Kien Phuc (Wild Cards)
Encyclopedia
for the historical figure see Kien Phuc
Kien Phuc is a fictional criminal from the Wild Cards
anthology book series. He was created by John J. Miller
in the short story Comes a Hunter, in the first book of the series, Wild Cards
.
Kien Phuc (birth name unknown) was born an ethnic Chinese
in Vietnam
, and was subject to prejudice and poverty during his childhood. His parents tried to teach him honor, but jealousy and greed drove him to reject his parents' simple beliefs and embrace the worst aspects of Vietnamese, and later Western, culture. He changed his name to that of a Vietnamese emperor
and adopted an accent and materialistic outlook that he believed would be more acceptable to his host country. He joined the army, rising through the ranks with a combination of talent, ruthlessness and corruption, reaching the rank of General.
An American officer named Daniel Brennan
began investigating him, but Kien framed him for murder and destroyed his evidence, forcing the man to desert
. Seeing that the war was not going well for the South, he abandoned the land of his birth and travelled to America, setting himself up as both a successful businessman and a powerful gang leader, ruling a set of organizations collectively known as the Shadow Fist Society
.
When a number of Kien's low-rank thugs, and then an increasing number of higher operatives, began to turn up dead with arrows in them and the Ace of spades
card prominently displayed, Kien knew he was being targeted, but thought it was a rival gang; he had no idea that Brennan, the man he'd dismissed from his thoughts so long ago, was now the bow-and-arrow vigilante called Yeoman. It was not until his diary was stolen by Wraith
that he would come face to face with his enemy once again.
Kien lost part of his right hand when Wraith turned his gun intangible. He would eventually lose far more than that; he made a deal with the jumpers
to swap him into the body of Fadeout, a Shadow Fist operative who could turn invisible. But when his borrowed body was hurt, his mind was eventually lost on the astral plane
, his last coherent thought being a guilt-ridden hallucination
of his father, mourning the loss of his son.
Kien Phuc
Kiến Phúc was an 7th emperor of Vietnam in the 19th century. Born in 1869, he was the nephew-turned-adopted son of Emperor Tự Đức...
Kien Phuc is a fictional criminal from the Wild Cards
Wild Cards
Wild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...
anthology book series. He was created by John J. Miller
John J. Miller (author)
John Joseph Miller is a science fiction author known for his work in the Wild Cards shared universe. He has published four novels, as well as a handful of short stories. He also wrote GURPS Wild Cards, a supplement for the GURPS role-playing system published in 1989...
in the short story Comes a Hunter, in the first book of the series, Wild Cards
Wild Cards (book)
The first volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin. It was first published in 1987 and contained a dozen short stories establishing the Wild Cards universe, introducing the main characters and setting up plot threads that still continue to play out over...
.
Kien Phuc (birth name unknown) was born an ethnic Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and was subject to prejudice and poverty during his childhood. His parents tried to teach him honor, but jealousy and greed drove him to reject his parents' simple beliefs and embrace the worst aspects of Vietnamese, and later Western, culture. He changed his name to that of a Vietnamese emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
and adopted an accent and materialistic outlook that he believed would be more acceptable to his host country. He joined the army, rising through the ranks with a combination of talent, ruthlessness and corruption, reaching the rank of General.
An American officer named Daniel Brennan
Yeoman (Wild Cards)
Yeoman is a fictional character in the Wild Cards series of books. He was created by John J. Miller and first appeared in the short story Comes a Hunter in the first book of the series...
began investigating him, but Kien framed him for murder and destroyed his evidence, forcing the man to desert
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
. Seeing that the war was not going well for the South, he abandoned the land of his birth and travelled to America, setting himself up as both a successful businessman and a powerful gang leader, ruling a set of organizations collectively known as the Shadow Fist Society
Shadow Fists
The Shadow Fist Society is the name of a fictional criminal organization in the Wild Cards book series. They were created by John J. Miller, and featured in many of his Wild Cards short stories, but have also been used by other Wild Cards writers. The Shadow Fists are composed of three major gangs:...
.
When a number of Kien's low-rank thugs, and then an increasing number of higher operatives, began to turn up dead with arrows in them and the Ace of spades
Ace of Spades
At least in English-speaking countries, the ace of spades is traditionally seen as the highest card in the deck of playing cards, although the actual value of the card varies from game to game...
card prominently displayed, Kien knew he was being targeted, but thought it was a rival gang; he had no idea that Brennan, the man he'd dismissed from his thoughts so long ago, was now the bow-and-arrow vigilante called Yeoman. It was not until his diary was stolen by Wraith
Wraith (Wild Cards)
Wraith is a fictional character in the Wild Cards shared universe series. She was created by John J. Miller, and first appeared in the third book, Jokers Wild.-Character background:...
that he would come face to face with his enemy once again.
Kien lost part of his right hand when Wraith turned his gun intangible. He would eventually lose far more than that; he made a deal with the jumpers
Jumpers (Wild Cards)
The Jumpers are a fictional criminal gang in the Wild Cards anthology series, first appearing in One-Eyed Jacks, the eighth book of the series. Various jumpers continue to play a major role in the next three volumes of the series, Jokertown Shuffle, Double Solitaire, and Dealer's Choice...
to swap him into the body of Fadeout, a Shadow Fist operative who could turn invisible. But when his borrowed body was hurt, his mind was eventually lost on the astral plane
Astral plane
The astral plane, also called the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical , medieval, oriental and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions...
, his last coherent thought being a guilt-ridden hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
of his father, mourning the loss of his son.