Wild Cards I cover art

Wild Cards I

Wild Cards, Book 1

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Wild Cards I

By: George R. R. Martin - editor
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
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About this listen

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. Adventure Anthologies & Short Stories Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction Superhero

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Most relevant  
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.

superhero comics in novel form

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narrator good, premise interesting, execution lacking. By maintaining the historical events of the 20th century unchanged regardless of the huge impact that a superman virus would have on said events, I spent half the time thinking, 'well wouldn't x have taken over the world, etc?' so the suspension of disbelief fought with itself. An alien virus that can re write genetic code and break the laws of physics, biology, chemistry, OK, cool. Apparently the same virus has no effect on works/US history? umm, no. I can't get on board with that. narrator was good though.

lacklustre

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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.

Interesting Ideas

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Great narration and a great variety of stories

if you like superheroes but tired of the same old format this is a very new and fun spin on old school superpowers

they are all good but if there are any you don't like you are into the next one before you know it !!

Amazing and Fresh

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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.

Reasoable anthology. Some good, some not so much.

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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.

Awesome

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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).

A Super Effort

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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.

Wild cards a good, gritty story

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

A very good choice of stories!

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What made the experience of listening to Wild Cards I the most enjoyable?

The range of stories is great but some stray a little too close to fan fiction in terms of tone and ideas for my liking. That said, there is a consistent undertone to the stories that is testament to the steady editing hand of Martin. It's a shame that this series is overlooked in favour of a more current crop of 'normal super hero' trope books. Think Watchmen rather than xmen and you're on the right track.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

Great. A lot of different styles to contend with but he pulls it all together

A sum greater than its parts

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