Death Draws Five [Hardcover]

As a long time wild cards fan, I had long given up hope of ever seeing another book. A satisfying read in more ways than one...fun story, finishes up at least one long dormant story line, new insight into familiar characters and most importantly, like a trip back to the old neighborhood. The main difference here is that you CAN go home again.

While I wasn't blown away by Death Draws Five, if you're like me, nostalgic for the old Wild Cards series, then you should be pretty satisfied.

The story revolves around the child of the union of Fortunato and Peregrine, John Fortune, who may be the messiah or the devil, but in reality is just a teenager who supposedly just "turned an Ace." I won't get too much into the plot, but overall, it's a fast and fun read.

Through amazing coincidences, several of our favorite Wild Cards characters make appearances, and after a very long absence, we get to witness the return of Fortunato.

I will admit that I was a little disappointed by Deuces Down and even though the Card Sharks storyline was the most recent one, I can't recall much about those books. Given that Miller (the author) was one of the earliest Wild Cards authors, it definitely has the feel of the older books.

One nitpick - there are way too many typos. iBooks needs to hire a few more proofreaders next time. Anyway, enjoy!

The Wild Cards series of books is THE BEST SUPERHERO FICTION/PROSE EVER WRITTEN. "Death Draws Five" is absolutely a worthy installment. The author, John Miller, is a warmhearted and friendly person, and this book is a reflection of the man. Your first clue is that he dedicates the book to his dearly departed dog; the second is that he smooths a bit of the edge off of some of the characters whose previous appearances in prior installments have been described as "dark" or "depressing." Too much detail here would amount to a "spoiler," so suffice to say that "Death Draws Five," on whole, is uplifting without being predictable, derivative or phony.

Any criticism is solely the fault of the publisher. Typos are peppered throughout. This, according to rumor, was the trend at iBooks, inc., where both the authors and editor's corrections were consistently ignored.

The story develops fast, and keeps a rapid-fire pace that virtually demands a cover-to-cover read in one sitting. The loyal fan of the Wild Cards series will pick-up on a reference or two from prior titles, but a first time reader will have no problem stepping into this universe at this point. "Death Draws Five," can, and does stand alone from other titles in the series. I strongly recommend it to fans of comic-books, science fiction, pulp-fiction and adventure fiction.

It breaks my heart to even think that "Death Draws Five" may be the last installment in the Wild Cards "universe," but with the failure of the publisher (iBooks, inc.), I'm not sure where or if the Wild Cards will find a new home. As good as "Death Draws Five" is, surely other publishers are fighting for rights to a follow-up!!??...

Respectfully,

Chris Yates