Aces High (Wild Cards Series #2)

by George R. R. Martin, Wild Cards Trust

Overview

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, Wild Cards II: Aces High, we trace these heroes and villains through the tumultuous 1980s, both like and unlike our own. Now, after centuries of travel through space, an extraterrestrial being called the Swarm is headed for Earth. Meanwhile, some of the aces given superpowers by the virus are hatching conspiracies to control the human world. These factions are about to collide…and the fallout could be catastrophic.

Featuring stories from SF and fantasy giants such as George R. R. Martin, Roger Zelazny, Pat Cadigan, Lewis Shiner, Walter Jon Williams, and others.

The Wild Cards Universe

The Original Triad

#1 Wild Cards

#2 Aces High

#3 Jokers Wild

The Puppetman Quartet

#4: Aces Abroad

#5: Down and Dirty

#6: Ace in the Hole

#7: Dead Man’s Hand

The Rox Triad

#8: One-Eyed Jacks

#9: Jokertown Shuffle

#10: Dealer’s Choice

#11: Double Solitaire

#12: Turn of the Cards

The Card Sharks Triad

#13: Card Sharks

#14: Marked Cards

#15: Black Trump

#16: Deuces Down

#17: Death Draws Five

The Committee Triad

#18: Inside Straight

#19: Busted Flush

#20: Suicide Kings

The Fort Freak Triad

#21: Fort Freak

#22: Lowball

#23: High Stakes

The American Triad

#24: Mississippi Roll

#25: Low Chicago

#26: Texas Hold 'Em

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765326164
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/20/2011
Series:	Wild Cards Series , #2
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

George R. R. Martin has been a full-time writer for over 25 years. He is the author of the acclaimed, internationally bestselling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, which is the basis of HBO's popular Game of Thrones television series. Martin has won multiple science fiction awards, including 4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, the Bram Stoker, the Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Daedelus, the Balrog, and the Daikon (Japanese Hugo).

The Wild Cards Trust is the creator of the Wild Cards series.

George R. R. Martin has been a full-time writer for over 25 years. He is the author of the acclaimed, internationally bestselling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, which is the basis of HBO's popular Game of Thrones television series. Martin has won multiple science fiction awards, including 4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, the Bram Stoker, the Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Daedelus, the Balrog, and the Daikon (Japanese Hugo).

Hometown:

Santa Fe, NM

Date of Birth:

September 20, 1948

Place of Birth:

Bayonne, NJ

Education:

B.S., Northwestern University, 1970; M.S., Northwestern University, 1971

Website:

http://www.georgerrmartin.com

Table of Contents

Pennies from hell / Lewis Shiner

Jube: One / George R.R. Martin

Unto the Sixth Generation: Prologue / Walter Jon Williams

Jube: Two / George R.R. Martin

Ashes to Ashes / Roger Zelazny

Unto the Sixth Generation, Part One / Walter Jon Williams

Unto the Sixth Generation, Part Two / Walter Jon Williams

Jube: Three / George R.R. Martin

1986. If Looks Could Kill / Walton Simons

Jube: Four / George R.R. Martin

Unto the Sixth Generation: epilogue / Walter Jon Williams

Winter's Chill / George R.R. Martin

Jube: Five / George R.R. Martin

Relative Difficulties / Melinda M. Snodgrass

With a Little Help from His Friends / Victor Mila´n

Jube: Six / George R.R. Martin

By Lost Ways / Pat Cadigan

Mr. Koyama's Comet / Walter Jon Williams

Half Past Dead / John J. Miller

Jube: Seven / George R.R. Martin

Editorial Reviews

Delicious… Everything I'd hoped for in a new Wild Cards book. The character interactions and plot twists have exactly the complexity, surprise, and unsentimental realism I'd expect out of a George R. R. Martin project.” —Austin Grossman, author of Soon I Will Be Invincible, on Inside Straight

From the Publisher

The alien ``wild card'' virus has left its legacy on earth in the form of powerful ``aces'' and deformed ``jokers.'' In 1986, a fact-finding commission of aces, jokers, and ``naturals'' tours the world in search of other victims of the disease that altered humanity. Encounters with voodoo sorcerers in Haiti, Islamic extremists in Syria, and Mayan activists in Central America lend an exotic air to this collaborative effort by 11 authors including Stephen Leigh, Victor W. Milan, and Melinda M. Snodgrass. Recommended for libraries that own previous Wild Card titles. JC

Library Journal