Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole

By: George R. R. Martin

Narrated by: Will Estes, Clancy Brown, Stephen McHattie, Raphael Sbarge, P.J. Ochlan, Emily Rankin

George R. R. Martin and science fiction's top authors delve into the adventurous superhero universe, Wild Cards, in the sixth book of this fan favorite series.

Since a strange alien virus created the superhuman beings known as Aces and Jokers four decades ago, they have struggled for respect and recognition. Now they are key players in a presidential convention torn by hatred and dissent. Assassins stalk the halls of the convention and one of the candidates plans to use his secret Wild Card power for evil.

Travel on a journey of intrigue and adventure in this collaborative novel edited by #1 New York Timesbestselling author George R. R. Martin and written by five of science fiction's most imaginative talents: Stephen Leigh, Victor Milan, Walton Simons, Melinda M. Snodgrass, and Walter Jon Williams.


Read by Clancy Brown, Will Estes, Stephen McHattie, and Raphael Sbarge, with PJ Ochlan and Emily Rankin


"Delicious. Everything I hoped for. The character interactions and plot twists have exactly the complexity, surprise, and unsentimental realism I'd expect out of a George R. R. Martin project." —Austin Grossman, author of Soon I Will be Invincible on Inside Straight

Perfect

From the performances, to the story, to the conclusion, this book and, in particular this audio book, was fanfrickingtastic!

The intersection of superpowers and politics

This is still an excellent book in an excellent series. There are elements that read as edgy when I read this years ago. It reads as inappropriate now, but overall the story is excellent. The intersection of real world politicians, believable problems, and colorful characters is entertaining.

Much loved stories brought to life

I've loved these books since they first came out in print. I was over the moon to find them in audiobook form. An amazing cast of characters, and not a stereotype amongst them. Fantastic writing from a stable of brilliant authors that the editor has managed to meld into a seamless whole.

The only downside for me is that they haven't recorded the rest of the original run of novels.

Top 3 at least!

I guess out of 6 books to say top 3 may not be much but I have listened to all 6 thus far and enjoyed each. Great story, had most of my favorites back in action. Don't listen to this book unless you've read or heard the first 3 books.

A Good Place to End

I've been reading George RR Martin since before I knew there WAS a George RR Martin. I started with the Wild Cards series 30 years ago. I read the first few anthologies before losing track of the series between installments. This book, the sixth overall, reminds me of all the things I enjoyed about Wild Cards ... and those things that sometimes frustrated me as well. If you happen to own a physical copy of this book, give it a nice hard squeeze and the angst will start dripping out from between the pages. Of course, angst-ridden super folks was all the rage in the 90s when these books first appeared. There's "conflicted" ... and there's CONFLICTED. It just gets a little tedious sometimes, needlessly drawing the story out. The political story at the center of the book is also sometimes cumbersome. But the real strength of the book (and the series) is in the characters. This installment wraps up a major storyline, bringing some major characters full circle while leaving plenty of loose ends to untangle in later books. The performers/narrators are spot on, highlighted by the rumbling voice of Clancy Brown. If you're into the series at all, pick this up. It provides just the right amount of payoff. It may also be the perfect place to end if you're wondering whether or not to keep playing the Wild Cards game. For my part, I imagine I'll be back ... sooner or later.