Book excerpt: Every night, legions of zombies scratch at the outer walls of Dragon City, trying to claw their way into the grim and gritty metropolis ruled over by the Dragon Emperor, the mighty beast that keeps the hordes of hungry dead from storming the place and tearing it to the ground. Inside, ex-adventurer Max Gibson — now "Freelance" — tries to keep his head down and enjoy his early retirement, but something keeps digging up parts of his long-buried past. First he has to rescue an old pal from murder charges. Next he has a run-in with the corrupt Imperial Dragon's Guard and the dwarven mafia that run the city's under-mountain. After that, things get much worse, and Max soon finds himself wrapped up in a plot that involves the Dragon Emperor's young offspring and the fabled leader of the undead hordes herself, the legendary Ruler of the Dead. With the fate of Dragon City and all its occupants in his hands, what will Max do? Who does he truly care about? And what is he willing to destroy to protect them? This omnibus edition contains all six Shotguns & Sorcery stories written to date. This includes: • "Friends Like These" (short story) • "Goblintown Justice" (short story) • Hard Times in Dragon City (novel) • Bad Times in Dragon City (novel) • End Times in Dragon City (novel Plus, a brand-new story written for this book: • "The Job Never Ends" (novella)