About Wild Cards

[Hernan Gonzalez]

I saw them in a bookstore today, and because I was in a hurry, I couldn't really stop and read the description or anything.

I know I could just Google this, but why am I here then.

So, are they like 'standalone' books?

Did GRRM wrote the books? Because I did read the cover say GRRM Editor.

Wouldn't you recommend them? Would I enjoy them just because I enjoy ASOIAF?

[DanielAbraham]

1) They are a continuity with books building on each other, but there are two "entrance" books: Wild Cards and Inside Straight

2) GRRM wrote some of the stories, but the majority are by other writers, some famous and some less well known

3) I wrote for them, so I'm not going to recommend them or recommend against them, but I'll say they're a *very* different project from ASOIAF, and I wouldn't assume being a fan of one would necessarily make you a fan of the other.

[Mr. X]

Here's a question, and pardon my ignorance.

They seem to be pretty hard to find in bookstores, or at least that is my experience. Yet they have GRRM's name attached and seem to have a pretty enthusiastic following. What makes them as scarce as they are? Or have I just had an odd experience of not seeing them in the stores I go to?

The series was originally published about 9 years before AGoT came out, so the first books in the series did get to run their course well before ASoIaF became the behemoth it is now. I believe the Wild Cards series changed publishers twice, with the last company (before Tor's recent reboot) folding rather soon into their run (the 17th book in the series had less than a thousand copies make it out into the wild.

Tor started publishing a reboot of the series a few years back featuring an almost entirely new set of characters, beginning with Inside Straight. I believe Tor is also reprinting the original series, beginning with Wild Cards. In my experience, the newer series is relatively easy to find, Tor's reprints of the first couple are somewhat less easy to find, and the rest of the original series is the sort of thing you need to hunt down in used book stores and convention dealers' rooms.

To answer the OP, the Wild Cards books are a very different experience than the ASoIaF books. They remind me of reading a good comic book, except you have some say in what the world looks like (via what mental pictures you have based on the author's descriptions). I recommend checking them out if that sounds interesting to you. Either entry point is worthwhile. I really enjoyed the first trilogy of the Tor reboot (Inside Straight, Busted Flush, and Suicide Kings). There are excellent authors throughout the series -- GRRM writes as well as edits, Roger Zelazny shows up in the earlier books, and my favorite parts of the first reboot trilogy were by Daniel Abraham, Melinda Snodgrass, and Ian Tregillis.

[Xray the Enforcer]

JETBOY LIVES

[Hernan Gonzalez]

Ill check them out, thanks for your helpful answers.

[Hernan Gonzalez]

Here's a question, and pardon my ignorance.

They seem to be pretty hard to find in bookstores, or at least that is my experience. Yet they have GRRM's name attached and seem to have a pretty enthusiastic following. What makes them as scarce as they are? Or have I just had an odd experience of not seeing them in the stores I go to?

My native language is Spanish, and they seem to be a brand new edition, and they are pretty much at any bookstore here.

[Slick Mongoose]

Definitely worth checking out.

[Werthead]

They seem to be pretty hard to find in bookstores, or at least that is my experience. Yet they have GRRM's name attached and seem to have a pretty enthusiastic following. What makes them as scarce as they are? Or have I just had an odd experience of not seeing them in the stores I go to?

There were extremely popular back in the day and the new ones seem to be doing well: I would estimate based on (somewhat scattershot) figures I've seen that the series has sold at least 2 million copies worldwide and possibly more. That's divided between 23 books though, so it's clearly not in ASoIaF's league.

It's worth noting that the books are also being reprinted in the UK at a much faster clip than they are in the USA for some reason.

In the UK, the following books have already been printed/reprinted and are easily available from Gollancz via Amazon:

#1: Wild Cards

#2: Aces High

#3: Jokers Wild

#18: Inside Straight

#19: Busted Flush

#20: Suicide Kings

#21: Fort Freak

This will continue this year with the following reprints:

#4: Aces Abroad (8 May)

#5: Down and Dirty (12 June)

#6: Ace in the Hole (10 July)

#7: Dead Man's Hand (14 August)

#22: Lowball (11 December)

Obviously that's great, but it does bewilder me why Tor are releasing the old books so slowly (one a year is not going to cut it) or why no-one's ever done the series in omnibuses. Black Library-style mega-omnibuses, 1,000 pages long in B-format paperback and collecting 3 or 4 books together, would work great for this series and ensure it's actually reprinted fast enough so the whole thing is actually simultaneously in print (something that has never happened before). Gollancz have indicated they may pursue an omnibus option in the future, but that would not be for a while.

[OwaynOTT]

If there was a league for most changed cover art themes, Wild Cards would be pushing for the top spot. Numerous changes in tact right from the start.

[Teng Ai Hui]

Has anyone read Fort Freak? If so, what was your opinion of it? I enjoyed reading the Straight-Flush-Kings trilogy and was looking forward to reading more about that group of aces and their U.N. special committee. Then, F.F. contained a new cast of characters within the Jokertown P.D., and after reading the first third of the book I had no desire to learn more about the new group or the cold case being re-investigated.

[MisterOJ]

Back in the day (aka, the 90s) when you could walk into your local Waldenbooks and find a shelf packed with Wild Cards paperbacks, I bought and read the first five or so. Periodically, I'll get an interest in reading them again, only to realize that there's no point, since I won't be able to read past the five paperbacks I have that are over 20 years old now.

So, I am hopeful that Tor will bet off its collective ass and start re-releasing the series. Hell, I'd probably even buy those first five books again in ebook format just so I can read them on my Nook.

But... I am glad for this thread, because I have now learned that the four newest books represent a new jumping on point. That's exciting and I'll probably pick them up. Are any of the old characters still in the new books? Or is it an entirely new cast of characters?

[Brendan Moody]

Tor did start re-releasing the series, and they're committed to at least the first seven books; it's just that they're going about it very slowly. Which is a shame, since it's mostly the later ones that are difficult to find at reasonable secondhand prices. But even with Martin's name attached, I doubt the series does enough business for them to prioritize it above publishing new material.

The new books are more focused on new characters, particularly at first, but there are lots of familiar faces as well.

I've read Fort Freak. It's not as good as the first "relaunch" triad, and it's hampered by cop story cliches and unnecessary and trite romantic subplots for just about every character. The Amazon review I wrote when it came out refers to a "slow start," so it might pick up if you persevere. It certainly wasn't a favorite of mine, and I haven't been particularly disappointed that the rest of this triad is taking so long to come out.

[Shaldun]

This series interests me (I love "superhero" stories in comics and movies, never read it in books though) but I have too many things to read to launch me in a so big series. But from what I understand, all the books aren't obligatory. Are there multiples storylines in it ? Some stand-alones ? Can someone give a reading order/advices ?

EDIT : Oh apprently there is a project of movie(s ?) based on that incoming. Universal has bought the rights and works with GRRM. I suppose they'll re-appear soon in librairies

[Brendan Moody]

As Daniel Abraham said above, your best bet is to start with either the very first book, just titled Wild Cards, which was recently reprinted by Tor, or with Inside Straight. Those are the two that are most friendly to new readers.

The series is divided into larger storylines called triads, which are (usually) three books long, but there are also continuing character threads across triads. None of the books are necessarily "obligatory," but it's a tangled enough web that it's best to go in order beyond whichever jumping-on point you pick.

[The BlackBear]

I found they were pretty hard to find, especially as someone who primarily reads books from the library.They're good though, some of the writers have their own idiosyncrasies that shine through, and can be good or bad depending on whether you like their style. And it is very American history heavy, being as it is an alternate history, I found myself looking up a lot of incidence it refers to.

Obviously that's great, but it does bewilder me why Tor are releasing the old books so slowly (one a year is not going to cut it) or why no-one's ever done the series in omnibuses. Black Library-style mega-omnibuses, 1,000 pages long in B-format paperback and collecting 3 or 4 books together, would work great for this series and ensure it's actually reprinted fast enough so the whole thing is actually simultaneously in print (something that has never happened before). Gollancz have indicated they may pursue an omnibus option in the future, but that would not be for a while.

That would makes sense given that they were written with a larger storyline playing out over three (or four) books.