Wild Cards I

Wild Cards, Book 1

By: George R. R. Martin - editor

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

In the aftermath of WWII, an alien virus struck the Earth, endowing a handful of survivors with extraordinary powers. Originally published in 1987, the newly expanded saga contains additional original stories by eminent writers.

©1986, 2010 George R.R. Martin (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

not the best story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really. It was hard to follow, too many characters and storylines going on throughout the book..

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Given it two or even three voices, this was more of a collection of stories and times.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

He is a great performer.

Was Wild Cards I worth the listening time?

Not really. I was ready to put it down half way through.

Great Universe

A fantastic "new" universe of super humans. though I could have done without the necrophelia.

Highly entertaining.

This is a great anthology. All of the writers did an excellent job on their stories not just with the writing styles but also with the coherent use of characters throughout the entirety of the book. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys science fiction or comic books.

Wild for Wild Cards

Brilliant! A unique book that you can listen to again and again! Brilliant reading of this book. I couldn't put it down!!!!

Mixed bag

Disappointingly, this didn't quite live up to my expectations. I really liked the concept but wish the stories had tied together a little more. Some stories I really liked, others not so much. I had difficulty connecting with some of the characters in the stories-- I didn't like some of them and didn't really care about them. I also had a lot of questions about how the virus affected people so far away from NYC where it was dispersed. This question nagged at me for much of the book but was thankfully answered in the Appendix. I wish that information had been shared earlier. I switched between the audiobook and the kindle and think I preferred reading it over listening to it. Luke Daniels is a great narrator but I think the book would have done better with different narrators for each story so the same voice wasn't used for each main character. Overall, not a bad read but not so great that I think I will read more in the series.

Great story series

I think this is a great story series I love the creation of the heroes

Awesome Universe

Great characters and great presentation, looking forward to the rest of the series. Love it.

A great start to a super new universe

A well crafted set of stories that takes you to an alternative timeline of the US from the 1940's to the 1980's. These super heroes each come with their own particular set of abilities and circumstances that makes the stories relatable and interesting. Taking some of the ugliest parts of US history along for the ride is part of what makes this book poignant. Looking forward to listening to book 2.

Wonderful story, excellent performance.

Least distracting mimicry of female voices from a male narrator I've heard in an audio book.

Moving collection of stories that cover many genres in the setting.

Highly Recommended Sci Fi Feast!

Aliens, superheroes, mutant monsters, shapechangers and more - Wild Cards creates a world with all of these and more in a series of short stories artfully woven together to create characters and plots that flow consistently throughout the book. Writing styles differ, of course, but the overall quality remains excellent throughout. The fine stories are further enhanced by Luke Daniels' terrific and consistent voicing of a whole world of characters. I ordered Wild Cards because of my enjoyment of his reading the Iron Druid Chronicles, and I was not disappointed. Read this one before you read Wild Cards 2, but get them both!