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Wild Cards Volume XIV — Marked Cards
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Published By
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Baen Books
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First Published
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1994 (softcover)
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Previous Novel
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Following Novel
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Marked Cards is the fourteenth volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R.R. Martin.
Plot[]
There is no single plot to this novel, but rather many events that are related to Hannah Davis’s discovery that a powerful, secret organization was behind many of the tribulations inflicted on the joker community all over the world. Gregg Hartmann and Hannah try to expose the group and get the word out to the general public, while the Card Sharks’ machinations continue to roll onward toward the conclusion of their unifying goal — the eradication of all Wild Carders in the world.
Book Covers[]
The cover shown here depicts Bagabond and the centaur-like Dr. Bradley Latour Finn. On the back cover and spine are depicted Umán, Ganesha and Crypt Kicker as well as some other unidentified jokers. The art was by illustrator Barclay Shaw.
Trivia[]
Quotes[]
Black Shadow to Croyd Crenson
- “...But I’d also like your advice.”
- Croyd blinked. "Sure.”
- “I mean moral advice.”
- Croyd began coughing on his pizza.
Croyd Crenson to Black Shadow
- "But I was going to advise you to snuff the bastards anyway.”
- "We’re not out of control, are we?"
- "No, ...Why do you ask?”
Stories[]
Marked Cards contains the following stories:
| Story | Author(s) | Description |
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| "The Color of His Skin" | Stephen Leigh | Gregg Hartmann and Hannah Davis try to spread news of the Card Sharks conspiracy while avoiding enemies and trying win allies. |
| "Two of a Kind" | Walton Simons | Mr. Nobody encounters George G. Battle and gets him arrested. |
| "My Sweet Lord" | Victor Milán | Mark Meadows tries to deal with being the ruler of Vietnam while still trying to live life according to his 1960’s outdated hippy morals. |
| "Paths of Silence and of Night" | Leanne C. Harper | Bagabond leaves the jungles of Guatemala to walk among humans once again. |
| "Feeding Frenzy" | Walter Jon Williams | Black Shadow and Croyd Crenson escape a Card Sharks prison and seek revenge on their captors, killing the last(?) of the jumpers along the way. |
| "A Breath of Life" | Sage Walker | Introduces Zoe Harris who seeks help for her family and herself from Charles Dutton and Tom Tudbury. |
| "A Dose of Reality" | Laura Mixon & Melinda Snodgrass | Clara van Renssaeler is planted among the staff at the Jokertown Clinic by the Card Sharks in order to learn all she can about the Wild Card virus and Dr. Tachyon’s Trump virus. |
The chapters of the stories “The Color of His Skin” and “Feeding Frenzy” are interspersed between the other stories to provide a narrative thread for the entire novel.