Find out more about the Wild Cards story in Bud's own words.

Wild Cards I: Wild Cards

Description: The alien virus arrived on Earth just after World War II and the world was never the same. For those who become infected, there are two results: death, or transformation. And depending on the recipient, death is sometimes the preferable outcome. Only a few lucky ones become superhuman aces as a side effect of the virus; the rest are turned into horrible, grotesque jokers.

It's a strange and wonderful, terrible and terrifying world where anything can go wrong. A world that, in a twist of fate, could lie just outside your door.

Contains the stories:

• "Thirty Minutes Over Broadway!" by Howard Waldrop
• "The Sleeper" by Roger Zelazny
• "Witness" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Degradation Rites" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "Shell Games" by George R. R. Martin
• "The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato" by Lewis Shiner
• "Transfigurations" by Victor Milan
• "Down Deep" by Edward Bryant and Leanne C. Harper
• "Strings" by Stephen Leigh
• "Comes a Hunter" by John J. Miller

Wild Cards II: Aces High

Description: It all began in 1946, when the bizarre, gene-altering "Wild Cards" virus was unleashed in the skies over New York City. A virus that created superpowered Aces and bizarre, disfigured Jokers. Now, thirty years later, the victims face a new nightmare. From the far reaches of space comes The Swarm, a deadly menace that could very well destroy the planet. Putting aside their hatred and mistrust, Aces and Jokers must form an uneasy alliance and prepare for a battle they must not lose...

Contains the stories:

• "Pennies from Hell" by Lewis Shiner
• "Unto the Sixth Generation: Prologue" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Ashes to Ashes" by Roger Zelazny
• "Unto the Sixth Generation: Part One" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Unto the Sixth Generation: Part Two" by Walter Jon Williams
• "If Looks Could Kill" by Walton Simons
• "Unto the Sixth Generation: Epilogue" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Winter’s Chill" by George R. R. Martin
• "Relative Difficulties" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "With a Little Help From His Friends" by Victor Milan
• "By Lost Ways" by Pat Cadigan
• "Mr. Koyama’s Comet" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Half Past Dead" by John J. Miller

Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Written by Edward Bryant, Leanne C. Harper, George R. R. Martin, John J. Miller, Lewis Shiner, Walton Simons, Melinda M. Snodgrass

Description: The streets of New York have erupted in celebration of Wild Card Day -- the annual event held every September 15th to remember the dead and cherish the living. It is a day for fireworks and street fairs and parades, for political rallies and memorial banquets, for drinking and fighting in the alleys. With each passing year, the festivities become larger and more fevered. And this year -- 1986, the fortieth anniversary -- promises to be the biggest and best Wild Card Day ever. The media and tourists have discovered the celebration, and taverns and restaurants expect record-setting business.

But lurking in the background is a twisted genius who cares nothing for fun and festivity. The Astronomer has only one concern: destruction...

Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad

Description: What would our world be like if superhuman heroes and villains had been real flesh-and-blood men and women who lived through the 20th century's most turbulent history? In Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad, a fact-finding mission seeks the truth about thow Wild Cards are treated in other nations. From the jungles of Haiti to the Great Wall of China and behind the Iron Curtain, the Wild Cards team investigates the fate of their fellow Aces and Jokers everywhere.

Contains the stories:

• "The Tint of Hatred" by Stephen Leigh
• "The Journal of Xavier Desmond" by George R. R. Martin
• "Beasts of Burden" by John J. Miller
• "Blood Rights" by Leanne C. Harper
• "Down by the Nile" by Gail Gerstner-Miller
• "The Teardrop of India" by Walton Simons
• "Down in the Dreamtime" by Edward Bryant
• "Zero Hour" by Lewis Shiner
• "Puppets" by Victor W. Milan
• "Mirror of the Soul" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "Legends" by Michael Cassutt

Wild Cards V: Down and Dirty

Description: The fifth volume in the Wild Cards alternate universe saga is set in the New York City of 1986. The simmering streets of Jokertown have erupted, as gang war breaks out between ruthless rivals: the Shadow Fists and the Mafia. As the violence rages out of control, even the metahuman Aces and Jokers alike are forced to go underground and wage their own war against the powers of the netherworld!

Contains the stories:

• "Only the Dead Know Jokertown" by John J. Miller
• "All the King’s Horses" by George R. R. Martin
• "Concerto for Siren and Serotonin" by Roger Zelazny
• "Breakdown" by Leanne C. Harper
• "Jesus Was an Ace" by Arthur Byron Cover
• "Blood Ties" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "The Second Coming of Buddy Holly" by Edward Bryant
• "The Hue of a Mind" by Stephen Leigh
• "Addicted to Love" by Pat Cadigan
• "Takedown" by Leanne C. Harper
• "Mortality" by Walter Jon Williams
• "'What Rough Beast..'." by Leanne C. Harper

Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Assistant editor Melinda M Snodgrass
Written by Stephen Leigh, Victor Milan, Walton Simons, Melinda M Snodgrass, Walter Jon Williams
Contributing authors: Edward Bryant (?), Walton Simons, Victor Milan, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Stephen Leigh, Walter Jon Williams

Description: Continuing the alternate universe series edited by George R. R. Martin, the sixth volume in the Wild Cards saga is set in Atlanta of 1988. Terror stalks the halls of the Omni convention center. For a fanatical religious leader has vowed to crush the rights of all Wild Cards, and a hidden Ace wields a terrifying power to determine the outcome of the convention.

Against this backdrop of passion and intrigue, a handful of Aces and Jokers struggle for control of a nation.

Wild Cards VII: Dead Man's Hand

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Assistant editor Melinda M. Snodgrass
Written by George R. R. Martin and John J. Miller

Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Assistant editor Melinda M. Snodgrass
Written by Chris Claremont, Stephen Leigh, Victor Milan, John J. Miller, Lewis Shiner, Walton Simons, Melinda M. Snodgrass, William F. Wu

Contains the stories:

• "Nobody’s Girl" by Walton Simons
• "Luck Be a Lady" by Chris Claremont
• "Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby" by Walton Simons
• "Horses" by Lewis Shiner
• "Mr. Nobody Goes to Town" by Walton Simons
• "Snow Dragon" by William F. Wu
• "Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen" by Walton Simons
• "Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing" by Victor Milan
• "You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" by Walton Simons
• "Sixteen Candles" by Stephen Leigh
• "My Name Is Nobody" by Walton Simons
• "The Devil’s Triangle" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "Nobody’s Home" by Walton Simons
• "Dead Heart Beating" by John J. Miller
• "Nobody Gets Out Alive" by Walton Simons

Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Assistant editor Melinda M. Snodgrass
Written by Stephen Leigh, Victor Milan, John J. Miller, Lewis Shiner, Walton Simons, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Walter Jon Williams

Contains the stories:

• "The Temptation of Hieronymus Bloat" by Stephen Leigh
• "And Hope to Die" by John J. Miller
• "Lovers" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "Madman Across the Water" by Victor Milan
• "While Night’s Black Agents to Their Preys Do Rouse" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Riders" by Lewis Shiner
• "Nobody Does It Alone" by Walton Simons

Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Written by Melinda M. Snodgrass

Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Assistant editor Melinda M. Snodgrass
Written by Edward Bryant, Stephen Leigh, George R. R. Martin, John J. Miller, Walter Jon Williams

Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards

Edited by George R. R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass
Written by Victor Milan

Card Sharks: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New Cycle, Book 1)

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Assistant editor Melinda M. Snodgrass
Written by Michael Cassutt, Stephen Leigh, Victor Milan, Laura J. Mixon, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Melinda M. Snodgrass, William F. Wu, Roger Zelazny

Contains the stories:

• "The Ashes of Memory" by Stephen Leigh
• "'’Till I Kissed You'" by William F. Wu
• "The Crooked Man" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes" by Michael Cassutt
• "A Wind from Khorasan: The Narrative of J. Robert Belew" by Victor Milan
• "The Long Sleep" by Roger Zelazny
• "'Cursum Perficio'" by Kevin Andrew Murphy
• "The Lamia’s Tale" by Laura J. Mixon

Marked Cards: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New Cycle, Book 2)

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Assistant editor Melinda M. Snodgrass
Written by Stephen Leigh, Walton Simons, Victor Milan, Leanne C. Harper, Walter John Williams, Sage Walker, Laura J. Mixon, Melinda M. Snodgrass

Description: A beautiful young reporter and a small group of jokers and aces have unearthed evidence of a conspiracy of Card Sharks, whose goal is the wholesale destruction of those afflicted with the Wild Cards virus. But Hannah Davis and her handful of heroes have discovered the truth. Now it's a desperate race to expose the Card Sharks, flush them into the open where they can be brought to justice. For the Card Sharks have a terrifying weapon, a Final Solution; they are almost ready to use.... MARKED CARDS.

Contains the stories:

• "The Color of His Skin" by Stephen Leigh
• "Two of a Kind" by Walton Simons
• "My Sweet Lord" by Victor Milan
• "Paths of Silence and of Night" by Leanne C. Harper
• "Feeding Frenzy" by Walter Jon Williams
• "A Breath of Life" by Sage Walker
• "A Dose of Reality" by Laura J. Mixon and Melinda M. Snodgrass

Black Trump: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New Cycle, Book 3)

Edited by George R. R. Martin
Assistant Editor: Melinda M. Snodgrass
Written by Stephen Leigh, Victor Milan, John J. Miller, Sage Walker

Wild Cards"XVI": Deuces Down

by Michael Cassutt, John J. Miller, Walton Simons, Daniel Abraham, Stephen Leigh, Kevin Andrew Murphy, George Martin (Editor), Melinda M. Snodgrass (Editor)

Description: On September 15, 1946, a biological weapon created by an alien race was accidentally detonated above the streets of New York City, killing countless numbers of men, women, and children. But those who survived the initial explosion soon began to wish they had died also, once they discovered they had been forever mutated by the virus unleashed in the blast....

When the first volume in the Wild Cards series made its debut in 1986, it caused a sensation in the science fiction and fantasy communities. Here were stories of superpowered beings in a real-world setting, detailing the lives of Aces, those given superhuman powers by the Wild Cards virus, and Jokers, those whom the virus transformed into freaks and monsters. Over the course of fifteen volumes, the world created by editor George R.R. Martin and some of SF's most talented writers was explored through the eyes of both Aces and Jokers across the globe.

In this all-new collection of Wild Cards stories, the spotlight is on the most unusual Wild Cards of them all: the Deuces. As you'll discover in this thrilling collection, their role in the Wild Cards Universe is just as important as that of the Aces and the Jokers. In fact, their actions have affected the course of Wild Cards history.

Set in an alternate, shared-world universe, Deuces Down is the one place you'll find such never-before-told tales as John J. Miller's exciting 1969 World Series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Brooklyn Dodgers; Michael Cassutt's first moon landing, when the whole world wasn't watching; Walton Simons' Great New York City Blackout of 1977; Melinda M. Snodgrass's account of Grace Kelly's mysterious disappearance during the filming of The French Lieutenant's Woman. It's a strange and terrifying world, where anything can happen. A world of Wild Cards.

Wild Cards/Four Books in One

Edited by George R. R. Martin

Description:

Contains the stories:

• "Prologue" by George R.R. Martin
• "Thirty Minutes Over Broadway!" by Howard Waldrop
• "The Sleeper" by Roger Zelazny
• "Witness" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Degradation Rites" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "Shell Games" by George R. R. Martin
• "The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato" by Lewis Shiner
• "Transfigurations" by Victor Milan
• "Down Deep" by Edward Bryant and Leanne C. Harper
• "Strings" by Stephen Leigh
• "Comes a Hunter" by John J. Miller
• "Epilogue; Third Generation" by Lewis Shiner (?)
• "The Science of the Wild Card Virus; Excerpts from the Literature" by Victor Milan (?)


• "Pennies from Hell" by Lewis Shiner
• "Jube: Part One" by George R.R. Martin
• "Unto the Sixth Generation: Prologue" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Jube: Part Two" by George R.R. Martin
• "Ashes to Ashes" by Roger Zelazny
• "Unto the Sixth Generation: Part One" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Unto the Sixth Generation: Part Two" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Jube: Part Three" by George R.R. Martin
• "If Looks Could Kill" by Walton Simons
• "Jube: Part Four" by George R.R. Martin
• "Unto the Sixth Generation: Epilogue" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Winter’s Chill" by George R. R. Martin
• "Jube: Part Five" by George R.R. Martin
• "Relative Difficulties" by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "With a Little Help From His Friends" by Victor Milan
• "Jube: Part Six" by George R.R. Martin
• "By Lost Ways" by Pat Cadigan
• "Mr. Koyama’s Comet" by Walter Jon Williams
• "Half Past Dead" by John J. Miller
• "Jube: Part Seven" by George R.R. Martin

Wild Cards Role Playing Game

Written by John J. Miller, edited by Steve Jackson. Cover by Neal McPheeters. Illustrated by Denis Loubet, Glen Johnson, Manda Dee, Albert Deschesnes, Charlie Weidman, and Gary Washington. Published by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS Wild Cards is a complete, detailed guide to the Wild Cards series. Now you can enter that world, with "ace" powers of your own. Written by one of the original Wild Cards creators, this book includes:

• Detailed background, history and timeline of the Wild Cards world.
• Rules for turning yourself into an ace.
• Complete biographies and descriptions of over 60 important Wild Cards characters -- heroes, villains, aces and jokers -- with brand new background detail.
• And a description of how the Wild Cards books grew out of a game . . . by a writer who was there at the very beginning!

This is a roleplaying sourcebook to be used with the GURPS Basic Set (Third Edition) and with GURPS Supers. Warning: Like the original Wild Cards books, this volume contains adult material and situations.

Wild Cards Comics

Includes reprints of the four comics listed below. Details on the comics can be viewed at this Epic comics catalog index and covers can be viewed at the George R. R. Martin site.

Wild Cards: Heart of the Matter (1990).

Cover by Jackson Guice, Alfred Ramirez. Story and plot by Lewis Shiner, Melinda Snodgrass, Howard Waldrop, Walton Simons. Pencil and layout by Barry Kitson, Jackson Guice, Marshall Rogers, Harry Candelario. Ink and finishing by Jackson Guice, Keith Williams, Fred Fredericks, Harry Candelario. Lettering by Richard Starkings. Coloring by Paul Mounts, Alfred Ramirez, John Van Fleet.

Wild Cards: Diamond in the Rough (1990).

Cover by Jackson Guice, Alfred Ramirez. Story and plot by Lewis Shiner, John Jackson Miller, Walter Jon Williams, Walton Simons. Pencil and layout by Michael Bair, Barry Kitson, Lee Weeks, Tom Yeates. Ink and finishing by Michael Bair, Barry Kitson, Lee Weeks, Tom Yeates. Lettering by Richard Starkings. Coloring by Paul Mounts, Joe Chiodo, Sam Parsons.

Wild Cards: Welcome to the Club (1990).

Cover by Jackson Guice, Alfred Ramirez. Story and plot by George R. R. Martin, Lewis Shiner, Gail Gersten-Miller. Pencil and layout by Barry Kitson, Larry Stroman, Timothy Truman, Mark A. Nelson, Doug Potter. Ink and finishing by Barry Kitson, Keith Williams, Al Williamson, Timothy Truman, Doug Potter. Lettering by Joe Rosen, Willie Schubert. Coloring by Paul Mounts, Alfred Ramirez, Sam Parsons.

Wild Cards: Spade Work (1990).

Cover by Jackson Guice, Alfred Ramirez. Story and plot by Lewis Shiner, Howard Waldrop, Stephen Leigh. Pencil and layout by Barry Kitson, Marshall Rogers, Michael Ritter, Gray Morrow. Ink and finishing by Fred Fredericks, John Tartaglione, Michael Ritter, Gray Morrow. Lettering by John E. Workman. Coloring by Paul Mounts, Alfred Ramirez. (Fred Fredericks is listed in the TPB as inker.)

Last Updated Friday, September 29 2006 @ 01:12 PM MST