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Down and Dirty (Wild Cards, Book 5)

George R.R. Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The very best Wild Card, so far 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Down and Dirty is, in my humble opinion and only so far, the best WILD CARDS book. To start with, it has the most impressive cast list: Pat Cadigan, Stephen Leigh, Melinda Snodgras, Walter Williams, the acclaimed Roger Zelazny AND my personal favorite, George R. R. Martin.
Mind you, not all is swell. We get an undesired cameback from Leanne Harper and edward Bryant. Any reasonable person who has read the series must learn to dread those two. Atleast we got rid of Lewis Shiner for this one, although I far prefer his Fortunato to the dreadful Bagabond and to Rosemarry and her straight out of a bad movie mobster friends.
So what did they have in plan for us? Well, the bad stories include newcomer's Cover tale of Leo Barnett or whatever his name is, the priest whose name in ACES ABROAD raised as many cries of outrage as McDonalds would in a French restaurant. The story is quite bad, and Barnett is an annoying type who is not the material of great villians. Harper's story isn't quite as bad as some of her other stuff, and Bryant resorrects Buddy Holly - yeah, that one. I'm a moderate Holly fun, and a big Rock fun, so I survived that story.
OK, now for the good stuff. A quarter of the book takes place between the end of Wild Cards 3: Jokers Wild, and the end of WC4: Aces High. While Tachy and company are abroad, the main plot line is of the gang war between Kien's bunch and Rosemary's mobsters.
One of the reasons this is such a great story is that it completely devided to stories: no less then 5 authors(Martin, Snodgras, Miller, Harper, and even, to my great surprise, Zelazny) - half of the contributers - devide their stories into sections.
The first quarter sees Rosemary's secret revealed (who cares?), and gives us great new insight to Croyd, the Sleeper. If the first Croyd story was tragic, and the second, Ashes to Ashes, comic - then this is about the dangerous side of Croyd Cressen, or as the the Aces Jingle( isn't that a cool idea?) goes: "sleeper waking, food taking/ sleeper speeding, people bleeding" We also see cameo appearences by Demise, Bludgeon( I thought he was dead), and later Golden boy( I wish he was dead).
In the second quarter, the aces return from their around the world trip, and we get some cute stories. Cadigan and Leigh follow stories from Aces Abraod. Cadigan tells us another tale fo Water Lily, focusing on Hiram Worchester, while Leigh continues the adventures of Kahina and puppetman. Leigh is one of my favorite WILD CARD authors, and if his piece here isn't as good as his previous one, its because he can't really push too much. The story involves Chrysalis discovering Puppetman's true identity, while he's running for presidancy.
In the last half, occuring all during one month, we see new plot line, introduced briefly earlier: a new version of the Wild Card virus. This allows for some of Snodgras's best story telling, as she writes her best story since Degredation Rites. Some plotlines I though were drearly, namely Tachyon's grandchild - seem to flurish under her capeable hand.
I still miss the enigma of Tachyon when he has been first introduced. I fear he has become too well known, lost his mystery. I would have liked some of the excitment back.
The two plotlines ar resolved in a rather nice, subdued fashion, that tells us that there will be consequences.
But let us not forget George R. R. Martin's All The Kings Horses. We have a return to the Great and Powerful Turtle - a return of sorts, at least, as Tuds goes through somewhat of a mid life crises. The turtle is an enormously difficult character to write for ( which is probably why Martin only wrote three stories abouthim so far) and Martin uses him to exploar realities of life - as well as the question 'What is it really like to be a superhero?'

Editorial Review:

WILD CARDS V: DOWN AND DIRTY
George R.R. Martin, ed.

The fifth volume in the Wild Cards alternate universe saga is set in the New York City of 1986. The simmering streets of Jokertown have erupted, as gang war breaks out between ruthless rivals: the Shadow Fists and the Mafia. As the violence rages out of control, even the metahuman Aces and Jokers alike are forced to go underground and wage their own war against the powers of the netherworld!

• The fifth volume of the reissued "shared world" superhero series created by current New York Times bestselling author George R.R. Martin.
• First trade paperback edition!
• Features stories by ROGER ZELAZNY, MELINDA M. SNODGRASS, GEORGE R.R. MARTIN, and ARTHUR BYRON COVER.
• Cover art by internationally acclaimed artist BRIAN BOLLAND.

Aces Abroad (Wild Cards, Book 4)

George R.R. Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An International Wild Card Novel 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Aces Abroad is exactly what the title says - American Aces going outside of the US. A delegation of Aces, Jokers, and Nats( all in a Boeing 747 names The Stacked Deck), goes abroad to see the situation of aces outside the US. They go to South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe - in short, a 'round the world' tour. After three books that focused on the US, the much needed international perspective to the story was finally given. Perhaps the highlight of the books was the return of Greg Hartmann, masterfully written by Stephen Leigh. I really liked Leigh's Strings in the first Wild Card book, and his story here, is every bit as well written, and if it isn't as tense, that's a fault of the narration, not opf the author - but wait, we'll get there. Other things worth mentioning - for the first time we get a Joker perpective. Both the continous Journal of Xavier Desmond, and John Miller's story, have an Joker narrater(Des and chrytalis, respectively). We also get answers to several nagging questions - about the Huge Ape with the passion for Blonds, about Tachyon's past, and best of all - a little more information about the Envoy. Priceless. The average level of story telling was rather high. I thought there were only 1 stincker in that pack - Down in Dreamtime, a terrible story about Jack the Aligator Man's niece. I must admit I forgot her name. Ok, but what's wrong witht he books? The greatest complain is the lack of real plot. We get basically adventures. The Stacked Deck arrives at a country, bad stuff happends. then it arrives at a new country, and a new aqdvanture starts. There's little feeling of a continuous story, despite some attempts there. Especially bothering is the fact that at the end, all the stories seem to be about Terrorists. That was somewhat of an overkill. Tachyon, for one, becomes annoying. I won't spoil anything, but he turns out more and more annoying. Snodgrass writes a nice story about him, but I don't like the direction they're taking the character. A Final complaint is that George R R Martin doesn't write a story for the book, but only the journal of Desmond, which isn't good enough for a Martin fan like me. Overall, this is a strong volume. Not as strong as ACES HIGH, maybe, but stronger then JOKERS WILD and then WILD CARDS. If you like the wild Card series, this is a good addition.

Editorial Review:

What would our world be like if superhuman heroes and villains had been real flesh-and-blood men and women who lived through the 20th century's most turbulent history? In Wild Cards 4: Aces Abroad, a fact-finding mission seeks the truth about how Wild Cards are treated in other nations. From the jungles of Haiti to the Great Wall of China and behind the Iron Curtain, the Wild Cards team investigates the fate of their fellow Aces and Jokers everywhere.

Card Sharks (Wild Cards: New Cycle, Book 1)

George R.R. Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A very nice continuation of the series 4 out of 5 stars.
26 of 27 people found this review helpful.

This is actually the first book at a new publisher; there was another 12 novels released by another publisher. This is a pretty good Wild Cards novel. Just in case you've never read a Wild Cards novel, they are science fiction based on the earth where a virus was released back in the '50s. This virus killed 90% of the people infected, 9% of the people got a Joker (deformity with or without some sort of super-power) and 1% got an Ace (a super-power of some sort). This novel focuses on a search for a conspiracy against Jokers, a group that wants to eliminate all Jokers. Rather than several stories that are loosely or not related, this novel follows the recent pattern of a single plot tied together by several inter-related short stories. The novel includes several of my favorite characters: Croyd "Sleeper" Crenson and Jay "Poppinjay" Ackroyd. Several new characters are also introduced and add to the universe nicely. Of course, the story makes more sense by knowing some of the background from the previous novels, but they are not necessary. Especially with the ending which left me saying "Oh no" to myself.

Editorial Review:

Someone is trying to wipe out the jokers--those shadowy behind-the-scenes global players--and they must fight back before they are completely destroyed.

George R.R. Martin's Wild Card Universe: Death Draws Five

John J. Miller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

An original novel set in the widely popular Wild Cards world created by science fiction scion George R.R. Martin. Edited by Hugo award winning and New York times bestselling author, George R.R. Martin. It's really quite simple. Mr. Nobody wants to do his job. The Midnight Angel wants to serve her Lord. Billy Ray, dying from boredom, wants some action. John Nighthawk wants to uncover the awful secret behind his mysterious power. Fortunato wants to rescue his son from the clutches of a cryptic Vatican office. John Fortune just wants to catch Siegfried and Ralph's famous Vegas review. The problem is that all roads, whether they start in Turin, Italy, Las Vegas, Hokkaido, Japan, Jokertown, Snake Hill, the Short Cut, or Yazoo City, Mississippi, lead to Leo Barnett's Peaceable Kingdon where the difference between the Apocalypse and Peace on Earth is as thin as a razor's edge and where Death himself awaits the final terrible turn of the card. Wild Cards: Death Draws Five is an original novel set in this shared world utilizing characters from other Wild Card adventures. John J. Miller Splitting his life between the Empire State and The Land of Enchantment, John J. Miller currently resides in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife Gail, five cats, two dogs, two goldfish, and too many books to count, approximately ten of which he's written. He's contemplating getting more goldfish, and, probably, books. George R. R. Martin was born in 1948 in Bayonne, NJ. Four-time winner of the Hugo Award, two-time winner of the Nebula and editor of over two dozen novels and anthologies, and the writer of numerous short stories. His New York Times bestselling novel, A Storm of Swords (the third volume in his epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" (was published in 2000. Martin lives in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Windhaven

George R.R. Martin, Lisa Tuttle

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

If Windhaven weren't a fantasy book, it would be a selection for Oprah's books club, in the best sense. It tells the life story of a girl whose desire is so strong that it literally changes her world.
Maris wants nothing more than to fly. But she is land-bound: she was not born into a family of flyers, those who inherit their wings from their ancestors and convey messages, songs, and stories between the isolated islands of Windhaven. She convinces the flyers to break their ancient dynastic traditions for a selfish reason--to gain a pair of wings. In so doing, however, she opens the skies to all the hopeful land-bound, with serious social and political repercussions for both populations.
Each of the five chapters relates a different incident in Maris's struggle to first become a flyer and to then open the skies, and the flyers' minds, to the rest of the land-bound. They are told in sequential order as Maris ages, but resemble short stories featuring the same character more than chapters in a novel. Although the background in each certainly enhances the understanding of the following one, this knowledge is not at all essential to appreciating each chapter as a discrete entity that can stand alone.
Windhaven is a thought-provoking book, challenging us by depicting the potential consequences when young idealists break ancient traditions. The authors gave us a heroine, a planet, and a story that teach as they entertain. --Diana M. Gitig

ACES HIGH (Wild Cards, No 2)

Various authors

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

30 years later, the victims of the gene-altering 'Wild Cards' virus face a new nightmare. From the far reaches of space comes The Swarm, a deadly menace that could very will destroy the planet. Aces and Jokers must form an uneasy alliance and prepare for a battle they must not lose. When a group of SF's most imaginative writers discovered they shared a secret love of the larger-than-life heroes of the four-colour comics and Saturday matinee serials, they gave each other a challenge: What would our world be like if these superhuman heroes and villains had been real flesh-and-blood men and women who lived through this century's most turbulent history? In WILD CARDS 2, the year is 1970. The place is New York City, home of Aces High, the glamourous lounge atop the Empire State Building, and Jokertown, the squalid residence of the city's underclass. The victims of the Wild Card Virus are no longer new and strange, but neither are they accepted by a world that still fears them. But as the '80s dawn, all eyes are drwn to the skies, and the Wild Cards may be the planet's only hope, as an abomination called the Swarm arrives to threaten Earth.

The Hedge Knight

George R. R. Martin, Ben Avery, Mike S. Miller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This is NOT a novel!!!! 1 out of 5 stars.
16 of 61 people found this review helpful.

This is a COMIC BOOK. For those RR Martin fans please understand that this is a graphic novel. . aka comic book.

Excellent Tale of Chivalry 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

To begin with, I have enjoyed the Song of Fire and Ice from the beginning, and I have been itching for the new book for some time. When I heard there was a graphic novel, I was both interested and disappointed. The first because it was another tale in a very interesting setting. The second because A Feast of Crows had been running late and would rather have had the book instead of the graphic novel. Upon reading the graphic novel, I found all of my fears allayed and that the book does more than just add to the setting of the Song of Fire and Ice.

I was pleased to find that the novel used figures that had been mentioned in previous book. It allowed me not just to hear about them through other character's accounts and histories, but I was able to 'see' them for myself. The book added further depth to the already expansive world.

I also discovered that the novel was based on a short story previously published in an anthology in LEGENDS, edited by Robert Silverburg. The story had been adapted to the comic book format later. Knowledge that the novel was based on a previously published story allayed any frustration I was feeling about Feast.

Most importantly though, beyond my obsession with the Song of Fire and Ice, the story was an excellent display of chivalry and character. How the virtues of knighthood of protecting the innocent and poor combat with the corruption that grows among the nobility who make up this same order. The character is taught as a Hedge Knight he is the truest form of a knight, with no other allegiance than to his vows.

I highly recommend this book not just for fantasy enthusiasts, but it is also a good moral tale, which is not necessarily straight forward.

Editorial Review:

Contains an all new exclusive short story by George R. R. Martin! An adaptation of Martin's hit novel, bringing the world of A Song of Ice and Fire to life in comic book form. Night falls over the life of one noble knight and brings the dawn of his squire's knighthood. Dubbing himself "Ser Duncan the Tall," "The Hedge Knight" sets forth to the tourney at Ashford Meadow in search of fame and glory and the honor of upholding his oath as a knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately for him, the world isn't ready for a knight who keeps his oaths, and his chivalrous methods could be the very cause of his demise.

Wild Cards XVI - Deuces Down

Stephen Leigh, John J. Miller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

On September 15, 1946, a biological weapon created by an alien race was accidentally detonated above the streets of New York City, killing countless numbers of men, women, and children. But those who survived the initial explosion soon began to wish they had died also, once they discovered they had been forever mutated by the virus unleashed in the blast. . . .
When the first volume in the Wild Cards series made its debut in 1986, it caused a sensation in the science fiction and fantasy communities. Here were stories of superpowered beings in a real world setting, detailing the lives of Â³AcesÂ²?those given superhuman powers by the Â³Wild CardsÂ² virus?and Â³JokersÂ²?those whom the virus transformed into freaks and monsters. Over the course of fifteen volumes, the world created by editor George R.R. Martin and some of SFÂ¹s most talented writers was explored through the eyes of both Aces and Jokers across the globe.
In this all-new collection of Wild Cards stories, the spotlight is on the most unusual Wild Cards of them all?the Deuces. As youÂ¹ll discover in this thrilling collection, their role in the Wild Cards Universe is just as important as that of the Aces and the Jokers. In fact, their actions have affected the course of Wild Cards history.
Set in an alternate, shared-world universe, Deuces Down is the one place youÂ¹ll find such never-before-told tales as John J. MillerÂ¹s exciting 1969 World Series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Brooklyn Dodgers; Michael CassuttÂ¹s first moon landing, when the whole world wasnÂ¹t watching; Walton SimonsÂ¹ Great New York City Blackout of 1977; Melinda M. SnodgrassÂ¹s account of Grace KellyÂ¹s mysterious disappearance during the filming of The French LieutenantÂ¹s Woman. ItÂ¹s a strange and terrifying world, where anything can happen. A world of Wild Cards.

Howard Who?: Stories (Peapod Classics)

Howard Waldrop

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An American Iconoclast 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Howard Who? is a short story collection by Howard Waldrop with an introduction by George R. R. Martin.

It consists of the following stories.

The Ugly Chickens
This story won the Nebula and the World Fantasy awards as well as being nominated for a Hugo.
It puts forth the question What if the Dodo hadn't been wiped out.

Der Untergang des Abendlandesmenschen
I have no idea what this story was about, but I was never the less tremendously entertained by it.

Ike at the Mike
Did you ever wonder how the world would be different if Eisenhower and Patton had been in a band with Louis Armstrong rather than leading the allies in Europe? Well Me neither, but Howard did, and its a wonderful story.

Dr. Hudson's Secret Gorilla
Classic old school horror movie plot. Or old school bugs bunny cartoon either way .

. . . the World, as we Know't
I don't see the word Phlogiston used enough anymore. This story is a cautionary tale of a science experiment gone bad. Really, Really, horribly bad.

Green Brother
This is the first of two Native American centered stories. I much preferred the next one.

Mary Margaret Road Grader
Or Mad Max meets the county fair. This is a post apocalyptic story where Native American again rule the plains of the US, and they engage in tractor pulls.

"Save A Place in the Lifeboat for Me
Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and others are sent to prevent "The day the music died." This was also one of my favorites perhaps because I've been to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake IA many times.

Horror, We Got
You've got to love a time travel tale crossed with a Zionist conspiracy don't you? I loved this story.

Man-Mountain Gentian
Zen Sumo. 'nuff said.

God's Hooks
Izaak Walton goes fishing for a nightmare.

Heirs of the Perisphere
Another post apocalyptic tale. This time Mickey, Goofy, and Donald are the only survivors and they are trying to figure out why no one is coming to Disneyland.

I enjoyed this collection, but I've found I have a hard time getting into reading short fiction. I have a zone I get into in a book I really like, and short stories are over before I ever get to that point. Its much more of a chore to read short fiction for me. But taking that into account the writing itself is very good. Waldrop is very eclectic, and is certainly a master of the short story.

8 out of 10

Editorial Review:

"If this is your first taste of Howard, I envy you."-George R.R. Martin

The first paperback (and twentieth anniversary) edition of a landmark debut collection. Howard Waldrop's encyclopedic knowledge of superheroes, baseball players, world wars, long-dead film stars, Mexican wrestlers, pulp serials, fairy tales, and extinct species is put to good use in these sophisticated re-combinations of our pop-culture dreams.

Jokers Wild (Wild Cards, Book 3)

George R.R. Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good but Disappointing 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild is a novel, written by different authors. Each tells the story of one character: Melinda Snodgrass -roulette and her attempts to murder Tachyon. Leanne Harper - the Bag lady, bagabond Walton Simons - Demise, the black queen who survived Lewis Shiner - The annoying Fortunato, pimp in an endless quest against all sorts of things. John Miller - Wraith, a thief who can moce through walls. Edward Bryant - Sewer Jack, an Aligator man who's a friend of Bagabond. and, the highlight of the book, as well as most of the others: George R R Martin - tale o Hiram Worchester, the owner of the acclaimed ACES HIGH, a true anti hero.
Basically there are two plot lines - Wraith steals a note book from Kien, a minor villan from Wild Cards 2 and 3, and lots of characters get involved in the attempt to reach them. This is a 'McGavin' of the worst kind, though there are some nice twists to the tale, and after all this is a parody of Comic books. The other plot involves the Astronomer, who summoned TIAMAT in ACES HIGH. He wishes revenge on all the aces who attacked his Mason in that book. All these events happen during 'Wild Card Day', September 15, when NYC is filled with Jokers, Aces and tourists, and Hiram Worchester puts a huge party in 'Aces High', his restaurant( not to confuse with ACES HIGH, the second wild card book).
sound interesting? Well, it is, but it's also really confusing. Written by 7 authors, it follows 7 different tales, and they don't combine into a single one all too well. Oh, it's often exciting, but its difficult to follow, especially as some of the writers( Martin, Snodgrass), are far more powerful then some of the others( though they aren't the only talented ones, of course).
Another flaw of the book( a complain, rather), is that none of the main repeat characters are favorites of mine. I've loathed Fortunato from the moment I've first read of him, and while he improves occasionally here, he's not someone who's tale I particularily enjoy. But at least his stories feature the cool Astronomer( A true Comic villan, though I would have liked him to interact with the heros a little more) and other aces. Sewer Jack and Bagabond deal only with each other, and with equally dull and bizarre DAs and Mobsters.
Overall it's nice but I don't see the great varriety and uniquness of the first 2 books. Its neither a dark tapestry of interesting, if uneven stories like WILD CARDS, or a comics book with an edge story like ACES HIGH. Its just a highly readable, if disjoint, action novel.
I liked it, but I hope the next ones will be better.

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General Books - Page 3

George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin

John J. Miller

George R.R. Martin, Lisa Tuttle

Various authors

George R. R. Martin, Ben Avery, Mike S. Miller

Stephen Leigh, John J. Miller

Howard Waldrop

George R.R. Martin