The journey into high adventure soars on!

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. Now, forty years later, under the streets of Manhattan an evil genius unleashes the powers of darkness—and Aces and Jokers alike must fight for their lives.

Here, in the third volume of the Wild Cards series, seven of science fiction's most gifted writers take you on a journey of wonder and excitement.

Includes stories by:

Edward Bryant
Leanne C. Harper
George R. R. Martin
John J. Miller
Lewis Shiner
Walter Simons
Melinda M. Snodgrass

Considered by critics to be an accurate portrayal of frontline medical conditions, A Surgeon in Khaki is New Zealand surgeon Arthur Anderson Martin's account of his experiences in 1914, early in World War I. Already a well-respected and widely traveled surgeon when war broke out, Martin joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. Under Field Marshal Sir John French, he served at Le Havre, Harfleur, and at the battle of the Marne. He marched to Aisne, to the new lines behind La Bassée, and finally to Flanders. During his entire service, he advocated immediate specialist surgery for the direst wounds, even under fire.

 

In this engaging narrative, the reader experiences the daily life of war through the eyes of the medical officers who tried valiantly to help the wounded and ill on the front lines of World War I. Martin provides colorful descriptions of the soldiers and officers, harrowing details of the battles, and riveting accounts of the difficulty of treating men in a war zone. A better firsthand account of medicine during World War I is not to be found.

Many of these seventeen short tales deriving from Mesoamerican mythology are traditional and have traveled through time among the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America. A few are contemporary and seem to originate with Nahuatl-speaking descendants of the Aztecs. All of them, however, grace the pages here in lively fashion for young readers nine and up. Many middle schools include Aztec and Mayan myths in their curricula, but the selection is narrow, the sources scattered, and the stories themselves usually undeveloped, even fragmentary. Most of the stories are found only in scholarly works far beyond the grasp of young readers. Now, enlarging upon the mythology that frames the decision making of her young adult hero and heroine in Delfino's Journey and Teresa's Journey, Jo Harper fleshes out tales of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca for fourth through sixth graders. Young readers will also meet the Jaguar Sun, the Snake Woman, and the Pepper Man. To be as faithful as possible to the pre-Columbian, Mesoamerican worldview and humor of the original tales, Harper consulted closely with indigenous Nahuatl speakers and cultural anthropologists, yet her delivery has all the freshness and polish of a practiced storyteller who knows her audience. Here then for young readers and their teachers is an engaging introduction to Mesoamerican mythology and to an oral tradition worth preserving well beyond the classroom. Part One: Quetzalcoatl and Tezca Birth of the Fifth Sun Who Will Be the People? Corn Mountain Who Can Teach the People? Music Is Born Quetzalcoatl Falls Tezca Shows His Power Master Log The Pepper Man Tezca's Music Part Two: Tricks and Mistakes The Thunder Spirits' New Cook The Buzzard Husband Rafael Outsmarts the Nahual Lalito and the Nahual The Devil's Cave The Possum's Tale Chioconejo Rabbit and Coyote