[Wild Cards 18] • Inside Straight

In 1946, an alien virus that rewrites human DNA was accidentally unleashed in the skies over New York City. It killed ninety percent of those it infected. Nine percent of those who survived mutated into tragically deformed creatures. And one percent gained superpowers. The Wild Cards shared-universe series, created and edited since 1987 by New York Times #1 bestseller George R. R. Martin along with Melinda Snodgrass, is the tale of the history of the world since then—and of the heroes among that one percent.

Originally begun in 1987, long before George R.R. Martin became a household name among fantasy readers ("The American Tolkien" — Time magazine), the Wild Cards series earned a reputation among connoisseurs for its smart reimagining of the superhero idea. Now, with Inside Straight , the Wild Cards continuity jumps forward to a new generation of major characters, entirely accessible to Martin's hundreds of thousands of new readers, with all-original stories by Martin himself, along with Daniel Abraham, Michael Cassutt, and Stephen Leigh, among others.

Cover: Michael Komarck

Contents

Who the Fuck Was Jetboy? • short fiction by Daniel Abraham

Dark of the Moon • short fiction by Melinda M. Snodgrass

Jonathan Hive Sells Out • short fiction by Daniel Abraham

Chosen Ones: Part One • short fiction by Carrie Vaughn

First Among Losers • short fiction by Daniel Abraham

Chosen Ones: Part Two • short fiction by Carrie Vaughn

Better Than Television • short fiction by Daniel Abraham

Looking for Jetboy • short fiction by Michael Cassutt

Metagames • short fiction by Caroline Spector

All the Best Stories Start, 'This One Time, We Were Really Drunk…' • short fiction by Daniel Abraham

Star Power • short fiction by Melinda M. Snodgrass

Wakes the Lion • short fiction by John J. Miller [as by John Jos Miller]

A Bad Day in Cairo • short fiction by Daniel Abraham

Crusader • short fiction by George R. R. Martin

Real People, Really Dying • short fiction by Daniel Abraham

The Tin Man's Lament • short fiction by Ian Tregillis

Hey, Guys. My Dad's Got a Warehouse! Let's Put on a War! • short fiction by Daniel Abraham

Incidental Music for Heroes • short fiction by Stephen Leigh (aka Masquerade of Heroes) [as by S.L. Farrell]

Blood on the Sun • short fiction by Melinda M. Snodgrass

Looking for Jetboy: Epilogue • short fiction by Michael Cassutt

Give the Wookie a Medal • short fiction by Daniel Abraham