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A review by ambermarshall
George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards: The Hard Call by Daniel Abraham
4.0
The Wild Card virus deals a random fate: you die, you become a deformed Joker, a superpowered Ace, or a lousy-powered Deuce (something like turning jello into motor oil I think was the example someone in the story mentioned). The Trump virus is a gamble, a reshuffle, a discard your card and draw a new one. You might go back to normal or you might die.
This story follows a high-schooler who becomes an Ace after an outbreak at his school that killed his little brother. It also follows The Sleeper, an Ace who changes form every time he sleeps, and his search for who killed a nurse friend (and occasional lover) of his who supplied him with uppers to keep him awake.
I got this in a Humble Bundle a while back and just got to it. That's why I'm starting partway into the series. It's somewhat standard superhero stuff with the twist of a virus causing the changes instead of a puberty-triggered genetic factor, gamma rays, radioactive arachnids, etc.
I did like how it explored some survivor's guilt, how being an Ace isn't always great, how taking the Trump cure isn't really a no-brainer. I was intrigued by The Sleeper and I assume he's better explained in other volumes because I'm only really guessing how his power works based on what I read here. The motivation of [antagonist] to spread the Trump virus around was interesting and I'm wondering if it was due to all they'd seen and experienced in their line of work.
I think I read a Wild Card story in some other collection and it was decent. I wouldn't mind reading more (especially in graphic novel form).
This story follows a high-schooler who becomes an Ace after an outbreak at his school that killed his little brother. It also follows The Sleeper, an Ace who changes form every time he sleeps, and his search for who killed a nurse friend (and occasional lover) of his who supplied him with uppers to keep him awake.
I got this in a Humble Bundle a while back and just got to it. That's why I'm starting partway into the series. It's somewhat standard superhero stuff with the twist of a virus causing the changes instead of a puberty-triggered genetic factor, gamma rays, radioactive arachnids, etc.
I did like how it explored some survivor's guilt, how being an Ace isn't always great, how taking the Trump cure isn't really a no-brainer. I was intrigued by The Sleeper and I assume he's better explained in other volumes because I'm only really guessing how his power works based on what I read here. The motivation of [antagonist] to spread the Trump virus around was interesting and I'm wondering if it was due to all they'd seen and experienced in their line of work.
I think I read a Wild Card story in some other collection and it was decent. I wouldn't mind reading more (especially in graphic novel form).