Buck Johnson: Dragon Wrangler Collection I: Second Edition with "Rodeo on Terul"

In Dragon Wrangler Collection I, Second Edition you get six inter-related Buck Johnson stories that all hang together almost like the chapters of a novel. There's dragon breaking, a dragon drive, a dragon roundup, and a rodeo on Terul – all served up with plenty of western/cowboy adventure (albeit on another planet) and a generous dollop of fun character interplay. A wild mix of fantasy, action/adventure, western, and science fiction, this book is a new twist on the space western and a rollicking ride across the vagaries of a dragon wrangler’s and his sidekicks’ lives on planet Terul. Think of "The Good Old Boys," "The Rounders," and a little bit of "Lonesome Dove" all rolled up together and cast into space.

"Dragon Wrangler" – A Short Story. Buck Johnson, along with his slow-moving and slow-thinking sidekick Skeeter Evans, currently plies his trade as a dragon wrangler on Terul and is busting out a bunch of dracs for the repulsive Terullian Karposh. But when an unruly Red Kraken throws Buck, events take an unexpected turn. And Buck and Skeeter, with a little help from Snort Jones, right some wrongs and give Karposh his come-uppance, while still meeting their contracted obligations.This is the very first book-length collection of Buck Johnson short stories. It includes five inter-related stories that loosely hang together as a sort of cycle, as well as an author’s introduction to set the stage and explain the genre.

"The Dragon Drive?" – This time Buck and Skeeter and Snort are trailing a herd of dragons to Skrintax. If everything goes as planned, they’ll sell the dragons for a good price and finally be able to get off Terul. But things seldom go as planned – especially when dragons are involved.

"Trailing the Herd" – Buck, Snort, and Skeeter are still trailing a herd of dragons to Skrintax in hopes of selling them for enough to get off Terul and maybe get better pay, easier work, and something to drink. But the obstacles keep mounting – including a tcheka-smoking interlude, hungry dragons, insolent Terullians, and . . . well, you’ll see.

"Drive’s End" – A dragon drive is a grueling and chancy undertaking – far tougher than trailing longhorns to Kansas City. So when Buck, Snort, and Skeeter approach the drive’s end at Skrintax, they’re looking for a big paycheck and a little fun. But the Terullian Karposh reappears and throws some obstacles in their path. Still, after some ingenious planning on bootleg vendor Quincy Poindexter’s part, it all works out in the end.

"Dragon Roundup" – A successful dragon drive two months ago should have filled Buck Johnson’s and Skeeter Evans’ pockets. And it did – for a few weeks. Now they’re back to wrangling dragons to recoup their losses, attempting to round up unclaimed dragons in the mountainous Leptok Territory. But inadvertence, rogue dragons, and just sheer bad luck make this little venture more challenging than either of them expected. That’s why Buck grudgingly accepts help from Snort Jones, as well as from the Terullians Karlok and Xerlax, and welcomes an unsought and utterly unexpected development – something he thought was forever behind him.

"Rodeo on Terul" – It's rodeo time on Terul – bronc riding, yertl tripping, dragon team roping, korth barrel racing, and dragon riding. (And if you thought bullriding was dangerous, just take a look at dragon riding at Kerluk.) These are the events at the very first rodeo on planet Terul since the revival of the Intergalactic Rodeo Association. And Buck Johnson, Skeeter Evans, and Snort Jones are entered – using, of course, Buck's money to pay their entry fees. So, in order to get off Terul and find an easier life, they'll have to cowboy up and win some money. Still, if they hit a good lick, they can finally get off this sorry planet. But as every rodeo cowboy knows, a lot can go wrong before the final buzzer sounds and the last flag drops. It ain't over till the secretary signs the checks.