Wild Cards
Entry updated 2 September 2024. Tagged: Publication.
Original-Anthology series, edited by George R R Martin, with the initially unacknowledged collaboration of Melinda M Snodgrass, variously credited from the sixth volume on, set in a Shared World, almost every volume being a Braid of stories by various authors woven into a more-or-less integrated narrative. Martin prefers to think of these books, because their contents are planned and linked, often as "mosaic novels", though we treat them as, only technically, anthologies. The first volume, Wild Cards: A Mosaic Novel (anth 1987; vt Wildcards 1989), describes its alternate Earth's history (see Alternate History), the Jonbar Point being the release just after World War Two over New York of a virus developed by Aliens. The effect of the "Wild Card" virus Pandemic is to kill immediately and horribly one out of ten people it infects. Survivors are mutated (see Mutants), mostly in useless, often monstrously damaging ways, in which case they are called "Jokers". One in ten is mutated beneficially: these become Superpowered "Aces". The dividing line can be blurred; for example, physical deformity can be offset by an immense gain in strength.
According to one count, at least thirty volumes have been issued as of 2024 [see Checklist below]. Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire (1992) is a novel by Melinda Snodgrass, the first single-author novel in what had so far been an original-anthology series, but is copyrighted in Martin's name.
The books focus on a cast of Aces and Jokers through the decades. Some of the strongest stories are in the first volume, which deals impressively with the McCarthy era. Later volumes are more comic-bookish, and history's incredible resilience becomes irritating: when a secret Ace of enormous power runs for the presidency, events contrive to bring about a victory for George Bush. Despite this, Wild Cards is one of the better shared-worlds series, showcasing hard-edged writing by Edward Bryant, Pat Cadigan, Cherie Priest, Lewis Shiner, Carrie Vaughn, Howard Waldrop, Walter Jon Williams, Roger Zelazny and others. For a full listing of the still continuing sequence, see the Checklist below.
A companion comic-book series began with Wild Cards #1: Heart of the Matter (graph 1990), Wild Cards #2: Diamond in the Rough (graph 1990), Wild Cards #3: Welcome to the Club (graph 1990) and Wild Cards #4: Spadework (graph 1990), collected as Wild Cards (graph omni 1991). [RuB/RT/JC]
see also: GURPS; Superheroes.
Wild Cards
All edited by George R R Martin, from volume six or earlier with Melinda M Snodgrass; those titles in which she is acknowledged are so clocked below. Retroactive divisions of individual titles into subseries are so indicated. As subtitles may or may not exist, they are indicated only when confirmed.
- Wild Cards: A Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1986) [anth: Wild Cards: Original Triad: pb/Stan Watts]
- Wildcards (New York: Science Fiction Book Club, 1987) [anth: vt of the above: Wild Cards: Original Triad: hb/Walter Velez]
- Wild Cards 1 (New York: Tor, 2010) [anth: exp vt of the above: Wild Cards: Original Triad: pb/Michael Komarck]
- Wild Cards II: Aces High (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1987) [anth: Wild Cards: Original Triad: pb/Richard Kriegler]
- Wild Cards 2 (New York: Pocket/ibooks, 2001) [anth: rev vt of the above: with new introduction: Wild Cards: Original Triad: pb/Brian Bolland]
- Wild Cards 2: Aces High (New York: ibooks, 2004) [anth: vt of the above: Wild Cards: Original Triad: pb/Brian Bolland]
- Wild Cards 2 (New York: Pocket/ibooks, 2001) [anth: rev vt of the above: with new introduction: Wild Cards: Original Triad: pb/Brian Bolland]
- Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1987) [anth: Wild Cards: Original Triad: pb/Richard Kriegler]
- Wild Cards 1-3: The Epic Beginning (London: Gollancz, 2015) [anth: omni of the above three: ebook: Wild Cards: Original Triad: na/]
- Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1988) [anth: Wild Cards: The Puppetman Quartet: pb/Richard Kriegler]
- Wild Cards Volume Four: Aces Abroad (London: Titan, 1990) [anth: vt of the above: Wild Cards: The Puppetman Quartet: pb/Brian Bolland]
- Wild Cards V: Down and Dirty: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1988) [anth: Wild Cards: The Puppetman Quartet: pb/Frank Riley]
- Wild Cards Volume Five: Down and Dirty (London: Titan, 1990) [anth: vt of the above: Wild Cards: The Puppetman Quartet: pb/Brian Bolland]
- Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1988) with Melinda M Snodgrass [novel by Snodgrass solo: Wild Cards: The Puppetman Quartet: pb/Timothy Truman]
- Wild Cards Volume Six: Ace in the Hole (London: Titan, 1990) [anth: vt of the above: Wild Cards: The Puppetman Quartet: pb/Brian Bolland]
- Wild Cards VII: Dead Man's Hand: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1990) with John J Miller and Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The Puppetman Quartet: pb/Timothy Truman]
- Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1991) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The Rox Triad: pb/Timothy Truman]
- Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1991) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The Rox Triad: pb/Timothy Truman]
- Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1992) by Melinda M Snodgrass [Wild Cards: The Novels: pb/Timothy Truman]
- Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1992) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The Rox Triad: pb/Timothy Truman]
- Wild Cards: Turn of the Cards (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1993) by Victor Milán [Wild Cards: The Novels: pb/Timothy Truman]
- Wild Cards: Card Sharks: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Baen Books, 1993) [anth: Wild Cards: New Cycle: The Card Sharks Triad: pb/Barclay Shaw]
- Wild Cards: Marked Cards: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Baen Books, 1994) [anth: Wild Cards: New Cycle: The Card Sharks Triad: pb/Barclay Shaw]
- Wild Cards: Black Trump: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Baen Books, 1995) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: New Cycle: The Card Sharks Triad: pb/Barclay Shaw]
- Wild Cards: Deuces Down (New York: Pocket/ibooks, 2002) [anth: Wild Cards: pb/Jim Steranko]
- Wild Cards: Deuces Down (New York: Tor, 2021) [anth: exp of the above: Wild Cards: hb/]
- Wild Cards: Inside Straight (New York: Tor, 2008) [anth: Wild Cards: The Committee Triad: hb/Michael Komarck]
- Wild Cards: Busted Flush (New York: Tor, 2008) [anth: Wild Cards: The Committee Triad: hb/Michael Komarck]
- Wild Cards: Suicide Kings (New York: Tor, 2009) [anth: Wild Cards: The Committee Triad: hb/Michael Komarck]
- Wild Cards: Fort Freak (New York: Tor, 2011) [anth: Wild Cards: The Fort Freak Triad: hb/Hermes Technologies/Jupiterimages]
- Wild Cards: Lowball (New York: Tor, 2014) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The Fort Freak Triad: hb/Michael Komarck]
- Wild Cards: High Stakes (New York: Tor, 2016) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The Fort Freak Triad: hb/Michael Komarck]
- Mississippi Roll (New York: Tor, 2017) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The America Triad: hb/Michael Komarck]
- Low Chicago: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Tor, 2018) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The America Triad: hb/Michael Komarck]
- Texas Hold'em: A Wild Cards Mosaic Novel (New York: Tor, 2018) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: The America Triad: hb/Michael Komarck]
- Knaves over Queens (New York: Tor, 2018) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: hb/Mike Topping]
- Joker Moon (New York: Tor, 2021) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: hb/]
- Wild Cards: Full House (New York: Tor, 2022) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: hb/]
- Wild Cards: Sleeper Straddle (New York: Bantam, 2024) with Melinda M Snodgrass [anth: Wild Cards: hb/]
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