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A review by miclikesbooks
Aces High by George R.R. Martin
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!