Hard Magic (Grimnoir Chronicles (Quality)) Mass Market Paperback – April 24, 2012

This review was posted on Elitist Book Reviews. For more reviews and interviews stop by our blog.***The Review***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' and 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 gunplay (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. 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, fun 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, 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.

Hard Magic is Larry Correia's third novel and already he is writing better than authors who have been on the scene for years. Having read both Monster Hunter novels I was well aware of Correia's skill going into Hard Magic but I never expected a masterpiece of this caliber. Reviews have been going around for some time now, Baen published an electronic-Advanced Read Copy a couple months ago and the reviews have been flattering. Some critics had even stated that this is Correia's best book yet. Having finished the novel I can honestly say that such praise is well deserved.Hard Magic can be summed up as epic-urban fantasy-steampunk-noir-detective thriller-alternative historical-fiction. Correia juggles so many genres and "Big Ideas" that a lesser author would fumble in an instant and mangle into some Frankenstein monster of failed literature. Not only does Correia manage to keep the story uncluttered but he does it with some serious style. The Monster Hunter novels are packed with hardcore action, huge set pieces ,deep characters, and involving plots and yet Hard Magic is able to transcend them and create a whole new level of awesome.First, the universe Correia has created. Not only does Hard Magic feature a fully functioning, well planned out system of magic but it also gives explanation behind the appearance of this magic. The magical abilities of "Actives" are very cool but at the same time they are explained. There are rules and dangers that come with each form of magic, and the magics themselves are firmly grounded in the universe they inhabit. Correia's alternative version of the 1930's is also a very cool world on its own, and quotes by notable historical figures involving the emergence and use of magic only help to flesh it out. Oh and for any of you steampunk fans out there I should mention there are some serious awesome zeppelins.Next, the characters. Some critics are bound to draw similarities between Jake Sullivan, the main protagonist of Hard Magic, and Owen Pitt the lead of Monster Hunter. These similarities are fewer than some might imagine. Both are very tough, duty bound characters but I actually found myself liking Jake Sullivan a good bit more. Sullivan is a much darker character than Pitt. He is a damaged man with a tragic past. At the same time he is also very intelligent, having discovered things about magic that other characters within the novel never would have guessed. Sullivan also has some of the coolest powers of any magic "Active." The other notable character here is Faye, a young girl who can teleport and suffers some tragedy of her own. I rarely enjoy female characters written by male authors but to me Faye rings true. Her peppy attitude is a wonderful foil to the more solemn Sullivan and she always seems believable. There are some other colorful characters as well as a very well written villain but it's best for the reader to meet them on their own.And now for the action. If you have ever wanted to read about a teleporting ninja battle being carried on across a super zeppelin in the midst of a pirate attack while samurai and zombies engage magical super heroes trying to prevent a super weapon from being activated this is the book for you. The fight scenes in Hard Magic are top notch, white knuckle, block buster, thrill rides that will satisfy even the biggest adrenaline junkies. Not only are these fights brutal and explosive but they are also rather intelligent. It can't be easy to write a multi-layered battle featuring combatants with different magical skills but Correia weaves seamless fight scenes that couldn't possibly be choreographed any better. The last 50 pages make for one of the most epic final confrontations I have ever read. Be warned.Lastly the plot. With enough action and explosions to trump a Michael Bay film and plenty of original ideas whirling around it would almost be forgivable for the plot to suffer. This, fortunately, is not the case in the least. From the beginning to the end Hard Magic features perfect pacing. There are completely unexpected twists, betrayals, surprises, intrigue, build up, and a very satisfying conclusion. The Monster Hunter novels have great plots as well as a very successful over arcing story but Hard Magic achieves far more. My only concern is that it will be nigh impossible for Correia to out-do himself when Spellbound, Book II of the Grimnoir Chronicles comes out this fall.Overall if you are looking for a book to rock your world, make you do some fist pumps, and demand a sequel then buy this book. The only regret I have is that I cannot give Hard Magic a rating higher than 5 measly stars. It deserves much more.

There's so much awesomeness packed into this book!!! I loved all the action, characters, intense scenes, and dynamics behind the powers. This almost had an X-Men feel to it. I'd love to see a comic book series and, or an animated or live action film made from this. This title made me want more. So, I will definitely pick up the other 2 titles in this series, and I highly recommend this book.

I had this book on my wishlist for a while and I was hesitating a while. From the description it did not seem too interesting, but the good reviews were pushing me to buy it. I have just read the whole series of "Ketty Jay" and it was hard to expect something as equally interesting and involving as that.However this book is just great. GREAT! The book starts as several separate stories of the main characters and slowly tangles into one story. The book is packed with action, quick paced, character portraits are bold and vivid. The classic fight against good and evil is not left to one hero, but to a team of people who are united for that one reason.I have just bought the second part of the series and I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fantasy action books.

I went into Hard Magic expecting something like the Dresden Files, but the book is more like prohibition-era X-Men, set in an alternative 1930s where people have started developing mutant- sorry, *magical* powers. It's pulp, but it's good pulp, and I read through all three books in quick succession. It's not a perfect read, but the pacing is good, the world and powers are well fleshed out, and the characters are rather more three-dimensional than his previous, Monster Hunters International series. The main character is admittedly very similar to the one in Monster Hunters, but somehow no longer feels like a blatant self-insert.

I didn't know this author when I bought this book on kindle only returning to SF reading after a few years off. The writing style has similarities to Glen Cook's Garrett, PI stories with a tough (heavy) hero or at least one of the primary characters is.Set in a world where PSI powers have become more prominent in the last hundred years there are international tensions and effectively an undeclared war which the heroes are involved with. Unlike one reviewer I didn't find switching between primary characters a problem as it allowed characters and the story line to develop. I can't wait to start reading the rest of the series.

Great read, I really like the characters, who are everyday people with very extraordinary powers. It reminded me of Eddie Droods world, in the best possible way. I liked the setting in a world not to dissimilar to our own. Very bad villains and heroes that are slightly tainted in their own way. Fab

Came back from reading his MHI works...so a bit of a let down as compared to fast paced action of MHI. However better character building and more importantly multiple POVs. Plausible alternate history and although not technically steampunk.....close enough with the point of divergence being the continued significance of lighter than air flying machines