Random House to Produce George R.R. Martin’s ‘Wild Cards’ Audiobooks

Jan 7, 2016

While we got some bad news from George R.R. Martin on Saturday (The Winds of Winter is not finished), but on Tuesday some good news emerged from the author. Random House will begin producing the Wild Cards audio series starting with volume three, Jokers Wild. I have to say my first exposure to Martin’s work was actually with this ongoing shared world series he edited; my friends and I eagerly awaited each new book and devoured them as soon as one would come out.

I have to say my favorite characters were Brennan (who actually didn’t possess any powers), Wraith, and Modular Man.

If you’re not familiar with Wild Cards, the series follows the adventures of a variety of characters who’ve had their lives forever altered by the Wild Card virus. Some (Aces) gained superpowers like those found in comic books while far more of those exposed were cursed by becoming freakish monstrosities (Jokers) yet all live together in our modern world. Or, at least, our modern world when the stories were written.

Brilliance Audio did a fine job with the first two volumes but then nothing followed and we haven’t seen a release since 2011. Thankfully, we’ll soon be able to thrill to these great tales again in audio format!

From Martin’s “Not a Blog“:

Got some exciting news for Wild Cards fans… and for fans of audiobooks.

We’ve got a new deal in place for Wild Cards audiobooks. This time we’ve signed with Random House Audio, the same good folks who have been bringing you the great audiobook versions of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, as well as ROGUES, DANGEROUS WOMEN, and my other anthologies.

Brilliance Audio did the audio editions of the first two volumes in the series, WILD CARDS and ACES HIGH, the last one coming out in 2011. Random House will be picking up the series with the third volume, JOKERS WILD, the first of our full-on mosaic novels.

Luke Daniels was the reader for the two Brilliance volumes, and did a fine job. But as long time fans of the series know, the Wild Cards books are team efforts featuring interwoven stories by a number of different writers set against a common background. Even in a shared world, however, not everything is shared; every writer has his own characters, and every character has his own voice.

Random House Audio wants to capture that with these new audiobooks. Instead of a single reader, therefore, JOKERS WILD and the volumes to follow will feature a multiplicity of narrators, a different voice for every viewpoint character.

JOKERS WILD, the first of our full mosaics, is a seven-way collaboration, set on the fortieth anniversary of the first Wild Cards Day in New York City. All the action takes place in twenty-four hours, and is seen through seven sets of eyes. The writers (and their respective viewpoint characters) were Lewis Shiner (Fortunato), Melinda M. Snodgrass (Roulette), John Jos. Miller (Wraith), Edward Bryant (Sewer Jack), Leanne C. Harper (Bagabond), Walton Simons (Demise), and your truly (Hiram Worchester).

We’ve assembled a very exciting group of readers to give them voice. You’ll hear:

Prentice Onayemi, reading Fortunato,
Pam Grier, reading Roulette,
Molly Quinn, reading Wraith,
Ray Porter, reading Sewer Jack,
Felicia Day, reading Bagabond,
Stephen McHattie, reading Demise,
Ron Donachie, reading Hiram Worchester.

Recording is taking place in London, Edinburgh, Denver, Taipei, Toronto, Burbank, and Los Angeles; we went all around the world to assemble this team.

I can hardly wait to hear how this amazing group of actors bring our characters to life.

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Jeff McAleer

Founder/Editor-in-chief of The Gaming Gang website and host of The Gaming Gang Dispatch and other TGG media, Jeff tackles any and all sorts of games but has a special fondness for strategy, conflict sims, and roleplaying games. Plus, he's certainly never at a loss for an opinion...