Cards
original copyright 2008,
read in May 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 3 out of 10

Apparently, this is a "mosaic novel". That may mean, "Don't blame me, I only wrote some of it." Or possibly, "Be nice to me and I'll publish some of your work in 'my' next 'novel'."

It's "mosaic" because there are nine separate authors. Each author writes a series of related chapters. The series of related chapters are then interspersed to form a book. Perhaps, by the end of the book, the separate series of chapters somehow link together. Or perhaps not.

btw: None of the authors are George R.R. Martin.

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. As far as I read, Busted Flush is a series of short stories. Perhaps they do -- eventually -- join up to form "a long narrative". Perhaps not. As far as I read it was a series of short stories and not a novel.

As a book, this is a comic.

The book consists of a series of visually interesting scenes which would -- in a better book -- add up to a story. Almost frame by frame: Picture this, jump, next image, jump again...

Then there are the characters...

There's one character -- amongst the multitude of weirdos -- who gains just a little of my sympathy. He's a pudgy boy whose super-power has (from indications so far) killed his parents. And most of the town where he lived. This boy is as close to "human" as they come.

The rest of the characters are as dislikeable a lot as you are likely to meet. Oh, gosh, they are soooo tiiiired from their efforts to save the world (one bit at a time). So what. Who cares. Perhaps if I had read some of the previous eighteen books I would care about the characters. Or perhaps not.

Then there's the book category...

"Science fiction", according to the cover. Pity there's no science.

Think "X Men rip-off". Each character has a unique super-power. (Some less super than others.) Super-power usually equals fantasy.

Are the super-powers based on scientific extrapolation? Is there an example of, "what if" thinking? No. And no.

This book is pure fantasy. Since it's the nineteenth in the series, there must be fans.

This is a book for fans only.

If you meet one of the fans at a party... Avoid conversation. Hide behind the nearest solid and soundproof object.

..o0o..

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