Russell Zimmerman – författare

A New Shadowrun Short Story!WHERE THERE'S SMOKE...Most Awakened folks in the Sixth World have Mentor Spirits to help them navigate the vast, often confusing world of magic. Many times, the mage chooses a spirit that compliments them, and can help them out in tough situations.And then there's Jimmy Kincaid.THERE'S DEFINITELY FIRE.Kincaid's never been one for taking the easy road, and to say his life is complicated is like saying water's wet. And when a simple trace job leads to a nest of Humanis thugs that have captured a metahuman hostage, well the voice of his Mentor Spirit isn't whispering peace and goodwill in the P.I.'s ear.Because Kincaid's Mentor Spirit is Adversary…and Adversary just wants to see the world burn… Will Jimmy resist his mentor's siren call of death and destruction…or give in to those darker instincts and just level the entire place?

NO PLACE FOR A HERO... Jimmy Kincaid, burned-out mage, P. I., and the closest thing Puyallup's got to a hero, has a lot on his plate these days. Simmering gang wars, feuding mobsters, missing runaways, magical power only as reliable as his stubborn sorcerous patron, and—well above his usual pay grade—an encrypted data file that's already cost him friends, but that he can't even access. When the always-dangerous troubles of the Seattle sprawl deepen into a bloody conspiracy with ties to neighboring nations and inhuman powers, he knows he's on the job of his life. Facing the longest of long odds, Kincaid's all too aware that the house always wins. Luckily, he's not alone. A man like Jimmy can't walk these shadowed streets without making enemies, but he's made allies, too. With the help of his bounty-hunting best friends, an up-and-coming shadowrunner team, a former Lone Star detective who's short in stature but big in style, and his loyal, albeit flighty ally spirit, Jimmy's stacked the deck in his favor. Maybe he's got a shot after all. Maybe he can make it all work. Maybe he can find the right balance, share the right truths, and make something good out of a whole lot of bad. Of course, the problem with a house of cards is it just takes one good hit to bring it all tumbling down…

DARKNESS EVERYWHERE... The Sixth World is a dangerous place, with deadly hazards lurking around every corner. Everywhere shadowrunners go, from the top of the world to the deepest, darkest Sprawl neighborhood, someone’s always looking to make their rep by taking you down. World of Shadows is the second anthology of original Shadowrun short stories, each one showcasing some of the most far-flung, treacherous locations around the world. From a scientific mission gone wrong in the snowy wilds of Russia to an AR nightclub in Morocco sheltering runners on the lam to a recovering runner drawn into a deadly web of intrigue in the darkest alleys of Hong Kong, these eighteen original short stories explore exotic settings far off the beaten path. Featuring stories by Michael A. Stackpole, Mel Odom, Jean Rabe, Aaron Rosenberg, Phaedra Weldon, Annie Bellet, Chris A. Jackson and many others, find out what happens when shadowrunners have to battle not only with ever-present threat of the corps and Mr. Johnson, but also the dangers of the very land they stand on. Featuring stories by: Michael A. Stackpole Jennifer Brozek Chris A. Jackson Annie Bellet Stephen Dedman Russell Zimmerman Maxwell Alexander Drake Steven S. Long Phaedra Weldon Aaron Rosenberg Thomas Gofton Patrick Goodman Jean Rabe Dylan Birtolo Jason M. Hardy Malik Toms R.L. King Mel Odom

THE MEANEST STREETS...James Kincaid is the type of guy who might be described as down on his luck, if only he'd had some luck to begin with. Like so many people in the shadows of Seattle, he's trying to get by with what he has. In his case, that includes a lively spirit, a sadly diminished magical talent, quick wits, and good knowledge of the twists and turns of the city's dingy streets and back alleys. He puts all that to the service of whatever clients he can dig up, solving whatever cases they're willing to pay him to take on. With any luck, he'll scrape up enough nuyen to buy a few rounds of his favorite drink—whiskey, neat.His latest case seems simple enough—find a missing girl. But throw in a couple feuding megacorporations, a few organized crime families, and a full selection of the odd denizens of Seattle's streets, and you've got a case that's anything but easy. It's up to Kincaid to see how many people he can keep alive—including (and especially) himself.

THE TAROT HAS AWAKENED…The Tarot, a powerful divination artifact, has appeared in the Sixth World. It works its will on anyone who finds one of its mystical cards, from runners surviving on the street to corp executives battling in the boardroom. And not just people’s lives will be changed, for the Awakened Tarot deck is more than just a formidable magic item, it has an agenda all its own, and will use those it comes in contact with to set its plans in motion…Drawing Destiny is the latest original Shadowrun anthology, featuring twenty-three original stories about this brand-new artifact introduced into the game universe. Featuring stories from Michael A. Stackpole, Jennifer Brozek, Chris A. Jackson, Lucy A. Snyder, Aaron Rosenberg, R.L. King, Russell Zimmerman, Josh Vogt, Jason M. Hardy, and 14 more authors, these stories reveal how the Awakened Tarot will impact the Sixth World for better, and sometimes, for much worse…

Never one to take the full burden of command, can Castellan-Colonel Roane lead a ragtag group of soldiers through the fires of a civil war? Hard choices await him as he tries to forge his unit into shape.

WHERE NOBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME…Things don't rise to gutters, they fall there. Same with back alleys and dumpsters. Same with graves. Running the shadows comes with ups and downs, but you never know where those rises and falls will take you. What someone else might call rock bottom…you might call Tuesday.Collected here for the first time, read Russell Zimmerman's Shadowrun tales of winners, losers, and edge cases constantly somewhere in between. No longer just scattered across sourcebooks and decades, here you can find every short story and intro fiction featuring everyone's favorite shadow legends rubbing elbows with wannabes and not-shadowrunners-at-all-just-ask-them.But it's not all yesterday's news, chummers. More than just a collection of previously published short fiction, between these covers you'll find a handful of brand-new stories, including a classic, pre-On the Rocks Jimmy Kincaid yarn. Also, each one comes with brand new commentary by the author, written expressly for this volume.Enjoy short stories about hearts and souls, elves and trolls, and rock and roll? Then join us here, and explore these dark streets…

THE STREETS ARE ABOUT TO EXPLODE… And Puyallup's local paranormal investigator Jimmy Kincaid is caught right in the middle of it. The neighborhood's criminal syndicates are on the brink of all-out war, and if they go at it, the streets will run red—literally. But Jimmy's got more problems besides trying to keep the peace between feuding mobsters. Someone's sending him a very particular message by sending him severed limbs. And then there's the pairs of hitmen coming after him. Last but certainly not least, he's got to broker a deal between the biggest elven street gang in Seattle and a vicious Triad gang—and not get himself killed in the bargain. And when an old enemy comes to town for revenge, Jimmy finds his already fairly chaotic life completely upended—and never to be the same again. To settle the score, he'll have to face off against the deadliest assassin ever to stalk the Seattle streets—and use every bit of skill, guile, and luck he has to survive…

SHADOWRUNNERS OF ALL KINDS…Shadowrunners don't live only in the shadows. Sometimes, they break into the light. In Sixth World Snapshots, get a glimpse of shadowrunner lives from all over the Sixth World. Watch a senior citizen shadowrunner punish a corporation for its greed—and get paid at the same time. Root for your favorite contestant in a glitzy cooking contest held in the wild and wooly Barrens. Follow a detective as he becomes prey for the wild hunt. Find out what really happened to Roger Soaring Owl. Discover these stories and so much more in Sixth World Snapshots.Featuring stories by: Marie BilodeauJennifer BrozekSean HollandJason MalloryDavid McDonaldAlina PeteChristopher D. SchmitzBryan CP SteeleBrandie TarvinPhaedra WeldonRussell Zimmerman