--- title: "The King of the City by Keith Laumer — Classic Ebook | Publica Now" description: "Read a free sample of The King of the City by Keith Laumer at Publica Now — a public-domain classic ebook, readable online." canonical: "https://publica.now/creators/vito/works/the-king-of-the-city" --- Literary # The King of the City by Keith Laumer [ V Vito ](https://publica.now/creators/vito) Follow $2.99 [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fthe-king-of-the-city) Secure payment on Stripe. publica.now never sees your card. Share Link copied Format epub Published May 03, 2026 Rating No reviews yet ![The King of the City](https://fls-a13cb2d7-1b3e-4883-a0bd-297afd110a11.367be3a2035528943240074d0096e0cd.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/works/01kqp6xmxyykxd30e15j48k073/editions/2026-09-06-html-v1/cover.png?X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=d29ce3bb571c165c97a702f29f7aee93%2F20261020%2Fauto%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261020T202202Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Signature=e93ddf94d9a28f08fcd4810c9dd78dd9bc1576c66acdd249b2c5c848f35953ac) ## About this work The city is close enough to see, but reaching it is another matter entirely. Tank traps, armored cars, and competing authorities have turned the road into a deadly trade, where an escort’s promise is simple: get the customer in and back out in one piece. With his last money gone and no other plan left, a newcomer walks into Haug Escort looking for work. After proving he can handle himself, he is assigned to guide Mr. Stenn through the city. Their vehicle is battered, their route is hazardous, and the briefing on conditions inside the city is anything but reassuring. Originally published in Galaxy Magazine in August 1961, Keith Laumer’s science-fiction adventure opens on a hard-edged world of dangerous roads, guarded borders, and uncertain loyalties. This Publica.now Classics edition includes a new typographic cover and publisher opening and closing pages. Sample ## Take a look inside THE KING OF THE CITY By KEITH LAUMER Illustrated by FINLAY \[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy Magazine August 1961. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.\] He was a sort of taxi-driver, delivering a commuter to the city. The tank traps and armored cars were the hazards of the trade! I stood in the shadows and looked across at the rundown lot with the windblown trash packed against the wire mesh barrier fence and the yellow glare panel that said HAUG ESCORT. There was a row of city-scarred hacks parked on the cracked ramp. They hadn't suffered the indignity of a wash-job for a long time. And the two-story frame building behind them—that had once been somebody's country house—now showed no paint except the foot-high yellow letters over the office door. Inside the office a short broad man with small eyes and yesterday's beard gnawed a cigar and looked at me. "Portal-to-portal escort cost you two thousand C's," he said. "Guaranteed." "Guaranteed how?" I asked. He waved the cigar. "Guaranteed you get into the city and back out again in one piece." He studied his cigar. "If somebody don't plug you first," he added. "How about a one-way trip?" "My boy got to come back out, ain't he?" I had spent my last brass ten-dollar piece on a cup of coffee eight hours before, but I had to get into the city. This was the only idea I had left. "You've got me wrong," I said. "I'm not a customer. I want a job." "Yeah?" He looked at me again, with a different expression, like a guy whose new-found girl friend has just mentioned a price. "You know Gra'nyauk?" "Sure," I said. "I grew up here." He asked… [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fthe-king-of-the-city) The sample continues in the full work. [ #city ](/search?query=city) [ #escort ](/search?query=escort) [ #taxi-driver ](/search?query=taxi-driver) [ #hacks ](/search?query=hacks) [ #commuter ](/search?query=commuter) [ #saloon ](/search?query=saloon) [ #spaceport ](/search?query=spaceport) ## Reviews No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts. [Sign in to leave a review](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcreators%2Fvito%2Fworks%2Fthe-king-of-the-city) No reviews yet. 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