Stories
The original Wild Cards novel was published in 1987, and consisted of 11 short stories and five interludes (written by Martin) that expand upon the background of the Wild Cards world. An appendix on "The Science of the Wild Card Virus" (written by Milán) that explains how Xenovirus Takis-A works. Both the interludes and the appendix take the form of excerpts from literature within the universe.
Wild Cards was republished in 2003 by iBooks, which added a number of art pieces by Mike Zeck. In 2010 Tor Books reissued the anthology with the addition of three new chapters, "Captain Cathode and the Secret Ace" by Michael Cassutt, "Powers" by David Levine, and "Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan" by Carrie Vaughn.
| Story | Author(s) | Description | 1987 Edition | 2003 iBooks Ed. | 2010 Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Prologue" | George R. R. Martin | Introduces Dr. Tachyon and Xenovirus Takis-A. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Battle over Broadway" | illustration by Mike Zeck | Jetboy fights Dr. Tod on the Wild Card bomb | No | Yes | No |
| "Thirty Minutes Over Broadway!" | Howard Waldrop | Introduces Jetboy and his failed attempt to prevent the release of Xenovirus Takis-A. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "The Sleeper" | Roger Zelazny | Introduces Croyd Crenson, "the Sleeper". | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Witness" | Walter Jon Williams | Introduces Golden Boy and the Four Aces. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Degradation Rites" | Melinda M. Snodgrass | Details Dr. Tachyon's doomed love story with Blythe van Renssaeler | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Interlude One" | George R. R. Martin | "Red Aces, Black Years" | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Captain Cathode and the Secret Ace" | Michael Cassutt | Script writer Karl von Kampen investigates the victims of the Medusa Killer | No | No | Yes |
| "Powers" | David D. Levine | Frank Majewski uses his time-stopping powers to serve his county | No | No | Yes |
| "Shell Games" | George R. R. Martin | Introduces the Great and Powerful Turtle. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Interlude Two" | George R. R. Martin | Jokertown Clinic opening | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato" | Lewis Shiner | Introduces Fortunato and the Masonic conspiracy that will influence the plot of the next two books in the series. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Transfigurations" | Victor Milán | Introduces Mark Meadows, aka Captain Trips. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Interlude Three" | George R. R. Martin | Wild Card Chic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Down Deep" | Edward Bryant Leanne C. Harper |
Introduces Rosemary Muldoon, "Sewer" Jack Robicheaux and Bagabond. Sets up the mob storyline that will come to fruition in later books. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Interlude Four" | George R. R. Martin | Fear and Loathing in Jokertown | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Strings" | Stephen Leigh | Introduces Puppetman and Gimli and sets up the political plot threads that will play out in later books. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Interlude Five" | George R. R. Martin | 35 Years of Wild Cards | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan" | Carrie Vaughn | Introduces Wraith (Wild Cards) | No | No | Yes |
| "Comes a Hunter" | John J. Miller | Introduces Yeoman and Chrysalis and sets up the Asian gang plot threads. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Epilogue: Third Generation" | Lewis Shiner | Introduces Kid Dinosaur. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Appendix: The Science of the Wild Card Virus" | Victor Milán | The Science of the Wild Card Virus | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Afterword" | George R. R. Martin | The author talks about how Wild Cards was developed | No | Yes | No |
| "Excerpts from the Minutes of the American Metabiological Society Conference on Metahuman Abilities" | (None listed) | A scientist lectures about how he believes all Wild Card powers are a form of psionic ability | No | No | Yes |
Read more about this topic: Wild Cards (anthology)
Famous quotes containing the word stories:
“Reporters are not paid to operate in retrospect. Because when news begins to solidify into current events and finally harden into history, it is the stories we didn’t write, the questions we didn’t ask that prove far, far more damaging than the ones we did.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)
“Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an early form of participation in what goes on. Listening children know stories are there. When their elders sit and begin, children are just waiting and hoping for one to come out, like a mouse from its hole.”
—Eudora Welty (b. 1909)
“Wags try to invent new stories to tell about the legislature, and end by telling the old one about the senator who explained his unaccustomed possession of a large roll of bills by saying that someone pushed it over the transom while he slept. The expression “It came over the transom,” to explain any unusual good fortune, is part of local folklore.”
—For the State of Montana, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)