Jack of Harts

The United States of America has been recovering from the Second Great Depression for more than two centuries when the Jack of Harts stories begin. People are healthy thanks to medical sciences. Genetic engineering has Uplifted numerous animals to human level sentience. And yes, even smart dogs and cats still hate each other. And corruption is as rampant as it ever was. Jack likes to joke that if the Shang had limited their initial attack to Washington DC alone, the vast majority of Americans probably would have applauded them. There is far more truth in that joke than many would be comfortable admitting. And when the junior Senator from Colorado was the highest-ranked Survivor, she had a lot of work to do. Jack still says that she was the first President worthy of the position in his lifetime. Possibly the only one.

One of the background aspects of the Jack of Harts universe can be found in modern medical research. We are working on stem cells right now that promise the ability to grow new organs for transplant that come from us and therefore will never be rejected. Imagine how long we could live if we could just implant a new fresh heart every thirty years or so? How about new lungs or kidneys or livers when they start getting old? In Jack of Harts, that and other medical advances resulted in a greatly expanding age curve for those who could afford it. The rich. The connected. Some who saw World War II survived long enough to receive these advances. More who saw Vietnam, and a very great many who lived through the Gulf Wars, Islamic Jihad, and the Cybernetic Wars went to the stars or were still on Earth to see the Peloran make Contact two centuries later.

There are three bits of feedback I’ve gotten about my Jack of Harts writing that I’ve received over and over again. The first is that Jack is a bit of a ladies man. Some readers are not a fan of that. The second is their realization that the Republic of Texas somehow exists in this futuristic world. It’s one of those names that tends to catch in the mind of those reading my stories. The third and most controversial to readers is the fact that the official uniform of the Republic of Texas includes cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. That’s a real mindjob for those readers that have not yet come to the conclusion that the aggressively normal worldview Jack ascribes to the world around him hides the fact that his world is very different from ours. All three of these are purposeful motifs picked when I started writing. Stylistic choices that give Jack of Harts a unique look and feel. These are not random choices. They were picked with malice aforethought.