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A review by penguin_emperor_of_the_north
Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
3.0
My first review of this book was glowing but that may have been reaction against the vitriol in some of the reviews. But I've matured since then.
This is the story of a company that hunts monsters (vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc.) with heavy fire power. Then there's some business about the end of the world and Lovecraftian gods invading reality.
The books not really in the horror genre because the book's operating principle is that invincible means you haven't shot it enough yet. And to give you an idea of where the book's focus is, the main character's automatic shotgun gets probably the most detailed description in the book.
It occurs to me this series might be better as a bunch of short stories about various hunts the characters go on rather than thwarting a Lovecraftian invasion. You know, what with the intense interest in guns and how guns kill things. Just thinking thoughts.
Anyways, as the legions of haters will point out, the book is not perfect. The author and characters all like guns a lot. Sometimes the action pauses so the weapons our heroes are carrying can be lovingly detailed.
Then there's the romance subplot. It could've been cutout entirely and you'd barely need to edit the rest of the book. Also, I disapprove.
And finally there's the attitude towards the government. Every good guy hates the government with an unbridled passion. Which would be okay if it had any bearing on the plot. Consider if the main characters took a time out to talk about how much they love spaghetti every few pages. That's how irritating it gets.
And the eponymous company's entire business model is based on collecting government bounties on the monsters. And nobody realizes their livelihood is dependent on the government while whining about the government. Bunch of ding dongs.
Still a fun book though.
This is the story of a company that hunts monsters (vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc.) with heavy fire power. Then there's some business about the end of the world and Lovecraftian gods invading reality.
The books not really in the horror genre because the book's operating principle is that invincible means you haven't shot it enough yet. And to give you an idea of where the book's focus is, the main character's automatic shotgun gets probably the most detailed description in the book.
It occurs to me this series might be better as a bunch of short stories about various hunts the characters go on rather than thwarting a Lovecraftian invasion. You know, what with the intense interest in guns and how guns kill things. Just thinking thoughts.
Anyways, as the legions of haters will point out, the book is not perfect. The author and characters all like guns a lot. Sometimes the action pauses so the weapons our heroes are carrying can be lovingly detailed.
Then there's the romance subplot. It could've been cutout entirely and you'd barely need to edit the rest of the book. Also,
Spoiler
our hero's romantic rival (Grant) is kidnapped by vampires so Julie (girlfriend) decides now's a good time to hook up with Owen (hero).And finally there's the attitude towards the government. Every good guy hates the government with an unbridled passion. Which would be okay if it had any bearing on the plot. Consider if the main characters took a time out to talk about how much they love spaghetti every few pages. That's how irritating it gets.
And the eponymous company's entire business model is based on collecting government bounties on the monsters. And nobody realizes their livelihood is dependent on the government while whining about the government. Bunch of ding dongs.
Still a fun book though.