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professorfate's review against another edition
4.0
It has been years since I read the first dozen volumes in this shared-world series, and I had nearly forgotten just how good they are.
The thrust of the books is that in 1946, an alien virus is released in the skies above Manhattan and infects the citizens of the island (primarily—it does affect people in other areas and other countries, but mostly it’s New York that feels it). Most people (90%) affected die horribly. A smaller percentage (9%) who are infected become what are called “Jokers"”—they usually suffer horrible mutations (extra or missing limbs, feathers, etc.) and are looked down upon by the unaffected (“nats”). The remaining one percent becomes “aces,” people with meta-human abilities (teleportation, gravity control, flight and so on). The books deal with how these people interact with the world.
This volume takes place during the same week that was the setting for volume 6 (the 1988 Democratic national convention in Atlanta), but takes place mostly in New York. Chrysalis, a woman with invisible skin and one of the leaders of Jokertown—the ghetto where most Jokers live—has been brutally murdered. Jay Ackroyd (aka “Popinjay",” although he hates that moniker) has been hired by Chrysalis to protect her and is the one to find her body. Daniel Brennan (aka “Yeoman”) is implicated because there is an ace of spades on her body, which is his calling card, as it were. Brennan, who was her lover in the past, didn’t do it. Both set out (at first independently) to find the murderer.
There is lots of action and suspense as well as a good mystery. It, like most of the others, is a very fun read and I highly recommend it (although I do recommend you read the other books first—not completely necessary, but strongly advised).
4.5/5
The thrust of the books is that in 1946, an alien virus is released in the skies above Manhattan and infects the citizens of the island (primarily—it does affect people in other areas and other countries, but mostly it’s New York that feels it). Most people (90%) affected die horribly. A smaller percentage (9%) who are infected become what are called “Jokers"”—they usually suffer horrible mutations (extra or missing limbs, feathers, etc.) and are looked down upon by the unaffected (“nats”). The remaining one percent becomes “aces,” people with meta-human abilities (teleportation, gravity control, flight and so on). The books deal with how these people interact with the world.
This volume takes place during the same week that was the setting for volume 6 (the 1988 Democratic national convention in Atlanta), but takes place mostly in New York. Chrysalis, a woman with invisible skin and one of the leaders of Jokertown—the ghetto where most Jokers live—has been brutally murdered. Jay Ackroyd (aka “Popinjay",” although he hates that moniker) has been hired by Chrysalis to protect her and is the one to find her body. Daniel Brennan (aka “Yeoman”) is implicated because there is an ace of spades on her body, which is his calling card, as it were. Brennan, who was her lover in the past, didn’t do it. Both set out (at first independently) to find the murderer.
There is lots of action and suspense as well as a good mystery. It, like most of the others, is a very fun read and I highly recommend it (although I do recommend you read the other books first—not completely necessary, but strongly advised).
4.5/5
curgoth's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook re-read.
I don't think I've read this far in the series since I was a teenager. This is the other half of the story from Wild Cards book 6, covering the investigation of Chrysalis' murder. It's mainly focused on Yeoman and Popinjay. There's a lot to like here - the noir-ish crime solving and wise-cracking, and the Jokers/Wild Cards issue stuff goes fairly well. It gets a solid fail on female characters, most of them being femme fatales or victims to be fridged. The Ti-Malice parts are also a strong reminder of why this series has such a reputation for torture porn. I have a fairly high tolerance for the grotesque, but some of the parts were frankly gratuitous. The story-relevant horror didn't need quite as much gore as we got.
I'm also still immediately annoyed with every sentence that includes Blaise.
In 2018, I cannot hear the phrase "human centipede" without having to suppress a snicker.
Even so, I still enjoyed it and found myself looking for reasons to listen to just a little more.
As for the audiobook specific elements, well, the readers weren't fantastic. Jay Acavone's Jay Ackroyd was pretty solid, with the significant exception of every time Hiram Worcester spoke. For some reason, the audiobooks have given Hiram a Scottish accent (Hiram mentions his father was a Scot in book 1). Acavone cannot do a Scottish accent, and his attempts wander from "leprechaun" ro "Groundskeeper Willie".
Adrian Paul might be a decent choice to play Yeoman in a screen adaptation, but Paul's natural "From a lot of places" accent doesn't fit Brennan's solidly American background, and worse, Paul isn't a good reader - you can generally tell when Paul hits the end of a line in his script, because there's a sudden pause. Paul's voices for the female characters are also overly soft, which is a frequent failure of male readers.
I'm at the point in the series where I *know* the quality drops off... soon. Number 7 is still in the range, though, where I'm willing to go for at least one more. Next up, we start the Jumper trilogy, where I suspect the depictions of sex and consent will not have aged well.
I don't think I've read this far in the series since I was a teenager. This is the other half of the story from Wild Cards book 6, covering the investigation of Chrysalis' murder. It's mainly focused on Yeoman and Popinjay. There's a lot to like here - the noir-ish crime solving and wise-cracking, and the Jokers/Wild Cards issue stuff goes fairly well. It gets a solid fail on female characters, most of them being femme fatales or victims to be fridged. The Ti-Malice parts are also a strong reminder of why this series has such a reputation for torture porn. I have a fairly high tolerance for the grotesque, but some of the parts were frankly gratuitous. The story-relevant horror didn't need quite as much gore as we got.
I'm also still immediately annoyed with every sentence that includes Blaise.
In 2018, I cannot hear the phrase "human centipede" without having to suppress a snicker.
Even so, I still enjoyed it and found myself looking for reasons to listen to just a little more.
As for the audiobook specific elements, well, the readers weren't fantastic. Jay Acavone's Jay Ackroyd was pretty solid, with the significant exception of every time Hiram Worcester spoke. For some reason, the audiobooks have given Hiram a Scottish accent (Hiram mentions his father was a Scot in book 1). Acavone cannot do a Scottish accent, and his attempts wander from "leprechaun" ro "Groundskeeper Willie".
Adrian Paul might be a decent choice to play Yeoman in a screen adaptation, but Paul's natural "From a lot of places" accent doesn't fit Brennan's solidly American background, and worse, Paul isn't a good reader - you can generally tell when Paul hits the end of a line in his script, because there's a sudden pause. Paul's voices for the female characters are also overly soft, which is a frequent failure of male readers.
I'm at the point in the series where I *know* the quality drops off... soon. Number 7 is still in the range, though, where I'm willing to go for at least one more. Next up, we start the Jumper trilogy, where I suspect the depictions of sex and consent will not have aged well.
bent's review against another edition
4.0
A return to form after a disappointing sixth book. This one focuses on two main characters, Jay Ackroyd and Yeoman in their separate efforts to find out who killed Chrysalis. This book takes place simultaneously with the one before it, Ace in the Hole, but is set primarily in New York. I occasionally found this book a little confusing - it was hard to remember which character had discovered which information - but overall, it was a fairly compelling read. More what I have come to expect from this series than its disappointing predecessor.
jpv0's review against another edition
4.0
This is a strange book. Rather than the previous format of two short story collections and a mosaic novel, this subseries has two collections and now two mosiac novels ([b:Ace in the Hole|1281216|Ace in the Hole (Wild Cards, #6)|George R.R. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328368345l/1281216._SY75_.jpg|1270234] being the other). What's strange is that it continues the same plotlines of the first two books and mostly takes place at the same time as Ace in the Hole. Rather than focusing primarily on Puppetman and the political plotline in Atlanta, [b:Dead Man's Hand|147912|Dead Man's Hand (Wild Cards, #7)|George R.R. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391680749l/147912._SY75_.jpg|142745] is set mostly in New York and deals with the death of Chrysalis, the investigation of Ti Malice.
As a stand alone or complete alternative to Ace in the Hole, I think it would have been a lot stronger. Once the stories merge and start replaying events we've already seen in Atlanta (albeit with a different point of view), it feels a lot more repetitive.
Characterwise, I actually found myself liking Jay "Popinjay" Ackroyd as a point of view. He's surprisingly fun and has an amusing power that doesn't make problems feel trivial for the most part. Yoeman on the other hand has never been my favorite. He's got a quest for vengeance... and that's about it? Even his relationship with Wraith feels more like a plot point then anything.
Oh, that Ti Malice plotline though. As the characters do finally acknowledge towards the end: if only everyone talked a bit more, life would go so much smoother. I will say, this book does the whole body horror thing relatively well. I'm glad to see that particularly plotline done (for now).
Overall, a decent book, if weakened by going over ground we've already covered.
Since this is the last audiobook currently out, I'll put the series on hold for a while. I'll probably read the paper copies eventually (albeit Kindleially). Some day.
As a stand alone or complete alternative to Ace in the Hole, I think it would have been a lot stronger. Once the stories merge and start replaying events we've already seen in Atlanta (albeit with a different point of view), it feels a lot more repetitive.
Characterwise, I actually found myself liking Jay "Popinjay" Ackroyd as a point of view. He's surprisingly fun and has an amusing power that doesn't make problems feel trivial for the most part. Yoeman on the other hand has never been my favorite. He's got a quest for vengeance... and that's about it? Even his relationship with Wraith feels more like a plot point then anything.
Oh, that Ti Malice plotline though. As the characters do finally acknowledge towards the end: if only everyone talked a bit more, life would go so much smoother. I will say, this book does the whole body horror thing relatively well. I'm glad to see that particularly plotline done (for now).
Overall, a decent book, if weakened by going over ground we've already covered.
Since this is the last audiobook currently out, I'll put the series on hold for a while. I'll probably read the paper copies eventually (albeit Kindleially). Some day.
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