Larry Correia: Monster Hunter International (2007, Infinity Publishing)
paperback, 452 pages
Published Dec. 20, 2007 by Infinity Publishing.
Well now, that was some fun fluff with some really interesting takes on a whole lot of stuff. Definitely high on my candyfloss enjoyment chart.
It was well written, just not exactly my kind of book. But I knew that before I started reading.
I read it because it was recommended on Writing Excuses several times. I was curious about the gun element they had talked about, which was definitely present (I really don't know anything at all about guns so ...).
As far as I know this is the author's first book and it was originally self-published, which was another reason I wanted to read it. Because self-published first books are pretty impressive.
It was a well executed standard plot that I would have enjoyed more if a) I had liked the protagonist more and b) there had been just a few less action scenes. I am not that big on action so there it goes. But if you like to read about violent people who love guns and hunt secret monsters secretly ... …
It was well written, just not exactly my kind of book. But I knew that before I started reading.
I read it because it was recommended on Writing Excuses several times. I was curious about the gun element they had talked about, which was definitely present (I really don't know anything at all about guns so ...).
As far as I know this is the author's first book and it was originally self-published, which was another reason I wanted to read it. Because self-published first books are pretty impressive.
It was a well executed standard plot that I would have enjoyed more if a) I had liked the protagonist more and b) there had been just a few less action scenes. I am not that big on action so there it goes. But if you like to read about violent people who love guns and hunt secret monsters secretly ... give it a try.
I will write a real review later, this is just a placeholder with some of my initial thoughts, as I didn't have GoodReads with me when reading this book.
After I read the Grimnoir trilogy, I was very curious about the MHI books, so I started on this book. Let me say first that the two stars of my rating actually are 2,5 stars. It was OK and I like it enough to keep reading.
I did however notice throughout the book that this was a very early work. Larry's personal views shine through very strongly, which sometimes distracts from the story. Also, he is often too technical about his guns. I love his writing about the different guns in his Grimnoir books (especially books 2 and 3) but in MHI it is just too much infodump.
This is actually the main problem of the book: infodump. The book isn't …
I will write a real review later, this is just a placeholder with some of my initial thoughts, as I didn't have GoodReads with me when reading this book.
After I read the Grimnoir trilogy, I was very curious about the MHI books, so I started on this book. Let me say first that the two stars of my rating actually are 2,5 stars. It was OK and I like it enough to keep reading.
I did however notice throughout the book that this was a very early work. Larry's personal views shine through very strongly, which sometimes distracts from the story. Also, he is often too technical about his guns. I love his writing about the different guns in his Grimnoir books (especially books 2 and 3) but in MHI it is just too much infodump.
This is actually the main problem of the book: infodump. The book isn't balanced enough. Granted, the pacing is very good when there is action, but often it feels a bit off in the timing of adding info to it. Like missing a step and stumbling to a halt. Or crashing.
The story has a lot of potential and reminded me a lot of the Dresden Files, with guns. And less polish.
MHI is purest urban fantasy gun-wielding pulp, but who cares, it is entertainment. Not Correia at his best, but a nice first try with a lot of promise.
