Wild Cards is a series of science fiction superhero shared universe anthologies, mosaic novels, and solo novels written by a collection of authors known as the Wild Cards Trust and edited by George R. R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass. Set largely during an alternate history of post-World War II United States, the series follows humans who contracted the Wild Card virus, an alien virus that rewrites DNA and mutates survivors; those who acquire minor or crippling physical conditions are known as Jokers, and those who acquire superhuman abilities are known as Aces.
As of the publication of Texas Hold'Em in October 2018, the series consists of twenty-six books. Wild Cards began publication through Bantam Books, under its Spectra imprint, in January 1987. Bantam published the series until 1993 and released twelve installments. Baen Books published three books from 1993 to 1995. From 2002 to 2005, ibooks Inc. published two more installments, including one solo novel. Wild Cards is currently published by Tor Books, an imprint under Macmillan Publishers. As of October 2018, Tor Books had released nine novels.
Several novels were also reprinted. Reprinting rights to the first eight novels were acquired by ibooks Inc. in 2000. The company reissued the first six novels before declaring Chapter 7 bankruptcy shortly after the death of founder Byron Preiss; ibooks' assets were acquired by Brick Tower Press. As of November 2021, Tor Books reprinted the first twelve, sixteenth & seventeenth novel.
Marvel Entertainment has published two Wild Cards mini-series, thirty-two years apart. The first, released via their Epic Comics imprint, was published from September to December 1990 and featured an original storyline based on events that occurred in the early novels. A second limited series, this time adapting stories from the first novel, ran from June through October 2022.
Books
Bantam Books (1987–1993)
Bantam Books, under its Spectra imprint, published twelve books between 1987 and 1993, including two solo novels written by Melinda M. Snodgrass and Victor Milán.
| No. | Title | Original release | ibooks Inc. reprint release | Tor Books release | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wild Cards Edited by George R. R. Martin |
January 1987 ISBN 978-0-553-26190-5 |
July 31, 2001 ISBN 978-0-7434-2380-9 |
November 23, 2010 ISBN 978-0-7653-2615-7 | |||
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| 2 | Aces High Edited by Martin |
April 1987 ISBN 978-0-553-26464-7 |
October 2001 ISBN 978-1-59687-283-7 |
December 20, 2011 ISBN 978-0-7653-2616-4 | |||
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| 3 | Jokers Wild Edited by Martin |
October 1987 ISBN 978-0-553-26699-3 |
February 2002 ISBN 978-1-59687-284-4 |
February 11, 2014 ISBN 978-0-7653-2617-1 | |||
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| 4 | Aces Abroad Edited by Martin |
May 1988 ISBN 978-0-553-27628-2 |
August 27, 2002 ISBN 978-0-7434-5241-0 |
January 13, 2015 ISBN 978-0-7653-3558-6 | |||
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| 5 | Down and Dirty Edited by Martin |
November 1988 ISBN 978-0-553-27463-9 |
January 7, 2003 | October 27, 2015 ISBN 978-0-7653-3559-3 | |||
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| 6 | Ace in the Hole Edited by Martin |
January 1990 ISBN 978-0-553-28253-5 |
February 25, 2003 ISBN 978-0-7434-5837-5 |
October 4, 2016 ISBN 978-0-7653-3560-9 | |||
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| 7 | Dead Man's Hand Edited by Martin |
July 1990 ISBN 978-0-553-28569-7 |
— | June 13, 2017 | |||
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| 8 | One-Eyed Jacks Edited by Martin |
January 1991 ISBN 978-0-553-28852-0 |
— | August 7, 2018 | |||
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| 9 | Jokertown Shuffle Edited by Martin |
August 1991 ISBN 978-0-553-29174-2 |
— | April 30, 2019 | |||
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| 10 | Double Solitaire Written by Snodgrass and edited by Martin |
March 1992 ISBN 978-0-553-29493-4 |
— | December 3, 2019 | |||
| 11 | Dealer's Choice Edited by Martin |
October 1992 ISBN 978-0-553-29161-2 |
— | September 1, 2020 | |||
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| 12 | Turn of the Cards Written by Milán and edited by Martin |
January 1993 ISBN 978-0-553-56152-4 |
— | November 9, 2021 | |||
Baen Books (1993–1995)
Baen Books published a new triad between 1993 and 1995 subtitled of a New Cycle. In 2002, Martin commented that he felt the triad was creatively "three of the strongest volumes Wild Cards ever had" and that the series "came back strong" after stumbling with a previous storyline; however, he conceded that the triad was "very dark", acknowledging it was a commonly voiced complaint, and that he felt switching publishers was a mistake.
| No. | Title | Original release |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Card Sharks Edited by Martin |
February 1993 ISBN 978-0-671-72159-6 |
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| 14 | Marked Cards Edited by Martin |
March 1994 ISBN 978-0-671-72212-8 |
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| 15 | Black Trump Edited by Martin |
July 1995 ISBN 978-0-671-87679-1 |
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ibooks Inc. (2002–2006)
In 2000, ibooks Inc. purchased two new installments and the rights to reprint the first eight books of the series; the two new books were published between 2002 and 2006, including a solo novel by John J. Miller. The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July 2005, shortly after the death of founder Byron Preiss. In December 2006, J. Bolyston & Co. Publishers, parent company of the Brick Tower Press imprint, acquired all of Preiss' assets, including those of ibooks, for $125,000. Brick Tower Press offered e-book versions of its titles, including Deuces Down and Death Draws Five, via Humble Bundle in February 2016.
| No. | Title | Original release | Tor Books release |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Deuces Down Edited by Martin |
June 25, 2002 ISBN 978-0-7434-4505-4 |
January 5, 2021 |
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| 17 | Death Draws Five Written by Miller and edited by Martin |
February 1, 2006 ISBN 978-1-59687-297-4 |
November 9, 2021 |
Tor Books (2008–2022)
Tor Books, an imprint under Macmillan Publishers, published the series in both print and e-book format, releasing thirteen new installments from November 2008 to August 2022.
| No. | Title | Original release | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Inside Straight Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
January 22, 2008 ISBN 978-0-641-91260-3 | |||
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| 19 | Busted Flush Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
December 9, 2008 ISBN 978-0-7653-1782-7 | |||
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| 20 | Suicide Kings Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
December 22, 2009 ISBN 978-0-7653-1783-4 | |||
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| 21 | Fort Freak Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
June 21, 2011 ISBN 978-0-7653-2570-9 | |||
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| 22 | Lowball Edited by Martin and Snodgrass |
November 4, 2014 ISBN 978-0-7653-3195-3 | |||
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| 23 | High Stakes Edited by Martin and Snodgrass |
August 30, 2016 ISBN 978-0-7653-3562-3 | |||
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| 24 | Mississippi Roll Edited by Martin and Snodgrass |
December 5, 2017 ISBN 978-0-7653-9052-3 | |||
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| 25 | Low Chicago Edited by Martin |
June 12, 2018 | |||
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A mosaic novel edited by George R. R. Martin assisted by Melinda M. Snodgrass. There are stories from eight authors that were woven into the novel. The stories, in the order of their first appearance in the novel are:
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| 26 | Texas Hold 'Em | November 6, 2018 | |||
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A mosaic novel edited by George R. R. Martin assisted by Melinda M. Snodgrass. There are stories from seven authors that were woven into the novel. The stories, in the order of their first appearance in the novel are:
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| 27 | Knaves Over Queens Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
August 13, 2019 | |||
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| 28 | Joker Moon Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
July 6, 2021 | |||
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| 29 | Three Kings Edited by Snodgrass with assistance from Martin |
March 15, 2022 | |||
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There are stories from eight authors that were woven into the novel.
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| 30 | Full House Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
August 2, 2022 | |||
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Collects ten stories that had been previously published only on Tor's website or in anthologies outside the Wild Cards series.
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Bantam Books (2023–present)
Wild Cards returned to its original publisher, Bantam Books, in 2023.
| No. | Title | Original release |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Pairing Up Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
July 11, 2023 ISBN 978-0-593-35786-6 |
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| 32 | Sleeper Straddle Edited by Martin with assistance from Snodgrass |
February 6, 2024 ISBN 978-0-593-35783-5 |
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Novellas
Tor Books published an ebook novella in March 2020 as a companion to the novel, "Inside Straight":
- "American Hero"
Short stories
Tor Books published 23 short stories through its website from January 2013 to July 2022:
- "When We Were Heroes" by Daniel Abraham (January 16, 2013), edited by Martin
- "The Button Man and the Murder Tree" by Cherie Priest (May 15, 2013), edited by Martin
- "The Elephant in the Room" by Paul Cornell (May 29, 2013), edited by Martin
- "Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza" by Carrie Vaughn (October 15, 2014), edited by Martin
- "Prompt. Professional. Pop!" by Walter Jon Williams (November 21, 2014), edited by Martin
- "Discards" by David D. Levine (March 30, 2016), edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
- "The Thing About Growing Up in Jokertown" by Carrie Vaughn (December 21, 2016), edited by Martin
- "The Atonement Tango" by Stephen Leigh (January 18, 2017), edited by Martin
- "When the Devil Drives" by Melinda Snodgrass (July 5, 2017), edited by Martin
- "Evernight" (February 21, 2018) by Victor Milán, edited by Martin
- "The Flight of Morpho Girl" (May 2, 2018) by Caroline Spector and Bradley Denton, edited by Martin
- "Fitting In" (October 24, 2018) by Max Gladstone, edited by Martin
- "How to Move Spheres and Influence People" (27 March, 2019) by Marko Kloos, edited by Martin
- "Long is the Way" (May 15, 2019) by Carrie Vaughn and Sage Walker, edited by Martin
- "The City That Never Sleeps" (August 28, 2019) by Walton Simons, edited by Martin
- "Naked, Stoned, and Stabbed" (October 16, 2019) by Bradley Denton, edited by Martin
- "The Visitor: Kill or Cure" by Mark Lawrence, edited by Martin
- "Berlin is Never Berlin" by Marko Kloos, edited by Martin
- "Hammer and Tongs and a Rusty Nail" by Ian Tregillis, edited by Martin
- "Ripple Effects" by Laura J. Mixon, edited by Martin
- "Skin Deep" by Alan Brennert, edited by Martin
- "Hearts of Stone" by Emma Newman, edited by Martin
- "Grow" by Carrie Vaughn, edited by Martin
One additional short story, "Lies My Mother Told Me" by Spector, was published in the Dangerous Women anthology, also edited by Martin. The anthology was released on December 3, 2013.
Wildcards.com has also published:
- "I Have No Voice and I Must Zoom Meeting" by Paul Cornell
Notes
- ^ The 2010 Tor Books reprint of Wild Cards, originally published in 1987 by Bantam Books, added stories by Michael Cassut, David D. Levine, and Carrie Vaughn, as well as a story with no listed author.
- ^ Several novels attribute authors by narrating character. Those novels are Jokers Wild, Ace in the Hole, Dead Man's Hand, Dealer's Choice, Black Trump, Suicide Kings, and High Stakes.
- ^ The 2015 Tor Books reprint of Aces Abroad, originally published in 1988 by Bantam Books, added stories by Kevin Andrew Murphy and Carrie Vaughn.
- ^ The 2018 Tor Books reprint of One-Eyed Jacks, originally published in 1991 by Bantam Books, added stories by Kevin Andrew Murphy and Carrie Vaughn.
- ^ The 2019 Tor Books reprint of Jokertown Shuffle, originally published in 1991 by Bantam Books, added stories by Cherie Priest and Carrie Vaughn.
References
- ^ Abraham, Daniel (22 January 2008). Inside Straight. ISBN 978-0765317810.
- ^ "High Stakes". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ "ibooks & Byron Preiss Visual Publications File Chapter 7". ICv2. February 23, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "News Briefs". Publishers Weekly. December 18, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2016 – via EBSCO Information Services. (subscription required)
- ^ Rambraut, Dag (November 18, 2007). "Interview with George R.R. Martin". SFFWorld.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Wild Cards I". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ "Wild Cards V: Down and Dirty". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ "Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- "Marvel teams up with Game of Thrones writer George RR Martin for comic book series". Sky News. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
- Reilly, Robert (1988). "Martin, George R.R., ed. Wild Cards: A Mosaic Novel". In Collins, Robert; Lantham, Robert (eds.). Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review Annual 1988. Meckler. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-88736-249-1.
- Martin, George R. R.; Bryant, Edward (2001). Wild Cards (Wild Cards, Book 1) (Volume One) (v. 1). ISBN 0743423801.
- de Lint, Charles (1988). "Martin, George R.R., ed. Wild Cards II: Aces High". In Collins, Robert; Lantham, Robert (eds.). Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review Annual 1988. Meckler. pp. 249–250. ISBN 978-0-88736-249-1.
- Martin, George R. R. (September 2001). Wild Cards, Aces High (Volume 2). ISBN 1596872837.
- "Wild Cards II: Aces High". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- Snodgrass, Melinda M. (1987). Jokers Wild (Wild Cards, Book 3). ISBN 0553266993.
- Miller, John J.; Snodgrass, Melinda M.; Harper, Leanne C.; Simons, Walton; Shiner, Lewis (February 2002). Wild Cards, Jokers Wild: Jokers Wild (Wild Cards, Book 3) (Volume 3). ISBN 1596872845.
- "Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- Martin, George R. R. (1988). Aces Abroad (Wild Cards, Book 4). ISBN 055327628X.
- Martin, George R. R.; Snodgrass, Melinda M. (2002). Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad (v. 4). ISBN 0743452410.
- ^ "Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Martin, George R. R. (1988). Down and Dirty (Wild Cards, Book 5). ISBN 0553274635.
- Martin, George R. R.; Snodgrass, Melinda M. (December 2002). Down and Dirty (Wild Cards, Book 5) (v. 5). ISBN 0743445449.
- Martin, George R. R. (1990). Ace in the Hole (Wild Cards). ISBN 0553282530.
- Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole (Vol 6). ISBN 0743458370.
- Miller, John J. (1990). Dead Man's Hand (Wild Cards, Book 7). ISBN 0553285696.
- "Wild Cards VII: Dead Man's Hand". www.macmillan.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- Martin, George R. R. (1991). One-Eyed Jacks (Wild Cards, Book 8). ISBN 0553288520.
- "Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks". www.macmillan.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- Martin, George R. R. (1991). Jokertown Shuffle (Wild Cards). ISBN 0553291742.
- "Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle". www.macmillan.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- Snodgrass, Melinda M. (1992). Double Solitaire (Wild Cards, No. 10). ISBN 0553294938.
- "Wild Cards X: Double Solitare". www.macmillan.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- Martin, George R. R. (1992). Dealer's Choice (Wild Cards XI). ISBN 0553291610.
- "Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice Solitare". www.macmillan.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- Milán, Victor; Martin, George R. R. (1993). Turn of the Cards (Wild Cards, Book 12). ISBN 0553561529.
- "Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards". www.macmillan.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- "About Wild Cards". So Spake Martin. Westeros.org. December 15, 2002. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Zelazny, Roger (1993). Card Sharks (Wild Cards: New Cycle, Book 1). ISBN 0671721593.
- Leigh, Stephen (1994). Marked Cards (Wild Cards: A New Cycle, Book 2). ISBN 0671722123.
- Martin, George R. R.; Leigh, Stephen (1995). Black Trump (Wild Cards: A New Cycle, Book 3) (Wild Cards: New Cycle). ISBN 0671876791.
- "Humble Bundle: Sci-fi Classics". Humble Bundle. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Martin, George R. R.; Snodgrass, Melinda M. (2002). Wild Cards XVI – Deuces Down (Vol 5). ISBN 0743445058.
- "Deuces Down". www.macmillan.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- Miller, John J.; Martin, George R. R. (2006). George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards XVII: Death Draws Five. ISBN 1596872977.
- "Death Draws Five". www.macmillan.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- Farrell, S. L.; Leigh, Stephen; Milán, Victor; Miller, John Jos (9 December 2008). Busted Flush (Wild Cards). ISBN 978-0765317827.
- Trust, Wild Cards (22 December 2009). Suicide Kings (Wild Cards). ISBN 978-0765317834.
- "Suicide Kings". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- "Suicide Kings". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- "Mississippi Roll".
- Abraham, Daniel (January 16, 2013). "When We Were Heroes". Original Fiction. Tor Books. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Priest, Cherie (May 15, 2013). "The Button Man and the Murder Tree". Original Fiction. Tor Books. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Cornell, Paul (May 29, 2013). "The Elephant in the Room". Original Fiction. Tor Books. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Vaughn, Carrie (October 15, 2014). "Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza". Original Fiction. Tor Books. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Williams, Walter Jon (November 21, 2014). "Prompt. Professional. Pop!". Original Fiction. Tor Books. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Levine, David D. (March 30, 2016). "Discards". Original Fiction. Tor Books. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Vaughn, Carrie (December 21, 2016). "The Thing About Growing Up in Jokertown". Original Fiction. Tor Books. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- Leigh, Stephen (January 18, 2017). "The Atonement Tango". Original Fiction. Tor Books. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- "When the Devil Drives". Tor Books. July 5, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- "Evernight". Tor Books. February 21, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- "The Flight of Morpho Girl". Tor Books. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- "Fitting In". Tor Books. October 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- "How to Move Spheres and Influence People". Tor Books. March 27, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- "Long is the Way". Tor Books. May 15, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- "The City That Never Sleeps". Tor Books. August 28, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- "Naked, Stoned, and Stabbed". Tor Books. October 16, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- "The Visitor: Kill or Cure". Tor Books. March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- "Berlin Is Never Berlin". Tor Books. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- Tregillis, Ian (2020-12-02). "Hammer and Tongs and a Rusty Nail". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- "Ripple Effects". Tor Books. May 19, 2021.
- "Skin Deep". Tor Books. July 21, 2021.
- "Hearts of Stone". Tor Books. May 18, 2022.
- "Grow". Tor Books. July 20, 2022.
- "Dangerous Women Arrives on Tor.com: Featuring a New Song of Ice and Fire Story". Tor Books. July 24, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- "I Have No Voice and I Must Zoom Meeting". Retrieved July 8, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Wild Cards series at Macmillan Publishers, parent company of Tor Books