George R. R. Martin Presents Wild Cards: Pairing Up: An Anthology -- George R. R

<b>Superheroes and villains do battle over the human heart in this delightful anthology featuring all-new stories from a wide range of contributors, all set in the Wild Cards universe, where an alien virus mutates some and grants superpowers to others, created by the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>A Game of Thrones</i>.</b> <p/> An alien virus ravages the world, its results as random as a hand of cards. Those infected either draw the black queen and die, draw an ace and receive superpowers, or draw the joker and are bizarrely mutated. <p/>Nevertheless, human nature reigns supreme. And one of the most enduring human drives is the search for love. Aces and jokers alike both want to find it, or have lost it . . . or perhaps just want to use it for personal gain. Crazy, unconventional, touching, strange, and oh-so-familiar, this is love, Wild Cards-style. <p/>Within these stories: <br>- A jewel thief seduces a popular actor just so she can track down a long-lost treasure.<br>- A teenager trapped in the body of a giant snail attempts to win his love à la Cyrano de Bergerac.<br>- A man discovers his purpose in life after meeting a beautiful butterfly woman.<br>- A young hero who has been awarded the hideous name of Hero McHeroface finds some solace in the arms of an astrologer hiding her own unique powers. <p/><i>Pairing Up</i> is the Wild Cards take on love--finding it, seeking it, losing it, or achieving it--as aces and jokers enter into the highest-stake game