Knaves Over Queens

By: George R.R. Martin - editor

Narrated by: Peter Noble

The return of the famous shared-world superhero books created and edited by George R. R. Martin, author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

For decades, George R.R. Martin – bestselling author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series – has collaborated with an ever-shifting ensemble of science fiction and fantasy icons to create the amazing Wild Cards universe.

In the aftermath of World War II, the Earth’s population was devastated by a terrifying alien virus. Those who survived were changed for ever. Some, known as Jokers, were cursed with bizarre mental and physical deformities; others, granted superhuman abilities, are known as Aces. Now the virus has reached Britain…

Queen Margaret rules over a country in which such legendary figures as Herne the Hunter, Spring-heeled Jack and Babh, the goddess of war, roam at will. Her Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill – gifted with extraordinary longevity – together with the Enigma ace – Alan Turing – set up a special organization named the Order of the Silver Helix. They will need all the wild cards they can find if they are to deal with the terrifying mutations thrown up by the virus.

Knaves Over Queens – the first ever Wild Cards novel set in the UK, and a perfect jumping-in point for readers new to this shared world – features a stunning collection of original stories from such luminaries of the world of science fiction and fantasy as Paul Cornell, Marko Kloos, Mark Lawrence, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Emma Newman, Peter Newman, Peadar O Guilin, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Caroline Spector and Charles Stross.

Critic reviews

PRAISE FOR THE WILD CARDS SERIES:

“Deep and complex”
Starburst

“Perhaps the most original and provocative of the shared worlds books.”
Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn

"Martin has assembled an impressive array of writers. . . . Progressing through the decades, Wild Cards keeps its momentum to the end."
Locus

"The shared-world series known as Wild Cards has had a long and illustrious history of contributors and achievements." SciFi.com

Well written but depressing

All of the characters had something ghastly wrong with them, and/or were in a horrible situation. This collection lacked the pizzazz of the original stories. It just lurched from one horror to the next.