World Famous Comics: George R.R. Martin's Wild Card Universe: Death Draws Five
George R.R. Martin's Wild Card Universe: Death Draws Five
By: John J. Miller Publisher: IBooks Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: IBooks Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 320 Publication Date: 2006-01
Product Description: An original novel set in the widely popular Wild Cards world created by science fiction scion George R.R. Martin. Edited by Hugo award winning and New York times bestselling author, George R.R. Martin. It's really quite simple. Mr. Nobody wants to do his job. The Midnight Angel wants to serve her Lord. Billy Ray, dying from boredom, wants some action. John Nighthawk wants to uncover the awful secret behind his mysterious power. Fortunato wants to rescue his son from the clutches of a cryptic Vatican office. John Fortune just wants to catch Siegfried and Ralph's famous Vegas review. The problem is that all roads, whether they start in Turin, Italy, Las Vegas, Hokkaido, Japan, Jokertown, Snake Hill, the Short Cut, or Yazoo City, Mississippi, lead to Leo Barnett's Peaceable Kingdon where the difference between the Apocalypse and Peace on Earth is as thin as a razor's edge and where Death himself awaits the final terrible turn of the card. Wild Cards: Death Draws Five is an original novel set in this shared world utilizing characters from other Wild Card adventures. John J. Miller Splitting his life between the Empire State and The Land of Enchantment, John J. Miller currently resides in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife Gail, five cats, two dogs, two goldfish, and too many books to count, approximately ten of which he's written. He's contemplating getting more goldfish, and, probably, books. George R. R. Martin was born in 1948 in Bayonne, NJ. Four-time winner of the Hugo Award, two-time winner of the Nebula and editor of over two dozen novels and anthologies, and the writer of numerous short stories. His New York Times bestselling novel, A Storm of Swords (the third volume in his epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" (was published in 2000. Martin lives in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
Not great but not bad I read another poster's review and almost didn't buy this book but decided to see for myself how bad it might be. Maybe it was because the bar had been set low so my expectation were low whatever the case the book was not bad. Yes the characters are cartoonish. Yes all they do is travel from one place to another and fight. Yes the plot is cartoonish.
But it's a series about super heroes what do you expect War and Peace? It has been years since I read the original series so when I received this book I was not expecting to find very adult oriented group of characters with real problems looking for real solutions in a spectacular world. After so many years my perspective and my life has changed enough that I realize what I thought the world to be at 13 is a lot different at 31. I don't want to give excuses for bad editing, poor storylines, or ridiculous plots, but hey if you are basing your review on what you remembered the books to be and what they are a sad realization is in your future. If you read the original series and liked it, then I think you will like this story simply for a chance to revisit the Wild Card's world.
Super Reader The latest Wild Card novel, while a new story, is a little bit of a homage to the past, with some old friends turning up. Give the title, you know there will be casualties.
Fortunato returns from Japan, Billy Ray is working for ex-President Leo Barnett, and actually mellowing. Jerry Strauss is bodyguarding Peregrine's son, and working with Jay Ackroyd. Digger Downs is still doing his thing. Cameo makes a cameo, and when the conflict over Peregrine son, the man theme of the book, erupts, Daniel Brennan is there to lend at hand, at one stage.
All very enjoyable for the fan, and new characters - Midnight Angel (the woman on the cover), Nighthawk, and a Cardinal in charge of a bunch of Dominicans tied to the Inquisition. One group thinks Fortune is the antichrist, the other, the opposite. A whole bunch of old friends are caught in the middle.
Not quite a four, but brings a smile to the face with a more than welcome return for this series.
Good Yep, good but not great - if you're a fan of the series, I think you'll like the updates to the characters (the somewhat wiser and slower Billy ray was probably my favorite) In fact all of the returning characters seem more grown up (to a point) which was interesting. The old characters in this book (Fortunato, Mr. Nobody, Popinjay) weren't really ever my favorites, but they're OK. I'd say bring back the Sleeper and Modular Man!
As far as the actual plot, I thought it was OK, but not as good as the heyday of the series. I think there were a few flubs in there, too. The typos that other folks have mentioned are in there, but that didn't bug me nearly as much as the fact that 2 of the main characters named John (as well as the author... I mean, really.)? That was kind of distracting.
So, overall, a 3.
Awesome! Death Draws Five is a great installment for the Wild Cards Series. At long last the ace Fortunato has retuned in order to assist his son who has just had the wild card virus affect him. Young John Fortune has turned over an ace - or has he? Some groups think he is the messiah, while others believe that they must destroy him at all costs. Old Friends Popinjay, Billy Ray, Digger Downs, Father Squid, Yeoman and Peregrine all make appearances. The Mysterious "The Angel" (not Angel) makes an excellent addition to the shared universe. This is a fun book, written in a light manner, where everyone is chasing everyone, and always one step behind. There are plenty of laughs and a lot of action.
Five Stars for Death Draws Five.
Relic113
Could have been better While this is my first foray into the 'Wild Cards' series I have to say I agree with the previous reviewer who mentioned the horrible proof reading job that was done. Mistakes are so abundant that eventually I was convinced that it had to be mentioned in a review. Every few pages there's a word that shouldn't be there and the reader is forced to guess at the meaning of the sentence, this does take away from the enjoyment of reading the book. The story is OK but again, as mentioned, rings of The Da Vinci type drama and secret organizations. You'll read through it quickly enough but it could easily have been better.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
