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Wild Cards #14
Marked Cards
A beautiful young reporter and a small group of jokers and aces have unearthed evidence of a secret conspiracy called the Card Sharks, whose goal is no less than the wholesale destruction of those afflicted with the Wild Cards virus. Hannah and her heroes must flush out the Card Sharks before they can employ their ultimate weapon.
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
6 people are currently reading
1199 people want to read
About the author
George R.R. Martin
1,509 books119k 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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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 16, 2020
This book was nowhere near as good as wild cards 13 card sharks it was all over the place with story and plot development and I really disliked the puppet man redemption ark, I like my greg Hartman evil and manipulative. I give this book 6 out of 10 it is a good bridging book but all the really interesting bits are few and far between in my opinion. I really want to read the next book in the seires wild cards 15 black trumps but it is all most impossible to get my hands on and is very very expensive.
If anyone is interested I have a youtube review of the book on my channel
https://youtu.be/PSPwZHRF9No
If anyone is interested I have a youtube review of the book on my channel
https://youtu.be/PSPwZHRF9No
May 11, 2015
This was the second Wild Cards book that Baen produced, and was the fourteenth in the series overall. The Barclay Shaw covers were excellent on the Baen editions. The Finn story is good, as is Stephen Leigh's continuing story of Gregg Hartmann, and Victor Milan's piece. The interspersed story lines work quite well in this one, developing the Card Shark menace, and the mosaic novel label rings true better than it had in several previous volumes.
March 11, 2021
The Card Sharks triad was marketed as "A New Cycle" on every book cover. While the first book of the triad focused on new point-of-view characters, this one feels like the authors trotted out as many of the older characters as possible--Puppetman, Popinjay, Ezili-je-Rouge, Mr. Nobody, Peregrine, Captain Trips, Bagabond, Turtle, Black Shadow…
The results are mixed. I enjoyed catching up with the old favorites, but at the same time it makes the series feel very closed off. I certainly do not think any new readers should enter the Wild Cards universe with this book.
As for the quality of the stories themselves, I think "Feeding Frenzy" and "A Dose of Reality" are two of the strongest in the entire series, but the rest are merely average.
Here are my individual story reviews:
1. "The Color of His Skin" by Stephen Leigh
Gregg Hartmann regains some of his former powers as he investigates the Card Sharks conspiracy. It is just a shadow of his former abilities as Puppetman. He now has a sort of advanced charisma that can gently pull on people's emotions; he can no longer fully control them. This story is broken into eight sections, which serve as the interstitial material connecting the other stories.
2. "Two of a Kind" by Walton Simons
Jerry Strauss aka Mr. Projectionist aka Mr. Nobody is back. He survived the flood that swept him into the East River by shape-shifting into the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Now, he has used his wealth to buy a partnership in Popinjay's investigations firm. He is not a very skilled PI yet, but that does not stop him from investigating the shadowy George G. Battle. He fights Crypt Kicker as a werewolf. During his showdown with Battle, the CIA spook is exposed to the Takis-A virus and turns into a joker.
I'll always have a soft spot for Simons because of the outstanding death scene he wrote for Demise and Mack the Knife, but most of his stories feel like filler material. This one is no different. The final plot twist seems way too convenient. Battle had a 90% chance of drawing a Black Queen, but of course he survives for dramatic effect.
3. "My Sweet Lord" by Victor Milán
This story is a direct continuation of Turn of the Cards. The strain of running the new Republic of South Vietnam is wearing on Mark Meadows. The partitions between his various alter-egos are breaking down, and he cannot control them anymore. Mark is drawn to a mysterious joker with the appearance and powers of Ganesha who promises he can separate the "friends". However, rather than being a true guru of Eastern mysticism, Ganesha turns out to be a sexual predator fixated on Sprout.
This is a tame, almost boring Captain Trips story. There are a couple of significant developments. The Machinist leaves the country to fight the Card Shark conspiracy on his own. Moonchild accidentally kills someone in combat, which she believes will strip her of her power and identity. We also learn India is the only country that celebrates its jokers, but they do not allow immigration, so it is not an international refuge for jokers in the same sense as the new Vietnam.
4. "Paths of Silence and of Night" by Leanne C. Harper
This story is a sequel to "Blood Rights" from Aces Abroad and "What Rough Beast…" from Down and Dirty. Bagabond is now living in Guatemala, where she and C.C. Ryder went back in 1987 to aid the indigenous Maya in their fight against the Latino government. Over the last seven years, the international community including the United States came to the aid of the conservatives, who succeeded in putting down the Hero Twins' revolution.
Bagabond is protecting a small mountain village with the help of her jungle animals. Her quiet life is upended when she meets Josh McCoy (Peregrine's boyfriend, sans his previous domestic violence tendencies). Josh needs help to smuggle pictures that prove the Card Sharks exterminated an entire village using biological weapons under the direction of the very much still-alive Dr. Faneuil.
What follows is a rapid flight to the southern border in a land torn between Latino, Marxist, and Maoist factions. Bagabond once again uses her animal companions as weapons and shields. She discovers the Hero Twins are still alive and the underground insurrection struggling but not completely extinguished. Crypt Kicker is seemingly killed--but is this really the end for the joker who is already dead? The story ends with Bagabond once again homeless and on the lam in Belize. Neither she nor the Hero Twins have appeared in subsequent Wild Card novels.
5. "Feeding Frenzy" by Walter Jon Williams
This is the best story in the book, full of plot twists and madcap action.
Black Shadow and Croyd Crenson engineer a jailbreak of jokers and aces from a New York psychiatric hospital and then wreak vengeance against the Card Sharks. The Sharks, however, have a jumper whom they activate to save themselves.
Croyd betrays Black Shadow when he realizes he is an alternate ego of Gravemold. This was an unexpected payoff to the Typhoid Croyd storyline because Gravemold helped arrest the Sleeper way back in Book 5.
This author makes better use of the jumpers in this story than the entire Rox triad. Hartmann is jumped into George G. Battle's new centipede joker body. His old Puppetman body is tortured and killed by Shad. Pan Runo gets a new body before Runo's old body is blown away by Croyd in payback for the events of “The Long Sleep”. Howard Hughes is kidnapped and executed. Crypt Kicker returns--only to die for the 3rd or 4th time. Molly the jumper is killed in the massacre at Latchkey farm, and we finally learn who orchestrated Mistral being returned to her original body after the battle at the Rox.
6. "A Breath of Life" by Sage Walker
Zoe Harris is a minor ace passing as a nat in Manhattan. Her hidden power is the ability to animate inanimate objects by blowing on them; she can only do this when in a heightened state of emotion, usually fear or intense sexual excitement. She learns to harness this power from Turtle (in what may be his final Wild Cards appearance). She realizes that a holocaust is coming, and she begins to help jokers emigrate to Vietnam and Jerusalem.
There are so many problems with this story-- where to start?
Despite the fact Shad and Croyd seemed to foil the Card Sharks in the previous story, somehow they still succeeded in getting Congress to force mandatory virus testing and relocate jokers to internment camps ("biological research units"). It is never explained how the Sharks swayed the President or got their Senate bill out of committee after Shad killed the people behind this plot. (In fact, it is probable this story should have been placed before "Feeding Frenzy", which would have eliminated the plot hole. There is even a mention later in "Dose of Reality" that the concentration camp legislation was off the table.)
Does this series need yet another female character with a sex-related power? And what does this power have to do with the subplot about joker persecution?
Why does a woman who is constantly referred to as desirable need fat, depressed, whiny, middle aged Turtle to give her a sexual awakening? (I understand she is repressed because she fears revealing her ace in the moment of passion. Yet, this series has amply demonstrated there are hundreds of sex-starved jokers and aces that surely must be more appealing than Turtle.)
This story was disappointing overall, but I did enjoy several of the minor characters, especially Zoe's joker parents and the return of Legion.
7. "A Dose of Reality" by Laura Mixon and Melinda Snodgrass
Clara van Renssaeler grew up hating the wild card virus she believes killed her mother. (Joan is not dead, of course, only transformed into a lamia. She appears in the story.) Clara is working on a Final Solution for the Card Sharks--a Black Trump virus which will wipe out all wild card victims with a single blow.
She temporarily assumes a leadership role at the Jokertown Clinic, in order to get her hands on Tachyon's original attempt at a cure (the so-called "trump virus" mentioned as far back as Wild Cards I). As she gets to know the jokers around her, and especially the handsome centaur Bradley Finn, she begins having misgivings about her work.
Mixon has referred to this story as "My Mother, the Cobra meets Evil Girl-Genius (Who Always Wanted a Pony)", which captures the whimsical, far-fetched nature of the plot. However, much like her previous story, Mixon's characters and their dilemmas are rendered in a way that is engaging and immediate. I was caught up in this story from the very first line. It is an excellent segue into the next book.
The results are mixed. I enjoyed catching up with the old favorites, but at the same time it makes the series feel very closed off. I certainly do not think any new readers should enter the Wild Cards universe with this book.
As for the quality of the stories themselves, I think "Feeding Frenzy" and "A Dose of Reality" are two of the strongest in the entire series, but the rest are merely average.
Here are my individual story reviews:
1. "The Color of His Skin" by Stephen Leigh
Gregg Hartmann regains some of his former powers as he investigates the Card Sharks conspiracy. It is just a shadow of his former abilities as Puppetman. He now has a sort of advanced charisma that can gently pull on people's emotions; he can no longer fully control them. This story is broken into eight sections, which serve as the interstitial material connecting the other stories.
2. "Two of a Kind" by Walton Simons
Jerry Strauss aka Mr. Projectionist aka Mr. Nobody is back. He survived the flood that swept him into the East River by shape-shifting into the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Now, he has used his wealth to buy a partnership in Popinjay's investigations firm. He is not a very skilled PI yet, but that does not stop him from investigating the shadowy George G. Battle. He fights Crypt Kicker as a werewolf. During his showdown with Battle, the CIA spook is exposed to the Takis-A virus and turns into a joker.
I'll always have a soft spot for Simons because of the outstanding death scene he wrote for Demise and Mack the Knife, but most of his stories feel like filler material. This one is no different. The final plot twist seems way too convenient. Battle had a 90% chance of drawing a Black Queen, but of course he survives for dramatic effect.
3. "My Sweet Lord" by Victor Milán
This story is a direct continuation of Turn of the Cards. The strain of running the new Republic of South Vietnam is wearing on Mark Meadows. The partitions between his various alter-egos are breaking down, and he cannot control them anymore. Mark is drawn to a mysterious joker with the appearance and powers of Ganesha who promises he can separate the "friends". However, rather than being a true guru of Eastern mysticism, Ganesha turns out to be a sexual predator fixated on Sprout.
This is a tame, almost boring Captain Trips story. There are a couple of significant developments. The Machinist leaves the country to fight the Card Shark conspiracy on his own. Moonchild accidentally kills someone in combat, which she believes will strip her of her power and identity. We also learn India is the only country that celebrates its jokers, but they do not allow immigration, so it is not an international refuge for jokers in the same sense as the new Vietnam.
4. "Paths of Silence and of Night" by Leanne C. Harper
This story is a sequel to "Blood Rights" from Aces Abroad and "What Rough Beast…" from Down and Dirty. Bagabond is now living in Guatemala, where she and C.C. Ryder went back in 1987 to aid the indigenous Maya in their fight against the Latino government. Over the last seven years, the international community including the United States came to the aid of the conservatives, who succeeded in putting down the Hero Twins' revolution.
Bagabond is protecting a small mountain village with the help of her jungle animals. Her quiet life is upended when she meets Josh McCoy (Peregrine's boyfriend, sans his previous domestic violence tendencies). Josh needs help to smuggle pictures that prove the Card Sharks exterminated an entire village using biological weapons under the direction of the very much still-alive Dr. Faneuil.
What follows is a rapid flight to the southern border in a land torn between Latino, Marxist, and Maoist factions. Bagabond once again uses her animal companions as weapons and shields. She discovers the Hero Twins are still alive and the underground insurrection struggling but not completely extinguished. Crypt Kicker is seemingly killed--but is this really the end for the joker who is already dead? The story ends with Bagabond once again homeless and on the lam in Belize. Neither she nor the Hero Twins have appeared in subsequent Wild Card novels.
5. "Feeding Frenzy" by Walter Jon Williams
This is the best story in the book, full of plot twists and madcap action.
Black Shadow and Croyd Crenson engineer a jailbreak of jokers and aces from a New York psychiatric hospital and then wreak vengeance against the Card Sharks. The Sharks, however, have a jumper whom they activate to save themselves.
Croyd betrays Black Shadow when he realizes he is an alternate ego of Gravemold. This was an unexpected payoff to the Typhoid Croyd storyline because Gravemold helped arrest the Sleeper way back in Book 5.
This author makes better use of the jumpers in this story than the entire Rox triad. Hartmann is jumped into George G. Battle's new centipede joker body. His old Puppetman body is tortured and killed by Shad. Pan Runo gets a new body before Runo's old body is blown away by Croyd in payback for the events of “The Long Sleep”. Howard Hughes is kidnapped and executed. Crypt Kicker returns--only to die for the 3rd or 4th time. Molly the jumper is killed in the massacre at Latchkey farm, and we finally learn who orchestrated Mistral being returned to her original body after the battle at the Rox.
6. "A Breath of Life" by Sage Walker
Zoe Harris is a minor ace passing as a nat in Manhattan. Her hidden power is the ability to animate inanimate objects by blowing on them; she can only do this when in a heightened state of emotion, usually fear or intense sexual excitement. She learns to harness this power from Turtle (in what may be his final Wild Cards appearance). She realizes that a holocaust is coming, and she begins to help jokers emigrate to Vietnam and Jerusalem.
There are so many problems with this story-- where to start?
Despite the fact Shad and Croyd seemed to foil the Card Sharks in the previous story, somehow they still succeeded in getting Congress to force mandatory virus testing and relocate jokers to internment camps ("biological research units"). It is never explained how the Sharks swayed the President or got their Senate bill out of committee after Shad killed the people behind this plot. (In fact, it is probable this story should have been placed before "Feeding Frenzy", which would have eliminated the plot hole. There is even a mention later in "Dose of Reality" that the concentration camp legislation was off the table.)
Does this series need yet another female character with a sex-related power? And what does this power have to do with the subplot about joker persecution?
Why does a woman who is constantly referred to as desirable need fat, depressed, whiny, middle aged Turtle to give her a sexual awakening? (I understand she is repressed because she fears revealing her ace in the moment of passion. Yet, this series has amply demonstrated there are hundreds of sex-starved jokers and aces that surely must be more appealing than Turtle.)
This story was disappointing overall, but I did enjoy several of the minor characters, especially Zoe's joker parents and the return of Legion.
7. "A Dose of Reality" by Laura Mixon and Melinda Snodgrass
Clara van Renssaeler grew up hating the wild card virus she believes killed her mother. (Joan is not dead, of course, only transformed into a lamia. She appears in the story.) Clara is working on a Final Solution for the Card Sharks--a Black Trump virus which will wipe out all wild card victims with a single blow.
She temporarily assumes a leadership role at the Jokertown Clinic, in order to get her hands on Tachyon's original attempt at a cure (the so-called "trump virus" mentioned as far back as Wild Cards I). As she gets to know the jokers around her, and especially the handsome centaur Bradley Finn, she begins having misgivings about her work.
Mixon has referred to this story as "My Mother, the Cobra meets Evil Girl-Genius (Who Always Wanted a Pony)", which captures the whimsical, far-fetched nature of the plot. However, much like her previous story, Mixon's characters and their dilemmas are rendered in a way that is engaging and immediate. I was caught up in this story from the very first line. It is an excellent segue into the next book.
October 29, 2020
Man, of all the Wildcard books I've read, this one felt most like a chore to get through. I don't know if it was the authors or just the content, which feels like a lot of buildup for the final book in the series. There are stories that don't even seem to have a place in the main narrative. One story is a girl with a hidden wildcard talent feels bad and goes to Jerusalem? What is the point of that? There are a couple of hints to things that will pay off down the road, but the clips between chapters was really the only important parts, everything else was just extraneous side tangents that didn't really contribute to the story as a whole.
August 11, 2018
Marked Cards has the disadvantage of being a middle book in a trilogy, where the authors are largely treading water so that the threat revealed in book #1 can be resolved in book #3. Despite that, they offer some great storytelling, some strong characters, and have just enough change to make you feel it's all worthwhile.
The Color of His Skin (Leigh: Gregg Hartmann). The framing story has more depth to it than most, giving us some real insight into Hartmann and offering a few big surprises [4/5].
Two of a Kind (Simons: Mr. Nobody). It was a great choice to pair Jerry up with Jay, and it's great to see Jerry in the role of a detective. Beyond that, his investigation of Battle connects nicely to both Jerry's experiences at the Rox and the story of the Card Sharks. The ending is a little sudden, and it leaves things too open. Like many of the later Wild Card short stories, this feels more like part of a mosaic than a story. Still, this is an enjoyable first story proper for the book [4/5].
My Sweet Lord (Milán: Mark Meadows & J. Robert Belew). It's great to see the Joker nation of Vietnam get some attention, because it's the most interesting geopolitical thing going on in the whole Wild Card universe ... and it's daunting to think what the Card Sharks might do to it. But Milán decides to spend a long 50-page story offering up almost no plot at all, other than a bit about Ganesha, and the result is slow and somewhat disappointing. This is the story that could have been cut out of this book [3/5].
Paths of Silence and of Night (Harper: Bagabond). Somehow Harper has taken Bagabond, one of the more problematic Wild Cards in the earliest books, and turned her into an intriguing Guatemalan warrior in a way that's totally believable. We also get good use of another classic character (Josh McCoy) and Harper does a great job of linking it to the Card Sharks threat. As with many of Harper's stories, this one is low, but nonetheless strong [4/5].
Feeding Frenzy (Williams: Black Shadow). The characters alone would make this a fun story, as Black Shadow and Croyd are among the best in Wild Cards. But this story is a real joy because it's a chance to finally see someone striking back against the Card Sharks. I'd become increasingly concerned that this book was going to just tread water, but this story instead moves the storyline at a blistering pace, constantly keeps things interesting, and offers some real surprises for a few of our characters (though it's not as permanent as this story might make you think, which is a bit disappointing) [4+/5].
A Breath of Life (Walker: Zoe Harris). Newcomer Walker's story does a great job of showing how racist and desperate the US has become for Wild Cards. Would-be-Ace Zoe is also an interesting enough character, with interesting supporting cast. Walker's insistence on focusing on the sexual theory of Wild Card usage that dragged down some of the early characters drags down this story a bit too, but fortunately it's pretty sparse. [4/5].
A Dose of Reality (Mixon & Snodgrass: Dr. Bradley Finn & Clara von Renssaeler). This final story runs a bit long, and that primarily shows up in an overly long introduction to our two characters. Once it gets going, though, you'll delight in the look at Clara and how a few revelations change her character. A lot of this story is a relatively transparent setup for Black Trump, but nonetheless it's a pretty good setup with at least one twist along the way [4+/5].
The Color of His Skin (Leigh: Gregg Hartmann). The framing story has more depth to it than most, giving us some real insight into Hartmann and offering a few big surprises [4/5].
Two of a Kind (Simons: Mr. Nobody). It was a great choice to pair Jerry up with Jay, and it's great to see Jerry in the role of a detective. Beyond that, his investigation of Battle connects nicely to both Jerry's experiences at the Rox and the story of the Card Sharks. The ending is a little sudden, and it leaves things too open. Like many of the later Wild Card short stories, this feels more like part of a mosaic than a story. Still, this is an enjoyable first story proper for the book [4/5].
My Sweet Lord (Milán: Mark Meadows & J. Robert Belew). It's great to see the Joker nation of Vietnam get some attention, because it's the most interesting geopolitical thing going on in the whole Wild Card universe ... and it's daunting to think what the Card Sharks might do to it. But Milán decides to spend a long 50-page story offering up almost no plot at all, other than a bit about Ganesha, and the result is slow and somewhat disappointing. This is the story that could have been cut out of this book [3/5].
Paths of Silence and of Night (Harper: Bagabond). Somehow Harper has taken Bagabond, one of the more problematic Wild Cards in the earliest books, and turned her into an intriguing Guatemalan warrior in a way that's totally believable. We also get good use of another classic character (Josh McCoy) and Harper does a great job of linking it to the Card Sharks threat. As with many of Harper's stories, this one is low, but nonetheless strong [4/5].
Feeding Frenzy (Williams: Black Shadow). The characters alone would make this a fun story, as Black Shadow and Croyd are among the best in Wild Cards. But this story is a real joy because it's a chance to finally see someone striking back against the Card Sharks. I'd become increasingly concerned that this book was going to just tread water, but this story instead moves the storyline at a blistering pace, constantly keeps things interesting, and offers some real surprises for a few of our characters (though it's not as permanent as this story might make you think, which is a bit disappointing) [4+/5].
A Breath of Life (Walker: Zoe Harris). Newcomer Walker's story does a great job of showing how racist and desperate the US has become for Wild Cards. Would-be-Ace Zoe is also an interesting enough character, with interesting supporting cast. Walker's insistence on focusing on the sexual theory of Wild Card usage that dragged down some of the early characters drags down this story a bit too, but fortunately it's pretty sparse. [4/5].
A Dose of Reality (Mixon & Snodgrass: Dr. Bradley Finn & Clara von Renssaeler). This final story runs a bit long, and that primarily shows up in an overly long introduction to our two characters. Once it gets going, though, you'll delight in the look at Clara and how a few revelations change her character. A lot of this story is a relatively transparent setup for Black Trump, but nonetheless it's a pretty good setup with at least one twist along the way [4+/5].
April 14, 2014
I have been rereading (or in some cases, reading for the first time), the entire "Wild Cards" series. I'm not sure if I've read this book before or not, and I know I didn't read the next one, so I'm at that point where I'm switching from reread to read.
In this book, we learn of a conspiracy called the "Card Sharks"--a secret cabal of individuals who want to completely eradicate the Takisian virus, no matter what it takes (think Republicans and poor people, or Democrats and fiscal discipline, or the Tea Party and common sense). It is up to a small group of mostly jokers to expose this group and stop their plans.
The reason I'm giving it three stars is because I didn't feel it needed to be as long as it was. I think it suffers from "second in a trilogy" problems, where the second book or movie in a trilogy has to do a lot of exposition to transition from the first whatever to the last (think "Back to the Future II").
It was still a fun read, but there are some plodding parts that you have to get through.
In this book, we learn of a conspiracy called the "Card Sharks"--a secret cabal of individuals who want to completely eradicate the Takisian virus, no matter what it takes (think Republicans and poor people, or Democrats and fiscal discipline, or the Tea Party and common sense). It is up to a small group of mostly jokers to expose this group and stop their plans.
The reason I'm giving it three stars is because I didn't feel it needed to be as long as it was. I think it suffers from "second in a trilogy" problems, where the second book or movie in a trilogy has to do a lot of exposition to transition from the first whatever to the last (think "Back to the Future II").
It was still a fun read, but there are some plodding parts that you have to get through.
December 9, 2016
"Marked Cards" is the 14th book in George R. R. Martin's Wild Card series. It is also the second of the New Cycle trilogy and is an assortment of writers, each contributing a chapter or two to the novel. It is not as seamless as the first of the New Cycle books, but it done very well, especially for this type of challenging story telling. It follows the conspiracy of book 13, and furthers the endeavors of the same characters. Some say that sci-fi is not true literature, and in the academic sense, that is true, but the prose, the pacing, the dialogue, the imagination,of these writers all affirm the opinion that science fiction is an outstanding genre, both for its literary value and, more importantly, for its ability to introduce credible, intelligent writing to mainstream readers. How many of us developed our love of the books from a sci-fi story, when we first were introduced to the pleasures of the written word? Again, a very good read.
February 13, 2018
The description of the book in Goodreads is pretty shit. Hannah isn’t the main character in this book and she’s not even a reporter. And also what does her being beautiful have to do with anything? Lame.
The actual book is the second book in the Card Sharks trilogy and features a variety of the Wild Cards characters introduced throughout the series as well as in the first Card Sharks book. It’s a good book. I read it fast and there were some totally good parts.
Spoiler: omg I have seriously been wondering about Dr. Finn and how he bangs for like ten books so thank god the authors FINALLY gave us a centaur sex scene.
The actual book is the second book in the Card Sharks trilogy and features a variety of the Wild Cards characters introduced throughout the series as well as in the first Card Sharks book. It’s a good book. I read it fast and there were some totally good parts.
Spoiler: omg I have seriously been wondering about Dr. Finn and how he bangs for like ten books so thank god the authors FINALLY gave us a centaur sex scene.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2014
Wild Card's is back with this one. Card Sharks, while filled with interesting characters and places, was a batch of stories to show a history of the conspiracy. while I didn't hate that book it judt didn't have a smooth connection the whole way through. Marked Cards made that conspiracy a compelling story bringing all the past events into the modern light with s focusing on the single target the revealed Card Sharks make. That and I just loved the continuation of the Finn story.
October 15, 2016
Not as deftly done as the previous book (Card Sharks), Marked Cards continues the story line of the anti-wild cards conspiracy.
Revolving mostly around Dr. Bradley Finn and Dr. Clara Van Rensaeller, it's the coming-of-age story of the latter who discovers that her past has blinded her present while she pursues the "cure" to the wild card ... via selective termination.
Although enjoyable, the plot points and character evolution are both somewhat ham handed and one dimensional.
Revolving mostly around Dr. Bradley Finn and Dr. Clara Van Rensaeller, it's the coming-of-age story of the latter who discovers that her past has blinded her present while she pursues the "cure" to the wild card ... via selective termination.
Although enjoyable, the plot points and character evolution are both somewhat ham handed and one dimensional.
March 24, 2022
Maybe 2.5? Such a let down coming off a five star book! Sometimes i feel it’s unfair to rate these mosaic style books because there can be some really great stories in there and some doozies. This was one of those-even the Bagabond story was so boring i had to skim through it. Some of the highlights were seeing Hartmann and the next to last story in the book with Finn and Clara, though i could have done without the graphic and descriptive centaur/human sex scene
December 21, 2013
This 'new cycle' is amazing! Not since the first few books of the series have I been so desperate to get to the next page. New facets of old characters, new characters that you care about deeply. Enemies and antagonists that it is a pleasure to loathe. Turtle and Gravemold and Croyd, oh fucking my!!
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
Currently reading
June 26, 2012Finally found copies of the last two books in "The New Cycle" (also called the Card Sharks trilogy) which were published by Baen and are out of print. Had the first one but 14 and 15 took a while to find.
March 13, 2018
I've loved the Wild Cards since book 1, and it's amazing how it continues to grow and change, to stay fresh and interesting. I missed these three (13, 14,15) the first time around, so it'd good to catch this part of the saga.
October 15, 2013
Entertaining. Crap, but entertaining crap.
September 19, 2014
Good book about marked cards, let me know more about the card shake. Good book, worth reading but after finish, you may probably don't want to read it again.
August 5, 2025
Hartmann sweep ‼️‼️ Puppetman hive never loses
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WOW this was not nearly as good as CARD SHARKS but unfortunately it also had Puppetman and Bagabond with only like, two degrees of separation between them, meaning I could not give it less than 3 stars if I tried. Someday they will write a my dream WILD CARDS story and it will just be a list of every character I have ever found compelling in this series.
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WOW this was not nearly as good as CARD SHARKS but unfortunately it also had Puppetman and Bagabond with only like, two degrees of separation between them, meaning I could not give it less than 3 stars if I tried. Someday they will write a my dream WILD CARDS story and it will just be a list of every character I have ever found compelling in this series.
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January 4, 2023
Maybe 2.5 stars.
The different parts are of disparate quality and some plot points are far fetched (more than usual for the series? not sure).
Also, I could have done without the graphical depiction of sex between centaur and woman. The discussion about the technicalities before is fun, it should have fast forwarded after that. I go to other sources for pr0n. Maybe they should have started an hardcore spin-off series called “Wild Wild Wild Cards?”
The different parts are of disparate quality and some plot points are far fetched (more than usual for the series? not sure).
Also, I could have done without the graphical depiction of sex between centaur and woman. The discussion about the technicalities before is fun, it should have fast forwarded after that. I go to other sources for pr0n. Maybe they should have started an hardcore spin-off series called “Wild Wild Wild Cards?”
October 21, 2021
The quality of these books t remains so stable
July 18, 2018
Marked Cards (Wild Cards, #14)
by George R.R. Martin (editor)
“The color of his skin” Stephen Leigh
The puppet man is gone, and Gregg has been left to pick up the pieces, now when things may have a chance for him to go back in his favor, he is frustrated without his “power”… but that is only the beginning, he needs to learn to lie in his own skin, but he’s has been jumped, and can he find a way back to the world he believed he could control.
“Two of a kind” Walton Simons
Jay and Jerry have begun to work together as a team, they have been engaged to investigate the Card Sharks, but at first they are reluctant to participate. It is not until Jerry is attached in his attempt to figure out what this evil group is up too.
“My sweet lord” victor Milan
mark meadows, has given up a lot of things to help his fellow wild carders, and to protect his daughter sprout, but his sacrifice may not be enough, and he has to find a new way to face his problems, and protect the thing he loves most.
“Path of silence and of night” Leanne C Harper
Suzanne has learned to appreciate her powers, she has found a people she can believe in, but the sharks have not left her alone, can she protect herself, her friends, her animals, or just survive on her own.
“Feeding frenzy” Walter Jon Williams
The sharks have a plan, and they implement the first one with saving one of their own.
“A breath of life” Sage Walker
Zoe wants to save those she loves, but finds that the problems the world, and the attaches of the sharks, would she give up everything to save others.
“Dose of reality” Laura J Mixon, Melinda M Snodgrass
Clara believed everything she was told, she believed that the virus was the cause of all the problems, she was wanted to get rid of the virus, but found that because of her upbringing, because of her family history, that she must get rid of afflicted by the virus. How will she learn to live in a world where her dreams come true?
by George R.R. Martin (editor)
“The color of his skin” Stephen Leigh
The puppet man is gone, and Gregg has been left to pick up the pieces, now when things may have a chance for him to go back in his favor, he is frustrated without his “power”… but that is only the beginning, he needs to learn to lie in his own skin, but he’s has been jumped, and can he find a way back to the world he believed he could control.
“Two of a kind” Walton Simons
Jay and Jerry have begun to work together as a team, they have been engaged to investigate the Card Sharks, but at first they are reluctant to participate. It is not until Jerry is attached in his attempt to figure out what this evil group is up too.
“My sweet lord” victor Milan
mark meadows, has given up a lot of things to help his fellow wild carders, and to protect his daughter sprout, but his sacrifice may not be enough, and he has to find a new way to face his problems, and protect the thing he loves most.
“Path of silence and of night” Leanne C Harper
Suzanne has learned to appreciate her powers, she has found a people she can believe in, but the sharks have not left her alone, can she protect herself, her friends, her animals, or just survive on her own.
“Feeding frenzy” Walter Jon Williams
The sharks have a plan, and they implement the first one with saving one of their own.
“A breath of life” Sage Walker
Zoe wants to save those she loves, but finds that the problems the world, and the attaches of the sharks, would she give up everything to save others.
“Dose of reality” Laura J Mixon, Melinda M Snodgrass
Clara believed everything she was told, she believed that the virus was the cause of all the problems, she was wanted to get rid of the virus, but found that because of her upbringing, because of her family history, that she must get rid of afflicted by the virus. How will she learn to live in a world where her dreams come true?
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews