Elitist Book Reviews

Been a long time! Miss me? Of course you did, what a stupid question. Well a new Larry Correia book is out and you couldn't expect me to pass up an opportunity to read/review it now could you? Another stupid question - I'm Correia's biggest fan. But, of all Larry's books DEAD SIX has probably been the one I've liked the least. That's not to say that DEAD SIX is a bad book, but I didn't consider it up to Larry's standards. It was fun and action-packed but the writing was a little rough around the edges, the collaboration between Correia and Kupari wasn't seamless, I wasn't sold on the characters, and I couldn't find any merit in either of the romantic relationships. That said, I wasn't discounting the series as the second half of the novel runs a whole lot smoother than the first. I'm quite pleased to say that SWORDS OF EXODUS by Larry Correia and Mike Kupari is infinitely better.

If you haven't read DEAD SIX the following description could be considered spoilerish. Please skip the italicized portion if this is the case.

As DEAD SIX closes Michael Valentine has been captured by the US black ops group only known as Majestic. The paramilitary force known as the Swords of Exodus want Valentine - they know the location of the secret base where he is being held but they need an expert thief to help them break in.

Lorenzo is enjoying a hard-earned retirement on a personally owned island with his girlfriend. He has left behind a life of crime and violence for love. But then Exodus comes knocking at his door with bad news. Lorenzo's brother has been kidnapped. Exodus is willing to help find him, but in return Lorenzo must free Valentine from the clutches of Majestic. 

Meanwhile, deep in former Soviet Central Asia, a warlord has risen in the power vacuum left by Big Eddie's death. In a lawless international town known as the Crossroads weapons, drugs, and slaves are trafficked under the warlord's watchful gaze. Exodus has marked the tyrant for death but assaulting such a stronghold will not be easy and soon Valentine and Lorenzo will find themselves in far deeper than ever before. 

I wasn't sold on Valentine or Lorenzo after finishing DEAD SIX. I didn't like the relationships that either character entered into or how those relationships progressed. I'm a stickler for romance as you may have noticed by now. If it's going to be done then it needs to be done well - and I just did not see that happening in the first book. I also couldn't help but grimace at the number of coincidences that had Valentine and Lorenzo bumping into each other early on in the novel. I understood the purpose and I was a fan of the concept - two diametrically opposed anti-heroes continually antagonizing each other - but after a while I found that the excuse of "coincidence wore thin."

SWORDS OF EXODUS manages to improve on both of these aspects. If you read the first book then you know what happens with Valentine's love interest. I find that this coupled with the torture he suffers at the hands of Majestic interrogation make Valentine a much more interesting character. He is a much harder man this time around and it lends credence to the mercenary personality. Another love interest pops up (to my dismay) but this one is played more subtle and slowly. It's far more complicated and that is much easier to swallow. I'm still not sold on Lorenzo's relationship but I do appreciate that it grounds him and gives him a vulnerability that he would otherwise be lacking. It's also worth nothing that the duo work better when they're on the same side, attacking a problem from different directions and with different modus operandi. The antagonism is still there (it takes no effort to believe that these two dudes dislike each other) but the plot doesn't rely on coincidence to connect their individual threads.

"If there were pots of gold at the end of rainbows, I can only assume that you'd have a lot of gold and there'd be a lot of murdered leprechauns buried in Ireland."

One of the cool things about SWORDS OF EXODUS is that our two reluctant heroes are forced to work alongside some less than scrupulous characters in order to further their goals. Anders makes an appearance and I was almost able to forget all the horrible things he did in DEAD SIX. Almost. Then there's Katarina, a truly terrifying she-devil that makes Lorenzo look like a box of kittens. Reaper is back of course, and we meet some fanatics from Exodus. As far as Correia villains go Sala Jihan, the Pale Man, leaves a little to be desired. He remains a mysterious character throughout all of SWORDS OF EXODUS and so his motivation is never really touched upon. In a way this shroud of secrecy makes Jihan even more sinister, but it's unlikely he'll (yet) be remembered as one of the top picks from Larry's rogues gallery.

The Crossroads is an extremely cool setting. It's like the Wild West - if the Wild West were set in the unforgiving mountains on the border of Russia and China. It's the sort of place where someone can be gunned down on the street and no one would bother to look twice. It's dangerous and exotic and it fits Valentine and Lorenzo like a glove. Much of the novel takes place here, though there are brief stints in the United States and a short tour of Exodus's base of operations.

Exodus is fleshed out much more this time around (as befits the title) though there are a number of mysteries surrounding the organization for the next book to explore. The same goes for Valentine, Majestic, Project Blue, and even Sala Jihan. I will say that my biggest problem of the novel might be how little is revealed in the end. There are a lot of secrets floating around and it feels as though very few of them are exposed during SWORDS OF EXODUS. It's the secrets tied to Sala Jihan that left me pondering the novel long after I finished reading it. Without saying too much it seems as though there might be some supernatural elements surrounding the Pale Man, and though this could easily be contributed to PSYOPS it still has me wondering what direction the third novel in the series will take.

SWORDS OF EXODUS is a bit of a slow burner compared to DEAD SIX but I'd hesitate to call this a bad thing. Correia and Kupari set up an epic final assault that is well worth the price of admission alone. Once again it is clear that these two authors write what they know and the action is as crisp and clear as has come to be expected. In a recent article it was suggested that Larry Correia is eligible to be one of several possible successors to the late great Tom Clancy. It's not just the action that proves this, but also the eye for technical detail, politics, and conspiracy. I'd like to add that if Correia is a potential successor than Mike Kupari certainly deserves to be credited as well. That problem I had with the collaboration in the first book? It's non-existent in SWORDS OF EXODUS. It would be difficult to find where Larry's writing stops and where Mike's starts. It is a seamless product and I commend the two for making it so. And you know what? If we're lucky the third book in the series might be Correia and Kupari's equivalent of Clancy's RED STORM RISING, what I consider to be the single best techno-thriller, military fiction book ever written.

Recommended Age: 16+
Violence: If Larry ever writes a non-violent book I'll be sure to warn you.
Profanity: A good amount.
Sex: One particularly suggestive scene but nothing explicit.

Get SWORDS OF EXODUS here.
Get the first book, DEAD SIX here.

WARBOUND is the third entry in New York Times Bestselling Author, Larry Correia's urban fantasy epic, Grimnoir Chronicles. Though Larry has suggested the possibility of future books set in the Grimnoirverse, WARBOUND wraps up the particular story arc began with HARD MAGIC (an all-time favorite of mine). This is the first time Larry has concluded a series, and so I greeted WARBOUND with much excitement and a degree of reservation. As Larry's fans are well aware, this man knows how to kick off a series with flair - but would he be able to end one in a similar fashion?

In short: well, duh! If you need continued convincing, read on. If not, you've probably had WARBOUND on pre-order for months now, and are just waiting for its release date in August to finally roll around.

Heavy Jake Sullivan is commanding a mission into Imperium territory, on the hunt for an alien from another dimension, aboard an experimental zeppelin, kept afloat with hydrogen, crewed by sky pirates, geared for war by John Moses Browning, and laden with Grimnoir Society knight wielding an array of abilities to rival the X-Men. Sally Faye Vierra, presumed dead, is searching Europe for a man capable of training her to be the Spellbound. With the threat of the Enemy looming ever nearer, Faye may be humanity's single hope for survival - or its ultimate demise. How's that for an elevator pitch?

Waiting a year for WARBOUND was almost unbearable (am I spoiled or what?) but it was sooo worth it. Having just come off a high from playing BIOSHOCK INFINITE, this served as the perfect chaser. Airships? Check. Magical powers? Check. Political problems? Check. Compelling characters? Check. Action? Check, checkity check check check.

WARBOUND has an incredibly diverse cast, populated with awesome characters (any one of which could carry a solo novel). We've got Jake Sullivan, reliable as gravity - the war hero turned convict, turned private investigator, turned knight of the Grimnoir Society. There's Sally Faye Vierra - the badass teleporting death machine with a cheery disposition. There's Iron Guard Toru, Pirate Bob the airship captain, wealthy industrialist Francis Stuyvesant, John Moses Browing, Pemberly Hammer - the Bureau of Investigation's human lie detector...the list goes on and on. Of the new characters Doctor Wells is easily a favorite. Jake recruits Wells, a sociopath inmate of Rockville Penitentiary, in order to outwit the Imperium and the Pathfinder. Wells channels his inner Hannibal Lecter, making a memorable supporting character.

What's great is that these aren't all typical action heroes. Many of them can slug it out all day, but there are scientists, doctors, diplomats, detectives, serial killers, and engineers present. The Enemy cannot be defeated solely by the force of arms - saving the world will take some finesse.

I will admit to being slightly disappointed that characters such as Francis, Dan, Pemberly, and Heinrich have smaller roles this go around. WARBOUND definitely belongs to Jake, Toru, and Faye. This isn't a major complaint as I love the relationship that develops between Jake and Toru, and Faye is...well, Faye. Honestly, it's impossible not to love Faye. The new characters do much to make up for the absence, but it's still noticeable. After all, I was redshirted by Heinrich in SPELLBOUND!

The Grimnoir Chronicles' alternate history has always been one of its greatest selling points. This is a world that would have carried on much like our own without the arrival of the Power. World War I was even more horrific with the addition of magical powers thrown into the mix, ending only with the firing of a Tesla super weapon. Adolph Hitler and the Third Reich never rose to power, but the Japanese Imperium did - guided by the dreaded Chairman. Despite the assassination of the Chairman in HARD MAGIC the Imperium is drawing closer to all out war with the West. In the United States the government moves to register the magical Actives in order to provide greater "security" for the nation. Semi-historical quotes set the opening of each chapter and historical figures like Raymond Chandler, Buckminster Fuller, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John Moses Browning, and even Grigori Rasputin make appearances.

It's an extremely cool setting, featuring magically augmented technology that is vastly more impressive than anything you'll find in the Steampunk genre. The zeppelins of The Grimnoir Chronicles are remarkable (Jake's experimental airship has firepower just shy of a Great War heavy cruiser). There are robots and all manner of deadly cool toys. WARBOUND even features Power armor. Power armor!

"Magic was nice in a fight...but it never hurt to back it up with bullets."

With WARBOUND Correia takes urban fantasy into all out war. No other author I have ever encountered writes action quite like Larry. If you have ever wanted to read about a soldier and a samurai, each encased in Power enhanced armor, engaging legions of warrior-magicians with heavy firepower and explosive magic as an entire city devolves into chaos around them...well here you go! I love the magic system of The Grimnoir Chronicles. It's interesting and intricate, each ability has limitations and dangers. It's a system that evolves over the course of the series, almost as if it is given a character arc of its own.

Larry succeeds in bringing the series to a close while leaving room open for other novels set in the Grimnoirverse. The plot is full of victories and defeats, and I was personally impressed at the level of problem solving. This is a big action novel but it would be foolish to confuse it with a big dumb action novel. Becoming The One is much less about prophecy in the case of Faye, and much more about understanding the mechanics of the world surrounding her. Fighting the Enemy isn't about charging in guns blazing, so much as identifying the motivations and actions of its pawns. There's a really cool meta-moment involving the illustrations of Zachary Hill, peppered throughout the series. WARBOUND is a worthy sequel, a satisfying conclusion, and a reminder of Larry's storytelling prowess (not that one was even needed). I'm sad to see The Grimnoir Chronicles end (for now) but I'm excited, as always, to see what comes next for the King of Pulp, Larry Correia.

Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Some, not as much as, say, MONSTER HUNTER LEGION.
Violence: Erm, yeahhh. Faye is creatively violent, Jake can increase gravity to smoosh people, and Toru wields an 80 pound tetsubo.
Sex: Hinted at one point, but not in any sort of explicit manner.

Want it? Get it here.

Haven't read book one or two yet? Shame on you!
HARD MAGIC
SPELLBOUND

It's that time of the year again folks. That magical time signaling the announcement of another book release from the reigning champion of urban fantasy. May I humbly present to you MONSTER HUNTER LEGION, fourth book of the New York Times Best-Selling series written by pulp fiction juggernaut Larry Correia.

Disclaimer: Larry Correia is my favorite author. I am a Monster Hunter/Grimnoir Chronicles fanboy. This does not, however, mean that I will ever give Larry a free pass when it comes to a review. I am a critic first and foremost and I do not believe in coddling authors. That said, MONSTER HUNTER LEGION is Larry's most flawless book to date. Not my favorite of his novels, mind you, but certainly the most complete and substantial.

Hunters from around the world travel to Las Vegas for the first ever monster eradication conference. Not long into the conference a World War II weapon experiment awakes in the desert and goes on a rampage, spurring a race amongst the international hunting community to bag this rare monster. There is trouble brewing and it will be up to Owen Zastava Pitt and his co-workers at Monster Hunter International to prevent a nightmare creature from turning Sin City into hell.

This is book four of the Monster Hunter series, and this series is still going strong. After a brief stint with Earl Harbinger in Northern Michigan during MONSTER HUNTER ALPHA I was pleased to be back under the narration of Owen Pitt, combat accountant. First person narrative requires a strong personality to succeed and I had forgotten just how lovable Owen is. Only Owen could be set loose in Las Vegas with tons of cash and end up at a buffet. The first ever monster hunting conference provides an excellent opportunity to really expand the hunting community. We haven't really seen a lot of competition from rival companies so far in the series, and that makes a large gathering of them that much cooler. Owen turns out to be a bit of a celebrity among the crowd, being the God Slayer and all, and a very disturbing pattern starts to emerge when the hunters start comparing notes...Something very, very bad is on the horizon. Something worse than anything our heroes have faced to date.

The pacing doesn't skip a bit. MONSTER HUNTER LEGION starts out slow but strong. Readers are introduced to new allies and new enemies, including the extremely creepy Mr. Stricken. It would appear that there are some government organizations worse than the Monster Control Bureau and Special Task Force Unicorn is one of them. With our own government playing hardball and an impending war of supernatural proportions inching ever closer, the tension is palpable. Whereas the other books in the series give off a more action-oriented vibe, MONSTER HUNTER LEGION just oozes menace. This is a horror novel through and through. It is just a horror novel where the horny college kids are replaced by heavily armed professionals.

The characters are the best you'll find in the urban fantasy genre or any other. Owen is the very essence of restrained violence with an incredibly dysfunctional family, and yet he is an impossibly upbeat man. No lame anti-heroes here. The things Owen says are frequently funny (there is a ton of humor to balance out all the terror of this book) and his can-do attitude is only tempered by his extraordinary ability to inflict pain on the undead and unnatural. Then we have Owen's wife, Julie, who is living with the ever present threat of her curse. This go-around we don't get a lot of Earl or Agent Franks but that's fine because Earl just had his own novel and the Agent Franks novel is on the way. Skippy and Edward get plenty of stage time. The MHI crew is also joined by Tanya, the trailer park elf. Trip, Holly, and Owen's brother Mosh get some extra depth, which I felt was a nice touch. Throw in a bunch of professional monster hunters from overseas and you have a pretty rockin' party.

Then there are the villains. I already touched on Mr. Stricken, the strange and vile fellow that makes Agent Myers and Agent Franks look like Boy Scouts. I am eager to learn more about Stricken and Special Task Force Unicorn in future entries. I love that the main villain of each book is so completely different. One of Larry's specialties (because he has quite a few) is writing sympathetic bad guys. They may be completely evil, or even lesser degrees of evil, but he always makes them possible to relate to. No mustache-twirling ne'er-do-wells here. The villain this time around has a tragic story from a dark time in American history. At the same time, that doesn't make the baddie any less dangerous. The Big Bad this time is pretty awful, while still only being a precursor for what is to come. And if Owen's past opponents are any indicator the war humanity is facing will not be pretty.

When it comes to Correia novels I save describing the action for the end. Larry is the gold standard when it comes to writing action. I have even recommended that publishers slap a Larry Correia Seal of Approval on books that meet the necessary action requirements. The thing is, the man knows his guns. He knows how to orchestrate beautiful battles with explosions that would make Michael Bay weep. As I mentioned earlier, MONSTER HUNTER LEGION is a little more subdued than its predecessors. This time around the steady build of tension is the primary thrilling factor but you better believe that when the finale comes around it is pure adrenaline overdrive.

Larry Correia is sort of like Raymond Chandler meets H.P. Lovecraft with a fully automatic shotgun. If all the literary snobs want to get together and declare his novels to be pulp then fine, Larry is the King of Pulp. MONSTER HUNTER LEGION is a superb continuation of the series, not the man's best novel to date but easily his most solid. If you have read his books before then you are just reading this review to humor me - you've already ordered this book. If you haven't read any Correia yet and you wonder what Twilight would have been like if Bella's dad had brought out the twelve gauge and plugged Edward the glittery vampire, then this is the series for you.

Recommended Age: 16+
Language: More than I remember from the rest of the series but it's not overabundant.
Violence: Hah! Hahaha! Are you kidding me? This is the man that INVENTED violence.
Sex: Nada.

Want it? Of course you do. While you are at it, grab the first three novels in one handy (and heavy) omnibus. You know, so your set matches.

THE MONSTER HUNTERS
MONSTER HUNTER LEGION.

If you are a fan of Larry Correia's work, you've had a sweet year. MONSTER HUNTER ALPHA. DEAD SIX. HARD MAGIC. Yeah...that's some good reading. You know from my reviews that I have liked all of these books. But of all of them, HARD MAGIC is the one that grabbed my attention. It marked the start of a terrific Alternate History Urban Fantasy Dieselpunk Science Fiction Fantasy novel. For the sake of having a usable category, I call it Urban Fantasy.

Anyway...

The second book in the Grimnoir Chronicles, SPELLBOUND, is out, and it has everything good from the first book plus even more awesomeness. This is my favorite series by Correia. Period. Look, I love his other works, but this alternate take on 1930's USA is freaking great.

Following up on the crazy events on book 1 (in other words, go buy book one now and stop reading this review), all (mostly) of the main characters are back. No one really believes that Faye is as powerful as she is, or that she accomplished what she did in the first book. All of the main people in the government are pointing fingers at the Grimnoir knights and saying how dangerous they are (think Mutant Registration Act from X-Men), and they seem to be proven right when the President of the US is nearly assassinated. The crime is pinned on the knights, and things go from bad to worse.

Here is what impresses me about Larry Correia: he is always trying to get better. His books sell well and entertain a huge number of people. But even he knows that he had issues in his early books. There would be pacing problems here and there, and often the female characters needed a bit more depth. The mark of a good author is when that author looks at the fair critiques of his work and busts his butt to improve in those areas. Correia exemplifies this trait, and all you have to do is look at the insane difference in quality between MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL and SPELLBOUND. Night and day, people. Night and day. And it's not like MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL was a bad book. I thought it was great.

What I noticed in SPELLBOUND was how Correia was able to better control and juggle a large cast of characters. Even a step further; not just juggle them, but let them grow before the readers' eyes. Both Faye and Sullivan are freaking awesome. The side characters have enough detail to carry the scenes from their PoV, but not so much to take away from the studs of the show.

I also feel like Correia's plotting is better. He's good at having a very defined focus for what he wants to accomplish in the novel. As a result, I never really felt like this book was the middle book in a series or purely setup. It has a life--and a vibrant one at that--of its own.

Do I even need to mention the action? I mean, really? The day Larry Correia stops writing awesome action sequences is the day I will recommend Dan Brown as the greatest ever (never going to happen). We've got giant monsters and freaking robots in SPELLBOUND. And a samurai. And more demons. Yeah.

Now. There is one thing I want Correia to work on. He isn't bad at it by any means, but when so many things are going right in a novel, even little things tend to stand out. I need more tragedy. When Correia puts it in, he does it pretty well (just look at the very end of ALPHA). But I feel like we don't get it enough. There are a few good scenes in SPELLBOUND, but I feel like they came juuuuuuuuuust short. It's like the difference between hitting a Triple vs a Home Run in a baseball game. Or a long pass play in football (American version) that goes for 60 yards...only to have the receiver tackled at the 1 yard line. Still great plays, but maaaaaannnn was it almost unbelievable. I don't want it to seem like I'm bashing Correia here. I'm not. His emotionally charged scenes are pretty good, but Correia is right on the edge of absolutely killing it.

So, should you be reading this series? Well duh. In my opinion, the Grimnoir Chronicles has the best story, best characters and best writing of all of Larry Correia's novels. SPELLBOUND is Larry Correia's best book in his best series. I loved it.

Recommended Age: 15 and up.
Language: Yup, but less than, say, DEAD SIX or MHA
Violence: Of course. I'd be a bit worried if there wasn't any.
Sex: Nope.

Admit it. Once upon a time you read Tom Clancy too. There's no shame in that admission. Clancy had some awesome stuff...you know, before he just seemed to lose his touch. CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. WITHOUT REMORSE. Yeah. Awesome. But here's the thing, there came a point where the story took a back seat to Clancy showing off how much he knew about the technical aspects of everything military related. If you go on for a full chapter talking about how a bullet works, and then don't do anything with that chunk of pages, you're doing it wrong in my opinion. It's about the story. It's about the characters.

Tom Clancy went away well before he wrote TEETH OF THE TIGER (I still shudder), and there wasn't really anyone who captured my imagination the same way.

This is the part where a lesser reviewer would say, "Until now!" I refuse to say that.

DEAD SIX is Military Fiction. It is also Larry Correia's first published collaborative novel. DEAD SIX is co-written with Mike Kupari, a newcomer to the writing scene. Now, I've read a lot of Larry Corriea's solo work. Typically it involves monsters get shot in the face with guns. Larry is unapologetically pulp. He writes for the fun factor, and he's proud of it. But here's the thing, he actually knows his stuff when it comes to weapons and the military.

When I read Military Fiction, I've noticed that if the author (or in this case, the co-author) is a guy who was/is actually in the military, the novel has some added "pop" to it. This is where Mike Kupari comes in. The guy, by definition, is a complete stud. Have you seen "The Hurt Locker"? It's about those crazy guys that go defuse bombs that are set with the intention of killing, well, everyone. Kupari is one of those guys. Seriously. Writer, off duty. Bomb defusing guy filled with awesome when in the field. Credibility? Pssshh. He sweats out more credibility in an afternoon that most of us every gain in a lifetime. And as cliché as it sounds, you wouldn't know by reading the novel that Kupari is new to the writing scene.

DEAD SIX is written from two First Person PoVs, each written by one of the authors. One PoV is Lorenzo, one of the best thieves and assassins in the world. His job is to kill the other PoV, Valentine. Valentine is a member of Dead Six, an elite military organization that is sent to the Persian Gulf nation of Zubara to perform counter-terror operations.

So how does DEAD SIX read? It reads like the good Clancy novels where the focus is on character and and story rather than textbook-like, useless details. There is a lot of action here. Kupari writes like a pro I never expected from a first-time author, and Correia writes like the pro author I've come to expect. This novel is actually pretty grim. The body-count is really high. Both Kupari and Correia manage to keep the tone dark and serious, all the while giving the reader enough humor to keep things from being too depressing.

Every little while I would stop an say, "Man, that was crazy over-the-top!" But then I would stop and think, "Nah, not really that over-the-top at all. Kinda scary. AND EVEN BETTER!!"

Here is what I like the most about this novel. I absolutely love the way the two PoVs contrast, yet have similarities. They are very much like opposite sides of the same coin. When they start having indirect interactions with each other, the enjoyment factor for the reader skyrockets. Then when they have direct interactions, it gets even better. This is the reason why I've always been a fan of collaborations. When both authors feed off of each other, the story's quality is insanely awesome. This is truly a case where the novel is greater than the sum of its two fantastic parts.

I'm pretty much always impressed by the way Correia goes about his business. It's why I like him, and why I will always read his novels. Not to take anything away from Correia (long-distance high-five, buddy), but I was seriously impressed by Kupari. I knew which author wrote each PoV (nope, not telling), and there was no drop-off in quality from one co-author to the other. I ran into Kupari at a local convention and told him as much. I don't think he believed me. You all know me well enough by now to know that I always tell the truth (and that I'm the most humble guy in the entire universe...by far). When I say it, I mean it. Kupari could stop being Captain America today and become a successful author.

So did I like DEAD SIX? Nope. I friggin' loved it. Every word of every page. I haven't felt this taken by straight-up Military Fiction since I read CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER.

Buy it.

Recommended Age: 17+
Language: Military, assassins and crime lords. Yeah. A lot.
Violence: I feel silly even discussing this in a Military Fiction novel. Tons.
Sex: Nothing detailed.

There comes a time in nearly every series where the side characters of the first two or three novels become so interesting that they take on a life of their own. The readers beg, plead and offer bribes to the author for more information or more "screen time" for their beloved side-character. A lot of times we see this in the form of some short stories or novellas. But if we are lucky (sometimes), we get a full novel with that chosen side character as the main focus.

This was the case with Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series. From the moment the character Earl Harbinger was introduced in MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL, fans pleaded for Larry to write more about the werewolf. Larry relented, and we have MONSTER HUNTER ALPHA to show for it.

This novel will easily please Correia's legions of fans. So often the danger in writing a full story focused on a side character is that it doesn't feel natural or full developed. More often than not the story feels like a money grab. MONSTER HUNTER ALPHA, fortunately for everyone, never falls prey to those problems. In fact, the novel succeeds at feeling very fresh and different from the previous Monster Hunter stories.

It starts following the events of MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA with Harbinger deciding to write down his crazy past. So what we have is a series of journal entries describing how Harbinger became the werewolf he is today. The entries ride a fine line of almost overpowering the actual modern-day story without actually managing to do so--yeah, they are completely awesome. The current portion of the story deals with Harbinger being notified that his nemesis (an ex-KGB werewolf) is running around the woods of Michigan. The novel plays out a bit like the isolation horror tale of 30 Days of Night, but using werewolves instead of vampires.

The action of the novel is, of course, extremely well done. There aren't too many people that pull off action in Urban Fantasy as well as Correia does, and he doesn't disappoint here. From the accurate gun-play to the brutal claw-to-claw werewolf battles, it will have you grinning ear-to-ear.

It's mentioned in every review of Correia's novels on this blog, and it will continue to be mentioned until people wise up. Correia doesn't just write mindless action novels. His characters are what keep the readers interested. This side-character story succeeds because Harbinger is a great character with a detailed past. All the other characters of the novel are new, and they all manage to entertain. Deputy Heather Kerkonen is a fantastic new cast member. As usual there won't be any spoilers in this review, but it's worth mentioning that Kerkonen doesn't come off as a copy of the other female characters in the Monster Hunter series. And truthfully some short stories about her adventures would be awesome (probably not a full novel, but a series of connected short stories would totally be great). You'll understand once your read ALPHA.

So were there any issues? Of course. No novel is perfect. The thing is, most of the issues are kinda supposed to be in the novel. This isn't Cormac McCarthy. It's a B-movie monster killing novel with lots of guns. Expect a ton of silly one-liners. Expect over-the-top feats of strength and awesomeness. That's the way Larry Correia writes his novels, and they are more fun for it. Look, if you aren't having fun while reading MONSTER HUNTER ALPHA, you're taking it too seriously. MONSTER HUNTER ALPHA is pure, undiluted fun.

Now, whether or not you like this more or less than the previous Monster Hunter novels will be up to you. Some people really like the main-line Owen Pitt novels. Others will welcome this change of pace. Pretty much everyone is waiting for the Agent Franks novel (soooooooo excited!). To each his (or her) own. Just go buy the freaking book and decide for yourself.

Recommended Age: 17 and up.
Violence: Oh man. This book was brutal. There's a scene with a giant wood-chipper thing that is just messed up.
Language: There is more in this novel than previous ones due to the cast of characters.
Sex: Nope.

There are very few authors whose body of work makes us cackle with boyish glee. Chris Wooding is one. Jonathan Maberry another. Recently Sarah Pinborough has joined those ranks. For those of you keeping score, when Larry Correia writes something new we drop everything. You can then find us camped out with a flashlight in the living room under a tent made of sheets and blankets. Never mind we own our own homes.

We are just going to come out and say it: Larry Correia’s HARD MAGIC, book 1 of the Grimnoir Chronicles, is completely fun and awesome. Everyone knows how much we like his Monster Hunter series. We like this one more. Much more. Everything about HARD MAGIC is positively saturated with style…

…well, and explosions of course.

HARD MAGIC takes place during an alternate USA of the 20’s and 30’s (mostly 30's). Magic has been reintroduced into the world which has obviously changed it dramatically. There is some detective story stuff here and some magic. But apart from those automatic “win buttons” the main thing that Larry’s novel has going for it is its epic foundation. This is Epic Alternate Historical Urban Fantasy...with superheroes…kinda. Yeah. Tell us that doesn’t sound completely fun and awesome if executed right. And yes, Larry does it right.

You may be tempted to dismiss Larry as a pure action author. The style (and ‘splosions) over substance type. The explosions and violence are there, and they are GLORIOUS! But we’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Larry’s work is deceptive. No doubt we read his work for the gun-play (one of the best out there) and the B-movie feeling it all invokes. But if we are honest with ourselves—and you readers of course—we would have to admit we read Larry’s work for the characters. HARD MAGIC, in our opinion, has the best character work of all Larry’s novels so far.

To understand the characters, we should probably talk a bit about the main magic system of the novel. Rare individuals have the ability to perform a certain type of magic. Some can alter their own personal gravity. Some can teleport. Some use animals in a borderline possession way. Others can perform miraculous healing feats while their opposites can cause plagues. In the back of the novel you’ll find a list and description of them all. They sound a bit like superheroes, and there's nothing wrong with it. You readers of MISTBORN will feel very comfortable picking up the magic of this created world.

One of the main characters of the novel is Jake Sullivan. He is one of those individuals that can alter his personal gravity—a Heavy. He’s been in wars (we get some awesome history here), he’s been a P.I., and he’s been in prison. Now he’s on loan to the Feds. Simply put, Sullivan is terrific. He is very reminiscent of the Owen Pitt character from the Monster Hunter universe (some would say a tad too similar), but has enough differences to make him his own character. For starters, Sullivan is more intelligent. The sequences in the novel that show the research Sullivan is doing on magic are fantastic and are VERY character building.

While there are a ton of characters in the novel—none of with we can point at with dislike—the other main character we want to mention is Faye—a Traveler (aka teleporter). We want to mention this character specifically because Larry does such a great job of keeping her, well, female-ish. So many male authors have such a hard time writing female PoVs (just as female authors have trouble writing male PoVs). Faye goes through some traumatic events early in the novel, and there is a need to balance this “lost youth” and innocence with the incredible power he grows into as the novel progresses…not to mention all from a female’s PoV. Tough stuff, yet Larry pulls it off. We don’t mean to snub the female characters from his other novels, but Faye is not only the best female character Larry has put on paper, but she is one of his best overall characters, period.

We couldn’t wrap us this review without mentioning the world-building. It may seem hardly worth mentioning since this takes place in a familiar-ish 1930s USA, but Larry did an amazing job here. Information is never just dumped on you during the course of the story. Rather than killing the pacing, Larry puts all the historical changes and details in the chapter bumps. The chapter bumps (or leads, if you will) in HARD MAGIC are easily on the same level as those in Brandon Sanderson’s novels. We’ve mentioned before that we think Sanderson’s chapter leads are some of best in the business (if not THE best). Larry’s are THAT good. As you read through the novel, the attention to detail is noticeable. You can tell that a ton of research was done, and then effectively spun into the text.

When all is said and done, Larry Correia’s HARD MAGIC is one of them most entertaining novels we have read. What’s more is that it has all the qualities that make us love Epic Fantasy, only in a Raymond Chandler-esque, noir setting. No one type of reader will enjoy this novel more than another. This is one of the few novels that will capture every reader’s imagination and leave them—like us—begging for more.

Recommended Age: 16 and up.
Language: Yep. It can be strong, but never feels thrown in for shock-value.
Violence: It’s a Larry Correia novel, of course there is violence. The gun-play is perfect, and the set-piece action sequences are completely over-the-top and awesome.
Sex: Nope.

On a side note, we aren't too fond of the cover. We pictured something more along the lines of either of the Simon R Green Urban Fantasy series. But hey, whatever. We bought this book for the content, not the cover.

We've had the privilege of chatting with Larry Correia a number of times. As an author, he is fantastic. As a person, he is even more awesome...and we promise that Larry doesn't have any heavy weaponry pointed at us as we type this introduction. So, kick back and enjoy the interview.

Elitist Book Reviews: Larry, welcome to Elitist Book Reviews. Tradition here at EBR states that you have to introduce yourself to the readers by explaining why you and your novels are awesome. And don’t start with that “I’m not the guy to do that,” because we know you.

Larry Correia: Well, I’m a novelist with Baen Books. I’m currently writing the third book in the Monster Hunter series, have a new series called The Grimnoir Chronicles beginning in 2011, and I’m collaborating with John Ringo on a new sci-fi series. Before that I’ve been a military contractor, machinegun dealer, firearms instructor, and an accountant. Which I suppose is a really strange combo.

Why am I awesome? Because EBR said so. And everyone knows that they are never wrong.

EBR: Who do YOU think your novels appeal to (besides Elitists like ourselves with impeccable taste)?

LC: People who like big, explodey, fun without having their intelligence insulted.

My first novel, Monster Hunter International, was specifically written for anyone that had ever watched a horror movie, and found themselves wondering why the protagonist didn’t just get a gun and shoot the monster. It kind of just evolved from there.

You’ll hear a lot of writers give the advice to write what you’d like to read, and I enjoy fast, fun, action-adventure, but not dumb action. Action-filled books can still have great characters. Even though I write fantasy and sci-fi, I try to keep my tactical/technical aspects as accurate as possible. The best kind of compliment I have received is when somebody in Iraq sends me an e-mail saying that if monsters we’re real, that’s exactly how they would take care of business.

EBR: Alright, it seems like everyone always asks what it is like to get that first novel published. That’s neat and all, but what we want to know is what it is like to write that second novel on your contract—for you, MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA. Was it easier/harder? Were you worried about the expectations riding on the sequel?

LC: Both. It was harder in some ways and easier in others. The easy part was that I’ve gotten better with each book that I’ve written, so I think MHV was a little tighter and smoother that its predecessor. It is really just practice and experience. I’ve got 5 novels done now, and I’ve learned something new from each one.

The hard part was living up to expectations. MHI was a huge hit. Four printings in its first year, bestseller lists, great reviews, etc., so I really wanted MHV to be just as good or better that its predecessor. So far though, so good. The early e-book of MHV released a few months ago, and the reviews have been extremely positive. (plus EBR liked it, so the matter is settled).

Another hard thing about a sequel is that nerve-wracking part where you have to decide how much recap to squeeze in so people who read out of order aren’t completely lost but your existing fans aren’t bored. Nobody wants to read a few pages of “in our last exciting episode—“ so I had the main character give a brief recap of how he ended up where he is while being interrogated in a Mexican prison. I do believe that worked out pretty darn well.

EBR: What’s the hardest thing for you during the whole “writing experience”?

LC: Butt in seat. Hands on keyboard. I’m easily distracted.

I love to write. I’d do it for fun anyway, (though it is really awesome to get paid for it!) but it takes an effort to stay focused and to put in the consistent hours necessary to produce. Some nights you just want to be lazy and play Call of Duty, but you need to set a schedule and you need to keep writing. Writing is a job. Luckily, I’m a workaholic, which means I feel guilty if I’m not taking on a stupid number of projects, so that helps.

EBR: So far we have two Monster Hunter novels. We know you have a prequel in the works, but where else do you see yourself taking this franchise?

LC: The next book is Monster Hunter Alpha. It is about MHI’s head honcho, Earl Harbinger. Fans love Earl. No spoilers, but Earl is one hardcore dude. MHA isn’t really a prequel, though it does have a lot of background info about Earl and the experiences that made him the man he is. It is the first MH novel written in the 3rd person, and it jumps around to some other characters that will become important in the MH universe.

After that is Monster Hunter Legion. It gets back to the main story-line and PoV character, Owen Pitt. Then is another standalone called Monster Hunter Nemesis, about everyone’s favorite fed, Agent Franks. Officer Friendly, he is not. The fun part of the MH universe is that there is so much story potential. There is a big overall arc involving Owen, but in the meantime I’ve got a bunch of MH stories I want to tell.

EBR: What many of our readers don’t know is that Monster Hunter isn’t your only franchise. Give our readers the HARD MAGIC pitch.

LC: The Grimnoir Chronicles is an alternative-history/epic-fantasy/pulp-noir/adventure. That’s a lot of genres, but TGC turned out great. It takes place in a time-line that diverged from ours when magical abilities began to randomly appear in the 1850s. Nobody knows where this power came from or how it works, but it only seems to bond with a small portion of the population.

HARD MAGIC is the first book set in the TGC universe. It takes place in 1932, during the end of prohibition and the early part of the Great Depression. A secret society of magic users, led by Blackjack Pershing, is trying to keep a Tesla designed super-weapon from falling into the hands of Imperial Japan.

EBR: We’ve read HARD MAGIC. It’s freaking awesome. But if you start doing all sorts of cross-overs between your franchises, we will send all manner of zombies and assassins after you. Please, calm our fears here.

LC: No crossover. There are monsters in TGC, but there are only a couple of variations resulting from certain specific types of magic. I tried to keep a very ‘30s pulp vibe to the creatures and to the technology. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous showing the rough draft of Hard Magic to you guys, because you are tough but fair. I’m really glad you liked it.

Basically, TGC originated because I wanted to write an epic fantasy, but I didn’t want to put it into a normal, been done before, kind of setting. So I made a list of the things that are the usual staples of epic fantasy, complicated world building, lots of characters, big storyline, magic system with rules, etc. So I took this epic fantasy story, and I stuck it into what I thought was one of the most interesting periods in history, i.e. when men wore hats. I’m also a history geek and research nut, so this gave me an excuse to read lots of history books, and then I populated it with all of the retro-cool things I thought would be fun to write about.

Hard Magic is the only book I’m aware of that features a teleporting magic ninja fight on top of a flaming pirate dirigible, played straight, and it works. Being honest, it is the best thing I’ve ever written.

EBR: We totally need John Ringo/Larry Correia collaboration details. This is a pretty big deal, so tell us what you can.

LC: I met John Ringo at LibertyCon. He’s a really great guy, and one of the top writers in science-fiction. We hit it off, and he asked me to collaborate on a new series with him. Of course, I said yes, because this is The John Ringo we’re talking about here. We are still in the early stages, but it is a new setting/idea that John has come up with. It is definitely space-opera. I love space-opera, and this is my first opportunity to write something in that genre.

EBR: What’s it like collaborating on an idea? How do you make the ideas mesh? Also, just cause we are curious, when should we expect you to collaborate with us (surely that is on your checklist of “Goals Towards Global Domination”)?

LC: If I was to collaborate with you guys... Well, I don't know if the world could withstand something like that. We might have a liability issue from the books spontaneously combusting on bookstore shelves because of the sheer power of awesome.

There’s different ways to collaborate. The standard Baen junior/senior writer method is that the senior writer does the majority of the world building and provides a really detailed outline to the junior writer. (that would definitely be me). Then we go back and forth to hammer things out. The junior writer does the first draft and the senior edits it, back and forth until you’re done.

This will actually be my second collaboration. I’ve written a thriller called Dead Six with another author named Mike Kupari. We just finished that recently and are in the process of selling it now. That collaboration was a little different, since both writers had one first person PoV character, and the story switched back and forth between us, alternating scenes, so there are two totally different voices. It is a kick-butt thriller.

EBR: Let’s say you are at the bookstore, browsing for the latest novel that the awesome reviewers at EBR are raving about (besides your own). Another book browser passes by your hulking mass (most likely wondering—correctly—if you are going to pull a pistol on him), and asks timidly what book you recommend. You can’t recommend your own, because obviously the store has sold through your entire stock. You can only recommend one novel. What is it going to be?

LC: Oooohh… Hard one. I don’t know if I could narrow it down that much. I don’t really have a single favorite book. There’s just too many good ones to choose from. I know which work of fiction I’ve reread more than any other, though, so I’d have to cheat and pick two books (since they really should be read together) and say HYPERION and FALL OF HYPERION by Dan Simmons.

EBR: Usually we ask what we have to do to have cameos in people’s novels. But, well, you already promised us this. Hmm. Uh, what do we have to do to get recurring roles? Yeah, that will do.

LC: I was going to redshirt you guys in MHA, but I’m doing a charity thing for the Misha Hintze kidney transplant fund, where I auctioned off redshirts. We called it: Give the gift of kidneys so Larry Correia can murder you for charity. We actually raised a nice little chunk of money, so now many of my readers can be devoured by werewolves, so it is fun for the whole family. But now all the characters in the book have been named for charity, so I’m going to squeeze you guys into the next one. You’ll have to decide if you want your alter egos to exist in the modern day, in the ‘30s, or in the future.

EBR: Alrighty, Larry. We are thrilled that you took time to answer our completely random and self-serving questions. Anything you want to say to our readers before you shoot them—err, have to go?

LC: I’ve got an absurd number of sample chapters for all my books and other fiction posted for free over on my blog, http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/ Just click on the Sample Chapters & Short Stories tab.

We like our books with thought put into them. Characters in shades of gray. Plots that are epic, yet deeply personal. We like novels where the author challenges our minds, and makes us ponder humanity.

And after we have read all that, we LOVE to read books that involve explosions. And zombies. And exploding zombies. And zombie elephants. Did we already mention explosions? How about heavy gunfire?

Thank you, Larry Correia, for giving us another novel full of exploding monsters, and incredibly detailed gun-play: MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA.

You readers DO remember Larry Correia, right? It would be in your best interests to nod your head in agreement regardless of your actual answer. Larry has lots of guns. And he knows how to use them all. Apart from that, he is a good friend of ours, and a terrific storyteller. His first published novel, MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL (MHI), was completely awesome (read the review here). More importantly, it was FUN. Larry is the kind of writer that if his novel doesn't make you smile with giddiness while reading, he isn't satisfied with his work.

With Larry's latest novel, MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA (MHV), we are happy to report that it is indeed full of win. Now, no one will ever say that Larry has written the Great American Novel. Why the heck would he want to? Guns and monsters are WAAAAAAY more better. (Yes, that bad grammar was intentional. Deal with it.) What Larry provides is lots of action, lots of guns, lots of explosions, and lots of fantastic characters. And we get it all at a lightening pace.

In other words: WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!111!!!

MHV is essentially the consequences of the events in MHI. You know, when our stud of a PoV, Owen Pitt, thwarted a Cthulhu-esque God. An evil death cult, known as the Church of the Temporary Mortal Condition, took exception to that whole thing, and they want the Old Ones to come back and take over. Owen seems like the ideal sacrifice.

Queue destruction and mayhem.

Look, we can go on about how fun MHV is for days. It really is completely awesome. But what people don't seem to think of when you read a book "like this" is that there will actually be some great character development. MHV's characters are much deeper than than they appear on the cliché surface. Really, seeing the growth these characters have forced upon them, and the heart-wrenching steps they willingly take is where the book's true pillars are found. From Owen, to Julie, to Earl...they all are distinct characters. You readers may think that Larry Correia is just blowing $%^* up, but that's just to hide that he is actually very, very good at crafting characters.

Are there flaws? Duh. But they are all so minor, that it would annoy us more to have to even write them down. Look, Larry cheats when he writes. He refers to it in the novel. If Larry isn't cheating, he isn't trying hard enough. If Larry wants something to happen, he will make it happen. If he is told, "Dude, you CAN'T put Deus Ex Machina into a novel!!" he will purposely put it into the novel just to spite you. Twice. And he will make it work. He is that awesome.

It still shocks us how BIG these novels are. MHV clocks in at over 600 pages of pure adrenaline. Instead of giving adrenaline injections to patients, doctors should just beat them with MHV. It would have the same effect, and is significantly cheaper.

MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA, like MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL before it, is worth every monster-gore-soaked penny of its cover price. Larry has again brought extreme fun back to reading.

And if you don't like MHV, Larry will just shoot you. So there.

Recommended Age: 16 and up.
Language: Heck yeahs.
Violence: Seriously? There is literally a character NAMED Violence in the novel. What do you think?
Sex: None.


What's that you say? You want to know more about Larry Correia? Well, you are in luck. Tune in tomorrow for an interview with the author.

How about a requested review from one of our readers, Dan Burton. See, we really do listen to your requests.

MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL, on the surface, seems to fit the need that most of us have for mindless, gunfire-laden fiction. We all need it at times. Larry Correia, the author, gives us all the ingredients that a book of this style might typically have, yet somehow makes them more than the sum of their parts. In all honesty, we were surprised by how much we enjoyed this novel, and how much we are now looking forward to the sequel.

It all starts with an accountant, Owen Pitt. Being that Steve is an accountant, he immediately connected with the main PoV (that's about as far as the similarity between them went though...). The connection was further established by the First Person Narrative. As readers, we were immediately pulled into Owen’s story, and loved his obsession with guns. It was a nice quirk that essentially told us to expect loads of gunplay throughout the novel. This was within a few paragraphs of a 736 page novel. Yeah, not exactly a tiny novel. For an Urban Fantasy, just the size of the novel made us happy.

Anyways. Owen Pitt. The accountant. His idiotic boss is bitten and turned into a werewolf (Yeah we know, Urban Fantasy clichés, here we come. Really, it isn’t so bad though), and then tries to kill Owen. Owen throws his boss out of a window after a fun introductory action scene. Owen is injured, but is then offered a job at Monster Hunter International (MHI) as a monster hunter.

No, hunting monsters isn’t the most original concept. Yes, the book is full of clichéd monsters that saturate Urban Fantasy. And yet (surprisingly?)…it all works. It helps that the folks over at MHI get paid like bounty hunters (and paid well)--added a slight change to the formula. It also helps that the monsters are all, well, monsters. The danger represented by each of the different monsters is handled well.

Really, the story follows Owen Pitt and his journey after being recruited to MHI. He is joined with a small squad of other newbies who were each recruited after surviving a monster attack of some sort. We see their training, and then right into the guns-a-blazing action. And there is a lot of it. And it is good.

But really the character interactions are what sold us on the novel. They were believable. As we learned about their back-stories, we immediately became attached to them. Correia does a fantastic job here. It’s hard to say a lot without giving it away. Remember, no spoilers.

Now, the book isn’t perfect. At times the clichés get a little too dense. The way some characters act, and the way the plot progresses…well, let’s just say it shouldn’t be surprising. Owen, of course, does some dream-walking type stuff. At times the dreams, and Owen’s reaction to them, are obviously used to move the plot along, and to make it so our PoV has maximum impact in every situation he is involved with in the waking world. And really, the ending twist shouldn’t be all that surprising. The dreams foreshadow it in a heavy-handed fashion at times.

Really, the main problem we had (and we have to word things carefully here), is a single event about ¾ through the novel. Things go WAY bad for the characters. WAY bad. It is full of awesome in a bad way for the characters (but great for the readers). The mechanism for getting out of it bothered us quite a bit--read it and you will know exactly what we mean. Correia manages to handle the aftermath of it in a GREAT way (hopefully we will see more of these consequences in book 2), but still…it bugged us quite a lot.

So what does all this vague gibberish mean? Is the book worth reading? Buying? Well, for $8 you can grab a copy, and it is easily worth the read. The pacing lags in a few spots, but really, this is a great first novel. There are great elements of humor, seriousness, danger, faith (this was actually really neat), and romance. Larry Correia has set himself up to have a fantastic sequel, but we think he needs to get a little less cliché in the follow-up. Give us some really non-traditional monsters (think of the monsters in F. Paul Wilson’s THE TOMB, and book 2 could be amazing). Also, we think he needs to subject his characters to more emotional trauma (kind of like the mental state of the characters in PATIENT ZERO), and hurt them even more than the horror inflicted on them in MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL.

Buy it, read it, and decide for yourself. We thought it was a great read that was deceptively intelligent. If you like monster movies, Urban Fantasy, or action-oriented Horror novels, you'll get enjoyment out of this read.

Recommended Age: 15 and up.
Language: Yep. But he scales it with the situations nicely. It doesn’t feel over-done of shock-value. Correia also proves at times that he doesn’t need it to have certain characters express themselves. Still, what language there is may offend the tender-hearted.
Violence: Heavens yes. It was awesome.
Sex: Some innuendo, but any actual acts take place off screen. It was handled exceptionally well.

Larry's blog - http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/