Wild Card books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Wild Card series?"

"There are 52 books in the Wild Card series, published between 1986 and 2024."

Q: "What is the first book in the Wild Card series?"

"The first book in the Wild Card series is Wild Cards, published in 1986."

Q: "What is the Wild Cards series about?"

"Wild Cards is set in an alternate history where an alien virus released over New York City in 1946 creates three types of people: Aces (who gain superpowers), Jokers (who are physically transformed), and the majority who simply die. The series follows decades of history through the eyes of these affected individuals."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	Wild Cards	1986	Marko Kloos	N/A
2	Aces High	1987	Marko Kloos	N/A
3	Berlin Is Never Berlin	2020	Marko Kloos	Buy
4	Jokers Wild	1987	Marko Kloos	N/A
5	Aces Abroad	1988	Marko Kloos	N/A
6	Down and Dirty	1988	Marko Kloos	N/A
7	Ace in the Hole	1990	Marko Kloos	N/A
8	Ręka umarlaka	1990	Marko Kloos	N/A
9	One-Eyed Jacks	1991	Marko Kloos	N/A
10	Jokertown Shuffle	1991	Marko Kloos	N/A
11	Double Solitaire	1992	Marko Kloos	N/A
12	Dealer’s Choice	1992	Marko Kloos	N/A
13	Turn of the Cards	1993	Marko Kloos	N/A
14	Card sharks	1993	Marko Kloos	N/A
15	Marked Cards	1994	Marko Kloos	N/A
16	Black trump : a Wild card mosaic novel	1995	Marko Kloos	N/A
17	Deuces Down	2002	Marko Kloos	N/A
18	Death Draws Five	2006	Marko Kloos	N/A
19	Inside Straight	1986	Marko Kloos	N/A
20	George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards: The Hard Call	2009	Marko Kloos	N/A
21	American Hero	2020	Marko Kloos	N/A
22	Busted Flush	2008	Marko Kloos	N/A
23	Suicide Kings	2009	Marko Kloos	N/A
24	Fort Freak	2011	Marko Kloos	N/A
25	Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan	2010	Marko Kloos	N/A
26	When We Were Heroes	2013	Marko Kloos	N/A
27	The Button Man and the Murder Tree	2013	Marko Kloos	N/A
28	The Elephant in the Room	2013	Marko Kloos	N/A
29	Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza	2014	Marko Kloos	N/A
30	Lowball	2014	Marko Kloos	N/A
31	Prompt. Professional. Pop!	2014	Marko Kloos	N/A
32	Discards	2016	Marko Kloos	N/A
33	High Stakes	2016	Marko Kloos	N/A
34	The Thing about Growing Up in Jokertown	2016	Marko Kloos	N/A
35	The Atonement Tango	2017	Marko Kloos	N/A
36	When the Devil Drives	2017	Marko Kloos	N/A
37	Mississippi Roll	2017	Marko Kloos	N/A
38	Evernight	2018	Marko Kloos	N/A
39	The Flight of Morpho Girl	2018	Marko Kloos	N/A
40	Low Chicago	2018	Marko Kloos	N/A
41	Knaves Over Queens	2018	Marko Kloos	N/A
42	Texas Hold ‘Em	2018	Marko Kloos	N/A
43	How to Move Spheres and Influence People	2019	Marko Kloos	Buy
44	Three Kings	2020	Marko Kloos	N/A
45	Hammer and Tongs and a Rusty Nail	2020	Marko Kloos	N/A
46	Ripple Effects	2021	Marko Kloos	N/A
47	Skin Deep	2021	Marko Kloos	N/A
48	Hearts of Stone	2022	Marko Kloos	N/A
49	Grow	2022	Marko Kloos	N/A
50	Joker Moon	2021	Marko Kloos	N/A
51	Full House	2022	Marko Kloos	N/A
52	George R. R. Martin Presents Wild Cards: Sleeper Straddle: A Novel in Stories	2024	Marko Kloos	N/A

The Wild Cards series is a shared-world anthology project that has been running since 1986, edited by George R.R. Martin and featuring contributions from dozens of science fiction and fantasy authors, including Marko Kloos. The premise centers on an alien virus released over New York City in 1946 that transforms its survivors into Aces (people with superpowers), Jokers (people with physical deformities), or kills them outright. The series traces the social, political, and personal consequences of this event across decades of alternate history.

With over fifty entries spanning novels, mosaic novels, and individual novellas, Wild Cards is one of the longest-running shared-world projects in genre fiction. The books alternate between standalone stories and longer mosaic novels pieced together from multiple authors’ contributions. Kloos has contributed several stories to recent volumes, joining a roster of writers who have included Roger Zelazny, Walter Jon Williams, and Melinda Snodgrass. The series has explored everything from Cold War politics to contemporary social issues, all through the lens of a world where superpowers are messy, unpredictable, and rarely simple.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Wild Card series?

There are 52 books in the Wild Card series, published between 1986 and 2024.

What is the first book in the Wild Card series?

The first book in the Wild Card series is Wild Cards, published in 1986.

What is the Wild Cards series about?

Wild Cards is set in an alternate history where an alien virus released over New York City in 1946 creates three types of people: Aces (who gain superpowers), Jokers (who are physically transformed), and the majority who simply die. The series follows decades of history through the eyes of these affected individuals.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order