Berlin Is Never Berlin

Wild Cards #27.7

by Marko Kloos

For over 25 years, the Wild Cards universe has been entertaining readers with stories of superpowered people in an alternate history. "Berlin is Never Berlin" by Marko Kloos draws upon the seedier side of the city, beyond the dance club lights and all-night parties, as one bodyguard with a certain feline distinction goes on the prowl....

Khan only had one chauffuer and guard a American weathly socialite and her friends. When his client Natalie Scuderi gets nabbed by the Georgian mafia, this joker-ace has no choice but to go underground and rescue her.

"Losing the man’s daughter on the job would be a fatal black mark on his professional resume. Khan had never lost a client, and he wasn’t about to start a habit."

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Superheroes, Novella, Fiction

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2020

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the wildcard universe

[Zedsdead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straightforward bodyguard thriller. Khan, the half-tiger security specialist introduced in Low Chicago, is in Berlin guarding a pop star whose father is in hock to East European gangsters. She gets taken and he has to stage a rescue on foreign soil with no leads and no backup.

It's quick and by-the-numbers, generic characters and plot points filling out the cast and script. But it's always nice to dive back into the wide world of Wild Cards, however briefly.

[Jezier · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is action, there are mobsters, gangsters and joker-aces... But there's nothing underneath the story.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khan is a bodyguard, and the first rule of the job is not to lose a client. When his young charge is kidnapped, Khan must use all his skills to save her.

Again, this is a fun thriller that uses the 'Wild Card' idea incidentally. The plot would have worked with minimal differences without the superpowers, grounding this fantasy world in a measured reality - serving other entries a nice dose of realism.

[Thanh Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book. Although I have read it on my phone with the PDF version at https://goodfileshare.com/berlin-is-n...
It's a bit uncomfortable for the eyes to read on the screen. But I was fascinated when I read to page 5.

[Keira F. Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun short story. Sort of an X-Men-in-the-Mob vignette.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I have said in previous comments about these short stories there are some amazing adventures and tales to be had but another aspect is the fact the authors have created characters I would love to see develop and grown - if anything these short stories are brilliant vinaigrettes to trial new ideas and wild cards and this is a perfect example.

You have in this story a Joker Ace who is both dangerous and complicated - a thrilling if dangerous combination in a world that is still cautions (and more than a little suspicious) of their abilities and the implications they have on "conventional" life.

The more I read of the stories within the Wild Card universe the more I realise that there is no danger of the author collective running out of ideas

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story set in the Wild Cards universe, Khan is a Joker-Ace, half human and half tiger--literally, straight down the middle, and he works as a very expensive bodyguard. His latest job is escorting Natalie Scuderi, a young woman who is a wealthy socialite and a pop media figure on a trip to Berlin, Germany. She's brought her small but annoyingly energetic entourage, and they head for a nightclub the day they arrive. As they're leaving the nightclub, they are targeted by an extremely well-planned ambush, which includes another Joker-Ace. He's built like a tree--fairly literally--and is even stronger than Khan.

Natalie is kidnapped.

Khan spends the rest of his time in Berlin juggling local police, who don't like Joker-Aces and would prefer he were one of the suspects, and the Georgian mob, who have a beef with Natalie's father.

It's fast-paced and enjoyable. Recommended.

I received this as part of the Tor.com May-June 2020 short fiction collection, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of the modern (post-2015) Wild Cards short stories that I've read and it's a lot of fun. There's not a lot of room in short stories for really expanding worlds, so Kloos plays it safe by filling the wings with a lot of archetypes and cliches so as to allow the main character room to subvert those same archetypes. It works pretty well.

We see the world from the point of view of a Joker-Ace - someone who received an enormous benefit at an enormous cost from the Wild Card virus - in the form of the protagonist, who's entire left side is that of a tiger. He's very fast and very strong, but also incapable of blending into the crowd.

We also see hints of how the world of the Wild Cards might further expand through a brief encounter with the official German agency that polices Europe's altered people. Lots of fun. Call this story a four out of five and a good entry point to the series in general for new readers.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this little book inspired by the title, since I live in Berlin, and in the wake of having read another book by Kloos that I quite liked. The story is rather adrenaline-fuelled and entertaining, and although it is evidently part of a series, the successful Wild Cards series, it reads like a stand-alone. That said, I did find one fundamental flaw in the book that, and here I speak as a publishing professional, I would have preferred not to find in the work of an experienced author like Kloos. The mistake is that of believing that being born in a place (Germany, in this case) there is no need to research that place and one can write anything. And so the good Kloos sticks the Flakturm at the Tiergarden (it is located at the Hunbothain) and makes his protagonist think that German inmates spend their time in prison printing number plates like American ones. Really depressing.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berlin Is Never Berlin: A Tor.com Original
by Marko Kloos

https://www.tor.com/2020/05/06/berlin...

Haven't tried Wild Cards yet, this is the Crime and espionage book to get the tough guys intrigued.
You have your half man half tiger wild card... yes he is becoming a favorite Marko Kloos, hes a great character. You have Berlin, Germany already has a big place in espionage, and the east meets the west conflict still rings true to the Cold war babies. You have a big star, who is over the top with her party world, okay she is not as into it as her friends, but you get the picture. I love these little stories in the Wild cards world, they give you a window into the next book , and something to dream about. Thank you for another great story.

[Alex Sarll]

A Wild Cards story following the half-tiger joker-ace Khan on a bodyguarding gig gone wrong. As much as the descriptions of Berlin nightclubs aren't meant to sound appealing, as much as I normally find the heat and noise of that sort of place just as trying as the even more hirsute protagonist, dear heavens they freshened up that abiding missing of places full of human contact which seems set to define this season (year, decade...). But without that extra and unearned impact, I wasn't sure if there was much to this beyond some fairly flat characters (the hardman with a code, the mobsters, the efficient German authorities, the vapid millennials) – until the very end, when you assume the story's pretty much done already, and a little detail completely flips what it all meant.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

( Format : ebook )
"Babysitting a bunch of spoiled kids."
My first encounter with the Wild Cards universe, so I was surprised to meet the lead llayer, the bodyguard, Khan, a six foot three inch tall, 360 pound half human, half tiger - straight down the middle (is that right down the middle, everywhere?). Otherwise, it's a pretty conventional tale of the kidnapping of the girl, daughter of a money laundering, high risk insurance agent, Khan had been hired to protect, and his determination to rescue her - despite the opposition. Atmospheric and with interesting characters and good action, Marco Kloos's writing is always worth reading. And this is a short, snappy story easy to fit into a quick period of time.

[Nan Silvernail · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wildcarder Joker-ace, Khan has a babysitting job.
At least, that's what he thinks.
The half-man, half Bengal tiger was hired as a bodyguard for the singer, "Rikki," real name, Natalie and her three highly annoying friends. They flew in Lear jet to Germany on a promotional tour.
But, almost from the moment they touched down, the hairs on Khan's neck have been raised. Something isn't right, here. Something he may not be able to fix if it all goes sideways.

[Nova5829 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Wild Cards short story romp

I am having a blast with the additions to the wonderful Wild Cards universe. For newcomers to the series, this is a shared world edited for many years by George RR Martin, which started back in the 1980’s. Many great contributors over the years. This story is fun.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a dear dear friend who lives in Berlin, so I have always wanted to visit. Berlin Is Never Berlin is a poor substitute for the real thing but it will have to do. This tale features the wrath of Khan (no not THAT Khan) and a kidnapping that may or may not go horribly wrong, plus plenty of action. It's a fun fast read.

[Costin Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story of a half man half tiger bodyguard working to protect a famous teenager from kidnappers. It has hints of the sociopolitical satire Wild Card stories are known for, but it plays as a straight detective story otherwise. Nothing special, but entertaining.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable story in the Wild Card series. It is hard to believe that this series about Jokers and Aces has been around for some 25 years now. The stories are still inventive and fun. Keep them coming!

[Andrew Wild-Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

This is the first Wild Cards story I have read, and colour me impressed. Already a fan of Mr Kloos' work, and this was highly entertaining. Will be trying a few more, definitely.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Eugenio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written from start to finish. My first exposure to this character, look forward to finding further shorts with him as the main.

[Pedro Marroquín · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buen relato corto (que se puede leer online) de la serie Wild Cards en la que un Ace protege a la hija de un mafioso. A

[Katrina Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and engaging short story! This universe is so interesting and different, yet full of humanity. There is quite a bit of violence, so if that is not your thing, stay away.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good entry in the Wild Cards universe. This one was like reading a version of Taken but with metahumans.