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A review by apostrophen
Aces Abroad by Leanne C. Harper, Michael Cassutt, Victor Milán, Gail Gerstner-Miller, Edward Bryant, Melinda M. Snodgrass, John J. Miller, Walton Simons, George R.R. Martin, Richard Kriegler, Stephen Leigh
4.0
This book was actually moving in places. For a brief overview of the tale up to this point, you can check out book one, book two, or book three, as I reviewed 'em.
In this fourth installment, to try and aim attention to some positive things that the Aces and Jokers of the world can accomplish (especially in light of the gore and disaster of Wild Card Day's 40th anniversary in New York), Tachyon, and a few aces and jokers, a press troupe, and some politicians fly around the world, with stops in many countries, intent on learning what the Wild Card virus did elsewhere, and how the Aces and Jokers and Deuces are treated elsewhere.
The stories were quite good (I really enjoyed the return of Jack Braun, for whom I felt nothing but empathy throughout 'Witness,' in book one) - but it was the intermixed entries in the diary of Desmond Xavier that wrenched the gut. Desmond, a trunk-faced Joker (and former accountant, and the so-called "Mayor of Jokertown") keeps a diary of his trip around the world, his inner thoughts, and confesses at the start that he is dying of cancer. His thoughts in the face of death are just masterfully written (by George R.R. Martin himself, I believe), and slightly extra poignant given that I learned today that one of www.bookcrossing.com's most active members, a Canadian who went by the screen name of Rloeffle, died on April 17th. I'll be releasing this one in his memory. I find it oddly consoling that this man, with whom I had quite a bit in common and with whom I shared a few messages over the last year and a half or so, has already had one of his released books found and journaled since his death.
In this fourth installment, to try and aim attention to some positive things that the Aces and Jokers of the world can accomplish (especially in light of the gore and disaster of Wild Card Day's 40th anniversary in New York), Tachyon, and a few aces and jokers, a press troupe, and some politicians fly around the world, with stops in many countries, intent on learning what the Wild Card virus did elsewhere, and how the Aces and Jokers and Deuces are treated elsewhere.
The stories were quite good (I really enjoyed the return of Jack Braun, for whom I felt nothing but empathy throughout 'Witness,' in book one) - but it was the intermixed entries in the diary of Desmond Xavier that wrenched the gut. Desmond, a trunk-faced Joker (and former accountant, and the so-called "Mayor of Jokertown") keeps a diary of his trip around the world, his inner thoughts, and confesses at the start that he is dying of cancer. His thoughts in the face of death are just masterfully written (by George R.R. Martin himself, I believe), and slightly extra poignant given that I learned today that one of www.bookcrossing.com's most active members, a Canadian who went by the screen name of Rloeffle, died on April 17th. I'll be releasing this one in his memory. I find it oddly consoling that this man, with whom I had quite a bit in common and with whom I shared a few messages over the last year and a half or so, has already had one of his released books found and journaled since his death.