2008 is the year of the Wild Card. The new Wild Cards mosaic novel, Inside Straight, hit the bookstores on January 22, and has been getting some great buzz... though that might just be Jonathan Hive. My beloved New York Giants, a wild card team, roared through the NFL playoffs and won the SuperBowl. And come April the Dabel Brothers will be releasing the first issue of their new Wild Cards comic -- The Hard Call.

The Hard Call is not an adaptation of any of the existing Wild Cards stories, old or new, but an all-new, all-original tale designed and written especially for comics. The story and script are from Daniel Abraham, author of the highly acclaimed fantasy novels A Shadow in Summer and A Betrayal in Winter, co-author (with me and Gardner Dozois) of Hunter's Run, and creator of Jonathan Hive (from Inside Straight) and Father Henry Obst (from Deuces Down). For The Hard Call, Abraham has created an entirely new cast of characters... and brought back one old favorite, a guy named Croyd who never learned algebra. When a sudden outbreak of the wild card virus strikes a high school in Colorado, the survivors are rushed to New York City's famous Jokertown Clinic. Some find themselves twisted into jokers, while others emerge with the powers of aces... and meanwhile, the Sleeper finds he has been framed for murder... and he's not going to rest until he clears his name.

Artwork on The Hard Call will be provided by Eric Battle, whose previous credits include Batman, Green Lantern, and many other titles. I've seen Eric's pencils for the first two issues, and delighted in the way he's bringing Daniel's story to vibrant life. Here are his covers for the first two issues of the run. If you'd like to see some more of his work, check out his website.

The first issue will also feature a variant B cover painted by Arthur Sudyam. The mini-series will be six issues long, with the first issue available in April, 2008. Afterwards, the story will be collected in graphic novel format as a Del Rey trade paperback, with a spectacular painted cover by Vance Kovacs.

"Wild Cards is one of those series in science fiction that many comic book fans have read, because it's really a sci-fi take on superheroes," explained Ernst Dabel, President of Dabel Brothers Publishing. "And that's excellent news, because this story feels right at home in the format. It's a great way for old fans to enjoy the story in a new way, and it's also a wonderful introduction to the world of Wild Cards for those who've never had a chance to read the books before."

You can reserve your copy of Wild Cards: The Hard Call at your favorite local comics shop, or order directly from DBPro.

The Wild Cards series has its roots in comics, and I'm thrilled hat it will be returning to comics once again, after too long a hiatus... and not just with adaptations of the books, but with brand new stories and brand new characters, Old Wild Cards hands and brand new ones should both be thrilled by The Hard Call.

A new sample chapter from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS will be featured in the premiere issue of SpectraPulse, the new magazine sampler from Bantam Spectra, scheduled to make its debut at this year's New York City Comicon.

SpectraPulse will not be available by subscription or at your local newsstand, I'm afraid. The glossy, 32-page, full color magazine will be given away free at the Bantam Spectra booth at certain select conventions throughout the year -- both major comicons (New York and San Diego), the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver, and the World Fantasy Convention in Calgary, Canada... and perhaps at other cons, if the supply lasts.

The magazine will feature essays by authors, excerpts from forthcoming Spectra titles, puzzles and games, and all sorts of other fun content... and, in its first issue, a slighly abridged version of a chapter from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. More than that I will not reveal... except to say that it's not the Tyrion, Dany, or Jon Snow chapters that I have rotated on my website 'Sample' page over the past year. This one is titled, "Reek," and it opens with a juicy description of a man eating a live rat. Just the thing to whet your appetities...

I did ask the good folks at Bantam if my fans would be able to write in and get a copy, but alas, that won't be possible. The only way to get hold of a copy of SpectraPulse will be by turning up at one of the conventions where it is being given away. (Though I don't doubt that the usual ripoff artists will scarf up their free giveaway copies and have them up for sale on ebay within hours of the magazine's premiere).

If you want to get your copies signed, I do plan to attend both the Worldcon in Denver and World Fantasy Con in Calgary this year. Of course, if I can just finish DANCE this spring, there's even a chance the book itself might be on sale in Calgary.

"Double your pleasure, double your fun, buy two limited editions, instead of just one."

The good folks at Subterranean Press are now shipping not one but two of their long-awaited GRRM limited editions -- HUNTER'S RUN, my collaboration with Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham, and FEVRE DREAM, my historical horror novel.

These are collector's editions for fans who love fine books, both gorgeously illustrated. Cover art and interior illustrations for HUNTER'S RUN was provided by the Hugo Award winning (many times) artist Bob Eggleton. (Yes, the guy with the hair). For FEVRE DREAM, up-and-comer Justin Sweet (not to be confused with Darrell Sweet, please) did the honors. Justin hasn't won any Hugos yet, but if there's any justice, there will be a few of them lurking in his future.

Subterranean is releasing FEVRE DREAM in two states: a numbered edition of 448 signed numbered copies, leatherbound, in slipcase, for $125, and a lettered edition of 52 signed copies in a custom traycase. The lettered edition was sold out long before publication, I fear, but Bill Schafer of Subterranean informs me that he still has 75 copies of the numbered edition available. They'll be sold on a first come, first served basis, however, and SubPress does not expect them to last long, so if you want one, order now.

HUNTER'S RUN is also available in two versions. There are 500 numbered copies at $50, and 26 copies of the lettered edition at $150. Both will include autographs from all three authors. The lettered copies will be housed in a custom traycase. Publisher's Weekly wrote of the novel, "Martin (Song of Ice and Fire series), Dozois (Strange Days) and Abraham (A Shadow in Summer) revisit classic themes of exploration, exploitation and what it means to be human in this gritty SF adventure...This tightly written novel, with its memorable protagonist and intriguing extrapolation, delivers on all levels."

Order them now from your favorite book dealer, or direct from Subterranean Press via their website.

Photos from INSIDE STRAIGHT launch

SFRevu interviews George R.R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass about Wild Cards.

Interview in Blood, Blade & Thruster #3.

Q&A for Entertainment Weekly.

Busted Flush, the second in the trilogy of new Wild Cards mosaic novels that began with Inside Straight (out this January at a bookstore near you), and the nineteenth volume of the overall series, has been completed and delivered to editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden at Tor. The book is scheduled to be published in late 2008.

This one will feature the return of three popular mainstays from our original run with Bantam and Baen : Carnifex, Cameo, and... but no, that would be telling. The three veterans will be sharing the stage and the action with Bubbles, Jonathan Hive, Curveball, Drummer Boy, Stuntman, and the other "next generation" wild carders introduced in Inside Straight, and some great new characters making their Wild Cards debuts, among them Genetrix, Hoodoo Mama, Snowblind, Little Fat Boy, and Our Lady of Pain. I'm prejudiced, of course, but I've just finished reading and editing this one (about forty-seven times, seems like), and I think it's even stronger than the last volume. Exciting action, touching character moments, suspense, hot sex and tender romance, a few laughs, all the intricate plotting you've come to expect from the Wild Cards books... hey, what more could you want?

The authors and stories featured in Busted Flush will be:

• "Double Helix," by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda," by Caroline Spector
• "Just Cause," by Carrie Vaughn
• "Political Science," by Walton Simons & Ian Tregillis
• "Volunteers of America," by Victor Milan
• "The Tear of Nepthys," by Kevin Andrew Murphy
• "Dirge in a Major Key," by S.L. Farrell
• "Won't Get Fooled Again," by Victor Milan
• "Mortality's Strong Hand," by John Jos. Miller
• "A Hard Rain Is A'Going to Fall," by Victor Milan

Originally launched in 1987, Wild Cards has outlasted all the other shared worlds of the 80s to become the longest-running such series in the history of our genre. For a taste of the new triad, check out the Wild Cards Sample on this website, where you'll find an excerpt from Daniel Abraham's interstitial for Inside Straight, inrtoducing Jonatrhan Hive, bligger extraordinary. Just click on the blue and white shield on my home page.