Wild Cards

Edited by George R.R. Martin.

The alien virus arrived on Earth just after World War II – and the world was never the same. For those who become infected, three 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, gruesome "jokers." It's a strange and wonderful, terrible and terrifying world where anything can go. A world that, in a twist of fate, could lie just outside your door.

Contents:

• 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
• Interlude One by George R. R. Martin
• Shell Games by George R. R. Martin
• Interlude Two by George R. R. Martin
• The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato by Lewis Shiner
• Transfigurations by Victor Milán
• Interlude Three by George R. R. Martin
• Down Deep by Edward Bryant and Leanne C. Harper
• Interlude Four by George R. R. Martin
• Strings by Stephen Leigh
• Interlude Five by George R. R. Martin
• 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 Milán