Scan barcode
djotaku's review against another edition
4.0
As usual for an anthology, I'm going to post my thoughts on each story, but before I get to that, my thoughts on the book as a whole. It was a big change from the previous book and that might be good, bad, or neutral to you. The first book, our introduction to the Wild Cards universe, was basically a series of stories that took place in the same universe and used the same characters (everyone LOVES to play with Croyd) but there wasn't any unifying story outside of Dr. Tachyon coming to terms with the effects of the virus. But the stories mostly stood alone and even explored different narrative techniques like a Hunter S. Thompson parody. By contrast this book is one tight story that goes from beginning to end strongly being involved in each of the stories. It also once again expands the Wild Cards universe, more literally than metaphorically. Where this works best is with the theory of the small man of history. Many of the characters are just doing their own thing and only tangentially interacting with the PlotDevice.. It's constantly changing hands and driving the plot and almost no one understands what's going on until near the end of the book. But everyone's actions are leading towards the various major plot points of the anthology.
The only reason I'm being a little cagey both here and in my status updates with a 20-30 year old story is because it's going to be a Hulu show pretty soon. So I think that puts a fresh bit of spoiler-paint on it. Anyway, I really enjoyed revisiting this world and its characters. That said, a few things haven't aged well - particularly use of homophobic slurs that were de rigueur in the 80s and some of the female characters. That said, I recommend it if you're into SF and a more realistic version of an X-Men crossed with some Fantastic Four section of the Marvel Universe.
Now, the individual stories:
"Pennies from Hell:" Fortunato, the half-black/half-Japanese pimp who (in the first book) gained Tantric magic powers, solves a mystery. A good pulp mystery with all that entails. I think I spotted Zelazny's chimeric character at the climactic meeting. A great reintroduction to the NYC of Wild Cards.
"Jube: One": Impossible to talk about without ruining the final reveal, but suffice to say it's a brilliant use of the Wild Cards world to subvert expectations. Also love reading about intel informants. Usually pretty neat stories.
"Unto the Sixth Generation": Connected somewhat to the Jube stories. A warning that goes unheard.
"Jube: Two": A continuation of both Unto the Sixth Gen and the previous Jube story. It gets filled in a bit more as well as introducing us to more of Jube's life and friends.
"Ashes to Ashes" - Continues exactly at the end of Jube 2. The stories seem more connected this anthology than the first one. Croyd again! A really, really fun story as he does a task for Jube that connects all of the stories including the Fortunato one.
"Unto the Sixth Generation Part 1": A modern Frankenstein story. ... Alien invasion. Wonder if this leads to a different modern world for Wild Cards or if it swings back towards our trajectory. In other words, do we still have Reagan, Bush, Clinton, etc.
"Unto the Sixth Generation Part 2": The aftermath of the Alien invasion. Hmm...gentrification was a thing in the 80s! A terrifying end, but at least progress has been made in the stories that both started with Fortunato and Jube.
"Jube: 3": Jube makes a plan in the aftermath of the previous chapters.
"If Looks Could Kill": A guy with the ability to kill others by making them experience his death gets involved in the book's overarching plot."
"Jube: Four": He starts workign with Chrysalis. Love the trope of no one believing honesty because the truth is too ridiculous.
"Unto the Sixth Generation: Epilogue": Modman's creator is robbed and somethin changes hands again.
"Winter's Chill": Of course this is GRRM's entry. A more realistic version of what I think might have happened to Peter Parker or any other child superhero as they grew up. We catch up with The Turtle. Learn about some tragedy. Perhaps also a setup for future books with the concept of latent Wild Cards. And The Device once again changes hands. I think the cover on Good Reads makes more sense than the cover from the Tor re-release. (It's a picture of Jube)
"Jube: Five": Jube's storyline crosses more directly with the antagonists from the first story now.
"Relative Difficulties": That ship we learned about in the previous Jube chapter....now we deal with it. And so ends another chapter of Dr. Tachyon's life. We learn a bit about Takisian culture and technology. The item shifts owners once again.
"With a little help from his friends": a detective story with Dr. Tachyon. The mystery is solved, we encounter foes from a previous story. The main story of the anthology continues. With all I've learned about Tiamat from this book, I think I can guess what happens in the next Expanse book - the one that came out in March 2019 (Tiamat's Wrath).
"Jube: Six": Jube reflects on what has happened since the last Jube story while he heads towards a meeting.
"By lost ways": A return to the antagonists of this book. An innocent young lady gets caught up in the antagonists' plots. Overall a fun story. Although things got absurdly chaotic in the climax. I wonder if she's the girl from the Tor re-release cover redesign. Frankly, given the novel's focus, I think the Jubal cover is a better one.
"Mr. Koyama's Comet": A very fun short story that seems to have no relevance to the book until the final, fun twist. Although I was starting to see where it was going just before the twist.
"Half Past Dead": Finally learn who's playing The Green Arrow in town. Great mystery story, very pulpy. And I believe the main antagonist has now been dealt with.
"Jube: Seven": Everything is completed.
The only reason I'm being a little cagey both here and in my status updates with a 20-30 year old story is because it's going to be a Hulu show pretty soon. So I think that puts a fresh bit of spoiler-paint on it. Anyway, I really enjoyed revisiting this world and its characters. That said, a few things haven't aged well - particularly use of homophobic slurs that were de rigueur in the 80s and some of the female characters. That said, I recommend it if you're into SF and a more realistic version of an X-Men crossed with some Fantastic Four section of the Marvel Universe.
Now, the individual stories:
"Pennies from Hell:" Fortunato, the half-black/half-Japanese pimp who (in the first book) gained Tantric magic powers, solves a mystery. A good pulp mystery with all that entails. I think I spotted Zelazny's chimeric character at the climactic meeting. A great reintroduction to the NYC of Wild Cards.
"Jube: One": Impossible to talk about without ruining the final reveal, but suffice to say it's a brilliant use of the Wild Cards world to subvert expectations. Also love reading about intel informants. Usually pretty neat stories.
"Unto the Sixth Generation": Connected somewhat to the Jube stories. A warning that goes unheard.
"Jube: Two": A continuation of both Unto the Sixth Gen and the previous Jube story. It gets filled in a bit more as well as introducing us to more of Jube's life and friends.
"Ashes to Ashes" - Continues exactly at the end of Jube 2. The stories seem more connected this anthology than the first one. Croyd again! A really, really fun story as he does a task for Jube that connects all of the stories including the Fortunato one.
"Unto the Sixth Generation Part 1": A modern Frankenstein story. ... Alien invasion. Wonder if this leads to a different modern world for Wild Cards or if it swings back towards our trajectory. In other words, do we still have Reagan, Bush, Clinton, etc.
"Unto the Sixth Generation Part 2": The aftermath of the Alien invasion. Hmm...gentrification was a thing in the 80s! A terrifying end, but at least progress has been made in the stories that both started with Fortunato and Jube.
"Jube: 3": Jube makes a plan in the aftermath of the previous chapters.
"If Looks Could Kill": A guy with the ability to kill others by making them experience his death gets involved in the book's overarching plot."
"Jube: Four": He starts workign with Chrysalis. Love the trope of no one believing honesty because the truth is too ridiculous.
"Unto the Sixth Generation: Epilogue": Modman's creator is robbed and somethin changes hands again.
"Winter's Chill": Of course this is GRRM's entry. A more realistic version of what I think might have happened to Peter Parker or any other child superhero as they grew up. We catch up with The Turtle. Learn about some tragedy. Perhaps also a setup for future books with the concept of latent Wild Cards. And The Device once again changes hands. I think the cover on Good Reads makes more sense than the cover from the Tor re-release. (It's a picture of Jube)
"Jube: Five": Jube's storyline crosses more directly with the antagonists from the first story now.
"Relative Difficulties": That ship we learned about in the previous Jube chapter....now we deal with it. And so ends another chapter of Dr. Tachyon's life. We learn a bit about Takisian culture and technology. The item shifts owners once again.
"With a little help from his friends": a detective story with Dr. Tachyon. The mystery is solved, we encounter foes from a previous story. The main story of the anthology continues. With all I've learned about Tiamat from this book, I think I can guess what happens in the next Expanse book - the one that came out in March 2019 (Tiamat's Wrath).
"Jube: Six": Jube reflects on what has happened since the last Jube story while he heads towards a meeting.
"By lost ways": A return to the antagonists of this book. An innocent young lady gets caught up in the antagonists' plots. Overall a fun story. Although things got absurdly chaotic in the climax. I wonder if she's the girl from the Tor re-release cover redesign. Frankly, given the novel's focus, I think the Jubal cover is a better one.
"Mr. Koyama's Comet": A very fun short story that seems to have no relevance to the book until the final, fun twist. Although I was starting to see where it was going just before the twist.
"Half Past Dead": Finally learn who's playing The Green Arrow in town. Great mystery story, very pulpy. And I believe the main antagonist has now been dealt with.
"Jube: Seven": Everything is completed.
gurudyne's review against another edition
1.0
The mosaic approach worked for the first novel in the re-launched series, largely because I was unfamiliar with the world. It offered me a good look at the characters in their different circumstances and how each viewed their powers, and themselves in relation to the rest of the cast. Its flaws, mainly its disjointedness, came from its approach but the story covered well enough for that shortcoming.
Here, Martin continues with the mosaic motif, but for no good reason. He's trying to tell a larger story with characters who know one another and work together all working towards one of two closely related ends. There's no reason for the book to be a collection of short stories and it actively hurts the over-story when we're bogged down with the inconsequential (like Drummer Boy's over-indulgent angsting over his UN peacekeeping and his loss of Curveball which is an unwanted carry-over from the first book), the inconsistent (more plot threads are dropped than not, but the worst of these is the Kongoville debacle which is never clearly explained) and the downright odd (Noel, one of the coolest characters from the first story pulls a complete one eighty and not only turns on everything he believed in but becomes uncharacteristically incompetent, dragging several layers of complex plot with him as he spirals into a contrived 'Happily ever after.')
Or, to sum up: What a waste.
Here, Martin continues with the mosaic motif, but for no good reason. He's trying to tell a larger story with characters who know one another and work together all working towards one of two closely related ends. There's no reason for the book to be a collection of short stories and it actively hurts the over-story when we're bogged down with the inconsequential (like Drummer Boy's over-indulgent angsting over his UN peacekeeping and his loss of Curveball which is an unwanted carry-over from the first book), the inconsistent (more plot threads are dropped than not, but the worst of these is the Kongoville debacle which is never clearly explained) and the downright odd (Noel, one of the coolest characters from the first story pulls a complete one eighty and not only turns on everything he believed in but becomes uncharacteristically incompetent, dragging several layers of complex plot with him as he spirals into a contrived 'Happily ever after.')
Or, to sum up: What a waste.
reubend1ca9's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
citizen6174's review against another edition
3.0
This is only my second Wild Cards book, starting with Inside Straight and Busted Flush..Not because i don't want to read the others, but my library sucks. These are the only two titles available. I loved Inside Straight, and i do have some background knowledge of the series, so i know what it's about and it's evolution through the decades..I really enjoyed Inside Straight..But, this is about Busted Flush. I'm not big into writing what the book was about, because clearly the info shares that..With that said, i didn't enjoy this book as much as the last one. I did like it though, it was just kind of choppy..The story lines lead you to think that they will be something bigger than what they are. Not all of the story lines are like this, but some of them..I wanted the New Orleans zombie story to be bigger and better than what it was..THe most interesting story line of the story was about Niobe, a woman who can be impregnated, and give birth within minutes, and determine the babies abilities based on the surroundings, or at least that was what i took from it..Interesting storyline though..Can't wait to start from the beginning of Wild Cards and make my way through the series.
miclikesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. So, I just finished the first book in the series, and loved it so much that I jumped right into this one.
It's actually better. Like, a lot better.
Aces High carries over the fascinating world that was built up in the first Wild Cards book and uses its unique design to tell a full story. Every short story links up with the others (some feel like direct sequels to one another), and the characters that made the first book so interesting are expanded upon.
In particular, I liked the Croyd and Turtle stories the most. I could honestly have a book with just those characters. Mark Meadows, who I found to be a weaker character in the first book, really comes into his own here.
Some of the alien-tech in the plot is bit rough to follow (the last Jube chapter was a little rough for me to digest), but the scale of everything makes the aliens a welcome addition to the mythos.
Ups:
-Everything on the Takisian ship.
-Captain Trips and his friends.
-The introduction of Water Lily, who is just cool.
-The Astronomer is a terrifying villain.
-Seeing The Great and Powerful Turtle past his prime.
-Tachyon is WAY more likable this time around
-Modular Man's story is very engaging.
-Croyd. In particular his string fuck-ups and his interactions with the otherwise annoying Kid Dinosaur.
Downs:
-Alien tech is hard to get (what exactly was the Shakti device supposed to do?)
-I still don't really like Fortunato.
-The Astronomer's rituals are VERY disturbing.
-Kid Dinosaur can be a bit...trying.
Honestly, all of my downs are nitpicks.
*To people reading these expecting it to be like ASOIAF, George only writes a few of the stories, and edits everything together. He's there, but he's not the huge presence you might be expecting. This is a great chance to be introduced to other fantastic (and often times more talented) sci-fi authors!
It's actually better. Like, a lot better.
Aces High carries over the fascinating world that was built up in the first Wild Cards book and uses its unique design to tell a full story. Every short story links up with the others (some feel like direct sequels to one another), and the characters that made the first book so interesting are expanded upon.
In particular, I liked the Croyd and Turtle stories the most. I could honestly have a book with just those characters. Mark Meadows, who I found to be a weaker character in the first book, really comes into his own here.
Some of the alien-tech in the plot is bit rough to follow (the last Jube chapter was a little rough for me to digest), but the scale of everything makes the aliens a welcome addition to the mythos.
Ups:
-Everything on the Takisian ship.
-Captain Trips and his friends.
-The introduction of Water Lily, who is just cool.
-The Astronomer is a terrifying villain.
-Seeing The Great and Powerful Turtle past his prime.
-Tachyon is WAY more likable this time around
-Modular Man's story is very engaging.
-Croyd. In particular his string fuck-ups and his interactions with the otherwise annoying Kid Dinosaur.
Downs:
-Alien tech is hard to get (what exactly was the Shakti device supposed to do?)
-I still don't really like Fortunato.
-The Astronomer's rituals are VERY disturbing.
-Kid Dinosaur can be a bit...trying.
Honestly, all of my downs are nitpicks.
*To people reading these expecting it to be like ASOIAF, George only writes a few of the stories, and edits everything together. He's there, but he's not the huge presence you might be expecting. This is a great chance to be introduced to other fantastic (and often times more talented) sci-fi authors!
arce's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, War, and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit, Terminal illness, Rape, and Infertility
juliahersum's review
3.0
Well I bought this book not realizing it was #19 in a series I had never read. Luckily it had new characters so didn't matter too much, but the beginning was quite confusing and not too intriguing. As the book continued some of the characters really got fleshed out and I strongly cared about characters like Niobe, Noel, and Ellen- but some of the other narrator's I didn't care for much. The politics and complicated plots all came together in the end making for a pretty satisfying read and late game page turner- I wish there had been a couple more chapters to flesh out the ending and cover what happened to everyone.
jpv0's review against another edition
4.0
Where [b:Wild Cards|147908|Wild Cards (Wild Cards, #1)|George R.R. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375859477l/147908._SY75_.jpg|1807663] introduced the setting and spanned decades dealing with the introduction of the wild card virus and how the world diverged from our own, [b:Aces High|67961|Aces High (Wild Cards, #2)|George R.R. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375859546l/67961._SY75_.jpg|1037829] feels a lot more focused, dealing primarily with two plot lines: the arrival of an alien 'swarm mother' (a hive mind/bio ship intent on eating planets, as one does) and the Masonic conspiracy we first got a glimpse of in Fortunato's introduction.
The story starts out a bit rough. I don't really care for the Mason/Fortunato's plotline. But the swarm stuff is pretty cool and there are a number of fun new characters along with expanded worldbuilding. I like the additional focus. It makes me wonder/expect if each book will have a single topic or two to focus around.
Individual thoughts:
Pennies From Hell: As mentioned, I don't care as much for this storyline. It's rather sexually explicit, which is certainly a way to introduce the book, but given that it's Fortunato, that's not unexpected. Turns out he has quite a bit of firepower...
Jube: Jube is actually spread over a number of interludes between the other stories and follows the story of Jube the Walrus--thought by most to be a joker that happens to look like a walrus, but actually a fair bit more. It's structurally neat to see him interact with the others throughout the book and the audiobook narrator really has fun with his voice, bringing him to life.
Unto the Sixth Generation: Wouldn't be much of a super hero story without an android learning to be human. Introducing Modular Man! It has the feel of a well known story, but done well.
Ashes to Ashes: Jude and the Sleeper! The Sleeper is hired to retrieve a body from a morgue and things go from bad to bathtub. Gross. So gross. But a good story.
If Looks Could Kill: Spector has a weird power (killing by locking gaze and showing his victim how he died) and more about the Masons. It's interesting having someone with powerful regenerative abilities but not making that the focus of their character.
Winter's Chill: The Great and Powerful Turtle remains one of my favorite characters. This time around, we look rather more into his past and how he keeps his Turtle life and 'normal' life separate.
Relative Difficulties: Given how much trouble the Takisians have caused, it's interesting to get a bit more of them. Especially when Dr. Tachyon's birth family comes causing trouble for his adopted family (Earth).
With a Little Help From His Friends: Captain Trips is a fascinating character and has grown a lot since his first introduction, even if he doesn't recognize it. Looking into multiple personalities through the lens of superpowers (with each personality having its own) has been done before, but it's almost always an interesting story.
By Lost Ways: More Masons. Water Lily has a bizarre but probably more powerful than anyone realizes ability, which will be neat.
Mr. Koyama's Comet: All he wanted to do was put his name on a comet. Instead, he discovered a swarm coming to destroy the Earth... and may have saved us all in the process? Sure.
Half Past Dead: End of the book, have to get rid of at least one of the plot lines. Wish it was the Masons instead. :) It's interesting how often cancer seems to be turned into a super power in various forms (a la [b:Lilith's Brood|60926|Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis, #1-3)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439247785l/60926._SY75_.jpg|3739] recently for me).
The story starts out a bit rough. I don't really care for the Mason/Fortunato's plotline. But the swarm stuff is pretty cool and there are a number of fun new characters along with expanded worldbuilding. I like the additional focus. It makes me wonder/expect if each book will have a single topic or two to focus around.
Individual thoughts:
Pennies From Hell: As mentioned, I don't care as much for this storyline. It's rather sexually explicit, which is certainly a way to introduce the book, but given that it's Fortunato, that's not unexpected. Turns out he has quite a bit of firepower...
Jube: Jube is actually spread over a number of interludes between the other stories and follows the story of Jube the Walrus--thought by most to be a joker that happens to look like a walrus, but actually a fair bit more. It's structurally neat to see him interact with the others throughout the book and the audiobook narrator really has fun with his voice, bringing him to life.
Unto the Sixth Generation: Wouldn't be much of a super hero story without an android learning to be human. Introducing Modular Man! It has the feel of a well known story, but done well.
Ashes to Ashes: Jude and the Sleeper! The Sleeper is hired to retrieve a body from a morgue and things go from bad to bathtub. Gross. So gross. But a good story.
If Looks Could Kill: Spector has a weird power (killing by locking gaze and showing his victim how he died) and more about the Masons. It's interesting having someone with powerful regenerative abilities but not making that the focus of their character.
Winter's Chill: The Great and Powerful Turtle remains one of my favorite characters. This time around, we look rather more into his past and how he keeps his Turtle life and 'normal' life separate.
Relative Difficulties: Given how much trouble the Takisians have caused, it's interesting to get a bit more of them. Especially when Dr. Tachyon's birth family comes causing trouble for his adopted family (Earth).
With a Little Help From His Friends: Captain Trips is a fascinating character and has grown a lot since his first introduction, even if he doesn't recognize it. Looking into multiple personalities through the lens of superpowers (with each personality having its own) has been done before, but it's almost always an interesting story.
By Lost Ways: More Masons. Water Lily has a bizarre but probably more powerful than anyone realizes ability, which will be neat.
Mr. Koyama's Comet: All he wanted to do was put his name on a comet. Instead, he discovered a swarm coming to destroy the Earth... and may have saved us all in the process? Sure.
Half Past Dead: End of the book, have to get rid of at least one of the plot lines. Wish it was the Masons instead. :) It's interesting how often cancer seems to be turned into a super power in various forms (a la [b:Lilith's Brood|60926|Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis, #1-3)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439247785l/60926._SY75_.jpg|3739] recently for me).
svarnyp's review against another edition
2.0
CZ/EN
Je to celkem dobré scifi a velmi se mi líbil i formát povídek. Bohužel mi však někdy přišly postavy nekonzistentní mezi příběhy a někdy i v příbězích samotných. To byl asi nejvýraznější důvod, proč text ztrácel na atmosféře. Obodbně mi někdy přišlo, možná překladem, že některé části textu byly velmi nesrozumitelné a zpomalovalo děj.
EN:
I actually liked the collaborative nature of the book and would love to do something similar with a few friends. However, the characters sometimes seemed to behave inconsistently even in one story.
Je to celkem dobré scifi a velmi se mi líbil i formát povídek. Bohužel mi však někdy přišly postavy nekonzistentní mezi příběhy a někdy i v příbězích samotných. To byl asi nejvýraznější důvod, proč text ztrácel na atmosféře. Obodbně mi někdy přišlo, možná překladem, že některé části textu byly velmi nesrozumitelné a zpomalovalo děj.
EN:
I actually liked the collaborative nature of the book and would love to do something similar with a few friends. However, the characters sometimes seemed to behave inconsistently even in one story.
adelayedteacher's review
1.0
The subject matter sounded great but the writing took me into some dark and ugly subjects that I personally don't enjoy.