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The Visitor
A stand alone short story that originally appeared in Book 26 of the Wild Cards universe.
The only thing you need to know is that Wild Cards is set in our world, and an alien virus has been infecting people in rare outbreaks. It kills 90% of victims, makes ugly monsters of 9% (Jokers) and gives 1% random superpowers (Aces).
A very personal short story that I'm proud of and want to find a wider audience for.
There is a sequel story free on the Tor website, The Visitor: Kill or Cure.
The only thing you need to know is that Wild Cards is set in our world, and an alien virus has been infecting people in rare outbreaks. It kills 90% of victims, makes ugly monsters of 9% (Jokers) and gives 1% random superpowers (Aces).
A very personal short story that I'm proud of and want to find a wider audience for.
There is a sequel story free on the Tor website, The Visitor: Kill or Cure.
Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2021
21 people are currently reading
356 people want to read
About the author
Mark Lawrence
100 books56.3k followersMy books vary a LOT - so
here's a handy guide.
[My new book The Book That Broke The World is out now!]
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Blog here: http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk/
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Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.
Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. There are occasional forays into computer games too.
[My new book The Book That Broke The World is out now!]
Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/marklawrencea...
Blog here: http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk/
I'm on Youtube now! *excitement!*
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrB...
Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/MarkLawrence...
https://www.instagram.com/mark___lawr...
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@mark___lawrence
Blue Sky
https://bsky.app/profile/marklawrence...
Three-emails-a-year newsletter here:
http://eepurl.com/cimnK1 #Prizes #FreeContent
I'm even on Tumblr!
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/marklawre...
Pintrest!
https://uk.pinterest.com/princeofthor...
Plus I have free stuff on Wattpad!
https://www.wattpad.com/user/MarkLawr...
Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.
Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. There are occasional forays into computer games too.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
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July 25, 2024EDIT: In the ICU with my disabled daughter - the long arm of GRRM reaches in even here!
... it's reminded me that I need to write a third and final instalment of these short stories (hopefully it will also find a place in the Wild Cards universe). No Visitor stays forever.
EDIT: One of Celyn's carers read the story to her today - she grinned hardest at the violent bit where the bad guy gets what they deserve - the tear-jerking section she was less interested in. But she certainly seemed to enjoy a fantasy tale with a profoundly disabled protagonist in it.
Now free on Amazon!
George RR Martin's Wild Cards universe has been going for around 40 years and has generated dozens of books each with many stories in them. This one was mine.
It originally appeared in book 26, Knaves Over Queens.
There is a sequel story free on the Tor website, The Visitor: Kill or Cure.
I'm not sure if The Visitor is the first story in all that time to feature a profoundly disabled character (whose disability was not wrought by the Wild Cards virus) but it may be.
The only thing you need to know to jump into this is that Wild Cards is set in our world, and an alien virus has been infecting people in rare outbreaks. It kills 90% of victims, makes ugly monsters of 9% (Jokers) and gives 1% random superpowers (Aces).
The character I brought into the Wild Cards world is inspired by my own very disabled daughter. I wanted to give her and people like her a place in this sprawling fantasy universe crafted by so many of the best writers of more than one generation.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list #prizes
..,
... it's reminded me that I need to write a third and final instalment of these short stories (hopefully it will also find a place in the Wild Cards universe). No Visitor stays forever.
EDIT: One of Celyn's carers read the story to her today - she grinned hardest at the violent bit where the bad guy gets what they deserve - the tear-jerking section she was less interested in. But she certainly seemed to enjoy a fantasy tale with a profoundly disabled protagonist in it.
Now free on Amazon!
George RR Martin's Wild Cards universe has been going for around 40 years and has generated dozens of books each with many stories in them. This one was mine.
It originally appeared in book 26, Knaves Over Queens.
There is a sequel story free on the Tor website, The Visitor: Kill or Cure.
I'm not sure if The Visitor is the first story in all that time to feature a profoundly disabled character (whose disability was not wrought by the Wild Cards virus) but it may be.
The only thing you need to know to jump into this is that Wild Cards is set in our world, and an alien virus has been infecting people in rare outbreaks. It kills 90% of victims, makes ugly monsters of 9% (Jokers) and gives 1% random superpowers (Aces).
The character I brought into the Wild Cards world is inspired by my own very disabled daughter. I wanted to give her and people like her a place in this sprawling fantasy universe crafted by so many of the best writers of more than one generation.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list #prizes
..,
November 3, 2023
"The Visitor" is #3 on my list of Top Ten Mark Lawrence Short Stories. Read my full listicle at Grimdark Magazine.
"The Visitor" is a beautifully written and deeply personal short story. It is told from the point of view of a severely disabled girl who achieves a superpower which coexists with her disability rather than overriding it (an especially nice touch).
Although best known for his full-length novels, Mark Lawrence is also an outstanding writer of short fiction. "The Visitor" ranks as one of his finest short stories. I hope that he will turn it into a full-length novel someday.
"The Visitor" is currently free at Amazon.
"The Visitor" is a beautifully written and deeply personal short story. It is told from the point of view of a severely disabled girl who achieves a superpower which coexists with her disability rather than overriding it (an especially nice touch).
Although best known for his full-length novels, Mark Lawrence is also an outstanding writer of short fiction. "The Visitor" ranks as one of his finest short stories. I hope that he will turn it into a full-length novel someday.
"The Visitor" is currently free at Amazon.
March 29, 2022
I'm not disabled; I have superpowers.
I'm thinking that Mark Lawrence is trying to raise awareness of the daily difficulties faced by the disabled, and maybe the caregivers too. It may be the story based on experiences with his own daughter, the beautiful Celyn.
Angela is severely disabled, trapped inside a paralysed body. She contracts the Wildcard Virus and is suddenly able to inhabit her carer's minds and experience the world through them. She finds that some of them are indeed caring, while others are evil.
I found the story confusing to begin with, as you're not always sure which character's POV your reading about, but after about 30%, my drongo brain had everyone sorted. It was a touching story and well worth reading. My thanks to Mark Lawrence for his tiny insight into the world of people with disabilities.
I'm thinking that Mark Lawrence is trying to raise awareness of the daily difficulties faced by the disabled, and maybe the caregivers too. It may be the story based on experiences with his own daughter, the beautiful Celyn.
Angela is severely disabled, trapped inside a paralysed body. She contracts the Wildcard Virus and is suddenly able to inhabit her carer's minds and experience the world through them. She finds that some of them are indeed caring, while others are evil.
I found the story confusing to begin with, as you're not always sure which character's POV your reading about, but after about 30%, my drongo brain had everyone sorted. It was a touching story and well worth reading. My thanks to Mark Lawrence for his tiny insight into the world of people with disabilities.
February 4, 2022
This is a unique, beautiful story. I highly recommend giving it a try.
February 5, 2025
Hope is a cruel thing.
fifteen maybe sixteen. A dangerous age. All of them thinking they’re immortal, immune to blades, to bullets, to the police, to all and any consequences in general. All of them thinking the world is going to open its legs for them.
fifteen maybe sixteen. A dangerous age. All of them thinking they’re immortal, immune to blades, to bullets, to the police, to all and any consequences in general. All of them thinking the world is going to open its legs for them.
December 6, 2021
This was my first foray into the wildcards universe and I don't think I could have asked for a better introduction. This is a beautiful, heart wrenching tale of the darkness that spreads in the world and how we can still hope for kindness. That it is very personal to the author only makes it even more beautiful.
August 19, 2022
Mark Lawrence has written a beautiful story here. An unlikely superhero, a monster of a villain, and a real love letter to people living with disabilities. Had me tearing up and cheering at the end. I loved this story so much!
May 26, 2022
A strong imagination is a gift.
I was impressed with how seamlessly this book blended its science fiction and fantasy elements together. While the science fiction themes did appear first, it didn’t take long at all for that to change. The inexplainable things that happened to Angela, the protagonist, hovered between these genres, although they dipped into the fantasy explanations for how everything worked a little more later on in the storyline. Viruses can do all sorts of strange things to a person, so it made sense to me to leave plenty of room for magical or mythical plot twists as well as share with the audience what scientists had discovered about this plague. Who says you have to pick one answer over the other, after all?
It would have been nice to have more character development. Angela showed some promising signs of personal growth, but I found many of the supporting characters to be pretty two-dimensional. While I wouldn’t expect them to be as well-developed as they might have been in a full-length work, there was definitely room for improvement here. This was especially true for the care workers who mistreated Angela and the other residents of their nursing home.
Speaking of the main character, I found it very interesting to figure out what she knew about the world she lived in given how difficult it was for her to travel or move her own body. She was incessantly curious about the lives of her fellow residents as well as the lives of the workers who looked after them, and she did everything she could to gather any scraps of information that she might overhear from someone else’s conversation or a news story playing on the television. Some of the scenes explored the various types of abuse that are inflicted upon people who are disabled far too often. As tough as it was to read those scenes, they provided even more clues about Angela’s fascinated with the outside world and why she was so keen to learn more about it.
This is part of a series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone story.
The Visitor was a thought-provoking read.
I was impressed with how seamlessly this book blended its science fiction and fantasy elements together. While the science fiction themes did appear first, it didn’t take long at all for that to change. The inexplainable things that happened to Angela, the protagonist, hovered between these genres, although they dipped into the fantasy explanations for how everything worked a little more later on in the storyline. Viruses can do all sorts of strange things to a person, so it made sense to me to leave plenty of room for magical or mythical plot twists as well as share with the audience what scientists had discovered about this plague. Who says you have to pick one answer over the other, after all?
It would have been nice to have more character development. Angela showed some promising signs of personal growth, but I found many of the supporting characters to be pretty two-dimensional. While I wouldn’t expect them to be as well-developed as they might have been in a full-length work, there was definitely room for improvement here. This was especially true for the care workers who mistreated Angela and the other residents of their nursing home.
Speaking of the main character, I found it very interesting to figure out what she knew about the world she lived in given how difficult it was for her to travel or move her own body. She was incessantly curious about the lives of her fellow residents as well as the lives of the workers who looked after them, and she did everything she could to gather any scraps of information that she might overhear from someone else’s conversation or a news story playing on the television. Some of the scenes explored the various types of abuse that are inflicted upon people who are disabled far too often. As tough as it was to read those scenes, they provided even more clues about Angela’s fascinated with the outside world and why she was so keen to learn more about it.
This is part of a series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone story.
The Visitor was a thought-provoking read.
January 16, 2022
beautiful
Delicately written, beautiful message. Left me wanting more. Fiction that straightens, lightens, and gives hope to the world in which we live.
Delicately written, beautiful message. Left me wanting more. Fiction that straightens, lightens, and gives hope to the world in which we live.
May 29, 2024
This is a beautiful story. There's no other way to put it.
I work as a disability support worker and I know that Mark Lawrence's daughter is disabled. This book captured so many visceral & real things: both about the industry and the people supported by it.
I do not think I have related to a work of fiction more than I have The Visitor.
I work as a disability support worker and I know that Mark Lawrence's daughter is disabled. This book captured so many visceral & real things: both about the industry and the people supported by it.
I do not think I have related to a work of fiction more than I have The Visitor.
December 3, 2023
A beautifully written short story from the Wild Cards Univers about an Ace that gets to visit her contacts, an insight in a disabled persons mind that had me crying at one point.
"All of us are just visiting after all. We come when we're invited and after a while it's time to go."
"All of us are just visiting after all. We come when we're invited and after a while it's time to go."
April 21, 2022
A truly touching story considering the life of the author. Loved it.
January 5, 2022
What a beautiful and horrifying story! Author Mark Lawerence wrote this tale in order to give his youngest daughter some literary representation. I felt my stomach clench every time she was being treated poorly, but I loved the character and the very real love they had for each other.
December 20, 2021
Bloody brilliant, now I know why GRRM rated it so highly
October 23, 2021
I’ve never read any Wild Card stories before, but was intrigued when Mark posted this story - and so I thought I’d give it a go.
As usual, Mark tells a wonderful story - his prose is beautiful and it pulled me in immediately.
The main character is Angela, a young woman who is severely disabled and living in a care home. Various carers are disinterested, some are horrible. Some are evil.
One of her carers, however, makes Angela’s world so much brighter - simply by caring for her properly and treating her like a friend. (Betty is a legend!)
The set is up is brilliant and puts the reader very much in the head of Angela, who is bright and sweet, and notices everything that is going on around her, even though some of the carers don’t expect this.
Angela’s existence is quite mundane, but then one day something very strange happens, and Angela realises she has a secret power.
I won’t spoil the story, but it’s just so good. At a mere 48 pages, it packs quite an emotional punch - a tear (or two) might have been shed!
And it’s also wonderful to have disability represented so accurately as part of a mainstream fantasy series.
I’d recommend this story to anyone.
In fact, I’d go as far to say, (given the social care issues that are ever increasing)it’s a must-read.
As usual, Mark tells a wonderful story - his prose is beautiful and it pulled me in immediately.
The main character is Angela, a young woman who is severely disabled and living in a care home. Various carers are disinterested, some are horrible. Some are evil.
One of her carers, however, makes Angela’s world so much brighter - simply by caring for her properly and treating her like a friend. (Betty is a legend!)
The set is up is brilliant and puts the reader very much in the head of Angela, who is bright and sweet, and notices everything that is going on around her, even though some of the carers don’t expect this.
Angela’s existence is quite mundane, but then one day something very strange happens, and Angela realises she has a secret power.
I won’t spoil the story, but it’s just so good. At a mere 48 pages, it packs quite an emotional punch - a tear (or two) might have been shed!
And it’s also wonderful to have disability represented so accurately as part of a mainstream fantasy series.
I’d recommend this story to anyone.
In fact, I’d go as far to say, (given the social care issues that are ever increasing)it’s a must-read.
November 3, 2021
This was a short story written for the Wild Cards universe that tells the story of The Visitor, a young girl, Angela, with a debilitating illness that keeps her bedridden and essentially paralyzed and in constant pain. When she becomes infected with the Wild Card virus she is bestowed several superhuman powers: although she is still paralyzed, her body becomes nearly indestructible but she is also able to transfer her consciousness into those who physically touch her in some way. While an unscrupulous person might use these powers for the wrong reasons, and despite the fact that life had already taken so many things from her, Angela's heart is good and she is often apologetic about 'invading' someone's body. Thus, in most cases she resolves to only do so when invited, hence her Wild Card moniker, The Visitor.
There isn't anything complex about the plot and many readers will clearly see where it is headed, but the story is a great introduction to the Wild Cards series and the level of imagination you will find in how those who are touched by the virus can be transformed, in ways both mighty and tragic. The strength of this story is the empathy that the reader feels for Angela and the little details and quirks that make many of the minor characters feel all too human.
My only peeve with the story is the cover doesn't seem right for it. I mean, I don't really know what the cover should be but it gives me a very Victorian gothic vibe. Nevertheless, I don't judge a book by it's cover, so five stars.
There isn't anything complex about the plot and many readers will clearly see where it is headed, but the story is a great introduction to the Wild Cards series and the level of imagination you will find in how those who are touched by the virus can be transformed, in ways both mighty and tragic. The strength of this story is the empathy that the reader feels for Angela and the little details and quirks that make many of the minor characters feel all too human.
My only peeve with the story is the cover doesn't seem right for it. I mean, I don't really know what the cover should be but it gives me a very Victorian gothic vibe. Nevertheless, I don't judge a book by it's cover, so five stars.
October 31, 2021
wonderful
Who says that Mark, can only write grimdark, this is a solid emotional roller coaster of sadness, despair and hope.
Shows that not every hero with super powers, can jump tall buildings in a single leap or laser beams from the heroes eyeballs.
Decent characters drive this short story to its end and they have you crying and cheering through the storytelling.
Highly recommended to all my friends who read fantasy.
Who says that Mark, can only write grimdark, this is a solid emotional roller coaster of sadness, despair and hope.
Shows that not every hero with super powers, can jump tall buildings in a single leap or laser beams from the heroes eyeballs.
Decent characters drive this short story to its end and they have you crying and cheering through the storytelling.
Highly recommended to all my friends who read fantasy.
October 26, 2021
A truly powerful and moving story. Will have you in tears!
October 31, 2021
Mark never lets down.
September 5, 2023
A touching story which ended too soon. A great temptation for the wild cards series!
April 30, 2024
Incredibly touching short story and a remarkable insight into what it means to live with crippling disability.
October 27, 2021
Because I'm a wheelchair user, and one of my daughters was severely disabled, the mention of severe disability in the blurb got my attention. I love to see that represented - and represented well - in fantasy. So I had to have the book.
I started reading within minutes after it was delivered to my kindle. And read the entire story in one go. (It's not that long, so that was perfectly doable - even for such a slow reader as me.)
The main character, Angela, reminded me incredibly much of my own little girl, who died when she was five. I'm not going to give out any spoilers here, but suffice it to say that I kept my eyes dry. Barely.
A well-deserved 5 stars.
I started reading within minutes after it was delivered to my kindle. And read the entire story in one go. (It's not that long, so that was perfectly doable - even for such a slow reader as me.)
The main character, Angela, reminded me incredibly much of my own little girl, who died when she was five. I'm not going to give out any spoilers here, but suffice it to say that I kept my eyes dry. Barely.
A well-deserved 5 stars.
December 18, 2021
Excellent shorty story. Powerful and moving. Mark Lawrence places the reader into the mind of a special needs child and then gives her special powers. Hits close to home as my niece is special needs. She will never get these powers but can only hope her mind runs similar. These pages also introduced me to the concept of the Wild Cards saga. Might try one of the longer books. But then I know Mark Lawrence didn't write them so might not live up to the same expectations. :-)
October 24, 2021
And now I'm crying
Beautifully written book and a very interesting concept. The ending, while powerful, was extremely sad but in a hopeful way
Beautifully written book and a very interesting concept. The ending, while powerful, was extremely sad but in a hopeful way
October 11, 2023
This broke my heart. I smiled. And I cried. And I just want to be a better person. And a wiser one.
May 28, 2024
A very good story. The old saying, walk a mile in my shoes, happen in this story.
July 29, 2022
Mark Lawerence is a master of character emotion, and in a story that shares a deep connection to him, it makes this story wonderful and satisfying.
My first ‘Wild Cards’ story is about a severely disabled girl who contracts a virus giving her special abilities that gives her view of the outside life around her. I absolutely love stories that come from the heart, and in this case a beautiful portrayal to Mark’s daughter.
The Visitor is currently free to buy on Amazon.
My first ‘Wild Cards’ story is about a severely disabled girl who contracts a virus giving her special abilities that gives her view of the outside life around her. I absolutely love stories that come from the heart, and in this case a beautiful portrayal to Mark’s daughter.
The Visitor is currently free to buy on Amazon.
October 23, 2021
And now I'm crying. This was a wonderful, unique read. I'm definitely going to be checking out more stories from the Wild Cards universe though.
November 9, 2021
Poignant…..with a side of Sci-Fi 👾🦠🤯
May 3, 2022
I love the Wild Cards-verse and until now have not yet read a story I did not enjoy.
But Mark Lawrence's short-story The Visitor is extraordinary. As simple as that. Beautifully written and wonderful characters.
But Mark Lawrence's short-story The Visitor is extraordinary. As simple as that. Beautifully written and wonderful characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews