Wild Cards Series

Wild Cards now in development for TV! Dead Man’s Hand combines the writing talents of George R. R. Martin & John Jos. Miller

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.

Experience all the exciting action of this collaborative novel by George R. R. Martin and John Jos. Miller. Dead Man’s Hand is both a gripping mystery and a chilling story of suspense, set in the unforgettable world of the Wild Cards.

Rights to develop Wild Cards for TV have been acquired by Universal Cable Productions, the team that brought you The Magicians and Mr. Robot, with the co-editor of Wild Cards, Melinda Snodgrass as executive producer.

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. Assassins stalk the halls of the convention and one of the candidates plans to use his secret Wild Card power for evil.

Travel on a journey of intrigue and adventure in this collaborative novel edited by #1 New York Timesbestselling author George R. R. Martin and written by five of science fiction’s most imaginative talents: Stephen Leigh, Victor Milan, Walton Simons, Melinda M. Snodgrass, and Walter Jon Williams.


Read by Clancy Brown, Will Estes, Stephen McHattie, and Raphael Sbarge, with PJ Ochlan and Emily Rankin


“Delicious. Everything I hoped for. 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

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, forty years later, as a gang war between the Shadow Fists and the mafia rages out of control in the streets of Jokertown, Aces and Jokers go underground–to wage their own war against the powers of the netherworld.

Here, in the fifth volume of the exciting series, ten of science fiction’s most gifted writers take readers on a journey of wonder and excitement in an astounding alternate history.

Featuring the talents of John J. Miller, Roger Zelazny, Leanne C. Harper, Arthur Byron Cover, Melina C. Snodgrass, Edward Bryant, Stephen Leigh, Pat Cadigan, Walter Jon Williams, and George R. R. Martin.

Read by a full cast of narrators:
Raphael Sbarge
Sean Astin
Roy Dotrice
Lina Esco
Ray Porter
Scott Brick
Jake Weber
Adrian Paul
Felicia Day
Erin Bennett
Yasmeen Barghouty
Jordan Prentice
Clancy Brown
Stephen McHattie
Emily Rankin

The action-packed alternate fantasy returns for a new generation, featuring fiction from #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin, Michael Cassutt, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Lewis Shiner, and more―plus two completely new stories from Kevin Andrew Murphy and bestselling author Carrie Vaughn.

Forty years after the Wild Card Virus’s 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. Joining him is a menagerie of some of the series’ best and most popular Wild Cards, including Dr. Tachyon, aces Peregrine and Golden Boy, and jokers Chrysalis, Troll, and Father Squid. 

From the jungles of Haiti and Peru to the tumultuous political climate of Egypt, from a monastery in Japan to the streets of the most glamorous cities of Europe, the Wild Cards are in for an eye-opening trip. While some are worshiped as actual gods, those possessing the most extreme mutations are treated with a contempt that’s all too familiar to the delegates from Jokertown. New alliances will be formed, new enemies will be made, and some actions will fulfill centuries-old prophecies that make ripples throughout the future of the Wild Cards universe.


Various Roles Read by a Full Cast of Narrators:
“Peregrine” read by Kathleen Turner (Down by the Nile)
“Chrysalis” read by Selma Blair
“Sen Gregg Hartmann / Puppetman” read by Clancy Brown
“Yeoman Brennan” read by Adrian Paul
“Xavier Desmond” read by Armin Shimerman (From the Journal of Xavier Desmond)
“Dr Tachyon” read by Raphael Sbarge (Mirrors of the Soul)
“Cordelia Chaisson” read by Kasey Lansdale (Down in the Dreamtime)
“Ti Malice” read by Nicholas Guy Smith
“Jayewardene” read by Sanjit de Silva (The Teardrop of India)
“Troll” read by Richard Moll (Warts and All)
“Sara Morgenstern” read by Emily Rankin
“Joann Jefferson” read by Donnabella Mortel (Always Spring in Prague)
“Xbalanque” read by Noel Bearheart
“Wilfried Molniya” read by Stefan Rudnicki (Legends)
”Hunapu” read by Ozzie Rodriguez
“Mackie Messer” read by PJ Ochlan
“Misha / Kahina” read by Yasmeen Barghouty
“Fortunato” read by Prentice Onayemi (Zero Hour)

Back in print after a decade is Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild, featuring fiction by George R. R. Martin, Roger Zelazny, 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 fortieth anniversary–promises to be the biggest Wild Card Day ever. But in New York City not everyone is celebrating: The Astronomer, a twisted, powerful genius, has been planning his own special festivities for Wild Card Day…a day of revenge against those who have opposed him….

Narrator Cast List:
Felicia Day, for “Bagabond”
Ron Donachie, for “Hiram Worchester”
Pam Grier, for “Roulette”
Stephen McHattie, for “Demise”
Ray Porter, for “Sewer Jack”
Prentice Onayemi, for “Fortunato”
Molly Quinn, for “Wraith”