Showing results for "Wild Card" in Literature & Fiction

38-year-old Abigail Patterson put her promising tennis career on hold years ago, but after a wild card entry to Wimbledon, suddenly finds herself swept up in a world she thought she'd left behind - and what's more, she's winning! Yet Abi knows that it's only a matter of time before the press start digging into her past and uncover the secret she's kept hidden for so long.

George R. R. Martin and science fiction's top authors delve into the adventurous superhero universe Wild Cards in the sixth book of this fan-favorite series. Since a strange alien virus created the superhuman beings known as Aces and Jokers four decades ago, they have struggled for respect and recognition. Now they are key players in a presidential convention torn by hatred and dissent.

In the aftermath of WWII, an alien virus struck the Earth, endowing a handful of survivors with extraordinary powers. Originally published in 1987, the newly expanded saga contains additional original stories by eminent writers.

After the alien virus struck humanity in the wake of World War II, a handful of the survivors found they possessed superhuman powers. The Wild Cards shared-world volumes tell their story. Here in book two, we trace these heroes and villains through the tumultuous 1980s, in stories from SF and fantasy giants such as George R. R. Martin, Roger Zelazny, Pat Cadigan, Lewis Shiner, Walter Jon Williams, and others.

Michael Kough is an Australian virologist and degenerate loser who accidentally discovers a cure for the common cold. And a vaccine to neutralize all the world’s deadly viruses. He becomes the richest man in the world. And the most hunted. Dictators, multi-national drug companies and global criminal gangs circle like vultures for a chance to steal the secret to his Holy Grail of virus control.

On September 15, 1946, the Wild Card virus was released, spreading a wave of mutations around the globe. "Aces" were endowed with extraordinary powers while "Jokers" were cursed with bizarre mental or physical disabilities. September 15th is now Wild Card Day. With each passing year, the festivities become larger and more fevered. And 1986 - the 40th anniversary - promises to be the biggest Wild Card Day ever.

Chrysalis, the glass-skinned queen of the Joker underworld, has been found brutally murdered in her popular restaurant, the Crystal Palace. Now two men are out to find her killer: Jay Ackroyd, the Ace private investigator who discovered her ruined body, and the vigilante archer known as the Yeoman, who has been framed for the crime. Their quest leads them on a nightmare odyssey of madness, violence, passion, and political intrigue that will forever alter the fates of Aces and Jokers everywhere.

Let the secret history of the world be told - of the alien virus that struck Earth after World War II and of the handful of the survivors who found they now possessed superhuman powers. Some were called Aces, endowed with powerful mental and physical prowess. The others were Jokers, tormented by bizarre mind or body disfigurements. Some served humanity. Others caused terror. And now, 40 years later, as a gang war between the Shadow Fists and the Mafia rages out of control in the streets of Jokertown.

Theodorus was a dreamer. As a child, he dreamed of aeroplanes, rockets and outer space. When the wild card virus touched him and transformed him into a monstrous snail centaur weighing several tons, his boyhood dreams seemed out of reach, but a Witherspoon is not so easily defeated. Years and decades passed, and Theodorus grew to maturity and came into his fortune...but still his dream endured.

Siobhan Clough and her children are enjoying a holiday on the English coast. With them is Mary McCarthy and her volatile son, Liam. All is well until the arrival of Siobhan’s husband, George. A man of strong views and temper, he browbeats his wife, belittles his daughter, Christine, and treats Liam like a servant. A year later, Liam unexpectedly comes face to face with the father he has never known. Liam wants nothing to do with him, but when George Clough throws him out, he has little choice but to enter his father’s dangerous world of Irish politics.

Forty years after the Wild Card Virus' release, the World Health Organization decides it's time to take a delegation of Aces, Jokers, politicians, and journalists on a fact-finding mission to learn how other countries are dealing with the virus that reshaped humanity. Leading the team is Gregg Hartmann, a senator with presidential aspirations and a dangerous ace up his sleeve.

When the cards are stacked against you, the Kings will even the odds. Binge the best-selling The Kings: Wild Cards series in one set!

When an antique gold show comes to Vegas, artifact-hunter Sara Wilde's job is simple: to locate and liberate a set of relics rumored to give their bearers access to an ancient, incredible power. Yet within the Connected community, whispers of a war against magic draw every psychic, mystic, warlock, and witch to Sin City. The most powerful Connected also covet the infamous relics, but no one wants them more than Sara's client - the insufferably arrogant, criminally sensual, and endlessly evasive Magician.

It was supposed to be simple. All Navy SEAL Nathan Malone had to do was rescue three young girls from a Colombian drug cartel, then allow himself to be captured just long enough to draw out a government spy. That was before his mission went disastrously wrong… and before his wife, Bella, was told that Nathan was never coming home. Bella’s mourned her husband’s death for three long years, having no idea that he was still alive....

Through the crazy twists and turns of her young life, Millie's only been sure of one thing: her dad's undying love for her. What happens when she finds out he might not really be her dad? There's another man who's been controlling Millie's destiny since before she was born—a man her mom married two days before she gave birth to Millie. Could this man be her biological father? Will finding this out break Millie's heart? Once again, Millie must dive back into the fray to solve the last mystery of her complicated history.

I might have broken away from the group now that I know the dirty secrets of Pandora’s Pride, but I am far from free. Those who know the truth still want to control me. They’re not about to let me walk away and live a quiet life in the mountains. There’s too much at stake.

The little hacker stole from the Family - hundred fifty grand. We Tacones don’t take kindly to thieves. Not even when they come in a package as cute as hers. Not even after she shows me how high her freak flag flies. Now there will be hell to pay for my hot geek. And I’m the one coming to collect. But when she ends up in jail for the transaction I ordered her to make, I decide to bail her out. Because she’s a wildfire. A force of nature too bright to be put out. And I don’t need the money. I’d rather have her.

Every night is different for Mason Ashford, a former Deputy US Marshal and Army Ranger, making ends meet as head of security at a popular Washington DC nightclub. The mix of revelers, the occasional pickpocket, and ear-splitting music distract Mason from a past he wants to forget. A ghost from Mason’s past turns up one night, demanding help finding a former soldier. When Mason refuses, his friends pay the price. Mason has no choice but to delve back into a world he’d left behind.

Seit sich in den Vierzigerjahren das Wild-Card-Virus ausgebreitet hat und Menschen mutieren lässt, gibt es neben den normalen Menschen auch Joker und Asse. Joker weisen lediglich körperliche Veränderungen auf, während Asse besondere Superkräfte besitzen. Da ist zum Beispiel Jonathan Hive, der sich in einen Wespenschwarm verwandeln kann, oder Lohengrin, der eine undurchdringliche Rüstung heraufbeschwört. Doch wer ist Amerikas größter Held?

The return of the famous shared-world superhero books created and edited by George R. R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire. Perfect for current fans and new listeners alike, Mississippi Roll is an all-new adventurous jaunt along one of America's greatest rivers, featuring many beloved characters from the Wild Cards universe.