Card Sharks is the thirteenth volume (dubbed "Book I of a New Cycle") in the Wild Cards

Wild Cards

Wild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...

 shared universe

Shared universe

A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....

 fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin

George R. R. Martin

George Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...

. It was published in 1993 and dealt the investigation of a criminal fire

Arson

Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...

 at the Jokertown Church, leading to the discovery of a conspiracy of enormous proportions, with the intention of killing every Wild Card on Earth.

Stories

Card Sharks contains the following short stories:

Story	Author(s)	Description
"The Ashes of Memory"	Stephen Leigh Stephen Leigh Stephen W. Leigh is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, artist, and musician. He also works as a lecturer at Northern Kentucky University, teaching creative writing.Steve Leigh lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.- Works :...	Introduces Hannah Davis. Serves as interludes between the other stories.
"'Til I Kissed You"	William F. Wu William F. Wu William F. Wu is a Chinese-American science fiction author. He published his first story in 1977. Since then, Wu has written thirteen published novels, one scholarly work, and a collection of short stories...	Introduces Chop-Chop.
"The Crooked Man"	Melinda M. Snodgrass Melinda M. Snodgrass Melinda M. Snodgrass is a professional writer best known for her work in science fiction for print and television media....	Bradley Finn, Dr. Tachyon Dr. Tachyon Dr. Tachyon is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. He was created for the books by Melinda M. Snodgrass. Tachyon is a geneticist from the planet Takis, whose people naturally developed various telepathic powers... 's joker assistant, meets a dark doctor in Nairobi Nairobi Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is... .
"A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes"	Michael Cassutt Michael Cassutt Michael Joseph Cassutt is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. His notable TV work includes producing or writing, or both, for The Outer Limits, Eerie, Indiana, Beverly Hills, 90210, and The Twilight Zone...	The United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... ' first attempt at putting a man in space ends in tragedy.
"A Wind from Khorasan: The Narrative of J. Robert Belew"	Victor Milán Victor Milan Victor Woodward Milán is an American writer known for libertarian science fiction and an interest in cybernetics. In 1986 he won the Prometheus Award for Cybernetic Samurai. He has also written several shared universe works for the Forgotten Realms, Star Trek, and Wild Cards Universes...	The Wild Card solution to the Iran hostage crisis Iran hostage crisis The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian... , and its aftermath.
"The Long Sleep"	Roger Zelazny Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...	The Sleeper The Sleeper (Wild Cards) The Sleeper is a fictional character from the Wild Cards series of books.In September 1946, ninth-grader Croyd Crenson, native of an unspecified borough of the New York City metropolitan area, was one of the first victims of the alien virus dubbed "the Wild Card", which generates random mutations...  almost finds a cure for his sickness.
"Cursum Perficio"	Kevin Andrew Murphy Kevin Andrew Murphy Kevin Andrew Murphy is an American novelist and game writer from Northern California. He is a graduate of University of California at Santa Cruz and has a Master of Arts from University of Southern California. He has written gamebooks for Steve Jackson Games and White Wolf. He is one of the...	The real story of Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s.... .
"The Lamia's Tale"	Laura J. Mixon Laura J. Mixon Laura J. Mixon is a chemical and environmental engineer better known as a science fiction writer. She writes about the impact of technology and environmental changes on personal identity and social structures. Her work has been the focus of academic studies on the intersection of technology,...	A woman who turned into her greatest fear. Introduces Brandon and Clara Van Rensselaer.