Let the secret history of the world be told -- of the alien virus that struck Earth after World War II, and of the handful of survivors who found they now possessed superhuman powers. Some were called Aces, endowed with powerful mental and physical prowess. The others were jokers, tormented by bizarre mind or body disfigurements. Some served humanity. Others wreaked terror. And now, forty years later, as the planet once more faces a critical challenge, a group of politically conscious Wild Cards set out on a daring mission to the four corners of the earth to uncover the fate of Aces and Jokers in other lands -- it is a journey destined to amaze, terrify, amuse and enlighten us all.

Contents:

• The Tint of Hatred by Stephen Leigh
• From the Journal of Xavier Desmond by G R. R. Martin
• Beasts of Burden by John J. Miller
• Blood Rights by Leanne C. Harper
• Down by the Nile by Gail Gerstner-Miller
• The Teardrop of India by Walton Simons
• Down in the Dreamtime by Edward Bryant
• Zero Hour by Lewis Shiner
• Puppets by Victor W. Milán
• Mirrors of the Soul by Melinda M. Snodgrass
• Legends by Michael Cassutt