From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

Wild Cards (Wild Cards, #1)

George R.R. Martin (Editor),

Walter Jon Williams (Contributor)

Start date: June 11, 2013

Finish date: July 10, 2013

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Jim

Why we're reading this: June 2013 Group Read & Discussion Short Story / Anthology
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What Members Thought

Mar 01, 2011 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1paper, fantasy, 3short-stories, 3series, 2fiction, scifi

Almost 5 stars. Martin, the editor, outlined the universe, very similar to ours except for the (view spoiler). Then he turned some of the best SF/Fantasy writers loose. Wow. History is rewritten in some interesting ways, but filled with familiar figures. Imagine Kennedy, McCarthy, Nixon, Humphrey & all dealing with the wild cards. Comic, tragic, vile & heroic, but all larger than life, these characters bring to life so many of the attitudes & issues ...more

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Mar 26, 2014 Andrew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So as an update I have to admit that even though there are still loads of books being published I want to read and there are still more I have but just have not had time to read - I still find myself reading for books I have read in the past. I guess the only defence I have is that this is part of a quietly growing series from George R R Martin that just does not appear to be going away (which I have to admit is something I am very pleased with since only is this is a labour of love for Mr Marti So as an update I have to admit that even though there are still loads of books being published I want to read and there are still more I have but just have not had time to read - I still find myself reading for books I have read in the past. I guess the only defence I have is that this is part of a quietly growing series from George R R Martin that just does not appear to be going away (which I have to admit is something I am very pleased with since only is this is a labour of love for Mr Martin and the other contributing authors but also an interesting and different take on all those super hero stories which seem to be returning to the popular bookshelves). I have to admit that there is so much to the explanation and justification to what is going on that for me it adds an extra layer of depth many authors would not care for - rather instead focusing on letting loose and enjoying themselves in favour of building a plausible world. This series of books is one that every time I pick up another instalment there seems to be something new and different to read. So after all these years there are still books being added and I believe if the rumours are true we are about to see even more/

This book brings back so many memories of University days and Forbidden Planet book shops - science fiction and fantasy was still a niche genre where specialty book stores could still survive before the days of internet shopping killed them off.
This was before the days of Game of Thrones, where George R R Martin was a name I remembered from the days of Beauty and the Beast TV shows (with Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman - go on look it up). So when I saw this book cover I was instantly intrigued. Reading around the subject I realised how much experience and knowledge Martin had in the genre and how he wanted to reinvigorate it with a new approach to the "super hero" genre and the Wild Card series was born. It is more of a shared universe than a solo project though I see it is now attributed to Martin. The series is quite involved (hence why I am reading it now as I have been picking up the latter instalments) but there are many side stories - none the less of which are the stories of the Jokers and Aces you get to see drawn in to the ongoing storyline.
The stories vary a lot in style (obviously) but you can see the fun the authors are having and get a sense of what is still to come. I am in two minds which are the better - the UK or US covers but the books are all the same so either one, I still love this book. ...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Tom rated it it was ok

Shelves: hard-copy

Really wanted to like this book more. Superhero stories are automatically a "+1" for me and historical fiction (science fiction) is another "+1". But could we pick a more boring time period to fictionalize? I've got zero interest in fictionalizing McCarthyism and 60s-70s peace/race protests in the US. This same time period would have been fine, if more (or all) of the stories were of aces/jokers fighting secret wars that the rest of the world never knew about. But why spend so much story-time ha ...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Patrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, sf-fantasy, superhero

I've been meaning to read this book for a while now, but never seemed to find the exact time to do it. The first installment of the Wild Cards series is hard to come by, at least until this reprint came out. And it was exactly what I'd hoped. All kinds of authors exploring what is the start of a massive universe, and the ideas that can spring from this seem almost endless. I can't wait to read the second novel. ...more

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