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Wild Cards #4
Aces Abroad
What would our world be like if superhuman heroes and villains had been real flesh-and-blood men and women who lived through the 20th century's most turbulent history? In Wild Cards 4: Aces Abroad, a fact-finding mission seeks the truth about how Wild Cards are treated in other nations. From the jungles of Haiti to the Great Wall of China and behind the Iron Curtain, the Wild Cards team investigates the fate of their fellow Aces and Jokers everywhere.
Audible Audio
First published May 1, 1988
About the author
George R.R. Martin
1,438 books114k followersGeorge Raymond Richard "R.R." Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.
Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: The Hero, sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.
In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.
As a conscientious objector, Martin did alternative service 1972-1974 with VISTA, attached to Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. He also directed chess tournaments for the Continental Chess Association from 1973-1976, and was a Journalism instructor at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, from 1976-1978. He wrote part-time throughout the 1970s while working as a VISTA Volunteer, chess director, and teacher.
In 1975 he married Gale Burnick. They divorced in 1979, with no children. Martin became a full-time writer in 1979. He was writer-in-residence at Clarke College from 1978-79.
Moving on to Hollywood, Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986. In 1987 Martin became an Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast at CBS. In 1988 he became a Producer for Beauty and the Beast, then in 1989 moved up to Co-Supervising Producer. He was Executive Producer for Doorways, a pilot which he wrote for Columbia Pictures Television, which was filmed during 1992-93.
Martin's present home is Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (he was South-Central Regional Director 1977-1979, and Vice President 1996-1998), and of Writers' Guild of America, West.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/george...
Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: The Hero, sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.
In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.
As a conscientious objector, Martin did alternative service 1972-1974 with VISTA, attached to Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. He also directed chess tournaments for the Continental Chess Association from 1973-1976, and was a Journalism instructor at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, from 1976-1978. He wrote part-time throughout the 1970s while working as a VISTA Volunteer, chess director, and teacher.
In 1975 he married Gale Burnick. They divorced in 1979, with no children. Martin became a full-time writer in 1979. He was writer-in-residence at Clarke College from 1978-79.
Moving on to Hollywood, Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986. In 1987 Martin became an Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast at CBS. In 1988 he became a Producer for Beauty and the Beast, then in 1989 moved up to Co-Supervising Producer. He was Executive Producer for Doorways, a pilot which he wrote for Columbia Pictures Television, which was filmed during 1992-93.
Martin's present home is Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (he was South-Central Regional Director 1977-1979, and Vice President 1996-1998), and of Writers' Guild of America, West.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/george...
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July 16, 2019
-Fix-up bien camuflado y que repasa la sociopolítica internacional de hace unos años.-
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro Wild Cards. El viaje de los ases (publicación original: Aces Abroad, 1988), la ONU y la OMS patrocinan un viaje de jokers y ases norteamericanos, junto a políticos y periodistas, financiado por el Senado de los Estados Unidos de América. La idea es ver la situación de los afectados por el virus wild card a lo largo y ancho del mundo e intentar la promoción de un trato más justo e igualitario de los mismos. Pero la situación no siempre será fácil y, además puede que dentro de la propia delegación hay distintos intereses encubiertos. Cuarto libro de la serie Wild Cards.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro Wild Cards. El viaje de los ases (publicación original: Aces Abroad, 1988), la ONU y la OMS patrocinan un viaje de jokers y ases norteamericanos, junto a políticos y periodistas, financiado por el Senado de los Estados Unidos de América. La idea es ver la situación de los afectados por el virus wild card a lo largo y ancho del mundo e intentar la promoción de un trato más justo e igualitario de los mismos. Pero la situación no siempre será fácil y, además puede que dentro de la propia delegación hay distintos intereses encubiertos. Cuarto libro de la serie Wild Cards.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
March 6, 2021
Четвъртата книга е и първата от четирилогията "The Puppetman Quartet", в която е описан конфликтът с асото-манипулатор Puppetman - познатият като сенатор Хартман персонаж от предишните части, за чийто специални умения никой не знае, но пък популярността, която набира по време на обиколката вероятно ще доведе до участието му в президентските избори, а ако победи... Той е много интересен сам по себе си, защото сенатор Хартман и Кукловода са в непрестанна борба помежду си.
Няколко месеца след събитията в предишната книга и с финансирането на САЩ и СЗО, комисия от сенатори, аса и жокери предприема околосветска обиколко, целяща да се запознае как живеят засегнатите от вируса по света - за пет месеца посещават над 40 държави.
Книгата е с познатата структура - разкази в хронологична последователност, "споени" от интерлюдии, писани от Джордж Мартин и представляващи записки от дневника на Савие Дезмон (или Дезмънд) - неофициалният кмет на Жокертаун.
Десетте разказа се развиват в различни държави и описват по-обстойно света, за разлика от първите три книги, които се развиват основно в Ню Йорк и само загатват цялостната картинка. Асата, хората и жокерите (и доктор Тахион, разбира се), преминават през всякакви приключения. Въведени са персонажи и случки, които ще имат сериозно влияние в по-следващите книги. В Хаити се сблъскват с вуду-религията (дори има зомби), а и с Ти Малис - нещо средно между жокер и асо, който се свързва с хора и може да ги управлява. Успява да се свърже с Хирам Уорчестър и да избяга в Ню Йорк. Двама "братя"-аса в Гватемала започват революция с идеята да се върнат към старите богове на маите и да създадат малка жокерска държава. В Сирия се сблъскват ис ислямския фундаменталист и ас Нур-ал-Алах, който почти успява да убие голяма част от тях, а в Германия комунисти отвличат Хартман. Последното ни запознава с психически нестабилния ас Маки Месер, който Кукловода превръща в своя кукла. Тахион пък открива, че има внук, който спасява, след като е отвлечен от френски комунисти в Париж. Дейва тия комунисти, само отвличат! Доколкото знам той ще взима дейно участие чак до десета книга.
Горното е само малка част от описаните неща, а последният разказ се развива основно в СССР, като преди това е загатнато минаването на обиколката през Югославия - нас са ни пропуснали :(.
Страниците от дневника на Савие Дезмон са перфектно лепило между разказите - успява да ги свърже доста качествено.
Има някои по-тегави разкази, други - класни, но доволен - 4 е малко, 5 е много!
Няколко месеца след събитията в предишната книга и с финансирането на САЩ и СЗО, комисия от сенатори, аса и жокери предприема околосветска обиколко, целяща да се запознае как живеят засегнатите от вируса по света - за пет месеца посещават над 40 държави.
Книгата е с познатата структура - разкази в хронологична последователност, "споени" от интерлюдии, писани от Джордж Мартин и представляващи записки от дневника на Савие Дезмон (или Дезмънд) - неофициалният кмет на Жокертаун.
Десетте разказа се развиват в различни държави и описват по-обстойно света, за разлика от първите три книги, които се развиват основно в Ню Йорк и само загатват цялостната картинка. Асата, хората и жокерите (и доктор Тахион, разбира се), преминават през всякакви приключения. Въведени са персонажи и случки, които ще имат сериозно влияние в по-следващите книги. В Хаити се сблъскват с вуду-религията (дори има зомби), а и с Ти Малис - нещо средно между жокер и асо, който се свързва с хора и може да ги управлява. Успява да се свърже с Хирам Уорчестър и да избяга в Ню Йорк. Двама "братя"-аса в Гватемала започват революция с идеята да се върнат към старите богове на маите и да създадат малка жокерска държава. В Сирия се сблъскват ис ислямския фундаменталист и ас Нур-ал-Алах, който почти успява да убие голяма част от тях, а в Германия комунисти отвличат Хартман. Последното ни запознава с психически нестабилния ас Маки Месер, който Кукловода превръща в своя кукла. Тахион пък открива, че има внук, който спасява, след като е отвлечен от френски комунисти в Париж. Дейва тия комунисти, само отвличат! Доколкото знам той ще взима дейно участие чак до десета книга.
Горното е само малка част от описаните неща, а последният разказ се развива основно в СССР, като преди това е загатнато минаването на обиколката през Югославия - нас са ни пропуснали :(.
Страниците от дневника на Савие Дезмон са перфектно лепило между разказите - успява да ги свърже доста качествено.
Има някои по-тегави разкази, други - класни, но доволен - 4 е малко, 5 е много!
June 3, 2021
W 1946 roku nad Nowym Jorkiem rozprzestrzenił się pozaziemski wirus, nazwany później "Dziką Kartą", który zabijał 90% tych, których dosięgnął. 9% pozostałych zarażonych zmienił w karykaturalne i odrażające mutanty - ci stali się pogardzanymi i prześladowanymi pariasami świata - zwane "dżokerami", zaś 1% zainfekowanych ofiarował nadnaturalne moce fizyczne i mentalne. W ten sposób historia, którą znamy uległa zmianie - na jej bieg w różnym stopniu wpłynęło pojawienie się super-bohaterów i super-złoczyńców.
"Wyprawa Asów", czwarta z kolei powieść szkatułkowa z serii stworzonej przez Georga R. R. Martina i jego przyjaciół, stanowi początek nowej trylogii. Od rozprzestrzenienia się wirusa "Dzikiej Karty" minęło ponad 40 lat. Punktem wyjścia fabuły jest osobliwa podróż delegacji ONZ, w skład której weszli politycy a ponadto najbardziej znani spośród Asów i reprezentanci Dżokerów. Celem wyprawy jest zbadanie skutków działania wirusa w innych krajach - głównie zaś tego, w jaki sposób traktuje się osoby dotknięte "Dziką Kartą" w krajach Trzeciego Świata, Europie a nawet na Antypodach. Pojawia się też nieduży, choć biorąc pod uwagę członka delegacji ONZ, która odwiedza pewnego działacza związkowego i lidera opozycji, całkiem znaczący - w kontekście historycznym - wątek Polski...
Świat, który przemierzają bohaterowie targany jest niepokojami dobrze znanymi z historii tego okresu. Mamy więc lata 80-te ze wszelkimi problemami i konfliktami, które dotykały rejony świata, które odwiedzą Doktor Tachion, Poczwarka, Fantazja, Troll, Złoty Chłopiec czy Czarna Dama. Znajdą się w samym środku rebelii w trakcie Wojny domowej w Gwatemali, odwiedzą 'Baby Doca' Duvaliera, staną w oko w oko z potężnym przywódcą islamskich fundamentalistów - potężnym asem zwącym siebie Światłem Allaha - by wreszcie zmierzyć się ze wspieranymi przez radziecki wywiad komunistycznymi bojownikami w Berlinie Wschodnim.
W tomie czwartym wraca się do motywów, które lubię w tej serii najbardziej. Twórcy "Dzikich Kart" biorą na warsztat znane komiksowe schematy i pomysły a potem wplatają je w naszą rzeczywistość, w szczególnego rodzaju opowieści z gatunku historii alternatywnych. Czasem bywa bardzo poważnie. Świat nie jest tak bardzo różny od naszego. "Dżokerzy" poddawani są prześladowaniom i eksterminacji. Trwa Zimna Wojna, szerzą się rządy terroru i strachu a w sferze nadnaturalnej pojawiają się nowi, potężni złoczyńcy, którzy wykorzystują sytuację geopolityczną i ludzi zaangażowanych w ruchy społeczne i kulturowe do swoich celów.
Pomysłowości twórcom tej serii wciąż nie brakuje a nawet miałem wrażenie, że z każdym kolejnym tomem ich synergia i wymiana myśli wchodzi na kolejny, wyższy poziom. Doskonale wykorzystują postaci stworzone przez innych ze swoich kolegów i koleżanek, często dodając im charakteru i głębi, rozbudowując relacje między nimi oraz przemyślnie bawią się stylem opowieści, nawiązaniami i zapożyczeniami z popkultury. Mamy więc części książki, przypominające niemal baśniowo-mitologiczną rzeczywistość "Amerykańskich Bogów" Neila Gaimana, nawiązanie do serii filmów o King-Kongu, thriller sensacyjny a w finale nawet solidną dawkę powieści szpiegowskiej...
I jak wspomniałem - jest to początek nowej triady. Zaczyna się tu rozwijać wiele nici fabuły, o których celowo, pragnąc uchronić Was przed spoilerami, nie piszę. Dodam więc tylko, że otrzymujemy co najmniej trzy bardzo solidne początki wątków, które zapowiadają interesujący rozwój historii w kolejnych tomach.
Serię gorliwie polecam! Wszyscy fani komiksów i dobrej literatury fantastycznej tudzież historii alternatywnej powinni znaleźć tu coś dla siebie!
"Wyprawa Asów", czwarta z kolei powieść szkatułkowa z serii stworzonej przez Georga R. R. Martina i jego przyjaciół, stanowi początek nowej trylogii. Od rozprzestrzenienia się wirusa "Dzikiej Karty" minęło ponad 40 lat. Punktem wyjścia fabuły jest osobliwa podróż delegacji ONZ, w skład której weszli politycy a ponadto najbardziej znani spośród Asów i reprezentanci Dżokerów. Celem wyprawy jest zbadanie skutków działania wirusa w innych krajach - głównie zaś tego, w jaki sposób traktuje się osoby dotknięte "Dziką Kartą" w krajach Trzeciego Świata, Europie a nawet na Antypodach. Pojawia się też nieduży, choć biorąc pod uwagę członka delegacji ONZ, która odwiedza pewnego działacza związkowego i lidera opozycji, całkiem znaczący - w kontekście historycznym - wątek Polski...
Świat, który przemierzają bohaterowie targany jest niepokojami dobrze znanymi z historii tego okresu. Mamy więc lata 80-te ze wszelkimi problemami i konfliktami, które dotykały rejony świata, które odwiedzą Doktor Tachion, Poczwarka, Fantazja, Troll, Złoty Chłopiec czy Czarna Dama. Znajdą się w samym środku rebelii w trakcie Wojny domowej w Gwatemali, odwiedzą 'Baby Doca' Duvaliera, staną w oko w oko z potężnym przywódcą islamskich fundamentalistów - potężnym asem zwącym siebie Światłem Allaha - by wreszcie zmierzyć się ze wspieranymi przez radziecki wywiad komunistycznymi bojownikami w Berlinie Wschodnim.
W tomie czwartym wraca się do motywów, które lubię w tej serii najbardziej. Twórcy "Dzikich Kart" biorą na warsztat znane komiksowe schematy i pomysły a potem wplatają je w naszą rzeczywistość, w szczególnego rodzaju opowieści z gatunku historii alternatywnych. Czasem bywa bardzo poważnie. Świat nie jest tak bardzo różny od naszego. "Dżokerzy" poddawani są prześladowaniom i eksterminacji. Trwa Zimna Wojna, szerzą się rządy terroru i strachu a w sferze nadnaturalnej pojawiają się nowi, potężni złoczyńcy, którzy wykorzystują sytuację geopolityczną i ludzi zaangażowanych w ruchy społeczne i kulturowe do swoich celów.
Pomysłowości twórcom tej serii wciąż nie brakuje a nawet miałem wrażenie, że z każdym kolejnym tomem ich synergia i wymiana myśli wchodzi na kolejny, wyższy poziom. Doskonale wykorzystują postaci stworzone przez innych ze swoich kolegów i koleżanek, często dodając im charakteru i głębi, rozbudowując relacje między nimi oraz przemyślnie bawią się stylem opowieści, nawiązaniami i zapożyczeniami z popkultury. Mamy więc części książki, przypominające niemal baśniowo-mitologiczną rzeczywistość "Amerykańskich Bogów" Neila Gaimana, nawiązanie do serii filmów o King-Kongu, thriller sensacyjny a w finale nawet solidną dawkę powieści szpiegowskiej...
I jak wspomniałem - jest to początek nowej triady. Zaczyna się tu rozwijać wiele nici fabuły, o których celowo, pragnąc uchronić Was przed spoilerami, nie piszę. Dodam więc tylko, że otrzymujemy co najmniej trzy bardzo solidne początki wątków, które zapowiadają interesujący rozwój historii w kolejnych tomach.
Serię gorliwie polecam! Wszyscy fani komiksów i dobrej literatury fantastycznej tudzież historii alternatywnej powinni znaleźć tu coś dla siebie!
November 18, 2022
As inconsistent as these books can be (which is totally to be expected as they're “mosaic novels” written by a bunch of different people) they're usually nothing less than a hell of a lot of fun if you're in the right mood. I mean, they're super gritty and sex-obsessed mid-80s tales of mutations that either give you awesome powers or leave you hideously disfigured written by a bunch of sci-fi/fantasy author nerds based on a tabletop RPG they all played together. You kind of know what you're getting into just based on that description.
This one's about a world tour in 1987 of a bunch of Aces and pro-Wild Cards politicians sponsored by the World Health Organization, which immediately is a novel idea and setting we haven't seen yet in this universe. Haiti, Guatemala, Egypt, Japan, Germany, and a couple other countries I can't remember (no offense to any of their citizens, I just have absolutely shit memory) all feature in this with their own unique and creative Wild Card virus results. It was really refreshing to break out of the New York setting and there's even a bit of actual history with the best example I can think of being the Haiti story's referring to Papa and Baby Doc Duvalier and their Tonton Macoute.
I enjoyed most if not all of the stories here but personal favorites were Beasts of Burden by John J. Miller, Blood Rights by Leanne C. Harper, Down in the Dreamtime by Edward Bryant, Zero Hour by Lewis Shiner, and Puppets by Victor Milan. I also thoroughly enjoyed the framing stories The Tint of Hatred by Stephen Leigh and The Journal of Xavier Desmond by ever-present editor George R.R. Martin. Honorable mentions go to the obligatory Tachyon story Mirrors of the Soul by Melinda Snodgrass, who I'm really starting to warm up to and new-edition inclusion Warts and All by Kevin Andrew Murphy 'cause it has an ace in it whose power is her tears literally turn to cocaine.
So yeah, although I didn't love it as much as the previous entry the blame is easily assigned to the fact that this is obviously setting up a new arc and the last one was a climax and resolution to a completely different one. It's still a long-ass novel with a bunch of different writers with different sensibilities all working in tandem so it's not going to be the most streamlined, pasteurized experience possible but I will say all credit to GRRM for keeping things as consistent as they are, both in terms of in-universe adherence to lore and also just keeping the stories of a uniform fun quality. I'm certainly excited to see how this apparent quartet of stories continues to develop in the next entry and I absolutely recommend trying this series to all my fellow fans of sci-fi and fantasy.
This one's about a world tour in 1987 of a bunch of Aces and pro-Wild Cards politicians sponsored by the World Health Organization, which immediately is a novel idea and setting we haven't seen yet in this universe. Haiti, Guatemala, Egypt, Japan, Germany, and a couple other countries I can't remember (no offense to any of their citizens, I just have absolutely shit memory) all feature in this with their own unique and creative Wild Card virus results. It was really refreshing to break out of the New York setting and there's even a bit of actual history with the best example I can think of being the Haiti story's referring to Papa and Baby Doc Duvalier and their Tonton Macoute.
I enjoyed most if not all of the stories here but personal favorites were Beasts of Burden by John J. Miller, Blood Rights by Leanne C. Harper, Down in the Dreamtime by Edward Bryant, Zero Hour by Lewis Shiner, and Puppets by Victor Milan. I also thoroughly enjoyed the framing stories The Tint of Hatred by Stephen Leigh and The Journal of Xavier Desmond by ever-present editor George R.R. Martin. Honorable mentions go to the obligatory Tachyon story Mirrors of the Soul by Melinda Snodgrass, who I'm really starting to warm up to and new-edition inclusion Warts and All by Kevin Andrew Murphy 'cause it has an ace in it whose power is her tears literally turn to cocaine.
So yeah, although I didn't love it as much as the previous entry the blame is easily assigned to the fact that this is obviously setting up a new arc and the last one was a climax and resolution to a completely different one. It's still a long-ass novel with a bunch of different writers with different sensibilities all working in tandem so it's not going to be the most streamlined, pasteurized experience possible but I will say all credit to GRRM for keeping things as consistent as they are, both in terms of in-universe adherence to lore and also just keeping the stories of a uniform fun quality. I'm certainly excited to see how this apparent quartet of stories continues to develop in the next entry and I absolutely recommend trying this series to all my fellow fans of sci-fi and fantasy.
March 14, 2015
Wild Cards has had an interesting journey. Born in obscurity in the 1980s, toiling in that same obscurity for 17 books worth of material over nearly two decades, it got a new lease on life in the 2000s when (I'm assuming) somebody took a look at the nerdy cultural landscape, saw that George R. R. Martin was selling a boatload of books, and, in the theaters, nerd movies with people with superpowers have kind of been cashing in. And so along with a new kind of second generation set of stories launched, here are all of these old books that were sitting out of print that can be re-released with GRRM's name prominently on the cover...
As a result of all of that it is strange to read them in "present day" release chronological order. Aces Abroad is in fact the fourth book in a line of 22 published books, but it is also the ninth book. There have been five books released over the last decade or so that are in the "present" and the first four books have been re-released - a couple of which, including this one, had a couple of new short stories woven in to the narrative. It makes for an interesting way to experience the ongoing story, because some things in the Committee Trilogy (like the whole Egyptian society of jokers and aces, and the strength of the Arab world) that didn't make a whole lot of sense based just on the plot of those. Things that have been lying there for nearly 30 years also are new and click into place now. This book brings us the first appearance of Jayewardene, who in the present day of Wild Cards has become the UN Secretary General, though he is an ace "up the sleeve", in the parlance.
I liked Aces Abroad a lot, as I felt it was a return to what made the very first Wild Cards book click for me. There was a sense of a big, ongoing story but it also dove in on a diverse and far-reaching (geographically and chronologically) set of short stories by different authors within it. While the second Wild Cards book sidestepped what I thought would have been an awesome alien invasion plot and the third one chose to narrowly focus in on a single day and way too many sex power aces, Aces Abroad gets back to that sense of discovery and adventure as a World Health Organization delegation of politicians, aces, jokers, (and, unbeknownst to the rest, one politician-ace) hops around the globe to discover how, 40 years on from Wild Card Day, the rest of the world is dealing with the reality of people with powers, deformities, or both.
Since it is a series of short stories contributed by multiple authors, what we get is basically these little vignettes from perspectives all through the tour, aces and jokers and nats, and from people both good and bad whose lives intersect with the appearance of this high-flying power delegation of movers and shakers, all in more ways than one.
And though it didn't have this at the time, it also exists as kind of a historical artifact - these are the things that seemed relevant at the time. The Wild Cards universe hews as close to our own as possible, just some people can shoot laser beams and others have tentacles.
I mean, 1987 wasn't THAT long ago, right? I was alive, though only a few years old, in 1987. But a book that's set in 1987 means you're still contending with the effects of the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union competing for spheres of influence across the globe. Apartheid was still in existence in South Africa, and the US was going about toppling left-wing regimes in Latin America. The Berlin Wall still stood. Joe Biden was about to run for president as a long-shot... OK, not much has changed on that score.
As with all Wild Cards books, there are parts that are better than others. I am completely and totally unenthused by Fortunato, who is drawn into the story as it passes through Japan. Thankfully his part in the story is small. Others get to shine. A fun read that has a good bit of heart. And a creepy running villain in the form of Puppetman. My goodness.
Hopefully these books are selling well enough that they keep updating them, as I am curious to see where the original story goes.
As a result of all of that it is strange to read them in "present day" release chronological order. Aces Abroad is in fact the fourth book in a line of 22 published books, but it is also the ninth book. There have been five books released over the last decade or so that are in the "present" and the first four books have been re-released - a couple of which, including this one, had a couple of new short stories woven in to the narrative. It makes for an interesting way to experience the ongoing story, because some things in the Committee Trilogy (like the whole Egyptian society of jokers and aces, and the strength of the Arab world) that didn't make a whole lot of sense based just on the plot of those. Things that have been lying there for nearly 30 years also are new and click into place now. This book brings us the first appearance of Jayewardene, who in the present day of Wild Cards has become the UN Secretary General, though he is an ace "up the sleeve", in the parlance.
I liked Aces Abroad a lot, as I felt it was a return to what made the very first Wild Cards book click for me. There was a sense of a big, ongoing story but it also dove in on a diverse and far-reaching (geographically and chronologically) set of short stories by different authors within it. While the second Wild Cards book sidestepped what I thought would have been an awesome alien invasion plot and the third one chose to narrowly focus in on a single day and way too many sex power aces, Aces Abroad gets back to that sense of discovery and adventure as a World Health Organization delegation of politicians, aces, jokers, (and, unbeknownst to the rest, one politician-ace) hops around the globe to discover how, 40 years on from Wild Card Day, the rest of the world is dealing with the reality of people with powers, deformities, or both.
Since it is a series of short stories contributed by multiple authors, what we get is basically these little vignettes from perspectives all through the tour, aces and jokers and nats, and from people both good and bad whose lives intersect with the appearance of this high-flying power delegation of movers and shakers, all in more ways than one.
And though it didn't have this at the time, it also exists as kind of a historical artifact - these are the things that seemed relevant at the time. The Wild Cards universe hews as close to our own as possible, just some people can shoot laser beams and others have tentacles.
I mean, 1987 wasn't THAT long ago, right? I was alive, though only a few years old, in 1987. But a book that's set in 1987 means you're still contending with the effects of the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union competing for spheres of influence across the globe. Apartheid was still in existence in South Africa, and the US was going about toppling left-wing regimes in Latin America. The Berlin Wall still stood. Joe Biden was about to run for president as a long-shot... OK, not much has changed on that score.
As with all Wild Cards books, there are parts that are better than others. I am completely and totally unenthused by Fortunato, who is drawn into the story as it passes through Japan. Thankfully his part in the story is small. Others get to shine. A fun read that has a good bit of heart. And a creepy running villain in the form of Puppetman. My goodness.
Hopefully these books are selling well enough that they keep updating them, as I am curious to see where the original story goes.
September 19, 2021
In the previous books, the wild cards that are mentioned are located in the USA. This book took a group of them worldwide. In the group is also a senator and the idea is to bring the world closer to the wild cards ( In the 1st book we are introduced to the wild cards, as an explosion in the sky causes alien fallout to effect a limited number of humans. Some of these changes for the better and some not so much ).
September 8, 2018
My finger hovered over the fifth star for this one. It really did.
Maybe it’s because I’m writing this review right after finishing the last two stories, and concluding diary entry, all three of which were absolutely phenomenal. I won’t spoil what happens in Melinda Snodgrass’s breathtaking “Mirrors of the Soul”, only say that it contains a scene that I have, quite literally, been waiting for since book 1. And boy was it worth the wait. That story, paired with the amazingly well-done (not to mention effective) journal entries from one of the character’s perspective that tie the book together, were almost enough for 5 stars on their own. And that isn’t even mentioning the fact that the writers seem to have finally realized that stories about morally grey characters that are both heroes and villains in each other’s stories are infinitely more interesting than a gang of do-gooders fighting some vague big bad.
But then there were the stories that just didn’t... Make sense. The ones that introduced new characters that were seemingly dropped right after, the ones that contained strange sidetracks and irrelevant plot details. That is, I think, the greatest weakness of the Wild Cards universe (and the main reason why that series continues its 4-star streak on my shelves) - the fact that some of the stories in it just aren’t up to par.
Maybe it’s because I’m writing this review right after finishing the last two stories, and concluding diary entry, all three of which were absolutely phenomenal. I won’t spoil what happens in Melinda Snodgrass’s breathtaking “Mirrors of the Soul”, only say that it contains a scene that I have, quite literally, been waiting for since book 1. And boy was it worth the wait. That story, paired with the amazingly well-done (not to mention effective) journal entries from one of the character’s perspective that tie the book together, were almost enough for 5 stars on their own. And that isn’t even mentioning the fact that the writers seem to have finally realized that stories about morally grey characters that are both heroes and villains in each other’s stories are infinitely more interesting than a gang of do-gooders fighting some vague big bad.
But then there were the stories that just didn’t... Make sense. The ones that introduced new characters that were seemingly dropped right after, the ones that contained strange sidetracks and irrelevant plot details. That is, I think, the greatest weakness of the Wild Cards universe (and the main reason why that series continues its 4-star streak on my shelves) - the fact that some of the stories in it just aren’t up to par.
March 9, 2019
Aces Abroad is the strongest mosaic Wild Cards book since the first one. Most of the stories are entirely self-contained with little obvious editorial interference to fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle.
“From the Journal of Xavier Desmond” by George R.R. Martin – This is an interstitial framing device inserted between the short stories to tie them together in a novel-like narrative. Xavier is the trunk-nosed joker we last saw as doorman at the Funhouse. Now, much older, he is the unofficial Mayor of Jokertown who fights for joker rights. He is accompanying a group of politicians, aces, and jokers on a world tour to see how other countries are dealing with the wild card virus.
This framework allows the book to explore the many international ramifications of the alternate timeline. For example, after Gandhi’s assassination was thwarted by Black Eagle, Pakistan and India are now reunified under a government that lets hundreds of tribal leaders retain power. A group of Arab aces prevented the Six Days War, so modern Palestine still falls under Jordanian control rather than Israeli. Batista holds on to capitalist Cuba because Fidel Castro became a baseball player.
“The Tint of Hatred” by Stephen Leigh – This story establishes the two primary conflicts of the book. A radical Muslim who believes he speaks with Allah’s voice is preparing for jihad against the West. Senator Gregg Hartmann aka Puppetman is using this world tour to prepare for a Presidential bid, while trying to keep a dogged reporter from discovering his psychic homicidal ace personality. The story features strong conflicts, and the Puppetman character is one of the most engaging in the series. He is a much better villain than Astronomer in the first triad.
“Beasts of Burden” by John J. Miller – This author is not the most talented in the Wild Cards Trust—his prose can be dry—but he comes up with the best characters: Chrysalis, Yeoman, and Father Squid. In this short story set in voodoo-infested Haiti, he adds Ti Malice to the cannon, a diminutive vampire who possesses his mounts and forces them into degrading sex-and-death rituals.
“Blood Rights” by Leanne Harper – The wild card virus triggers ace powers and spiritual visions in two Guatemalan Indians descended from ancient Mayan kings. They begin a revolution to overthrow the Latino government and establish a free country for all North American indigenous peoples. The story incorporates elements of Mayan mythology and results in significant geopolitical changes that should have ramifications down the road in this universe.
“Warts and All” by Kevin Andrew Murphy – Toad and Fantasy are featured in this new short story written exclusively for the 2014 reissue of Aces Abroad (they were minor characters with only passing mention in Aces High and Jokers Wild). Fantasy’s implied link to Kien is explored. A new ace Cocomama is introduced—a small girl who cries tears of cocaine—as well as a mysterious Messenger in Black who controls butterflies and Curare, a boy who turns into a toad.
“Down by the Nile” by Gail Gerstner-Miller – Peregrine discovers she is pregnant with Fortunato’s child, a payoff from a scene at the end of Joker’s Wild. This story introduces the Living Gods, a new group of aces based on the pantheon of Egyptian mythology. Also, Peregrine’s new fiancée seems to have an abusive side, a development that will undoubtedly be important in future stories.
“The Teardrop of India” by Walton Simons – Two more cameo characters from earlier books, Elephant Girl and the Giant Ape, get their own feature story when the ape runs amok in Indonesia. This one just feels like a filler episode.
“Down in the Dreamtime” by Edward Bryant – There is much to dislike in this story, the weakest in the book. It begins with a flashback of Cordelia Chaisson interrupting a mugging in New York; the entire tableau is a bad riff on a famous scene from the 80’s movie Crocodile Dundee. Then, she flies to Sydney on a business trip and has a superfluous chance meeting in the airport with Tachyon and Peregrine, which is the only connection her story has to the larger narrative of the political trip. It ends with a lackluster fight against a giant spider on Ayers Rock. The only bright spot is a new ace Wyungare who has the power to enter the Dreamland, the spiritual land of the Australian aborigines.
“Zero Hour” by Lewis Shiner – Fortunado must help Hiram Worchester, who tried to rape a young hostess in Tokyo and is now being blackmailed by the Japanese mob. The central conflict is whether Fortunado wants to recover his dormant ace powers and rejoin the life he left behind. It mirrors the struggle within modern Japan itself, a country torn between its spiritual past and its longing for the modern trappings of money, gadgets, drinking, and sex. This story may effectively be Fortunado’s swan song. He has been a principal player in all the books so far, but according to the Wild Cards website, he does not return to the series until the 17th volume (not sure if it will be a much older cameo, or perhaps a time-travel plot?)
“Always Spring in Prague” by Carrie Vaughn – In this new story written for the 2014 edition, the author introduces Lady Black, a new ace that cannot experience skin-to-skin touch without killing the other person. (She is not really a “new” character but her original introduction into canon did not occur until the ninth book, in 1991.) This is a quiet but effective tale. I particularly enjoyed the vivid descriptions of Prague, one of my favorite Easter European cities.
“Puppets” by Victor Milan—Senator Hartmann is kidnapped at the Berlin Wall. The story suffers from so many new characters it is hard to keep track of them all. There are joker terrorists who want money, Russian and German socialists who want to curry favor with Muslins in their war against Western imperialism. The payoff is finally getting to see Puppetman cut loose to work his machinations. The ending is memorable.
“Mirrors of the Soul” by Melissa Snodgrass—Tachyon and Jack Braun must set aside their forty year feud in order to foil a Communist plot in Paris. While yet another terrorist attack may be a bit repetitious at this point, this story has a lot of resonance. Tachyon finally faces the loneliness of living as an immortal on a planet where everyone else ages and dies. The world-shaping events of “The Witness” and “Degradation Rites” come full circle as two of the world’s most influential men face the specter of lost dreams and ill-spent lives.
“Legends” by Michael Cassutt—KGB agent Polyakov returns after his brief, memorable cameo in “Powers” in Wild Cards I. He is trying to piece together the secret of Puppetman, and he knows Tachyon owes Mother Russia a favor from way back. The author captures a nice retro spy-craft feel in this story.
The book ends with a few tantalizing clues about the next volume: The Italian and Vietnamese mobs are fighting on the streets back in New York… Gregg Hartmann is climbing the presidential polls… Polyakov has defected from the KGB to America… Hiram has a strange illness… Digger Downs is hiding a secret from everyone but Chrysalis… Bring on the next volume!
“From the Journal of Xavier Desmond” by George R.R. Martin – This is an interstitial framing device inserted between the short stories to tie them together in a novel-like narrative. Xavier is the trunk-nosed joker we last saw as doorman at the Funhouse. Now, much older, he is the unofficial Mayor of Jokertown who fights for joker rights. He is accompanying a group of politicians, aces, and jokers on a world tour to see how other countries are dealing with the wild card virus.
This framework allows the book to explore the many international ramifications of the alternate timeline. For example, after Gandhi’s assassination was thwarted by Black Eagle, Pakistan and India are now reunified under a government that lets hundreds of tribal leaders retain power. A group of Arab aces prevented the Six Days War, so modern Palestine still falls under Jordanian control rather than Israeli. Batista holds on to capitalist Cuba because Fidel Castro became a baseball player.
“The Tint of Hatred” by Stephen Leigh – This story establishes the two primary conflicts of the book. A radical Muslim who believes he speaks with Allah’s voice is preparing for jihad against the West. Senator Gregg Hartmann aka Puppetman is using this world tour to prepare for a Presidential bid, while trying to keep a dogged reporter from discovering his psychic homicidal ace personality. The story features strong conflicts, and the Puppetman character is one of the most engaging in the series. He is a much better villain than Astronomer in the first triad.
“Beasts of Burden” by John J. Miller – This author is not the most talented in the Wild Cards Trust—his prose can be dry—but he comes up with the best characters: Chrysalis, Yeoman, and Father Squid. In this short story set in voodoo-infested Haiti, he adds Ti Malice to the cannon, a diminutive vampire who possesses his mounts and forces them into degrading sex-and-death rituals.
“Blood Rights” by Leanne Harper – The wild card virus triggers ace powers and spiritual visions in two Guatemalan Indians descended from ancient Mayan kings. They begin a revolution to overthrow the Latino government and establish a free country for all North American indigenous peoples. The story incorporates elements of Mayan mythology and results in significant geopolitical changes that should have ramifications down the road in this universe.
“Warts and All” by Kevin Andrew Murphy – Toad and Fantasy are featured in this new short story written exclusively for the 2014 reissue of Aces Abroad (they were minor characters with only passing mention in Aces High and Jokers Wild). Fantasy’s implied link to Kien is explored. A new ace Cocomama is introduced—a small girl who cries tears of cocaine—as well as a mysterious Messenger in Black who controls butterflies and Curare, a boy who turns into a toad.
“Down by the Nile” by Gail Gerstner-Miller – Peregrine discovers she is pregnant with Fortunato’s child, a payoff from a scene at the end of Joker’s Wild. This story introduces the Living Gods, a new group of aces based on the pantheon of Egyptian mythology. Also, Peregrine’s new fiancée seems to have an abusive side, a development that will undoubtedly be important in future stories.
“The Teardrop of India” by Walton Simons – Two more cameo characters from earlier books, Elephant Girl and the Giant Ape, get their own feature story when the ape runs amok in Indonesia. This one just feels like a filler episode.
“Down in the Dreamtime” by Edward Bryant – There is much to dislike in this story, the weakest in the book. It begins with a flashback of Cordelia Chaisson interrupting a mugging in New York; the entire tableau is a bad riff on a famous scene from the 80’s movie Crocodile Dundee. Then, she flies to Sydney on a business trip and has a superfluous chance meeting in the airport with Tachyon and Peregrine, which is the only connection her story has to the larger narrative of the political trip. It ends with a lackluster fight against a giant spider on Ayers Rock. The only bright spot is a new ace Wyungare who has the power to enter the Dreamland, the spiritual land of the Australian aborigines.
“Zero Hour” by Lewis Shiner – Fortunado must help Hiram Worchester, who tried to rape a young hostess in Tokyo and is now being blackmailed by the Japanese mob. The central conflict is whether Fortunado wants to recover his dormant ace powers and rejoin the life he left behind. It mirrors the struggle within modern Japan itself, a country torn between its spiritual past and its longing for the modern trappings of money, gadgets, drinking, and sex. This story may effectively be Fortunado’s swan song. He has been a principal player in all the books so far, but according to the Wild Cards website, he does not return to the series until the 17th volume (not sure if it will be a much older cameo, or perhaps a time-travel plot?)
“Always Spring in Prague” by Carrie Vaughn – In this new story written for the 2014 edition, the author introduces Lady Black, a new ace that cannot experience skin-to-skin touch without killing the other person. (She is not really a “new” character but her original introduction into canon did not occur until the ninth book, in 1991.) This is a quiet but effective tale. I particularly enjoyed the vivid descriptions of Prague, one of my favorite Easter European cities.
“Puppets” by Victor Milan—Senator Hartmann is kidnapped at the Berlin Wall. The story suffers from so many new characters it is hard to keep track of them all. There are joker terrorists who want money, Russian and German socialists who want to curry favor with Muslins in their war against Western imperialism. The payoff is finally getting to see Puppetman cut loose to work his machinations. The ending is memorable.
“Mirrors of the Soul” by Melissa Snodgrass—Tachyon and Jack Braun must set aside their forty year feud in order to foil a Communist plot in Paris. While yet another terrorist attack may be a bit repetitious at this point, this story has a lot of resonance. Tachyon finally faces the loneliness of living as an immortal on a planet where everyone else ages and dies. The world-shaping events of “The Witness” and “Degradation Rites” come full circle as two of the world’s most influential men face the specter of lost dreams and ill-spent lives.
“Legends” by Michael Cassutt—KGB agent Polyakov returns after his brief, memorable cameo in “Powers” in Wild Cards I. He is trying to piece together the secret of Puppetman, and he knows Tachyon owes Mother Russia a favor from way back. The author captures a nice retro spy-craft feel in this story.
The book ends with a few tantalizing clues about the next volume: The Italian and Vietnamese mobs are fighting on the streets back in New York… Gregg Hartmann is climbing the presidential polls… Polyakov has defected from the KGB to America… Hiram has a strange illness… Digger Downs is hiding a secret from everyone but Chrysalis… Bring on the next volume!
July 18, 2012
It astounds me that this is one of the least-popular Wild Cards books. As someone who's reading the series from the beginning with absolutely zero knowledge of where things will go, I can say that this is possibly the most satisfying volume I've read yet.
The format is similar to volume two, Aces High. It's an anthology volume, but a tightly-woven anthology volume with a solid overplot. In this case, the two linking stories are written by George RR Martin and Stephen Leigh.The Stephen Leigh story reaches its climax about halfway through, and the remainder of the volume reads like a more conventional anthology.
Here are the highlights:
- "Blood Rites", by Leanne C. Harper. This is probably the best story in the volume and one of the best Wild Cards stories I've read thus far. Harper is not a favorite of Wild Cards fans due to her central role in the unpopular mafia arc. However, her Mayan warrior twins steal the show here.
- "The Tint of Hatred", by Stephen Leigh. This is the most important story in the book, playing a similar role to Walter Jon Williams' story in Aces High. Re-introduces Puppetman as a POV character and as the second triad's Big Bad, and establishes him as a truly unique villain, reprehensible to the core, yet incredibly fascinating. The climax of this story is tremendous.
- "Legends", by Michael Cassutt. This is an odd choice, because it's a very short story. However, it provides us with an intimate glance into the world of the Soviet Union's (few) aces, and introduces a remarkably sympathetic KGB ace who I hope to see a lot more of in the future.
This is a good one, and I highly recommend it. It's also a good 'starting point' and is quite readable for those who did not read the first triad.
The format is similar to volume two, Aces High. It's an anthology volume, but a tightly-woven anthology volume with a solid overplot. In this case, the two linking stories are written by George RR Martin and Stephen Leigh.The Stephen Leigh story reaches its climax about halfway through, and the remainder of the volume reads like a more conventional anthology.
Here are the highlights:
- "Blood Rites", by Leanne C. Harper. This is probably the best story in the volume and one of the best Wild Cards stories I've read thus far. Harper is not a favorite of Wild Cards fans due to her central role in the unpopular mafia arc. However, her Mayan warrior twins steal the show here.
- "The Tint of Hatred", by Stephen Leigh. This is the most important story in the book, playing a similar role to Walter Jon Williams' story in Aces High. Re-introduces Puppetman as a POV character and as the second triad's Big Bad, and establishes him as a truly unique villain, reprehensible to the core, yet incredibly fascinating. The climax of this story is tremendous.
- "Legends", by Michael Cassutt. This is an odd choice, because it's a very short story. However, it provides us with an intimate glance into the world of the Soviet Union's (few) aces, and introduces a remarkably sympathetic KGB ace who I hope to see a lot more of in the future.
This is a good one, and I highly recommend it. It's also a good 'starting point' and is quite readable for those who did not read the first triad.
March 25, 2019
In brief: A group of celebrity aces, jokers, and politicians take a world tour to see how the powers and mutations of wild card virus have affected countries other than the U.S. Fourth in a series.
Thoughts: This is this year’s first and hopefully only example of things not to do in fiction—and I’m not just talking about the stuff in my warning below. I also mean the whole premise of the book and the way it was executed in terms of narrative structure. It just totally flopped for me and I was seriously glad to be done with it.
Okay, warning stuff first: I’m not going to list everything. I cannot list everything without making my someone’s brain melt. The biggest things, though, are the sheer male gaze of the book and the well-meaning but utter failure to be culturally inclusive. POC and their cultures are reduced to stereotypes at every turn—the Muslim characters are extremist terrorists, the Japanese section revolves around the sex trade, etc.—and the writers are clearly trying to show positive characters and the positive impact of superpowers, but 30 years on, those bits read like a weird version of the white saviour. “Superpowers would totally allow the Maya to successfully revolt. Aren’t we nice to let them?”
I also got a voyeur vibe through a lot of this book, partly because of the white saviour/male gaze stuff and partly because of the related issue of, well, it’s either shoddy research or a genuine inability to find stuff out, and I’m betting on the former. The world tour feels very surface level, which ties into the premise of the junket, which is a very surface kind of thing, but I kept finding myself thinking I was seeing a lot of common knowledge stuff, not a lot of depth or difference. We go to Rio, we see slums and street crime. We go to Paris, there are street cafés and cigarettes and ex-lovers. I’d say modern novels and the internet have spoiled me, but there are less weird and offensive novels also published in the 1980s so.
(Would someone mind taking this premise and redoing it for the 21st century? I’d love to see a global take on superpowers that actually, y’know, tackles the superpowers and mutations within cultural contexts, rather than largely saying that a character’s an ace or a joker and not exploring them further than a label. And, um, not being offensive about it.)
Then there’s the structure, or more specifically, the almost lack of it. The world tour ties things together loosely, as does the diary of the one of the characters on the trip*, and there are a few subplots that thread through the story, but this feels way more like short stories in a shared world than the others in the series have to me, or at least those ones have had frame stories that wove the short pieces in better. This felt, ultimately, like a filler novel. Things had to be put into place for book five, so book four exists to get them there. It doesn’t help that the pacing is off and there’s an almost total lack of momentum towards the climax. It just kind of … happens, without much in the way of foreshadowing or payoff.
That said, some of the things the writers set up for the next book or maybe two, I do want to see resolved. A couple new villains show up, for instance. One of the politicians has a chance at greater things. I will probably read the next book at some point, if only to get that payoff, but also because I’m just slightly superhero novel trash and am hoping Aces Abroad is an aberration in the series. I’ll definitely be reading at least as critically as I ended up this time ‘round though, and if the quality doesn’t increase, I might have to call it quits on the series, or at least the older books in it, continuity be damned.
Regardless, I do not, in any way, recommend you read this book. You’re going to waste a week of reading time, same as me.
* Honestly, if he’d narrated the whole book, I’d have been more engaged. He was smart and perceptive and willing to look past his biases.
3/10
To bear in mind: The writers have not met an offensive trope or characterization they didn’t then include, and just when you think they’ve hit their low point, they find a new one. Proceed with caution unless you’re a straight white male, and even then, think critically and read with awareness.
Thoughts: This is this year’s first and hopefully only example of things not to do in fiction—and I’m not just talking about the stuff in my warning below. I also mean the whole premise of the book and the way it was executed in terms of narrative structure. It just totally flopped for me and I was seriously glad to be done with it.
Okay, warning stuff first: I’m not going to list everything. I cannot list everything without making my someone’s brain melt. The biggest things, though, are the sheer male gaze of the book and the well-meaning but utter failure to be culturally inclusive. POC and their cultures are reduced to stereotypes at every turn—the Muslim characters are extremist terrorists, the Japanese section revolves around the sex trade, etc.—and the writers are clearly trying to show positive characters and the positive impact of superpowers, but 30 years on, those bits read like a weird version of the white saviour. “Superpowers would totally allow the Maya to successfully revolt. Aren’t we nice to let them?”
I also got a voyeur vibe through a lot of this book, partly because of the white saviour/male gaze stuff and partly because of the related issue of, well, it’s either shoddy research or a genuine inability to find stuff out, and I’m betting on the former. The world tour feels very surface level, which ties into the premise of the junket, which is a very surface kind of thing, but I kept finding myself thinking I was seeing a lot of common knowledge stuff, not a lot of depth or difference. We go to Rio, we see slums and street crime. We go to Paris, there are street cafés and cigarettes and ex-lovers. I’d say modern novels and the internet have spoiled me, but there are less weird and offensive novels also published in the 1980s so.
(Would someone mind taking this premise and redoing it for the 21st century? I’d love to see a global take on superpowers that actually, y’know, tackles the superpowers and mutations within cultural contexts, rather than largely saying that a character’s an ace or a joker and not exploring them further than a label. And, um, not being offensive about it.)
Then there’s the structure, or more specifically, the almost lack of it. The world tour ties things together loosely, as does the diary of the one of the characters on the trip*, and there are a few subplots that thread through the story, but this feels way more like short stories in a shared world than the others in the series have to me, or at least those ones have had frame stories that wove the short pieces in better. This felt, ultimately, like a filler novel. Things had to be put into place for book five, so book four exists to get them there. It doesn’t help that the pacing is off and there’s an almost total lack of momentum towards the climax. It just kind of … happens, without much in the way of foreshadowing or payoff.
That said, some of the things the writers set up for the next book or maybe two, I do want to see resolved. A couple new villains show up, for instance. One of the politicians has a chance at greater things. I will probably read the next book at some point, if only to get that payoff, but also because I’m just slightly superhero novel trash and am hoping Aces Abroad is an aberration in the series. I’ll definitely be reading at least as critically as I ended up this time ‘round though, and if the quality doesn’t increase, I might have to call it quits on the series, or at least the older books in it, continuity be damned.
Regardless, I do not, in any way, recommend you read this book. You’re going to waste a week of reading time, same as me.
* Honestly, if he’d narrated the whole book, I’d have been more engaged. He was smart and perceptive and willing to look past his biases.
3/10
To bear in mind: The writers have not met an offensive trope or characterization they didn’t then include, and just when you think they’ve hit their low point, they find a new one. Proceed with caution unless you’re a straight white male, and even then, think critically and read with awareness.
October 12, 2018
This was a re-read. I had originally read this when it first came out in the 80's. This audio book is based on the expanded current edition. Great readers and the new bits were a lot of fun. It gave us a lot more of the Wild Cards world than the previous version.
March 8, 2022
Fine, not amazing: This one is kind of all over the place, with the highlights being the Xavier Desmond diary entries that bookend the chapters. But I don't really care for most of the characters featured here, and Puppetman is pretty boring.
February 26, 2023
Took longer for me to get back to this series, luckily this was an easy world-building series of tales. Also you can tell it was written in twilight of the 80s.
January 23, 2024
Something that I really enjoyed about this novel was the intricacy of culture into each story. Being the 4th installment of the wild card series this dives deeper into each character throughout the previous 3 books. I felt like I was the traveling the world right along with them, and each book of the series I read gets better and better!
January 28, 2022
I've got this book as a Christmas gift from my sister. It was three or four years ago. No one informed her that "Aces Abroad" is actually a fourth book in the "Wild Cards" series. But I still tried to read it, even without knowing anything from the first book.
Back then, I wasn't ready for a book like that, so I've stopped reading it pretty quickly.
New Year 2022 came and I've decided to give this book another chance. And I don't regret it at all.
"Aces Abroad" is actually a compilation of stories written by different authors, but all are taking place in the same universe. The world was attacked by the Wild Card Virus, which either gave some people cool powers (they are called "Aces"), severely damaged them (they are called "Jokers") or did nothing to them at all (these are the lucky ones). The heroes of the book, which are the representatives of Aces and Jokers, are send with a mission by the United Nations to see how the lives of the Jokers around the world looks like.
And it's a very, very sad picture.
My heart was breaking every time I've read how badly the Jokers had been treated. I understand people's fear of the things they doesn't understand, but seriously, it's frightening how intolerant they can be. It's not the Jokers' fault that the virus had damaged them.
From all the stories from the book, I think the one I liked the most was "Zero Hour" by Lewis Shiner. An Ace called Fortunato appears in this one, he seems to be very important character in the world of Wild Cards, so I was very excited for him to show up in the story. I wasn't disappointed! He is a very cool character, I admired him for being so willing to help a friend, despite that friend's trouble being basically a death sentence from Yakuza gang.
Besides, Fortunato is half Japanese. And the "Zero Hour" story takes places in Japan.
And I absolutely love Japan.
"Zero Hour" is my favorite, but I like all the stories...
...except from the one taking place in Germany, where Hartmann was kidnapped. I did not like that one at all. I will pretend like that hasn't happened.
And also the Haiti one. It was so bizarre! The antagonist of that story was a Joker who wanted to constantly have "mounts" (people) to have sex with.
The "Blood Rights" story started for me as very confusing. It takes place in Guatemala. It's about two men who lead a revolution of Indians, while being guided by the gods. I didn't know how to react to the gods, to be honest. They didn't seem real to me, it seemed like both men were hallucinating and out of nowhere decided that they need to change their whole lives to be the leaders of a revolution. I did understand why the revolution had to happen. Indians were treated badly by the soldiers, so many people were killed by them for basically no reason. They were Indians, so they had no rights, they could be killed. My heart was with them most of the time, I wanted for them to succeed and have their country back. But then...
Then the revolutionists were attacked, war happened and one of the so-called brothers out of nowhere decided that the gods wanted blood and he took a enemy soldier, I think it was a general, but I'm not sure (but it was someone important), and brutally killed him. How can you fight for justice for your people when you aren't better than your enemies? People died, they had been killed left and right (on both sides) and the guy instead of trying to save as many people as possible, decided to sacrifice an enemy soldier for their gods. I could not understand that, it was an unnecessary violence act.
I wonder if the Indians did get their country back. We did not get that information from the book.
There was a story with Howard Mueller (a.k.a. Troll) as a protagonist, it was such a small part, not much had happened, but I still enjoyed it very much. Troll and Fantasy had gone for a ride to save a little girl from mafia members. I did not like how Fantasy had behaved in it and how entranced by her Howard was. I mean, a little girl was in danger and there was Fantasy doing her best to seduce Howard, who would help her, despite her being beautiful and sexy. Because, you know, he is a nice guy. Anyways, the plot twist in this story was amazing, I wouldn't have guessed what will happen at all!
Another interesting story is called "Down By The Nile". I did care about the Peregrine storyline at the beginning, but I started to get bored by the relationships drama. But then we've been introduced to the Living Gods and the conflict between Israel and Palestine. I was so excited to finally see someone who knew about Hartmann's ability, but then he got killed so... Yeah.
Okay, I will stop writing about the stories, if I keep going, I will never write about the characters, so let's go.
There are so many of them! I had to take notes of who is who, without it I would've been completely lost! Every character is different, has a unique backstory and ability, different goals and dreams. This is how a books should be written! From the colorful team of characters, my favorites had to be: Howard Mueller (Troll), Xavier Desmond, Jack Braun (Golden Boy), Fortunato and Joan Jefferson. I have also so much hopes for David Harstein, who in this book was only mentioned, but I already couldn't help, but like him and want to know more about him.
The characters I don't like at all: Ti Malice, Gregg Hartmann and Fantasy. Especially Hartmann. How no one knows that he is an Ace and a bad guy is beyond me. I swear, if he will become a president of United States at some point, I will riot. But I also have to admit, that Hartmann is one of the most interesting characters, I wonder how his relationship with his other self will progress.
Despite the fact, that I have started my journey with "Wild Cards" from the fourth book in the series, I understood everything what was happening and I quickly grow fond of the characters. I've read that the first three books are taking place in America only, so I think that me starting from book 4, where the characters are having a journey around the world, was actually a very good choice. I had a chance to see how the world of Aces and Jokers actually looks like. I've seen the good and the bad things, so I feel satisfied and very excited to read other books from the Wild Cards universe (yes, I will read the previous three books too). I'm very curious about the Fortunato/Astronomer fight that had been mentioned in the fourth book, also I need to know more about Jack Braun, David Harstein and the Four Aces.
And also I want to know why an alien is in this story.
I mean, I get that he is the one that made the virus and changed the world, but um, why did he came to Earth in the first place and why did has he stayed? Did his planet got destroyed so he had nowhere to go? Or does he feel so guilty that he decided to spend the rest of his life helping people on Earth and trying to get redemption?
Also does the reader know from the very beginning that Hartmann is a bad guy?
I have many other questions I need to get answers to, so I will definitely go back to this universe to find answers.
Back then, I wasn't ready for a book like that, so I've stopped reading it pretty quickly.
New Year 2022 came and I've decided to give this book another chance. And I don't regret it at all.
"Aces Abroad" is actually a compilation of stories written by different authors, but all are taking place in the same universe. The world was attacked by the Wild Card Virus, which either gave some people cool powers (they are called "Aces"), severely damaged them (they are called "Jokers") or did nothing to them at all (these are the lucky ones). The heroes of the book, which are the representatives of Aces and Jokers, are send with a mission by the United Nations to see how the lives of the Jokers around the world looks like.
And it's a very, very sad picture.
My heart was breaking every time I've read how badly the Jokers had been treated. I understand people's fear of the things they doesn't understand, but seriously, it's frightening how intolerant they can be. It's not the Jokers' fault that the virus had damaged them.
From all the stories from the book, I think the one I liked the most was "Zero Hour" by Lewis Shiner. An Ace called Fortunato appears in this one, he seems to be very important character in the world of Wild Cards, so I was very excited for him to show up in the story. I wasn't disappointed! He is a very cool character, I admired him for being so willing to help a friend, despite that friend's trouble being basically a death sentence from Yakuza gang.
Besides, Fortunato is half Japanese. And the "Zero Hour" story takes places in Japan.
And I absolutely love Japan.
"Zero Hour" is my favorite, but I like all the stories...
...except from the one taking place in Germany, where Hartmann was kidnapped. I did not like that one at all. I will pretend like that hasn't happened.
And also the Haiti one. It was so bizarre! The antagonist of that story was a Joker who wanted to constantly have "mounts" (people) to have sex with.
The "Blood Rights" story started for me as very confusing. It takes place in Guatemala. It's about two men who lead a revolution of Indians, while being guided by the gods. I didn't know how to react to the gods, to be honest. They didn't seem real to me, it seemed like both men were hallucinating and out of nowhere decided that they need to change their whole lives to be the leaders of a revolution. I did understand why the revolution had to happen. Indians were treated badly by the soldiers, so many people were killed by them for basically no reason. They were Indians, so they had no rights, they could be killed. My heart was with them most of the time, I wanted for them to succeed and have their country back. But then...
Then the revolutionists were attacked, war happened and one of the so-called brothers out of nowhere decided that the gods wanted blood and he took a enemy soldier, I think it was a general, but I'm not sure (but it was someone important), and brutally killed him. How can you fight for justice for your people when you aren't better than your enemies? People died, they had been killed left and right (on both sides) and the guy instead of trying to save as many people as possible, decided to sacrifice an enemy soldier for their gods. I could not understand that, it was an unnecessary violence act.
I wonder if the Indians did get their country back. We did not get that information from the book.
There was a story with Howard Mueller (a.k.a. Troll) as a protagonist, it was such a small part, not much had happened, but I still enjoyed it very much. Troll and Fantasy had gone for a ride to save a little girl from mafia members. I did not like how Fantasy had behaved in it and how entranced by her Howard was. I mean, a little girl was in danger and there was Fantasy doing her best to seduce Howard, who would help her, despite her being beautiful and sexy. Because, you know, he is a nice guy. Anyways, the plot twist in this story was amazing, I wouldn't have guessed what will happen at all!
Another interesting story is called "Down By The Nile". I did care about the Peregrine storyline at the beginning, but I started to get bored by the relationships drama. But then we've been introduced to the Living Gods and the conflict between Israel and Palestine. I was so excited to finally see someone who knew about Hartmann's ability, but then he got killed so... Yeah.
Okay, I will stop writing about the stories, if I keep going, I will never write about the characters, so let's go.
There are so many of them! I had to take notes of who is who, without it I would've been completely lost! Every character is different, has a unique backstory and ability, different goals and dreams. This is how a books should be written! From the colorful team of characters, my favorites had to be: Howard Mueller (Troll), Xavier Desmond, Jack Braun (Golden Boy), Fortunato and Joan Jefferson. I have also so much hopes for David Harstein, who in this book was only mentioned, but I already couldn't help, but like him and want to know more about him.
The characters I don't like at all: Ti Malice, Gregg Hartmann and Fantasy. Especially Hartmann. How no one knows that he is an Ace and a bad guy is beyond me. I swear, if he will become a president of United States at some point, I will riot. But I also have to admit, that Hartmann is one of the most interesting characters, I wonder how his relationship with his other self will progress.
Despite the fact, that I have started my journey with "Wild Cards" from the fourth book in the series, I understood everything what was happening and I quickly grow fond of the characters. I've read that the first three books are taking place in America only, so I think that me starting from book 4, where the characters are having a journey around the world, was actually a very good choice. I had a chance to see how the world of Aces and Jokers actually looks like. I've seen the good and the bad things, so I feel satisfied and very excited to read other books from the Wild Cards universe (yes, I will read the previous three books too). I'm very curious about the Fortunato/Astronomer fight that had been mentioned in the fourth book, also I need to know more about Jack Braun, David Harstein and the Four Aces.
And also I want to know why an alien is in this story.
I mean, I get that he is the one that made the virus and changed the world, but um, why did he came to Earth in the first place and why did has he stayed? Did his planet got destroyed so he had nowhere to go? Or does he feel so guilty that he decided to spend the rest of his life helping people on Earth and trying to get redemption?
Also does the reader know from the very beginning that Hartmann is a bad guy?
I have many other questions I need to get answers to, so I will definitely go back to this universe to find answers.
January 1, 2013
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.
February 16, 2020
Too many cooks can spoil the broth.
This post chronicles my general thoughts about the first few Wild Cards books, given that I'd read the first three before starting this blog and didn't have the patience to go through them again to get to Aces Abroad.
For the uninitiated, Wild Cards is a unique authorial collaboration. It is an science fiction alt-history series premised on the introduction of an alien virus to Earth right after World War II. The virus, known as the Wild Card, kills 90% of those it infects, in grotesque, monstrous ways. It turns 9% into Jokers, giving them unfortunate deformities that vary from Joker to Joker. To a privileged 1%, called Aces, the Wild Card bequeaths superpowers ranging from mind control to flying.
The series kicks off in 1946, and chronicles this alternate history all the way to the present day. Each book is written by a team of a few writers, who usually take charge of certain character POVs. The series features an ensemble cast of various characters, both Ace, Joker and natural, and follows them through the decades as history runs its course amid the new social, institutional and cultural gulfs caused by the aftermath of the virus outbreak.
Oh, and the series helmsman and creative editor, marshaling the various authorial inputs into a coherent narrative, is George RR Martin, of ASOIAF infamy.
That was what drew me to this series, and the first three books didn't disappoint. The first and second books (Wild Cards and Aces High)are a little different from the third book - they're collections of loosely-related short stories, with multiple narrative paths per character, and is written in a more historical mode, expanding on the world and its inhabitants. The third book, Jokers Wild, is more properly s mosaic novel, with a conventional three-part structure, buildup, and a primary antagonist of sorts.
The first two books do a good job of weaving together a historical narrative of an interventionist America that used its aces to affect geopolitics, while its large Joker population was facing discrimination, abuse and injustice of the sort that would not be too unfamiliar to those who experienced the black civil rights movement. The virus' effects are a perfect foil by which the books can examine the common themes of the Cold War - American exceptionalism, and human rights being at the forefront - in a speculative fiction setting. The team was made up of stellar talents - Walter Jon Williams, Roger Zelazny and GRRM among them - who created some of the series' most iconic and well-loved characters.
So, how does Aces Abroad fare in comparison?
I think it's safe to say that Aces Abroad is probably the weakest Wild Cards book so far, to a considerable degree. It's mainly because it's so inconsistent this time round. The first three books had the benefit of tight editing, ensuring that the story and characters flowed well both within their internal arcs as well as across arcs. Aces Abroad, on the other hand, feels unfocused and inconsistent, in terms of characterization and story. The book takes place in 1987, and a UN delegation of Aces, Jokers and politicians have embarked on a world tour to investigate the conditions faced by sufferers of the Wild Card virus in other countries. This premise is in itself somewhat of a weak justification upon which to hang the book's main selling point - taking the series out of its New York-centric setting and into the wider world. The result is a confusing mishmash of styles and a book made out of poorly strung together series of vignettes of varying quality, hinting at a number of plot developments that never actually play out in the book, but will ostensibly be saved for later volumes.
Some of the stories in this collection are surprisingly poorly written and can hardly be counted to the level of quality shown in previous volumes. They feature uneven characterization and betray a lack of understanding of the established motivations of the characters that they feature. Some of these stories are throwaways, adventures involving various characters in various stops on their world tour, which play upon that sense of the exotic to provide traction for the plot. The result is usually a story that plays up cultural stereotypes to show up a contemporaneous social problem encountered by that culture, whether post-colonialism of the Australian Aborigines, Japanese xenophobia, South African apartheid, or Middle-Eastern religious fundamentalism. Many of the stories lacked proper pacing, and relied on a lot of expository, info-dumping dialogue to propel the story forward. I had the constant sense that the writers were just trying to finish their stories within the word limit so that the collection could move on to the next stop on the world tour.
There are some redeeming points, though. The chapters by GRRM, which are written from the perspective of a Joker delegate and series regular Xavier Desmond, provide a kind of thematic or narrative glue to the collection, are probably the best thing about the book, even if they are somewhat inadequate to give the book a sense of unity. Some stories are well-written and stand up on their own - I'm thinking Beasts of Burden and Blood Rights, two of the earlier chapters. And of course, the book seems like it is setting the stage for another mosaic novel featuring major antagonists and crises - I won't name names, however.
All told, however, this is still probably the weakest Wild Cards novel to date, an opinion shared by many readers of the series, who, unlike me, have actually read the rest (I'm reading them as they get re-published, about once a year). I can only hope this is just a blip, and not a slow, gradual decline, because that would be a waste of a very good narrative universe.
I give this book: 2.5 out of 5 butterflies
This post chronicles my general thoughts about the first few Wild Cards books, given that I'd read the first three before starting this blog and didn't have the patience to go through them again to get to Aces Abroad.
For the uninitiated, Wild Cards is a unique authorial collaboration. It is an science fiction alt-history series premised on the introduction of an alien virus to Earth right after World War II. The virus, known as the Wild Card, kills 90% of those it infects, in grotesque, monstrous ways. It turns 9% into Jokers, giving them unfortunate deformities that vary from Joker to Joker. To a privileged 1%, called Aces, the Wild Card bequeaths superpowers ranging from mind control to flying.
The series kicks off in 1946, and chronicles this alternate history all the way to the present day. Each book is written by a team of a few writers, who usually take charge of certain character POVs. The series features an ensemble cast of various characters, both Ace, Joker and natural, and follows them through the decades as history runs its course amid the new social, institutional and cultural gulfs caused by the aftermath of the virus outbreak.
Oh, and the series helmsman and creative editor, marshaling the various authorial inputs into a coherent narrative, is George RR Martin, of ASOIAF infamy.
That was what drew me to this series, and the first three books didn't disappoint. The first and second books (Wild Cards and Aces High)are a little different from the third book - they're collections of loosely-related short stories, with multiple narrative paths per character, and is written in a more historical mode, expanding on the world and its inhabitants. The third book, Jokers Wild, is more properly s mosaic novel, with a conventional three-part structure, buildup, and a primary antagonist of sorts.
The first two books do a good job of weaving together a historical narrative of an interventionist America that used its aces to affect geopolitics, while its large Joker population was facing discrimination, abuse and injustice of the sort that would not be too unfamiliar to those who experienced the black civil rights movement. The virus' effects are a perfect foil by which the books can examine the common themes of the Cold War - American exceptionalism, and human rights being at the forefront - in a speculative fiction setting. The team was made up of stellar talents - Walter Jon Williams, Roger Zelazny and GRRM among them - who created some of the series' most iconic and well-loved characters.
So, how does Aces Abroad fare in comparison?
I think it's safe to say that Aces Abroad is probably the weakest Wild Cards book so far, to a considerable degree. It's mainly because it's so inconsistent this time round. The first three books had the benefit of tight editing, ensuring that the story and characters flowed well both within their internal arcs as well as across arcs. Aces Abroad, on the other hand, feels unfocused and inconsistent, in terms of characterization and story. The book takes place in 1987, and a UN delegation of Aces, Jokers and politicians have embarked on a world tour to investigate the conditions faced by sufferers of the Wild Card virus in other countries. This premise is in itself somewhat of a weak justification upon which to hang the book's main selling point - taking the series out of its New York-centric setting and into the wider world. The result is a confusing mishmash of styles and a book made out of poorly strung together series of vignettes of varying quality, hinting at a number of plot developments that never actually play out in the book, but will ostensibly be saved for later volumes.
Some of the stories in this collection are surprisingly poorly written and can hardly be counted to the level of quality shown in previous volumes. They feature uneven characterization and betray a lack of understanding of the established motivations of the characters that they feature. Some of these stories are throwaways, adventures involving various characters in various stops on their world tour, which play upon that sense of the exotic to provide traction for the plot. The result is usually a story that plays up cultural stereotypes to show up a contemporaneous social problem encountered by that culture, whether post-colonialism of the Australian Aborigines, Japanese xenophobia, South African apartheid, or Middle-Eastern religious fundamentalism. Many of the stories lacked proper pacing, and relied on a lot of expository, info-dumping dialogue to propel the story forward. I had the constant sense that the writers were just trying to finish their stories within the word limit so that the collection could move on to the next stop on the world tour.
There are some redeeming points, though. The chapters by GRRM, which are written from the perspective of a Joker delegate and series regular Xavier Desmond, provide a kind of thematic or narrative glue to the collection, are probably the best thing about the book, even if they are somewhat inadequate to give the book a sense of unity. Some stories are well-written and stand up on their own - I'm thinking Beasts of Burden and Blood Rights, two of the earlier chapters. And of course, the book seems like it is setting the stage for another mosaic novel featuring major antagonists and crises - I won't name names, however.
All told, however, this is still probably the weakest Wild Cards novel to date, an opinion shared by many readers of the series, who, unlike me, have actually read the rest (I'm reading them as they get re-published, about once a year). I can only hope this is just a blip, and not a slow, gradual decline, because that would be a waste of a very good narrative universe.
I give this book: 2.5 out of 5 butterflies
August 3, 2015
Weakest of the volumes I've read so far. There were sections I liked a lot, and then a couple segments I didn't like at all. I particularly hate Josh McCoy, the new love interest for Peregrine, because he is an abusive asshole. I really want her to kick him to the curb, but one thing that this series contains is people making poor life decisions, just like in real life. The death of Xavier Desmond at the end was handled with grace, and I found it rather moving. The developments around Senator Hartmann/Puppetmaster were also well done, and I'm looking forward to where they are going with that line. I also liked the final story about Polyakov, who has all the markings of being a serious threat.
October 29, 2016
Not as tight as the previous 3 collections, especially in the beginning, but things came together nicely, especially as I realized this was another transition of generations, handing the torch to the next set of jokers and aces.
The idea was brilliant, an opportunity to see the wild card virus in action in so many different countries and the various cultures therein. The combination of these stories was long and enjoyable.
Narration was also not as consistently excellent as the previous 3 collections, with the notable exceptions of Armin Shimmerman and Prentice Onayemi, but was still pretty good at worst, so I can't complain much.
The idea was brilliant, an opportunity to see the wild card virus in action in so many different countries and the various cultures therein. The combination of these stories was long and enjoyable.
Narration was also not as consistently excellent as the previous 3 collections, with the notable exceptions of Armin Shimmerman and Prentice Onayemi, but was still pretty good at worst, so I can't complain much.
May 11, 2017
Reading this book was a bit like riding a roller coaster. There were sections where I savored every word and some I couldn't wait to skip ahead in. One of the weakest volumes in the series so far. Intriguing developments for Senator Hartmann, who wasn't that exciting, to begin with, set him up for the major character ahead. I hope I'll find some deep colorful character ahead.
March 26, 2015
I am really glad this series got back to the short story format. This was fantastic! I really liked the interludes from Xavier's journal, and it contained a minimal amount of Fortunato (always a good thing).
August 12, 2016
Aces Abroad has never been my favorite Wild Cards book. Somehow its grand idea of a world tour comes off as dull, possibly because it's leaving its familiar plots and settings aside for a visit with other plots and settings that won't really be that important to the future of the series. Surely, this was intended to be a mirror of the first Wild Cards book: a tour of space instead of a tour of time. But that first Wild Cards book introduced so many characters and plots of note that this one, just a few books later, comes off feeling unnecessary ...
Simultaneously, Aces Abroad is too aware of itself as the first book in a new trilogy of Wild Card stories. Thus, hand in hand with one-off stories that don't feel like they matter, we also get plot setups that will be built upon in Down and Dirty (#5) and Ace in the Hole (#6), which means that we don't get proper closure here. Instead, stories like "The Tint of Hatred" and (especially) "Beasts of Burden" and "Legends" feel like they're just the setup for a more complete tale.
Finally, this book also depends heavily on cultural cliches for many of the countries they visit. Some are totally cringe-worthy, like the dive into Voodoo culture in Haiti, while others like the highlight of Mayan mythology in Guatemala aren't as bad because they aren't as cliched, but still represent the same sort of cultural stereotyping.
To a certain extent you can't blame Martin because this type of cultural stereotyping was the unsophisticated way that most superhero authors approached the international community in the '80s; witness DC's Global Guardians or the international heroes introduced in Marvel's Contest of Champions. But, it's unfortunately endemic here because the authors made the decision that highlighting stereotypical cultural representations was how the Wild Card virus worked. Except that's not how it works in America; there, Aces and Jokers instead see reflections of their internal psyches, not their national character. Which is why there aren't a bunch of Rosie the Riveters and Uncle Sams running around.
Unfortunately, Aces Abroad acts like cultural stereotypes are the main distinguishing characteristics for Aces and Jokers in the countries that the WHO tour visits ... and that's a pretty bad basis for an international novel.
Aces Abroad is tied together by two different interstitials. The main one is The Journal of Xavier Desmond, which nicely depicts the progression of the tour while also offering a look into Jokerdom. Despite being "just" an interstitial, it's some of the better storytelling in the collection. The other interstitial "The Tint of Hatred" turns out to be a more complete story of its own, but also nicely moves things along in the first half of the collection. When these stories go missing in the last chunk of the book, it's noticeable.
Beasts of Burden (Miller: Chrysalis). Sadly, the world tour gets off to a dull start. This story of voodoo in Haiti offers the worrisome suggestion that the book is going to be all about horrible cliches. But the story just isn't that interesting either: folks are captured, then free themselves. Part of the problem is likely that the most interesting elements of this story are just setting up a longer-term threat who then disappears from the narrative. This story's only redeeming feature is its spotlight on Chrysalis; we learn more about who she is after a few books of her lurking in the background [5/10].
Blood Rights (Harper: Hero Twins). This story really shows the weakness of volume 4's format: a couple of character we don't care about wander through an environment that we don't know, and the result is dull and opaque. When they finally intersect with the WHO tour, it seems like an off-handed requirement. There's one scene that seems superfluous, and that's it. This all would be acceptable if the story weren't so darned boring. The first 40 pages or so are a slog, both literally and metaphorically. Even when things heat up after the obligatory WHO tour scene, it feels irrelevant, especially when the story just stops at the end. Too long, too irrelevant, too dull, and too inconclusive [3/10]
Warts and All (Murphy: Troll). This story, a new one for the new edition, is a nice retcon. It focuses on Troll, a character who's never gotten much attention before, and fits right into the South American leg of the tour. Even better, it reminds us what a nasty piece of work Fantasy is, acting as a nice bridge between her betrayals in Aces High (#2) and her return in later books. With that all said, the story is like its predecessor, pretty dull. The first 20 pages or so concentrate on butterflies and other trivialities. By the time we get to the actual action and dilemmas in the last 10 pages or so, we're bored [5/10].
Down by the Nile (Gerstner-Miller: Peregrine). In Egypt we meet new Aces and Jokers with the exact same trope as the Hero Twins: they're taking the form of ancient gods. But here at least the story is focused on Peregrine, so it's more interesting. Unfortunately, the story is deeply disturbing because of the sexual politics. Tachyon is portrayed as a serial sexual harasser and Peregine's boyfriend, McCoy, is a manipulative and controlling creep. And I can't even tell if the author is purposefully telling a story of Peregrine being the victim of these jerks, or if their manipulativeness and abusiveness is unintentional. Which is part of what makes this story so uncomfortable. On the bright side, this story is actually important, unlike much of Aces Abroad. Because the baby is John Fortune, while the Living Gods of Egypt would also return in later days [4/10].
The Tint of Hatred (Leigh: Sara Morgenstern, Kahina). This is sort of an interstitial story, as it outlines the early parts of the tour alongside Desmond's Journal, but that's all in service to showing the growing relationship between Sara Morgenstern and Gregg Hartmann. And, it's nicely done: a great focus on both characters, but especially Hartmann, that will serve us through the rest of this trilogy. However, Leigh doesn't stint on plot: he ends with a confrontation with the Muslim Aces which is exciting and devastating. Unfortunately, this is another long-term plot where you need to read more to get full closure on [7+/10].
The Teardrop of India (Simons: Jayewardene). So if you're not going to have a totally irrelevant tale in Aces Abroad, you have to do something like this, where you import a problem from New York, just as the traveling Aces arrive to solve it. Unfortunately, it's a really artificial setup that harms your disbelief. On the bright side, dealing with the problem of the Great Ape is nice, while Jayewardene is an interesting character, which is probably why he returned decades later [6/10].
Down in the Dreamtime (Bryant: Cordelia). This is a story that has nothing to do with the ongoing plot (as it were) of the book. Jack's niece, Cordelia, makes her own trip to Australia, and happens to run into some members of the WHO tour for a total of four pages in an airport in New Zealand. Seriously, that's it; it's like Bryant doesn't really want to play in the collective sandbox. With that said, this isn't a bad story. It hits the same story beats as "Blood Rights", of the Wild Card causing indigenous revolutions in other countries. But, it's more interesting, as we get a mythic quest rather than an endless march. And it's nice to get some payout of the long chase for Cordelia in the previous volume. But even moreso than the whole rest of this book, this is a story you could cut out without missing it [6+/10].
Zero Hour (Shiner: Fortunato). Now this is how to tell the story of a NY plot surprisingly intersecting with the WHO tour, because Fortunato left for Japan in the previous volume, so it's not like the previous two stories where a New Yorker appears in a foreign land just as the WHO tour shows up. It's a rather nice story for Fortunato too, focusing tightly on his character and the decision that he's considering. And, it also nicely links with the tour because Hiram provides the precipitating event (and the main tension). If the rest of Aces Abroad were like this story, it would have been much more successful [7+/10].
Always Spring in Prague (Vaughan: Lady Black). Another new story for the new edition, and once again it does a great job of picking out someone who deserved more attention: Lady Black. The story is also enjoyable for its placement in Prague, just a few years before the fall of communism. Unfortunately, it otherwise falls short. It's very slow and in the end it anti-climaxes rather than coming to anything [5/10].
Puppets (Milan: Greg Hartmann, Mackie the Knife). This is such a beautifully iconic piece: Hartmann kdinapped by radicals in a divided Berlin. The actual story beyond that stalls out a bit, as Hartmann is forced to sit captive before Puppetman inevitably turns his captors against each other. It's all pretty obvious what's going to happen ... but not a bad story nonetheless [6+/10].
Legends (Cassutt: Polyakov). A pretty dull end to the book, because it focuses on Russian politics that we don't really care about. Worse, it ends up just setting up future events, much like "Beasts of Burden" [4/10].
As a whole, Aces Abroad is a disappointment. Much of it is dull due to a lack of focus on our core characters, and much of it feels irrelevant. When authors make an effort to bring in long-term plots, it feels too coincidental. This could have been an awesome opportunity to introduce a world-wide community that influenced future Wild Cards books, but instead it feels like a dull aside that for the most part isn't that important for the ongoing stories.
Simultaneously, Aces Abroad is too aware of itself as the first book in a new trilogy of Wild Card stories. Thus, hand in hand with one-off stories that don't feel like they matter, we also get plot setups that will be built upon in Down and Dirty (#5) and Ace in the Hole (#6), which means that we don't get proper closure here. Instead, stories like "The Tint of Hatred" and (especially) "Beasts of Burden" and "Legends" feel like they're just the setup for a more complete tale.
Finally, this book also depends heavily on cultural cliches for many of the countries they visit. Some are totally cringe-worthy, like the dive into Voodoo culture in Haiti, while others like the highlight of Mayan mythology in Guatemala aren't as bad because they aren't as cliched, but still represent the same sort of cultural stereotyping.
To a certain extent you can't blame Martin because this type of cultural stereotyping was the unsophisticated way that most superhero authors approached the international community in the '80s; witness DC's Global Guardians or the international heroes introduced in Marvel's Contest of Champions. But, it's unfortunately endemic here because the authors made the decision that highlighting stereotypical cultural representations was how the Wild Card virus worked. Except that's not how it works in America; there, Aces and Jokers instead see reflections of their internal psyches, not their national character. Which is why there aren't a bunch of Rosie the Riveters and Uncle Sams running around.
Unfortunately, Aces Abroad acts like cultural stereotypes are the main distinguishing characteristics for Aces and Jokers in the countries that the WHO tour visits ... and that's a pretty bad basis for an international novel.
Aces Abroad is tied together by two different interstitials. The main one is The Journal of Xavier Desmond, which nicely depicts the progression of the tour while also offering a look into Jokerdom. Despite being "just" an interstitial, it's some of the better storytelling in the collection. The other interstitial "The Tint of Hatred" turns out to be a more complete story of its own, but also nicely moves things along in the first half of the collection. When these stories go missing in the last chunk of the book, it's noticeable.
Beasts of Burden (Miller: Chrysalis). Sadly, the world tour gets off to a dull start. This story of voodoo in Haiti offers the worrisome suggestion that the book is going to be all about horrible cliches. But the story just isn't that interesting either: folks are captured, then free themselves. Part of the problem is likely that the most interesting elements of this story are just setting up a longer-term threat who then disappears from the narrative. This story's only redeeming feature is its spotlight on Chrysalis; we learn more about who she is after a few books of her lurking in the background [5/10].
Blood Rights (Harper: Hero Twins). This story really shows the weakness of volume 4's format: a couple of character we don't care about wander through an environment that we don't know, and the result is dull and opaque. When they finally intersect with the WHO tour, it seems like an off-handed requirement. There's one scene that seems superfluous, and that's it. This all would be acceptable if the story weren't so darned boring. The first 40 pages or so are a slog, both literally and metaphorically. Even when things heat up after the obligatory WHO tour scene, it feels irrelevant, especially when the story just stops at the end. Too long, too irrelevant, too dull, and too inconclusive [3/10]
Warts and All (Murphy: Troll). This story, a new one for the new edition, is a nice retcon. It focuses on Troll, a character who's never gotten much attention before, and fits right into the South American leg of the tour. Even better, it reminds us what a nasty piece of work Fantasy is, acting as a nice bridge between her betrayals in Aces High (#2) and her return in later books. With that all said, the story is like its predecessor, pretty dull. The first 20 pages or so concentrate on butterflies and other trivialities. By the time we get to the actual action and dilemmas in the last 10 pages or so, we're bored [5/10].
Down by the Nile (Gerstner-Miller: Peregrine). In Egypt we meet new Aces and Jokers with the exact same trope as the Hero Twins: they're taking the form of ancient gods. But here at least the story is focused on Peregrine, so it's more interesting. Unfortunately, the story is deeply disturbing because of the sexual politics. Tachyon is portrayed as a serial sexual harasser and Peregine's boyfriend, McCoy, is a manipulative and controlling creep. And I can't even tell if the author is purposefully telling a story of Peregrine being the victim of these jerks, or if their manipulativeness and abusiveness is unintentional. Which is part of what makes this story so uncomfortable. On the bright side, this story is actually important, unlike much of Aces Abroad. Because the baby is John Fortune, while the Living Gods of Egypt would also return in later days [4/10].
The Tint of Hatred (Leigh: Sara Morgenstern, Kahina). This is sort of an interstitial story, as it outlines the early parts of the tour alongside Desmond's Journal, but that's all in service to showing the growing relationship between Sara Morgenstern and Gregg Hartmann. And, it's nicely done: a great focus on both characters, but especially Hartmann, that will serve us through the rest of this trilogy. However, Leigh doesn't stint on plot: he ends with a confrontation with the Muslim Aces which is exciting and devastating. Unfortunately, this is another long-term plot where you need to read more to get full closure on [7+/10].
The Teardrop of India (Simons: Jayewardene). So if you're not going to have a totally irrelevant tale in Aces Abroad, you have to do something like this, where you import a problem from New York, just as the traveling Aces arrive to solve it. Unfortunately, it's a really artificial setup that harms your disbelief. On the bright side, dealing with the problem of the Great Ape is nice, while Jayewardene is an interesting character, which is probably why he returned decades later [6/10].
Down in the Dreamtime (Bryant: Cordelia). This is a story that has nothing to do with the ongoing plot (as it were) of the book. Jack's niece, Cordelia, makes her own trip to Australia, and happens to run into some members of the WHO tour for a total of four pages in an airport in New Zealand. Seriously, that's it; it's like Bryant doesn't really want to play in the collective sandbox. With that said, this isn't a bad story. It hits the same story beats as "Blood Rights", of the Wild Card causing indigenous revolutions in other countries. But, it's more interesting, as we get a mythic quest rather than an endless march. And it's nice to get some payout of the long chase for Cordelia in the previous volume. But even moreso than the whole rest of this book, this is a story you could cut out without missing it [6+/10].
Zero Hour (Shiner: Fortunato). Now this is how to tell the story of a NY plot surprisingly intersecting with the WHO tour, because Fortunato left for Japan in the previous volume, so it's not like the previous two stories where a New Yorker appears in a foreign land just as the WHO tour shows up. It's a rather nice story for Fortunato too, focusing tightly on his character and the decision that he's considering. And, it also nicely links with the tour because Hiram provides the precipitating event (and the main tension). If the rest of Aces Abroad were like this story, it would have been much more successful [7+/10].
Always Spring in Prague (Vaughan: Lady Black). Another new story for the new edition, and once again it does a great job of picking out someone who deserved more attention: Lady Black. The story is also enjoyable for its placement in Prague, just a few years before the fall of communism. Unfortunately, it otherwise falls short. It's very slow and in the end it anti-climaxes rather than coming to anything [5/10].
Puppets (Milan: Greg Hartmann, Mackie the Knife). This is such a beautifully iconic piece: Hartmann kdinapped by radicals in a divided Berlin. The actual story beyond that stalls out a bit, as Hartmann is forced to sit captive before Puppetman inevitably turns his captors against each other. It's all pretty obvious what's going to happen ... but not a bad story nonetheless [6+/10].
Legends (Cassutt: Polyakov). A pretty dull end to the book, because it focuses on Russian politics that we don't really care about. Worse, it ends up just setting up future events, much like "Beasts of Burden" [4/10].
As a whole, Aces Abroad is a disappointment. Much of it is dull due to a lack of focus on our core characters, and much of it feels irrelevant. When authors make an effort to bring in long-term plots, it feels too coincidental. This could have been an awesome opportunity to introduce a world-wide community that influenced future Wild Cards books, but instead it feels like a dull aside that for the most part isn't that important for the ongoing stories.
October 18, 2019
After Jokers Wild, I'm glad to see Aces Abroad move on from Fortunato/the Masons (although Fortunato isn't gone for good just yet). After listening to the afterward by George RR Martin, that seems to have been intentional: the first three books were ordered together and made a self contained arc. A similar pattern will continue through the rest of the books.
It's also interesting this time that where we were mostly limited to New York and Jokertown before, now we're getting a look at the rest of the world--in the guise of a world tour taken on by a number of famous Aces, Jokers, and Nats (listening to the audiobooks, I was wondering why in the world they'd be called gnats... swattable? nats makes much more sense). The Wild Card virus may be rare the further you get from New York, but it seems to have impacted every corner of the world in various ways.
We're also back to the collection of short stories style, which I do appreciate.
Overall, a solid collection of stories. I'm mostly enjoying the Puppetman arc much more than the Masons. We'll see how that holds up through the next two books though.
One random thought in the stories that I didn't really think of: the Wild Card virus predates AIDS (or at least clinical reports and public knowledge thereof) by decades. There's some interesting commentary where from my point of view Jokers can represent AIDS victims, when in their world, it would be the other way around.
Individual stories:
The Tint of Hatred: The Puppetman is an interesting villain, especially having points of view. Creepy as all get out.
From The Journal Of Xavier Desmond: Interludes between all the other stories. Not as interesting as most of the stories, although he does catch a few things that only the reader knows the significance of.
Beasts Of Burden: Seeing Hatai in the world of the Wild Cards is interesting, with it being left vague what is real (courtesy of the Wild Card) and what is still myth. Seeing Blasie without knowing who exactly he is just yet was interesting in hindsight.
Blood Rights: Guatemalan/Mayan myths writ large in another story about revolution. Interesting, although I'm not sure if we'll see more about this.
Warts and All: Powers originally from Frog and Toad Are Friends? Gone a bit sideways (and upwards (and upwards))? Sure! I like Troll. Another I hope to see more of.
Down By The Nile: Peregrine's surprise , especially given that was a lot better than I expected. It feels 'real', which is always a plus in a world like this. The Living Gods are an interesting idea as well--really, the entire idea that beliefs and situation around you when you turn your Wild Card influences your powers.
The Teardrop Of India: The fact that for several books, no one realized that the Wild Card doesn't impact animals... is actually really cool, since I doubt many readers (or even the authors) did either.
Down In The Dreamtime: Fun look at Austrailian tribal beliefs and just how strange of things the Wild Card can turn into reality.
Zero Hour: Oh hey. Fortunato. He's much better post-Astronomer. Still not my favorite.
Always Spring in Prague: I particularly like stories featuring Prague and Golems and Lady Black is an interesting manifestation of the 'can't touch or you'll kill them' power that's a fairly common trope. I hope to see more of her.
Puppets: Man the Puppetman is creepy. And now he has a new weapon...
Mirrors Of The Soul: Dr. Tachyon is interesting and I'm never sure how much I like or dislike him. I think that's intentional. Giving him a taste of family--the one thing he thought he'd never have? Yes please.
Legends: Underwhelming, particularly after the more exotic feeling (to me) stories of the first half of the book. That's about it.
It's also interesting this time that where we were mostly limited to New York and Jokertown before, now we're getting a look at the rest of the world--in the guise of a world tour taken on by a number of famous Aces, Jokers, and Nats (listening to the audiobooks, I was wondering why in the world they'd be called gnats... swattable? nats makes much more sense). The Wild Card virus may be rare the further you get from New York, but it seems to have impacted every corner of the world in various ways.
We're also back to the collection of short stories style, which I do appreciate.
Overall, a solid collection of stories. I'm mostly enjoying the Puppetman arc much more than the Masons. We'll see how that holds up through the next two books though.
One random thought in the stories that I didn't really think of: the Wild Card virus predates AIDS (or at least clinical reports and public knowledge thereof) by decades. There's some interesting commentary where from my point of view Jokers can represent AIDS victims, when in their world, it would be the other way around.
Individual stories:
The Tint of Hatred: The Puppetman is an interesting villain, especially having points of view. Creepy as all get out.
From The Journal Of Xavier Desmond: Interludes between all the other stories. Not as interesting as most of the stories, although he does catch a few things that only the reader knows the significance of.
Beasts Of Burden: Seeing Hatai in the world of the Wild Cards is interesting, with it being left vague what is real (courtesy of the Wild Card) and what is still myth. Seeing Blasie without knowing who exactly he is just yet was interesting in hindsight.
Blood Rights: Guatemalan/Mayan myths writ large in another story about revolution. Interesting, although I'm not sure if we'll see more about this.
Warts and All: Powers originally from Frog and Toad Are Friends? Gone a bit sideways (and upwards (and upwards))? Sure! I like Troll. Another I hope to see more of.
Down By The Nile: Peregrine's surprise , especially given that was a lot better than I expected. It feels 'real', which is always a plus in a world like this. The Living Gods are an interesting idea as well--really, the entire idea that beliefs and situation around you when you turn your Wild Card influences your powers.
The Teardrop Of India: The fact that for several books, no one realized that the Wild Card doesn't impact animals... is actually really cool, since I doubt many readers (or even the authors) did either.
Down In The Dreamtime: Fun look at Austrailian tribal beliefs and just how strange of things the Wild Card can turn into reality.
Zero Hour: Oh hey. Fortunato. He's much better post-Astronomer. Still not my favorite.
Always Spring in Prague: I particularly like stories featuring Prague and Golems and Lady Black is an interesting manifestation of the 'can't touch or you'll kill them' power that's a fairly common trope. I hope to see more of her.
Puppets: Man the Puppetman is creepy. And now he has a new weapon...
Mirrors Of The Soul: Dr. Tachyon is interesting and I'm never sure how much I like or dislike him. I think that's intentional. Giving him a taste of family--the one thing he thought he'd never have? Yes please.
Legends: Underwhelming, particularly after the more exotic feeling (to me) stories of the first half of the book. That's about it.
December 19, 2021
Up until now, we've been very America-centric with the Wild Cards series. In fact, except for the first book, it sometimes seemed as if there were only cases in New York City. With this book, things are expanded out. Sometimes it's because some of the spores dispersed over other countries (of course, not as strongly as they did in the USA). Other times, it's because of births or other forms of generational transmission.
I've yet to come to full terms with the implications, but it's interesting that this book seems to make the retcon that the expressions of the virus have something to do with the cultures of the victims and/or their self-conceptualization. I'm pretty sure (but maybe I'm wrong) that in the first three books it was presented as more or less random. It does allow the authors to have some very interesting Aces and Jokers around the world even if the possibility for caricature is there. I didn't see anything egregious, but maybe because none of the countries were my country of origin?
The other interesting line that Wild Cards walks as it gets further along is that it's KIND OF our world, but kind of NOT. Obviously the Wild Card virus changed some things - like JFK Airport being called Tomlin Airport. But Reagan still ends up president in the 80s and the Iran-Contra thing seems to be mentioned at one point. Yet we seem to have the success of the Guatemalen socialist revolution that failed in our timeline. (I think? I'm a little hazy on that part of history, even if the USA did have a hand in it) The last book presented that AIDS is still an issue. So it's walking this interesting line where, for example, I don't know whether or not to expect Greg Hartmann to actually run for president or not.
As to Hartmann (aka Puppetmaster) this is, in most ways, his book. Or, as we know from the future, his quartet. The plot that links all the short stories is that the WHO has sent a bunch of American Aces, Jokers, and political folks around the world to see how Jokers are treated around the world. This allows Puppetmaster to collect (or attempt to collect) puppets around the world. We get many glimpses into his mind and his battle with his alter-ego.
I will confess that my favorite parts were the excerpts from Xavier Desmond's Journal. We'd seen him here and there in Jokertown before, but his chunks of the story were the glue that kept things together and kept me caring about the folks due to my sympathy for his plight. He provided a different perspective on the others, Aces and Jokers alike. Of course, his trust in Hartmann was heart-breaking.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and it was neat to see how the Wild Cards Braintrust decided to conceptualize how the virus would have changed things around the world. I am curious to see how this quartet resolves and how the world continues to evolve away from its origins. (Especially if it starts to move further from the 80s. I was quite young then and don't relate to a lot of the references - even the Cold War barely registered to me as a youth). If you've been enjoying Wild Cars so far, I think you'd like it. It's actually also not a bad jumping on point. Most of what you'd need to know is explained as background info or in flashbacks. You might miss a couple things like Golden Boy's situation, but otherwise I think you could just jump in here and be caught up to what's going on.
I've yet to come to full terms with the implications, but it's interesting that this book seems to make the retcon that the expressions of the virus have something to do with the cultures of the victims and/or their self-conceptualization. I'm pretty sure (but maybe I'm wrong) that in the first three books it was presented as more or less random. It does allow the authors to have some very interesting Aces and Jokers around the world even if the possibility for caricature is there. I didn't see anything egregious, but maybe because none of the countries were my country of origin?
The other interesting line that Wild Cards walks as it gets further along is that it's KIND OF our world, but kind of NOT. Obviously the Wild Card virus changed some things - like JFK Airport being called Tomlin Airport. But Reagan still ends up president in the 80s and the Iran-Contra thing seems to be mentioned at one point. Yet we seem to have the success of the Guatemalen socialist revolution that failed in our timeline. (I think? I'm a little hazy on that part of history, even if the USA did have a hand in it) The last book presented that AIDS is still an issue. So it's walking this interesting line where, for example, I don't know whether or not to expect Greg Hartmann to actually run for president or not.
As to Hartmann (aka Puppetmaster) this is, in most ways, his book. Or, as we know from the future, his quartet. The plot that links all the short stories is that the WHO has sent a bunch of American Aces, Jokers, and political folks around the world to see how Jokers are treated around the world. This allows Puppetmaster to collect (or attempt to collect) puppets around the world. We get many glimpses into his mind and his battle with his alter-ego.
I will confess that my favorite parts were the excerpts from Xavier Desmond's Journal. We'd seen him here and there in Jokertown before, but his chunks of the story were the glue that kept things together and kept me caring about the folks due to my sympathy for his plight. He provided a different perspective on the others, Aces and Jokers alike. Of course, his trust in Hartmann was heart-breaking.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and it was neat to see how the Wild Cards Braintrust decided to conceptualize how the virus would have changed things around the world. I am curious to see how this quartet resolves and how the world continues to evolve away from its origins. (Especially if it starts to move further from the 80s. I was quite young then and don't relate to a lot of the references - even the Cold War barely registered to me as a youth). If you've been enjoying Wild Cars so far, I think you'd like it. It's actually also not a bad jumping on point. Most of what you'd need to know is explained as background info or in flashbacks. You might miss a couple things like Golden Boy's situation, but otherwise I think you could just jump in here and be caught up to what's going on.
November 25, 2017
Aces Abroad follows the second trilogy of the Wild Cards Series. I been interested in this series for months and was happy to finally have a copy of it to read. This follows events happening back in the 1980's in an alterate reality where some people catch a virus that gave them powers, Ace, or deformities, Jokers. This fourth book follows loosely events of the first trilogy, as past events were often mention with past characters. In this story we follow a group of representatives going around the around the world to look how other country treat people who were affected by the virus.
Wild Cards is a long series, that I want to get into. Sadly I was disappointed in the story overall. So I will break it down into World, Characters, Plot, and Writing.
World
The world is an alternate history of ours. This novel as set in the 1980's. I enjoyed the world the story build, and it was interesting seeing how Nats, Jokers, and Aces interact with one other and how the relationship of them work not only in the US but the world. Where this book shine was showcasing different POV of the events happening from different countries. Because we are taken on this trip we can a lot of the world and see how others are affected, while comparing it to the status of the USA.
Characters
At one side I found certain characters rememberable and different thanks to the stories they were in. On the other side some of the characters blend in, and I question myself on who was who. Characters I liked where Hartman, Sara, Xavier, Peregrine. Which were the characters that had more screen time. Most of the time I had to think of who was this again, what was his power, what is his position. And it was difficult for me to gauge the relationship between people.
Plot
The plot was very episodic, in some plot points carrying on in multiple section. This allow certain characters to be highlighted, and show who they are. This also allows to show certain countries and how they are doing. An issue was that the readers weren't working for something, a goal. It felt like once the story was done, we won't see the characters again. We do see certain characters in minor rolls, and see certain plot point here and there, but overall it felt contain into the own section. I was not motivated to pick up this novel, because there was nothing pulling me into the story,
Writing
Wild Card had a bunch of authors contributing to sections of the story. I have to say it is a cool thing to do, and I think this pulls it off well enough with its continuity, but sadly parts of the writing fell flat. This story could be done amazing with one great author. Some of the stories were great. But most I found pretty bland, confusing, and too long. Certain stories I found myself wondering what was happening (the south American story). Others, the writing didn't agree with me, (Cuba), and some I just did not care (Middle East, Canada). Some stories I did like: India, Japan, Sweden, Russia, and the one about the coco tears. I also enjoyed Xavier's Journal as that brought an interesting look at the society and their mission. I did enjoy seeing Hartman and Sara, and wished to see them more.
Overall I gave this a 3 out of 5 stars, and probably won't continue with the series.
Wild Cards is a long series, that I want to get into. Sadly I was disappointed in the story overall. So I will break it down into World, Characters, Plot, and Writing.
World
The world is an alternate history of ours. This novel as set in the 1980's. I enjoyed the world the story build, and it was interesting seeing how Nats, Jokers, and Aces interact with one other and how the relationship of them work not only in the US but the world. Where this book shine was showcasing different POV of the events happening from different countries. Because we are taken on this trip we can a lot of the world and see how others are affected, while comparing it to the status of the USA.
Characters
At one side I found certain characters rememberable and different thanks to the stories they were in. On the other side some of the characters blend in, and I question myself on who was who. Characters I liked where Hartman, Sara, Xavier, Peregrine. Which were the characters that had more screen time. Most of the time I had to think of who was this again, what was his power, what is his position. And it was difficult for me to gauge the relationship between people.
Plot
The plot was very episodic, in some plot points carrying on in multiple section. This allow certain characters to be highlighted, and show who they are. This also allows to show certain countries and how they are doing. An issue was that the readers weren't working for something, a goal. It felt like once the story was done, we won't see the characters again. We do see certain characters in minor rolls, and see certain plot point here and there, but overall it felt contain into the own section. I was not motivated to pick up this novel, because there was nothing pulling me into the story,
Writing
Wild Card had a bunch of authors contributing to sections of the story. I have to say it is a cool thing to do, and I think this pulls it off well enough with its continuity, but sadly parts of the writing fell flat. This story could be done amazing with one great author. Some of the stories were great. But most I found pretty bland, confusing, and too long. Certain stories I found myself wondering what was happening (the south American story). Others, the writing didn't agree with me, (Cuba), and some I just did not care (Middle East, Canada). Some stories I did like: India, Japan, Sweden, Russia, and the one about the coco tears. I also enjoyed Xavier's Journal as that brought an interesting look at the society and their mission. I did enjoy seeing Hartman and Sara, and wished to see them more.
Overall I gave this a 3 out of 5 stars, and probably won't continue with the series.
February 10, 2022
The World Health Organization sends a group of politicians, aces, jokers and reporters on a junket around the world to discuss the ramifications and treatments of the Wild Card Virus. Several characters from previous volumes figure into this collection as do some new ones. There is never a dull moment as this group faces new highs and lows along the way.
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in this book. I truly enjoyed some of the stories, and found others a chore to get through. I know this can be the case with any collection of short fiction, but the previous volumes were all pretty uniform and higher quality. The latter half of the book kind of rescued the earlier portion. While Leanne Harper's previous contributions were high water marks, I found "Blood Rites" to be tough to get through. I was excited by the new characters and the environment, but it just never really developed for me and I got bogged down in the mire of characters I didn't care about. While the ending was important and had a lasting impact on the series, I felt that I was just happy to be moving on. Similarly, I had issues with Victor Milan's entry, "Puppets." It's another pivotal story, but I had issues with the writing and I found most of the new characters irritating or just unlikable.
Melinda Snodgrass put forth an excellent effort in her story by deepening Doctor Tachyon even more than her previous stories. It's amazing how she has taken this character through so much in so few pages. Walton Simons and Gail Gerstner-Miller did excellent work in developing some new characters and making their stories very engaging. I also really enjoyed the bridging pieces in this book - particularly the diary entries from "Mayor of Jokertown" Xavier Desmond. He's been present in all the previous volumes, but we were never really able to see him in full light until now. A truly excellent part of the book.
In the edition I read there were two new stories add in 2014 by Kevin Andrew Murphy and Carrie Vaughn. Both were solid entries in the book and fleshed out characters that would otherwise have only been brief mentions in this book. Troll is a gentle giant that is often judged by his monstrous appearance, and Lady Black is a government agent who's mere touch can kill. Intriguing characters that should have more done with them down the line.
There's a lot of set up in this book for the rest of the "cycle" of Wild Cards. Heroic and villainous characters, mysteries, and big action seem to be on the way for this universe. Even though this installment wasn't my favorite, I have high hopes for the rest of this cycle and look forward to reading more.
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in this book. I truly enjoyed some of the stories, and found others a chore to get through. I know this can be the case with any collection of short fiction, but the previous volumes were all pretty uniform and higher quality. The latter half of the book kind of rescued the earlier portion. While Leanne Harper's previous contributions were high water marks, I found "Blood Rites" to be tough to get through. I was excited by the new characters and the environment, but it just never really developed for me and I got bogged down in the mire of characters I didn't care about. While the ending was important and had a lasting impact on the series, I felt that I was just happy to be moving on. Similarly, I had issues with Victor Milan's entry, "Puppets." It's another pivotal story, but I had issues with the writing and I found most of the new characters irritating or just unlikable.
Melinda Snodgrass put forth an excellent effort in her story by deepening Doctor Tachyon even more than her previous stories. It's amazing how she has taken this character through so much in so few pages. Walton Simons and Gail Gerstner-Miller did excellent work in developing some new characters and making their stories very engaging. I also really enjoyed the bridging pieces in this book - particularly the diary entries from "Mayor of Jokertown" Xavier Desmond. He's been present in all the previous volumes, but we were never really able to see him in full light until now. A truly excellent part of the book.
In the edition I read there were two new stories add in 2014 by Kevin Andrew Murphy and Carrie Vaughn. Both were solid entries in the book and fleshed out characters that would otherwise have only been brief mentions in this book. Troll is a gentle giant that is often judged by his monstrous appearance, and Lady Black is a government agent who's mere touch can kill. Intriguing characters that should have more done with them down the line.
There's a lot of set up in this book for the rest of the "cycle" of Wild Cards. Heroic and villainous characters, mysteries, and big action seem to be on the way for this universe. Even though this installment wasn't my favorite, I have high hopes for the rest of this cycle and look forward to reading more.
July 24, 2018
Continuing my reread of this series; continuing to be disappointed. I remember these books as one of the defining pillars of high school, but I'm starting to think they may be best left there.
In all fairness, even teenage-me didn't particularly care for this volume, as is proved by the fact that I remember almost none of it. It's an entirely forgettable installment in the series, focusing mostly on characters that we've never seen before and never hear from again. I know it's an attempt to flesh out the world, but none of the characters are particularly relatable, interesting, or compelling, and the politics become repetitive.
Also, the obsession with gratuitous, unsexy-sex continues. God, these books are full of tortured and tortuous porn. I have no problem with sexual content, but do they have to make it so miserable and simultaneously shoehorn it in where it's not relevant, interesting, or necessary?
The entire novel is saved by the interstitial narrative from Xavier Desmond, which is brilliant and beautiful and heart-aching enough to pull this up from 'bleh, giving up on the series' to 'reminding me of how amazing the entire world can be.'
In all fairness, even teenage-me didn't particularly care for this volume, as is proved by the fact that I remember almost none of it. It's an entirely forgettable installment in the series, focusing mostly on characters that we've never seen before and never hear from again. I know it's an attempt to flesh out the world, but none of the characters are particularly relatable, interesting, or compelling, and the politics become repetitive.
Also, the obsession with gratuitous, unsexy-sex continues. God, these books are full of tortured and tortuous porn. I have no problem with sexual content, but do they have to make it so miserable and simultaneously shoehorn it in where it's not relevant, interesting, or necessary?
The entire novel is saved by the interstitial narrative from Xavier Desmond, which is brilliant and beautiful and heart-aching enough to pull this up from 'bleh, giving up on the series' to 'reminding me of how amazing the entire world can be.'
November 14, 2017
I picked this up after a quite a break from the first three books in the series and although it took me a while to remember some of the finer details from the first 3, I went on to recall what I love about the series; the gritty, human stories that run through this supernatural world.
Aces Abroad maybe isn't the best effort yet but I thoroughly enjoyed discovering new characters and seeing old ones meet new challenges in far off countries. the are some really fun and sometimes moving stories here by some talented authors and the only thing that stopped me giving this a 5 is that the overall story didn't move along too much (although the foundations are well set for the next one!) and the tour itself seemed to achieve nothing (although maybe that's the point?). either way, can't wait to read Down & Dirty now!
Aces Abroad maybe isn't the best effort yet but I thoroughly enjoyed discovering new characters and seeing old ones meet new challenges in far off countries. the are some really fun and sometimes moving stories here by some talented authors and the only thing that stopped me giving this a 5 is that the overall story didn't move along too much (although the foundations are well set for the next one!) and the tour itself seemed to achieve nothing (although maybe that's the point?). either way, can't wait to read Down & Dirty now!
March 13, 2021
Después de la historia contada en los tres primeros libros de Wild Cards, aquí se plantea un nuevo comienzo. Con la excusa de un viaje de ases alrededor del mundo se van a presentar muchos personajes nuevos que sin duda tendrán protagonismo en las siguientes historias.
El hecho de que esté escrito a muchas manos le da irregularidad al nivel literario, y la necesidad de presentar futuros protagonistas hace que no todas las historias tengan gancho. Eso hace que en general se lea como un prólogo, una excusa para presentar personajes que después van a ser importantes. A pesar de eso hay relatos buenos y bien escritos, pero la media está por debajo de los anteriores.
De todos modos la trama de Wild Cards sigue siendo interesante y sin duda mejorará en la continuación, con los personajes ya definidos.
El hecho de que esté escrito a muchas manos le da irregularidad al nivel literario, y la necesidad de presentar futuros protagonistas hace que no todas las historias tengan gancho. Eso hace que en general se lea como un prólogo, una excusa para presentar personajes que después van a ser importantes. A pesar de eso hay relatos buenos y bien escritos, pero la media está por debajo de los anteriores.
De todos modos la trama de Wild Cards sigue siendo interesante y sin duda mejorará en la continuación, con los personajes ya definidos.
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