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Shotguns & Sorcery #2
Bad Times in Dragon City
If It Wasn’t for Bad Times…
Ex-adventurer Max Gibson wouldn’t have any times at all. Saddled with babysitting the heir to the Dragon Empire, a deadly dragonet with a mind all its own, Max wishes he could hunker down in his bar and shut out the rest of Dragon City, but it seems everyone wants a piece of him.
If the scum down in Goblintown aren’t trying to throw him to the zombies on the other side of the Great Circle, it’s the Imperial Dragon’s Guard trying to haul him into protective custody. Or the Wizards Council hoping for a closer look at the dragonet.
All that goes out the window, though, when Belle Sanguigno — a heartbreaker of an elf who’s shattered Max more than once — turns to him for help. She needs to find the body of her sister, who Max and the dragonet killed last week, or pay the ultimate penalty for her loss.
And the bad times keep getting worse.
Bad Times in Dragon City is the second novel in the Shotguns & Sorcery setting.
Ex-adventurer Max Gibson wouldn’t have any times at all. Saddled with babysitting the heir to the Dragon Empire, a deadly dragonet with a mind all its own, Max wishes he could hunker down in his bar and shut out the rest of Dragon City, but it seems everyone wants a piece of him.
If the scum down in Goblintown aren’t trying to throw him to the zombies on the other side of the Great Circle, it’s the Imperial Dragon’s Guard trying to haul him into protective custody. Or the Wizards Council hoping for a closer look at the dragonet.
All that goes out the window, though, when Belle Sanguigno — a heartbreaker of an elf who’s shattered Max more than once — turns to him for help. She needs to find the body of her sister, who Max and the dragonet killed last week, or pay the ultimate penalty for her loss.
And the bad times keep getting worse.
Bad Times in Dragon City is the second novel in the Shotguns & Sorcery setting.
217 pages, ebook
First published February 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Matt Forbeck
212 books314 followersI'm an award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author and game designer and happily married father of five, including a set of quadruplets. For more on my work, see Forbeck.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 19, 2013
After very much enjoying the first book in the Shotguns & Sorcery series, Hard Times in Dragon City, I was very much looking forward to reading about the continuing adventures of Max Gibson and his friends in the second. Continuing the combination of more typical fantasy novels (with elves, dwarves, halflings, goblins, humans, and magic) with a much more noir feeling (Max carries both a wand and a shotgun for example), the book picks up just a few days after the conclusion of the previous story.
The story continues to be a form of detective novel, but this time Max isn't trying to track down the perpetrator of a terrible crime, he's trying to find the body of an elf we saw at the end of the first book. All of the characters from the first book return, including Max's old adventuring friends, a meddlesome captain of the guard, and the dragon itself, but there are a few new characters who make an appearance as well.
The book is fast paced, with the plot moving along quickly - the fact that the action takes place, like the first book, over just a couple of days means that there isn't a lot of time to dawdle. It doesn't seem rushed though, as there are slower moments between the action sequences. Unlike Hard Times in Dragon City, there is a fairly significant cliff hanger at the end of the story, though Matt Forbeck promises that the third novel in the trilogy is already finished and being revised.
If you like a fast paced story, and enjoyed the first book in the series, then you'll definitely like this one as well - though if you weren't part of the Kickstarter you'll need to wait until March 5th for the standard edition.
The story continues to be a form of detective novel, but this time Max isn't trying to track down the perpetrator of a terrible crime, he's trying to find the body of an elf we saw at the end of the first book. All of the characters from the first book return, including Max's old adventuring friends, a meddlesome captain of the guard, and the dragon itself, but there are a few new characters who make an appearance as well.
The book is fast paced, with the plot moving along quickly - the fact that the action takes place, like the first book, over just a couple of days means that there isn't a lot of time to dawdle. It doesn't seem rushed though, as there are slower moments between the action sequences. Unlike Hard Times in Dragon City, there is a fairly significant cliff hanger at the end of the story, though Matt Forbeck promises that the third novel in the trilogy is already finished and being revised.
If you like a fast paced story, and enjoyed the first book in the series, then you'll definitely like this one as well - though if you weren't part of the Kickstarter you'll need to wait until March 5th for the standard edition.
March 21, 2013
Was introduced to Matt through kick starter for his 12 for 12 and have not been disappointed. Love everything I have read from him
March 16, 2019
A little less mystery and more action in this second book. Plus, dragons. I loved the ending even though it was abrupt. While this wasn't some grand adventure or an engaging tale, it was decent enough to read book three.
February 6, 2022
Great film noir mixed with high fantasy.
May 31, 2022
Terrific sequel. I love this series so much!
January 12, 2016
I have read all 3 of the books in this series in the past couple of weeks and found them quite enjoyable.
While short, they are full of action and the characters are well fleshed out and can be related to. The writing is good and the stories are compelling. However, you can tell that they were written as part of a quick-writing challenge, in this case the author attempted to write 12 books in 12 months. While I do not think this affected the stories very much, it did affect the editing. There are a lot of little errors like missing words, extra words or incorrect punctuation throughout the series. A good editor would be a big help on these books.
Even with these editing issues I wholeheartedly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone that enjoys a good fantasy story.
While short, they are full of action and the characters are well fleshed out and can be related to. The writing is good and the stories are compelling. However, you can tell that they were written as part of a quick-writing challenge, in this case the author attempted to write 12 books in 12 months. While I do not think this affected the stories very much, it did affect the editing. There are a lot of little errors like missing words, extra words or incorrect punctuation throughout the series. A good editor would be a big help on these books.
Even with these editing issues I wholeheartedly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone that enjoys a good fantasy story.
September 28, 2013
This book starts with a barroom brawl and just keeps getting better and better. I love how the stakes keep rising. At first, in Hard Times in Dragon City, Max is looking for justice for a murder. Now, he's rising in the city, every eye is on him, and that doesn't turn out to be a good thing. I LOVE, love, love the ending of this book. So shocking and satisfying. I'm flying through the last book, End Times in Dragon City. I just can't wait to see what happens!
June 14, 2013
Very entertaining. Enjoyable, fast paced, and fun.
February 15, 2014
The second book was even better than the first book.
March 10, 2016
Loved it!
A romping good time! If you want an entertaining read with lots of action and fun, this is the book for you. Just as good as the first book in the series.
A romping good time! If you want an entertaining read with lots of action and fun, this is the book for you. Just as good as the first book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews