![]() ![]() I know this, because when the gang all fall into a trap set by the bad guys and have to fight their way out while surrounded by extra-dimensional demons, Correia began seriously threatening to kill off these characters, and I was scared for them. And in general, its characters are engaging and well-rounded as well. So as an action book, as a monster-hunting book, Monster Hunter International is a clear success. ![]() Yes, Owen does manage to kill all those monsters eventually (except for the ones that escape to set up sequels), but he has to work at it, even when he's equipped with Abomination, his shotgun/submachine gun/grenade launcher/bayonet thing. Aside from that kludge, however, I really appreciate the "difficulty level" that Correia sets for his characters. ![]() He gets pretty banged up in the process, so Correia has to rely on some handwaving to get Owen healed in time for his next big encounter. Vampires, werewolves, wights, gargoyles-you name it, and it is nearly impossible to kill. These aren't the wimpy little human-like vampires from Twilight or even Buffy. I never felt like it got out of hand though.Īlso, the monsters in this book? Tough. I drew another, different gun" to detailed explanations of why one gun is more appropriate for the situation than another. ![]() By knowing the difference-and taking the time to differentiate-between various types of guns, Correia's descriptions are transformed from vague, "I drew my gun. This is not a passion I share with him, but I admit it lends a certain amount of veracity to the story. "How many guns do you have?" he asked in exasperation.Īs the above passages demonstrate, Correia obviously enjoys guns and shooting. Jaeger looked down at the little muzzle in wonderment. Lying flat on my back, I brought my knee back to my chest, lifted my pant leg and pulled the. "I've obtained the sacrifice, my lord," the vampire proclaimed loudly. Then, toward the end of the book, Pitt is fighting a Master vampire, who learns that monster hunters don't bring a gun to a vampire fight they bring lots of guns to a vampire fight: Owen later gets fired from work for violating this rule. "I never did like that rule," I said as I bent down and drew my gun from my ankle holster, put the front sight on the target and rapidly fired all five shots from my snub-nosed. There was nothing recognizably human in that look. His yellow eyes bored into me with raw animal hatred. "You know that 'no weapons at work' policy?" I asked the twitching and growing hairy monstrosity standing less than ten feet from me. Even though I was in accordance with Texas state law, I was in direct violation of the company's workplace safety rule. To this day I don't know why at that moment I felt the need to make a confession to my rapidly mutating boss. There were plenty of these in Monster Hunter International, but I'll highlight a few to give you a taste: These moments are often accompanied by a somewhat camp utterance, but I think that's an appropriate homage to the monster action genre in general: the hero has to say something pithy just as he or she triumphs. Monster Hunter International is full of those "fuck, yeah!" moments where the hero, against all odds, comes back with the full force of his awakened fury and doesn't just take down the bad guys but obliterates them. When Pitt is fighting monsters, I feel like I'm right there with him, hitting the ground, loading the guns, and coming back up to blow the head off an ugly beastie just before he bites off a piece of me. Correia has a talent for writing the types of "scene-and-sequel" action sequences that keep the book moving at a healthy pace. Although there are only so many ways to be original when writing about the classic monsters (e.g., vampires, zombies, werewolves), Correia has still managed to create a story that is entertaining and fresh. With that confession out of the way, I'm going to try not to hold Monster Hunter International up against the Dresden Files, or any other series for that matter. Dresden Files has just burned itself into my brain as the golden standard for urban fantasy. Pitt is a monster hunter (and chartered accountant) he wields submachine shotguns and RPGs to fight the forces of evil. Harry Dresden is a wizard he sets traps and flings around magic to fight the forces of evil. Both the Dresden Files novels and Monster Hunter International deal with urban fantasy and feature a main character with a great voice, but that is about where the similarities end. It's more of an action movie stuck inside a novel. I feel like this comparison is somewhat-but not entirely-unfair, because unlike the Dresden Files, this is not really a mystery. I couldn't stop comparing this book to the Dresden Files while I was reading it. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |