Wild Cards I

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.

A True Classic!

Remembering back to the 80s and what a splash this series made, I had to give the audio treatment a try. Very well done presentation with a large variety of unique character voices.
The story itself is a classic, treating the impact of superhuman (and non-human) characters on the 'real' world. If you aren't familiar with this series, but enjoyed the TV series Heroes, give this a try!

22 of 23 people found this review helpful

Nice Surprise

I decided to give this book a try after reading the reviews and am very pleased I did. It shows a world where an alien virus has infected the population post WWII. I greatly enjoyed the format of jumping POV's and showing how our timeline might have been effected by such an event - something I think was handled quite artfully by the writers.

The "Wildcard Virus" has effected people in several ways ranging from the Aces (superheroes) to the Jokers (those deformed or negatively effected) - and that isn't counting the overwhelming majority of those that get it that simply die horribly. With this in play it effects more than just everyday social interaction, it effects government, entertainment, crime, and quite a few other things in between.

There were characters and storylines I enjoyed more than others (the Sleeper, the Turtle, and the government anylist who can stop time being among my favorites) but all in all it was thoroughly enthralling with a wonderfully narrator to guide the whole thing.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

WHO KNEW "SUPER HEROISM," IS A DISEASE

What did you love best about Wild Cards I?

I've read some of the books. It was an experience to hear it brought to life by a voice. Dr Tachyon's voice was not what I imagined but then I never fully read or digested his description in the book. All the characters came to life for me in this work.

What did you like best about this story?

Each chapter is a new story. There are several "literary voices" in this work. Each chapter is written by a different author. This very feature lends itself to the idea that each chapter was written by the character most prominently featured in the segment.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

His voices weren't as distinctive as some readers I've listened too in past. However his voice had a feel, sound and quality that lent itself to the era where the story began and progressed through.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Super heroism is a disease. Look out "Body Snatchers," we've got one up on you this time.

Any additional comments?

Some of the segments of this book are not for young listeners. Personaly those stories too heavily focused on sex did not appeal to me as much now as when I read the books. For that reason the Fortunata chapters got skipped. Not that his story wasn't interesting and poiniant I just didn't like them as much as I did in my younger years.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Alternate reality never felt so right!

What did you love best about Wild Cards I?

I'm an old Wild Cards fan. I own all of the books to the series and have loved reading them for years. When I found out that there was an audiobook of book 1 I had to have it and I was not disappointed. Luke Daniels is a great reader of the stories and his voice acting was great. I really enjoyed the new story of Ghost's origin with the Sleeper (Roger Zelazny's immortal character).

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wild Cards I?

My favorite part was Luke's reading of

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene is where the Radical (Mark Meadows) and the Lizard King (Thomas Marion Douglas / this world version of Jim Morrison of the Doors) team up to fight Hardhat during the 60 counterculture movement.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Not because it wasn't good but because it's one of my favorite books and I like to savor it like a fine wine.

Any additional comments?

If you know of or have been introduced to the Wild Cards shared universe this is a great production of book 1. If you know nothing about it I highly recommend it. It is kind of a Super Hero / Villain in an alternate reality of our world which diverged shortly after WWII into a realistic vision of our world with super powers.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Worth waiting for!!!

Any additional comments?

Loved these books when they came out and was overjoyed they had finally been released as audiobooks. And as a bonus there are some stories in the collection that didn't make it into the book... at least into the UK edition. Definitely worth a listen by anyone who enjoyed the books or later shows like Heroes and Alphas

13 of 16 people found this review helpful

Dry Politics

I was excited about this book, George R.R. Martin is a great author. The premise for the book is excellent. A virus from outer space attacks Earth, resulting in lots of freaks and some super heroes. For every ten freaks, there is one Ace.

The prologue sets it up well. The first story by Howard Waldrop starts the book out with an exciting story about Jet Boy, the main hero. The next story by Roger Zelazny is really good. Then Walter Jon Williams gets extremely political and the list of nobody authors that follow continue the politics. There are several hours of McCarthyism and black lists. Like the holocaust we need to be reminded of these black parts of our history, so we don't repeat them, but this pretty much killed the series and droned on for hours. Martin comes in with his story and with his brand of sex and realistic horrors tries to bring the series back to interesting. Victor Milan's and Stephen Leigh's stories help, but my mind had already gone numb from the 19 hours of disappointment.

The narrator does nothing to help. I ended up toward the end putting him on fast play and that helped a little. If you have to be put on fast play to be interesting, that is saying something.

I have a soft cover of this book and there are three stories in this expanded version that are not in the soft cover. I also have volumes 2,3 and 5. I will try reading them the old fashioned way instead of listening. Do not be fooled by the amount of books in this series. There are plenty of series out there that are not worth reading.

37 of 52 people found this review helpful

Excellent beginning to this series.

Excellent beginning to this series. Voice performance is high quality with a vast array of voices.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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!!!!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Alternate Timeline

The collection of stories provide an eclectic view of a reality where superheroes are real and there is science to explain it. Many views of related subject matter, common protagonists, and circumstances varied by time make for an interesting view of the "what could have been" where means are by turns the new downtrodden and the new elite. Very well narrated, the excellent production make what are at times using time shifts and thematic leaps easier to follow.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A collection of stories

A collection of stories has stronger stories and worse stories.

This one has an awesome frame story and strong in-between moments written by the guy that wrote Game of Thrones.

It is a strong collection in my opinion because it is alternative historical fiction with a fantasy bent. As an alternative history, it's very interesting. Plus, I can't resist professionally written transformation stories. They're my favorite.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Super Effort

Listening to this great little anthology I have read in my early 20's. I am glad at last these books are finally being audiobooked.

I found Luke Daniels vocal talents gave each character a voice of their own, male and female.

The new additional stories added a little extra to a great series of stories. Roll on getting the audiobooks for the other novels in the series.

(I can hope the next anthology series from my youth they audiobook would be the Thieves World Anthology. I can dream).

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Loved these as a series

Good adaptation of the original stories, well read and well paced - the narrator captures the "feel" of the stories very well.

Hope more of the series are to follow (already purchased the 2nd)

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Interesting Ideas

If you didn't already know, George RR Martin's 'Wild Cards' series is a collection of short stories by various authors set in the same world. The standard varies, as you would expect, but for the most part are well written and entertaining. The stories fit together well, even though there is no big overarching plot, and many have you craving to hear more about certain characters.



There's a good mix of heroism, horror and humour in the stories. The highlight for me was probably the Croyd Crenson stories, but I'm sure everyone who listens will find their own favourite characters. There were a few stories that I didn't particularly enjoy, but since it's a short story collection, I didn't have to wait long for the next one.



The style, and storylines very much give the book a 'comic-book' feel. Whether or not that sound like your thing, I recommend giving this a go, for the intelligent way everything has been put together. It's quite different to anything else I've read.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Wild cards a good, gritty story

Would you listen to Wild Cards I again? Why?

Absolutely, like a good movie you wtch twice or three times, a complex saga such as this deserves more than one listen. Characters and story lines intermingling with one anther can become a bit confusing, but this is what i enjoyed about it. Sometimes you just have to go back give it another listen which is fine because you always pick up plots and twists you didn't hear the first time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wild Cards I?

I enjoyed Jetboys story, and i liked the fact that despite his abilities he was still mortal and had his limits.

What three words best describe Luke Daniels’s voice?

deep, american,

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I listened this story while i worked, and often found myself listening and not working. it kept me hooked from start to finish. A couple of laughs, a bit of irritation at the politicians interfering in the four aces story line.

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan of nightwatchmen you should enjoy this story.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Awesome

It has kept me engrossed all the way through and I have enjoyed the narrator's ability to change his voice for each character. I am really looking forward to listening to Wold Cards II.

superhero comics in novel form

it's important to note this is an anthology and as such the characters, focus, story and even author changes frequently. As such the quality varies according to taste. It's very much in the style of "what if superpowers existed in the real world" rather than traditional superheroics. It does make for a curious alternate 20th century though.

A very good choice of stories!

A very good choice of stories. I listened to it in my car driving to work, and enjoyed it very much.

Hasn't aged well

Perhaps because being innovative and exploring when published and thus creating inflated expectations, I found this quite .... wanting.
The setting and worldbuilding feel quite standard and tepid after reading Superpowereds (by D. Hayes) and especially Worm (by Wildbow). The stories and characters lack the dynamics and depths I preferes these days. Even the "power sets" and origions story feels like they are the "big2's" with serial number filed off, slightly diluted.
The plots are a bit lacking too, due to the structure of the anthology we get to hear the same story from diffrent perspective ... And it wasn't that interesting the first time, by the third I really, really wished for something new to listen to.

showing its age

i didn't manage to finish this book, in fact i asked for a refund. it is a mish mash of short stories by different authors along a central theme and just as you start to get to know the characters it is over and a new writer starts a new story with a different character. its too disjointed for my liking. the style is 1950s pulp fiction which isnt one of my favourite genres.

Reasoable anthology. Some good, some not so much.

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

I enjoyed listening to most of this book. My overall enjoyment was about 50% I'd say. Started off really quite well, but as the timeline is linear, all stories relate to a moment in time, usually same or after the previous story, the overall plot, which envelopes the whole idea tarts to wear thin and I wasn't really listening anymore.

If you’ve listened to books by the authors before, how does this one compare?

So many authors, it's difficult to state and also, I imagine a lot would depend on the editor (None other than Mr Martin himself). Some stories I thought were excellent, others, left me cold. Can't please everyone all the time...

Have you listened to any of Luke Daniels’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I thought he did an excellent job Charactersation was superb and you never really had to guess who was saying what. One of the best readers out there.

Was Wild Cards I worth the listening time?

%0% worth listening to, the rest I felt were filler stories.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyable, but like all short story anthologies, some good, some bad ones. It's all down to what you like.