An original collection of interwoven short stories set in the Wild Cards universe, where an alien virus mutates some and grants superpowers to others, created by the #1 New York Times bestselling author ofA Game of Thrones

An alien virus ravages the world, with effects as random as a hand of cards. Those infected either draw the black queen and die, draw an ace and receive superpowers, or draw the joker and are bizarrely mutated.

Croyd Crenson is the Wild Cards greatest failureand its greatest success. Dubbed The Sleeper, he randomly undergoes hibernations that can span days, weeks, or even months. After each hibernation, he awakens with a new appearance and set of powerssometimes a joker, sometimes an ace, and sometimes a combination of bothuntil exhaustion claims him and his next inevitable sleep shuffles the cards anew. Ever since his initial infection in 1946, hes awoken in a singular bodyuntil now. His latest awakening has left him split into six different incarnations, each of them a self-contained piece of the original and each with a unique look and ability.

One of them, at least, recognizes this for the disaster that it is, and tasks the clever and elusive Teslaa joker with ace powersto locate and gather the remaining five versions of himself before sleep claims them again and leaves Croyd permanently fractured.

What follows is a journey through Croyds long and colorful life, through the lens of some who have encountered the worlds most unusual wild carder. And as Tesla delves deeper into the investigation, hell have to work fast, because not every Croyd is as amiable as the firstand theyll do whatever it takes to survive.

Featuring stories

Christopher Rowe Carrie Vaughn Cherie Priest William F. Wu Walter Jon Williams Stephen Leigh Mary Anne Mohanraj Max Gladstone Edited by George R. R. Martin Assisted by Melinda M. Snodgrass