Showing results for "Wild Card" in Science Fiction

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The game of love can change in a heartbeat when fate deals you a wild card. Technician Lieksa Kiv saw firsthand what the corporations did to their cyborg soldiers during the Resource Wars. Her job: repair their damaged cybernetic components and send them back into battle. When a stolen kiss reveals the truth about her charges, Lieksa sacrifices everything to protect the cyborgs' secret, including a future with the two men she's fallen for.

Wisteria is caught in a time loop. Everything is repeating, Groundhog-Day-style, but only one supernatural has noticed.

Someone had Charlie in their crosshairs. A war-like race hell-bent on galactic domination. But unlike Charlie’s enemies of the past, this new threat had a few tricks up their sleeves, namely, using technology and magic interchangeably. Suddenly, what was once Charlie’s biggest advantage had been negated. Worse yet, his own magic, as well as that of his friends, wasn’t quite working right in this new corner of space. In fact, they learned the hard way that if they weren’t careful they could just as easily harm their allies as well as their enemies. Strike two for Team Charlie.

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.

KurtisP385XL47Ruth: Game Changer. Prodigal daughter. Spy. The Cybers detect an alien signal from the water-world Cyvrus, a violation of its WorldPlan and another sign that their control of a peaceful but static humanity is slipping. They send Agent Kurtis to investigate, still unaware that she's a double agent for the human Resistance. What she finds could tear apart the fragile balance of the galactic system: a laboratory of human clones prepared by alien invaders in the Cyber system....

KurtisP385XL47Ruth: Game Changer. Prodigal daughter. Spy. The Resistance coil is heating up on the primitive forest-world Andura, where human rebels fight the Cyber entities that control the peaceful but static galaxy according to strict WorldPlans. The Cybers send Agent Kurtis to investigate, unaware that she's now a double agent for the Resistance. What she finds is a gang of hoodlums destroying the ancient forests to sell rare resources.

KurtisP385XL47Ruth: Game Changer. Prodigal daughter. Spy. The Cyber entities control a peaceful but static human galaxy according to strict WorldPlans. Then they detect unsanctioned developments on the low-tech planet Poindros. They force rebellious Ruth Kurtis to leave the bright lights of Casino to return to her fundamentalist Poindran homeworld as their secret agent to investigate possible Changers.

An alien virus has ravaged the world. Survivors may draw an ace and receive superpowers, or the joker and become bizarrely mutated. And yet love still reigns supreme. Superheroes and villains do battle over the human heart in this anthology set in the Wild Cards universe.

Set directly after Call the Bluff in the Aces High, Jokers Wild universe, this novella lets readers hang out with the Wildcards for Christmas. When the nights are long and cold outside, there’s no better place to be than among the family you’ve found.

The Day of the Dead has come, and the Wildcards are celebrating. Tweak gets a nickname. Naomi gets to lend a hand. The Wildcards get a little more than they signed up for. Maybe they'll think before they pull pranks next time...or maybe not.

What do you do when you’re assigned a commander that you can’t take orders from? If you’re the Wildcards, you put your heads together and get rid of him. After all, the Wildcards are known for creative insubordination, chaos, and commanders begging to be reassigned.