Wild Cards

Wild Cards
George Raymond Richard Martin

The return of the famous shared-world superhero books created and edited by George R. R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and FireFor decades, George R.R. Martin – bestselling author of A Song of Ice and Fire – has collaborated with an ever-shifting ensemble of science fiction and fantasy icons to create the amazing Wild Cards universe.In the aftermath of World War II, the Earth’s population was devastated by a terrifying alien virus. Those who survived were changed for ever. Some, known as Jokers, were cursed with bizarre mental and physical deformities; others, granted superhuman abilities, are known as Aces.Wild Cards tells the stories of this world.

Copyright (#u268e13c0-96ba-586b-8ac7-bd34c3b161e3)

HarperVoyager

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018

Copyright © George R.R. Martin and the Wild Cards Trust 2018

See Copyright Acknowledgements page for further copyright information

Cover images © Shutterstock.com (http://www.Shutterstock.com) 2018

Cover design by Mike Topping © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018

George R.R. Martin and the Wild Cards Trust 2018 assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008285197

Ebook Edition © October 2018 ISBN: 9780008239626

Version: 2019-05-07

Dedication (#u268e13c0-96ba-586b-8ac7-bd34c3b161e3)

To Pat Rogers

the one who escaped

(we all miss you)

Contents

Title Page (#u415ecad8-9d1a-5231-a602-3064d351e671)

Copyright

Dedication

Copyright Acknowledgments (#uc18b0963-e0c9-5f49-946b-0f081eab0871)

Texas Hold ’Em

Bubbles and the Band Trip by Caroline Spector: Prologue

Tuesday

Bubbles and the Band Trip: Part 1

The Secret Life of Rubberband by Max Gladstone: Part 1

Bubbles and the Band Trip: Part 2

The Secret Life of Rubberband: Part 2

Bubbles and the Band Trip: Part 3

Jade Blossom’s Brew by William F. Wu

Bubbles and the Band Trip: Part 4

Wednesday

Bubbles and the Band Trip: Part 5

Beats, Bugs, and Boys by Diana Rowland: Part 1

The Secret Life of Rubberband: Part 3

Beats, Bugs, and Boys: Part 2

The Secret Life of Rubberband: Part 4

Bubbles and the Band Trip: Part 6

Beats, Bugs, and Boys: Part 3

The Secret Life of Rubberband: Part 5

Bubbles and the Band Trip: Part 7

The Secret Life of Rubberband: Part 6