He Used to Be a War Hero. Now He’s a Wanted Smuggler.
Jackson Rook has traded his days piloting combat mechs for a life of crime. His latest job: steal a top-of-the-line mech and deliver it to a ruthless warlord on a planet where even the air can kill you.
The money is good. The client is bad news. And Rook is about to discover that some things are worth fighting for.
Military science fiction · Space opera · Action and adventure · Humor · Suspense
Winner of the Dragon Award
About the Story
ONCE UPON A TIME Jackson Rook was a war hero. Raised from boyhood to pilot powerful combat mechs, he fought for freedom against the Collectivists who ruled his homeworld.
But that was a long time ago, on a world very far away.
Now he’s a wanted criminal, making his living as a smuggler aboard the Tar Heel. His latest assignment is a big one: steal a cutting-edge mech called the Citadel and deliver it to the planet Swindle, a world crawling with deadly creatures and an atmosphere that can kill an unprotected human.
The buyer is a mysterious figure known only as the Warlord.
Rook has been in the business long enough to know the rules. Take the money. Deliver the goods. Don’t ask questions.
But the Warlord is using his power to terrorize the people of Swindle, and Rook has seen that kind of brutality before. He fought a war against it.
Rook may be a smuggler, but he’s no pirate. And somewhere beneath the criminal exterior, the heart of a warrior still beats.
Gun Runner, by Larry Correia and John D. Brown, is a Dragon Award-winning military science fiction adventure packed with combat mechs, alien monsters, dangerous smugglers, explosive action, and a crew of scoundrels who still know right from wrong.
What Readers Are Saying
★★★★★
“Great book. Larry and John craft phenomenal action set pieces. The protagonists are fun and likeable, the bad guys competent and deadly. Their world is engaging, dangerous, and begging to be explored. I hope there’s a book 2!”
— James C Chambers III, Amazon review
★★★★★
“Great storyline. Top-notch action. Terrific characters that interact realistically and develop the story. There’s not a boring page. Give me more.”
— LWTrier, Amazon review
★★★★★
“Giant monsters, mechs, heists, smugglers in space, killer robots. This is just a fun tale, one I’ll happily dip back into again in the future.”
— Burchette, Amazon review
Behind the Story: “What’s Cool?”
The seed for Gun Runner came from Larry Correia’s eleven-year-old son.
A number of years ago, Larry and I sat down to develop an idea for a science fiction convention presentation. Larry’s son Joe was on the stairs to the basement, listening in. Larry turned to his son and asked: “Joe, what’s cool?”
Joe popped up and immediately answered: “Giant robots, bandits, and murderers.”
We looked at each other and said, “That IS cool.”
And thus was a story born.
