Monster Hunter Vendetta

I really wanted to give this 5 stars. It was so much fun to read! It reminds me in some weird way of a Stephanie-Plum-like novel for men. Maybe it was just that Agent Franks reminded me of Ranger. Sometimes I really wondered if he actually was, like he somehow got assigned to this case, and he told Stephanie he had been sent on a dangerous, prolonged mission and he wouldn't be back for a while. I can hear you thinking that it's just fiction, so that can't have happened, but my brain seems not to be aware of that detail when I read. Anyway, it was like a dessert buffet with one fun treat after another. Honestly, he is a great writer. Very good with characters. My only complaint, and hence the 4 stars, is too many climaxes. I got show more desensitized to them to the point that I wanted everyone to just die already. But I will definitely keep on reading! show less

Oh yeah baby, it's on like Donkey Kong... Yes, I just said that. Sorry, I've been playing Nintendo all afternoon, it seeps into my skin. But the book, I should probably talk about the book now.

Loved it. Love love loved it. I realized something while I was reading this... I'm not usually a huge Urban Fantasy fan, I'm more of an Epic Fantasy gal. But this series? I love it. And I think the reason is that while the story line is definitely Urban.. It's pretty damn Epic at the same time. It's Epic Urban Fantasy. Holy wow. I just invented a new genre! Or rather, Mr. Correia did. Actually he probably didn't, I'm sure the term has been thrown around before. But it's new to me, so damn it, I'm allowed to be excited!

Seriously though. It's Urban show more action, on an Epic scale, and it rocks. This book doesn't suffer at all from the second-in-a-series-curse, it's just as good as the first, maybe even better in some ways. You get to learn more about the characters, some of their mysterious histories are revealed, it's pretty awesome non-stop action.. And it's fucking funny. I'm allowed to say "fucking" in this review because "fuck" was used often and well in the book... Just saying. Wait... What was I saying? I got distracted. Oh yeah, it's fucking funny.

Honestly.. I don't have any complaints. Five stars all the way. I can't wait to start [b:Monster Hunter Alpha|9785225|Monster Hunter Alpha (MHI, #3)|Larry Correia|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vjbx36SUL._SL75_.jpg|14675078]! show less

Monster Hunter Vendetta is a guilty pleasure. Urban fantasy mixed with gun love and likable characters made for a fun read. It is over the top with an accountant who becomes a professional monster hunter in a world that officially denies (and covers up any evidence of) monsters. There are enough references to the Cthulu mythos that I kept my fascination throughout. I found myself snickering throughout it.

Is it great literature? No. However, it is like those B-grade movies that demand a soda and popcorn while watching the non-stop action and root for the main character. You worry because the actor may get tired of the character and want the character to get killed off this time, but deep in your heart, you know there will be a sequel. show more

This series entry needs to be read in order after Monster Hunter International. And yes, I have the next book in the series. The series is recommended for those who like urban fantasy that isn't warm and fuzzy. show less

Where as [b:Monster Hunter International|2570856|Monster Hunter International (MHI, #1)|Larry Correia|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266930931s/2570856.jpg|2581372] started off with a bang and then kind of just petered out, Vendetta starts with bang and then relentlessly pounds the reader with one battle after another until the very end, where there is a great big mother-phracking battle. Almost one long, ongoing battle.

And I loved it.

There was no gun porn, no contrived romance'y stuff, nothing that wasn't essential to the story. I felt like my backside was kicked the whole time. And Owen steps up and stops whining.

Agent Franks. Even when the reveal happened, I didn't get the play on words with his name until AFTER I was done the show more book. Very clever, in a simple punny way.

Overall, this was a much more enjoyable read than the first one. Looking forward to the final book now... show less

a lot of this book was actually pretty funny, and i absolutely loved the character of Franks. The plot surprisingly had some decent twists. I liked the telepathic flashes way better than the dream sequences. After meeting G-nome, I kind of worry as to what the author is going to do the rest of the fantasy races, though I kind of look forward to meeting his version of Dwarves for some reason. There were a few inconsistencies...so we've previously seen that a vampires bite is pretty much there tearing into an artery...that person is very likely going to die. yet, after attempting to turn her daughter, her daughter does not die. turn or no, that should have killed her. i'll probably read the next one fairly soon. same as the first one, if show more your a fantasy/horror buff, with an emphasis on horror, you'll probably enjoy it. show less

Correia's written another fun action adventure. Monsters International is back, only this time Owen and MHIs are on the defensive. There's a mild "who-is-it" mystery to identify the new bad guy looking to turn Owen in to the Old Ones, and a more pressing one regarding an internal traitor. While no one will claim this is literature at it's best, its a fun action story that leaves many thrillers faltering by comparison.

I only have two real complaints. I felt the initial start to the book was rocky; while I understand we need to have a review for new readers, the "explain-to-new-character" device is clunky, and comes off forced since Owen is breaking state secrets to a Mexican interrogator. It would have played better with a new agent or show more as a case review, given that Owen was under a death threat from his own government if he spilled the big monster secret. The other complaint is the scene with the Birmingham Gnomes came dangerously close to silly for an action book. I suppose it was some sort of equivalent to elves living in the trailer park, but the elf scene didn't indulge in quite as many stereotypes or puns. Correia pulled it back, but barely. He goes there again in a scene with a (internet) troll, but since it's absolutely hysterical, I forgive it. If you've been in a forum or played a game online, you will laugh out loud.

One thing I enjoy about the MHI series is that Owen is a very likeable hero. While he knows himself well, he isn't always insightful as to other people's motivations or feelings, but his developing "powers" are helping him develop insight. His main character flaw is giving in to impulsiveness when his emotions are involved, but it's one that is easy to empathize with. Frankly, after so many anti-heroes, it's a welcome change to have someone plain ol' likeable.

The gun/weapon angle is mentioned by many enthusiasts as an area where Correia shines. While I can't speak to the expertise, I can say that I didn't find the weapon lore overly intrusive or baffling.

Fun lines: "He smiled, and in the dark I wasn't sure if the government man or Susan had been more intimidating, but for totally different reasons. One because it represented a soulless entity with the power to suck the very blood from the innocent, and the other because it was a vampire."

"Dad, don't shoot that last guy anymore. The cops want to question him."

"And just like that, I was a married man. I couldn't kiss the bride, because I was infected by a zombie, but other than that, it was actually a pretty happy moment."

** Stars removed 5/14 due to author shenanigans with the Hugo Awards, and general hate-speech towards women, liberals, children, polar bears, etc. Too bad he lacks the confidence to let his work (at least the first couple of books) stand on its own and has to pal around with Vox Day and the Sad Puppies. monsterhunternation.com (link provided through donotlink to avoid giving his blog upticks).

6/15 update

If you are an anonymous poster who joined goodreads this month (whatever month that may be), have no personal details, or no reviews on this site, you can take your opinions and put them in an appropriate place--your own review. In other words, move along. I will delete your nonsense.

BTW,
I also down-rated all his other books I read. For your trolling convenience:
#1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/166129427
#3: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/168794744
Hard Magic: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/166129626 show less

Originally posted at FanLit:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/monster-hunter-vendetta/

“When monsters have nightmares, they’re dreaming about us.” — MHI handbook

Monster Hunter Vendetta is the second installment of Larry Correia’s MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL series. In the first book, Monster Hunter International, we met Owen Zastava Pitt who used to be an accountant and gun hobbyist until his boss turned into a werewolf and Owen had to kill him. Now Owen is one of the best agents MHI has ever had.

It’s lucky that he’s so good at his job because Owen made a very dangerous enemy when he recently thwarted the Old Ones’ attempt to break into our dimension (read about this in the first book, Monster Hunter show more International). Now Owen is being hunted by the minions of the Old Ones, including a necromancer named The Shadow Man and the members of a death cult called the Church of the Temporary Mortal Condition. Because they’re evil, they’ll stop at nothing to get their way, including killing innocent people and targeting Owen’s family to get at him.

This time Owen and the gang are fighting — along with all the usual werewolves, vampires and zombie hordes — doppelgängers, undead elephants, zombie bears, a shoggoth, giant walking trees, gangsta gnomes (so funny!), a brain worm that eats memories, and Julie’s mother. It sounds like too much — everything but the kitchen sink, you know (though I wouldn’t be surprised to find MHI shooting animated kitchen sinks in a future installment) — but it works.

As usual, the government can’t stop themselves from meddling with MHI. They want in on the action and they know Owen is the target, so Agent Franks, one of Owen’s human nemeses, is assigned as Owen’s bodyguard. If you didn’t love Agent Franks already (and you probably didn’t), you will by the end of Monster Hunter Vendetta.

It doesn’t happen very often that the second book in a series is better than the first, but it’s true in this case. Monster Hunter Vendetta is a wild ride — to say that it’s exciting, frightening, creative, violent, bloody and funny would be too much of an understatement. It’s eye-popping, heart-pounding, and totally unputdownable. I was engrossed (and grossed out) from the first page to the last. As I mentioned in my review of the previous book, it’s too gory for me to say that I really love it — a few too many disemboweled bodies and heads bitten off for me — but I can say that I really really admire it and I almost love it. Those who go for this sort of thing are likely to consider MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL a perfect specimen of testosterone-filled dude lit. (This sounds sexist, I know, but Larry Correia could have made this series more appealing to female readers by increasing the romantic tension.)

One thing I particularly liked about Monster Hunter Vendetta is that it’s very funny. Not the wacky slapstick Three Stooges kind of funny — there’s none of that. Correia uses a delightfully morbid dry humor which works especially well with Oliver Wyman’s narration of the audio version. Though Wyman’s narration is lively, he deadpans the humorous lines perfectly. (If you’re reading MHI and haven’t tried the audio version, you’re missing out.) There are also occasional SFF allusions that made me smile.

I’m impressed with how well plotted this series has been so far. Larry Correia set up the background for Monster Hunter Vendetta back in the first book when we learn about Owen’s family, Julie’s parents, and the history of MHI. I already felt like I knew Owen’s mother, a Serbian woman who demonstrates her love by cooking for people, his father who brought up his boys to be tough survivalists, and his brother who became a heavy metal rock star. When we meet Owen’s family in Monster Hunter Vendetta we (and Owen himself) start to comprehend that his destiny has been in place since before he was even born. This plot is way bigger than we realized back in book one. I can’t wait to read on…. show less