Perfect for old fans and new readers alike, High Stakes delves deeper into the world of aces, jokers, and the hard-boiled men and women of the Fort Freak police precinct in a pulpy, page-turning novel of superheroics and Lovecraftian horror.

Since an alien virus swept through New York City, the world has changed. Those who survived were divided. The lucky ones transformed into aces - heroes gifted with extraordinary powers. The rest became jokers, tragically mutated and cursed with terrifying abilities. These days, the hard-bitten police of Manhattan's notorious Fifth Precinct - 'Fort Freak' - specialise in a very particular kind of criminal . . .

Officer Francis Black, vigilante joker Marcus 'The Infamous Black Tongue' Morgan and ace thief Mollie 'Tesseract' Steunenberg are stuck in Kazakhstan. The coldblooded Baba Yaga is forcing jokers into an illegal fighting ring, but her hidden agenda is much darker: her fighters' deaths serve to placate a vicious monster from another dimension. And when the last line of defence against this world weakens, all hell will break loose - literally. The Committee in New York sends a team of aces to investigate. One by one, each falls victim to evil forces - including the dark impulses within themselves. Only the most unlikely of heroes stands a chance of saving the world before utter chaos erupts.

Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin, High Stakes features the writing talents of Melinda M. Snodgrass, John J. Miller, David Anthony Durham, Caroline Spector, Stephen Leigh and Ian Tregillis.

Now in development for TV: rights to develop Wild Cards for TV have been acquired by Universal Cable Productions, the team that brought you The Magicians and Mr. Robot, with the co-editor of Wild Cards, Melinda Snodgrass as executive producer.

About the Author
George R.R. Martin published his first story in 1971 and quickly rose to prominence, winning four HUGO and two NEBULA AWARDs in quick succession before he turned his attention to fantasy with the historical horror novel FEVRE DREAM, now a Fantasy Masterwork. Since then he has won every major award in the fields of fantasy, SF and horror. His magnificent epic saga A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE is redefining epic fantasy for a new generation. George R.R. Martin lives in New Mexico.

Reviews
This exhilarating 23rd collaborative novel in the WILD CARDS series . . . is a wild ride of good, blood-pumping fun that packs a surprisingly emotional punch for a book that looks on the surface like just another superhero adventure - Publishers Weekly

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

Eminently readable, and stands alone well, this has laugh out loud moments, pathos and action aplenty to please even the most discerning of readers [LOWBALL review] - British Fantasy Society

Lowball for me is a winner through and through, I have been counting down the days until there would be another full length book released and I devoured it in one sitting. The characters are memorable and the setting of the story is continuing to give a certain uniqueness. Even though the series has been going on for twenty-two books so far, there is never a dull moment to be found . . . I just cannot get enough of the Wild Cards universe. High quality and should be on everyones reading list . . . Bring on the next please! - The Book Plank



Book Information
ISBN 9781473221987
Author George R.R. Martin
Format Paperback
Page Count 560
Imprint Gollancz
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 384g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 128mm * 35mm