I first read the debut entry in Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International series a couple of years ago, and have just finished listening to the audiobook version on my way home from work this evening.
In short, the book’s a blast and doesn’t disappoint. Obviously this isn’t great literature: what it is, is a fast-paced supernaturally-themed action/adventure story with guns; lots of guns, which is hardly a surprise when one considers Correia’s background as a firearms enthusiast and salesman. It’s well-written and manages not to disappear up its own arse. While it wouldn’t be too wide of the mark to call this book gun porn, it’s also a great deal more than that. The universe Correia conjures comes from every classic monster movie you’ve ever seen, plus a few more besides.
Correia has said in interviews that he has seen “pretty much every monster movie ever made,” and got tired of the good guys doing stupid things. The genesis of his series is basically this: what would happen if the good guys were well-trained, well-armed, intelligent, and competent? He posits a world in which monsters are real (of course, though sadly we’re still not sure about ghosts) and are hunted by both a rather ineffective federal agency and by private companies such as the titular M.H.I.
Owen Zastava Pitt’s life takes a turn for the surreal when his creeper of a boss turns into a werewolf one night and tries to tear him apart. After a life-or-death battle which ends with Owen chucking his boss out of a very high window, he is invited to join the world’s premier private hunter organization.
Throw in a dark lord from the mists of antiquity, more werewolves, vampires, a wendigo, and a host of other supernatural beasties, and you have a page-turner of a book that will keep you up late and satisfy your inner monster junkie at the same time. The characters, almost all solidly blue-collar salt-of-the-Earth types, are for the most part likeable and well-drawn. Correia’s universe is logically consistent and never feels too far-fetched. When the last page is turned, the reader is left wanting more; fortunately there are, at present counts, five other books in the M.H.I. Universe, including a superb collaboration with the always-entertaining John Ringo (Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge) and with more in the pipeline, he’s sure to keep readers happy for many books to come.
If you like high-octane supernatural action-adventure with a side-order of heavy weaponry, the Monster Hunter International books may well be right up your alley. Highly recommended.
