Books like Double Solitaire

The problem with Double Solitaire is that it follows directly in the footsteps of "Lovers", quite possibly the worst story in Wild Cards history, and most definitely the least pleasant, the least comfortable, and the least fun to read. (Because it wasn't just rapey-rapey, but it actually used superpowers to weaponize rape.) Double Solitaire is by the same author and directly continues with the same storyline. I'm sure I'm not the only reader who dived off the Wild Cards train somewhere between book 9 and 10 as a result — at least I did the first time I read the series, in the '90s.I think one of the problems with "Lovers" was that it was the first half of a Hurt/Comfort story. And there was definitely (excessive, unpleasant, unnecessary) Hurt. Then we had to wait until Double Solitaire for the Comfort. It's a fanfic-ish genre that I'm not entirely fond of, but Snodgrass carries it off well, with the Comfort being quite an interesting and surprising contrast for who it involves.Overall, Double Solitaire is totally unlike its predecessor. It's much more what I expect from Snodgrass, which is a great character piece. It's actually impressive how many characters she manages to give great arcs to. That includes Tachyon, Zabb, and Jay, definitely. Mark Meadows gets a somewhat truncated arc, but it's an interesting one. Even minor characters like Kelly and Bat'tam get great attention. Overall, Snodgrass made me care about and understand a lot more people in the Wild Cards universe.And, yes, it's a science-fiction political story. It's very different from other books in the Wild Cards series. Personally, I think that's one of the strengths of the series, the ability to move into other genres like this. I also found it fascinating to see Wild Cards involved in a globe-spanning war.Finally, I'm quite impressed with the conclusion of Double Solitaire. It's a real milestone in the Wild Cards universe that feels like it closes the door on a few different characters. And as for the other characters, they've been changed, and I'm intrigued to see how that affects them going forward.If it weren't living under the shadow of "Lovers" this might easily have been one of the top Wild Cards books. As is, it's still very good. You just had to flinch a bit whenever Blaise came on screen and started issuing yet more rape threats.