Wild Cards (1986) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

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Characters/People edit see section history

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• Dr. Tachyon: A Takisian scientist who came to Earth to stop the Wild Card virus. He is the only one with the know how to cure those infected.
• Brain Trust (Blythe Stanhope Van Renssaeler): member of The Four Aces; She is able to absorb the memories of anyone without harm coming to the the person.
• Captain Trips: (Dr. Mark Meadows) hippie ace who turns into superheroes with each drug he takes; renowned biochemist
• Golden Boy (Jack Braun): member of The Four Aces; the strongest man in the world; resistant to physical impacts, such as bullets and fists
• Black Eagle (Earl Sanderson, Jr.): member of The Four Aces; was a member of the 332nd Fighter Group (the Tuskegee Airmen) during World War II
• Great and Powerful Turtle (Thomas Tudbury): An Ace; has telekinetic powers. Flies around in an armored VW bug.
• Carnifex (William "Billy" Ray): has superhuman levels of strength, speed and stamina, along with a rapid regenerative healing factor and a heightened instinct for physical combat
• Sondra: Code named Succubus. She has the ability to become whatever a persons greatest desire.
• The Envoy (David Harstein): member of The Four Aces; He emits pheromones which make anyone feel like he is their best friend
• Bagabond: Homeless woman that can communicate with animals.
• Fortunato: A half black, half Japanese pimp. An Ace with the power of Astral Projection.
• Jetboy (Robert Tomlin): A young prodigy, he flew in World War Two in his early teenage years. He was only nineteen when the war ended. He had no special powers.
• Black Shadow: an Ace; He can absorb photons in the form of heat and light, leaving only a cloud-like void of blackness visible, and can incapacitate his foes with hypothermia
• Peregrine: A female ace who has grown wings and can fly. Supposedly one of the most beautiful women in the world, she has a talk show called Peregrine's Perch, and has been on the cover of Playboy.
• Puppetman (Gregg Hartmann): A U.S. Senator; an Ace with the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others
• Sleeper(Croyd Crenson): his mutation induces the virus to periodically re-infect his body causing him to develop a different appearance and set of powers every time he sleeps
• Yeoman (Daniel Brennan): Skilled and deadly fighter with bare hands and an assortment of weapons. He has no special powers.
• Chrysalis: Current owner/operator of the Crystal Palace, one of Jokertown's most well known nightclubs. Her skin is invisible. One can see all of the inner workings of her body.

Quotes edit see section history

• “I can't die yet. I haven't seen 'The Al Jolson Story'.”

  Jetboy

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Jokertown
• New York City
• Manhattan
• Hollywood
• Washington
• Paris
• Moscow
• Argentina
• California
• Dearborn
• East River
• North Dakota
• Italy
• White House
• Columbia
• Funhouse
• Soviet Union
• Virginia

Glossary edit see section history

• Joker: mutated deformed humans
• Ace: mutaded humans who gained superpowers
• Deuces: Aces who have acquired useless or ridiculous powers
• Nats: short for natural, as a derogatory way of referring to those who are not infected by the Wild Card
• Suicide King: a child of two Wild Card Positive parents who has inherited the virus; has the same 90% chance of death as another person that caught the Wild Cards virus normally

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Aces High.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. George R. R. Martin (Editor)
2. Howard Waldrop (Author)
3. Roger Zelazny (Author)
4. Walter Jon Williams (Author)
5. Melinda Snodgrass (Author)
6. Lewis Shiner (Author)
7. Victor Milan (Author)
8. Tom Wolfe (Author)
9. Edward Bryant (Author)
10. Stephen Leigh (Author)
11. John J. Miller (Author)
12. George R. R. Martin (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813.087608

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Add a note to help parents select a book for a child.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Authors, A-Z › ( M ) › Martin, George R.R.
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Anthologies
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction › Short Stories
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction › Anthologies
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Short Stories

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• George R. R. Martin's Official website
• Wild Cards - The Guide to George R. R. Martin's Wild Card Series

More Books Like This edit see section history