Game over

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 survived to mutate 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 ("The American Tolkien" —Time magazine) along with Melinda Snodgrass, is the tale of the history of the world since then—and of the heroes among the one percent.

Now a new generation of heroes has taken its place on the world stage, its members crucial players in international events. At the United Nations, veteran ace John Fortune has assembled a team of young aces known as the Committee, to assist at trouble spots around the world—including a genocidal was in the Niger Delta, an invasion of zombies in hurricane ravaged New Orleans, and a freak nuclear explosion in a small Texas town.

Double Helix • (2008) • short fiction by Melinda M. Snodgrass
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda • (2008) • short fiction by Caroline Spector
Just Cause • (2008) • short fiction by Carrie Vaughn
Political Science • (2008) • short fiction by Walton Simons and Ian Tregillis
Volunteers of America • (2008) • short fiction by Victor Milán
The Tear of Nepthys • (2008) • short fiction by Kevin Andrew Murphy
Dirge in a Major Key • (2008) • short fiction by Stephen Leigh [as by S.L. Farrell]
Won't Get Fooled Again • (2008) • short fiction by Victor Milán
Mortality's Strong Hand • (2008) • short fiction by John J. Miller [as by John Jos Miller]
A Hard Rain Is A-Going to Fall • (2008) • short fiction by Victor Milán