Martin, George R.R., and Wild Cards Trust. Wild Cards
What if: In 1946, a genetically-tailored virus from outer space was released in Earth's
stratosphere, killing many but giving super powers to others.
Summary: The many effects of the virus during the ensuing decades as super-heroes and
super-villains appear all over the world. Curiously, history isn't altered all that much.
Series note: Long-time ongoing series of books, with as of late 2018, volumes one through 27
published or announced. Most are either edited or co-authored by Martin, but volume X gives
sole cover credit to Melinda M. Snodgrass, volume XII to Victor Milan, and volume XVII to
John J. Miller. (Note that due to change of publishers partway through the series, the
cover numbering of volumes resets.) There are related comic book mini-series, one by
Gregory Wright and Nelson Yomtov and another by Daniel Abraham and Eric Battle. There are
also three role-playing sourcebooks for the GURPS role-playing game system, John J.
Miller's GURPS Wild Cards, Kevin Andrew Murphy's GURPS Aces Abroad, and John J.
Miller's Wild Cards: A Mutants & Masterminds Campaign Setting.
Comments: Although called "mosaic novels," these volumes may be considered shared-world
anthologies. However, individual entries for each story are not included in this
bibliography. Within the overall series, plotlines are structured in (typically) groups of
three volumes.
Web link: Wild Cards
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: First volume in the Wild Cards series.
Comments: "Mosaic novel" composed of Howard Waldrop's "Thirty Minutes Over Broadway!", Roger
Zelazny's "The Sleeper", Walter Jon Williams' "Witness", Melinda M. Snodgrass's
"Degradation Rites", George R.R. Martin's "Shell Games", Lewis Shiner's "The Long, Dark
Night of Fortunato", Victor Milan's "Transfigurations", Leanne C. Harper and Edward
Bryant's "Down Deep", Stephen Leigh's "Strings", John J. Miller's "Comes a Hunter", and
Lewis Shiner's "Epilogue: Third Generation".
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1987 (0553261908BUY); SFBC 1987; Titan 1989 (1852861584); ibooks 2001
(0743423801BUY), 2003 (0743475208BUY); Tor 2012 (0765365073BUY), 2017 (076539488XBUY).
Original in: English.
Translation: German of first half by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 1: Vier Asse. Ein
Mosaikroman, Heyne 1996 (3453109252).
Translation: German of second half by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 2: Asse und Joker. Ein
Mosaikroman, Heyne 1996 (345310260).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards II: Aces High
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Second volume in the Wild Cards series.
Comments: "Mosaic novel" composed of Roger Zelazny's "Ashes to Ashes", Pat Cadigan's "By Lost
Ways", John J. Miller's "Half Past Dead", Walton Simons' "If Looks Could Kill", George R.R.
Martin's "Jube", Walter Jon Williams' "Mr. Koyama's Comet", Lewis Shiner's "Pennies from
Hell", Melinda M. Snodgrass' "Relative Difficulties", Walter Jon Williams' "Unto the Sixth
Generation", George R. R. Martin's "Winter's Chill", and Victor Milan's "With a Little Help
From His Friends".
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1987 (0553264648BUY); Titan 1989 (1852861592); ibooks 2001
(0743423917BUY), 2005 (1596872837BUY).
Original in: English.
Translation: German of first half by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 3: Asse hoch! Ein
Mosaikroman, Heyne 1996 (3453109341).
Translation: German of second half by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 4: Schlechte Karten. Ein
Mosaikroman, Heyne 1996 (3453109422).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Third volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1987 (0553266993BUY); Titan 1989 (1852861762); iBooks 2002
(0743434897BUY), 2005 (1596872845BUY); Tor 2014 (076536509XBUY).
Original in: English.
Translation: German by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 5: Wilde Joker. Ein Mosaikroman, Heyne
1997 (3453119134).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Fourth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Comments: "Mosaic novel" composed of Stephen Leigh's "The Tint Of Hatred", George R.R. Martin's
"The Journal of Xavier Desmond", John J. Miller's "Beasts of Burden", Leanne C. Harper's
"Blood Rights". Gail Gerstner-Miller's "Down by the Nile", Walton Simons' "The Teardrop of
India", Edward Bryant's "Down in the Dreamtime", Lewis Shiner's "Zero Hour", Victor Milan's
"Puppets", Melinda M. Snodgrass's "Mirrors of the Soul", and Michael Cassutt's "Legends".
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1988 (055327628XBUY); SFBC 1989; Titan 1990 (1852861770); iBooks 2002
(0743452410BUY).
Original in: English.
Translation: German by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 6: Asse im Einsatz, Heyne 1997 (3453126653).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards V: Down and Dirty
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Fifth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1988 (0553274635BUY); SFBC 1989; Titan 1990 (1852862750); iBooks 2003
(0743445449BUY); Tor 2015 (076533559XBUY).
Original in: English.
Translation: German of first half by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 7: Nur Tote kennen
Jokertown, Heyne 1998 (3453133218).
Translation: German of second half by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 8: Konzert für Sirenen
und Serotonin, Heyne 1998 (345314001X).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Sixth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1990 (0553282530BUY); SFBC 1990; Titan 1990 (1852862785); iBooks 2003
(0743458370BUY), 2005 (1596872829BUY); Tor 2017 (0765335603BUY).
Original in: English.
Translation: German of first half by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 9: Terror und Dr. Tachyon,
Heyne 1999 (3453149106).
Translation: German of second half by Christian Jentzsch as Wild Cards 10: As in der Hinterland,
Heyne 1999 (3453156420).
Martin, George R.R., and John J. Miller. Wild Cards VII: Dead Man's Hand
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Seventh volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1990 (0553285696BUY); Tor 2017 (0765335611BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Eighth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1991 (0553288520BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Ninth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1991 (0553291742BUY).
Snodgrass, Melinda M. Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Tenth volume in the Wild Cards series edited by George R.R. Martin.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1992 (0553294938BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Eleventh volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1992 (0553291610).
Milan, Victor. Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Twelfth volume in the Wild Cards series edited by George R.R. Martin.
Published: Bantam/Spectra 1993 (0553561529BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Card Sharks
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Thirteenth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Comments: Due to a change in publisher, this was first marketed as "Book I of a New Cycle".
Volume numbers previously included on covers of the series titles were dropped.
Published: Baen 1993 (0671721593BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Marked Cards
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Fourteenth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Baen 1994 (0671722123BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Black Trump
Divergence: 1946 CE
Series note: Fifteenth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Baen 1995 (0671976791).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Deuces Down
Series note: Sixteenth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: ibooks 2002 (0743445058BUY), 2005 (1416507957BUY).
Miller, John J. Wild Cards: Death Draws Five
Series note: Seventeenth volume in the Wild Cards series edited by George R.R. Martin.
Published: ibooks 2006 (1596872977BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Inside Straight
Series note: Eighteenth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2008 (0765317818BUY, 0765357127BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Busted Flush
Series note: Nineteenth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2008 (0765317826BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Suicide Kings
Series note: Twentieth volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2009 (0765317834BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Fort Freak
Series note: 21st volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2011 (0765325705BUY).
Martin, George R.R., and Melinda Snodgrass (eds.). Wild Cards: Lowball
Series note: 22nd volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2015 (0765368625BUY).
Martin, George R.R., and Melinda Snodgrass (eds.). Wild Cards: High Stakes
Series note: 23rd volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2016 (076533562XBUY), 2017 (0765335638BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Mississippi Roll
Series note: 24th volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2017 (0765390523BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Low Chicago
Series note: 25th volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2018 (0765390566BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Texas Hold 'em
Series note: 26th volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Tor 2018 (0765390590BUY).
Martin, George R.R. (ed.). Wild Cards: Knaves Over Queens
Series note: 27th volume in the Wild Cards series.
Published: Harper/Voyager UK 2018 (0008283591BUY).
Wright, Gregory, and Nelson Yomtov (eds.). Wild Cards
Series note: Comic book graphic novel set in George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards
universe, apparently fitting in between Wild Cards V: Down and Dirty and Wild Cards
VI: Ace in the Hole.
Comments: Issue 1 of the four comics was edited by Wright and the other three by Yomtov. Writing
credit is given to various authors who wrote short stories for the books.
Published: Four issue comic book mini-series, Epic Comics 1990.
—
Collected in one-volume, Epic Comics 1991 (0871357887BUY).
Abraham, Daniel, and Eric Battle. Wild Cards: The Hard Call
Published: Six-issue comic book mini-series, April 2008 through May 2010 from Dabel Brothers and
Dynamite Enterprises.
—
Omnibus volume, Dynamite Enterprises 2010 (1606901583BUY).
Uchronia is copyright © 1991-2024 Robert B. Schmunk