5 Reasons To Read Monster Hunter International - A Novel By Larry Correia

For aspiring writers, Larry Correia is an inspirational success story in the field of self-publishing. He is the author of the Monster Hunter Series and Monster Hunter International (MHI) is the first book of that trilogy. This book was initially self-published but it generated so much interest that he was offered a publishing contract with Baen Books. Ultimately the title ended up in the New York Times' Bestsellers list. Larry Correia is an author, accountant, and avid shooter.

Here are 5 reasons to check out Monster Hunter International.

Ok, humor is a matter of opinion and some of what I'm going to describe is proably not going to sound funny to others. If you're the type of person that still laughs at a good fart joke, or thinks that Jack Burton's character from the movie Big Trouble in Little China was hilarious, this is the book for you.

The main character of the story is one Owen Zasava Pitt (Z for short), who was once an accountant until his boss tried to eat him. Z has a pretty unique background which works out to his advantage, but not so much for his boss. Unfortunately for Z, his boss was only the first of a line of characters (and creatures) who take turns using him as a human punching bag or see him as their next meal. If that wasn't bad enough, the ghost of a long dead monster hunter has decided to take up residence in his head and constantly berates him for his clumsiness and propensity to "get dead". When Z decides to join the monster hunters, he's introduced to a whole bunch of characters who's slang terms for newbies might include "organ donor".

Larry Correia has a good feel for humorous dialog and descriptions in the story. There is adolescent banter between grown men (and sometimes women), sarcastic or witty remarks in the face of grave danger, and sometimes just plain old slapstick because Z gets beaten up...a lot.

I'm a stickler for detail, especially when it comes to firearms. Nothing ruins a movie for me faster than seeing someone lay down a barrage of firepower armed with a revolver. Sometimes a crappy revolver at that.

That doesn't happen in this book. It seems that monster hunters have a preference for big calibers. Handguns and carbines in .45ACP, .308 (or 7.62x51 NATO) for rifles, and 12 gauge for shotguns. Serious firepower for a serious (albeit fictional) line of work. There are also some specialty firearms thrown in like RPG's, a SPG9 recoil-less rifle, and the .50 cals. Fragmentation grenades and C4 is also used throughout the book. Aside from the weapon selection, the application of these tools are also sound. That means you don't see someone with a sniper rifle leading the sweep inside a narrow structure.

Larry Correia has been shooting firearms since he was a little boy growing up in California. He is also currently a concealed carry weapons (CCW) instructor and firearms competitor. This background comes through in the action sequences of the story where the good guys actually run out of ammo and must transition to secondary weapons or hand to hand. In some of the fights, the round count is even taken into account. It's an impressive level of attention to detail.

Monster stories have been around for probably as long as human culture has existed. They are usually told in the metaphoric sense to highlight the battle between good and evil. Monster hunters are the main focus of the story. The men and women who do this work for a living are a mixed breed of characters. Some do it for revenge, some were born into the job, and for others, it's a calling.

Z doesn't easily fall into any of those categories. He was smitten by the woman sent to recruit him as a gun for hire in monster hunting. Z agrees but he blunders into a much larger role than he ever wanted. Along the way, he learns that there's also paperwork and government beaurocrats to deal with while trying to get rid of some evil manifestation. Yes, in Larry Correia's world bureaucracy is alive and well.

The characters that inhabit this world are realistic. Z's companions come from all walks of life and they interact with one another appropriately. Yet they aren't caricatures and each are believable enough to possibly have their own book. Larry Correia does a god job of keeping the humanity alive in what could easily have been a single dimension story.

Monster Hunter was Larry Correia's first published work. He admitted in an interview that he had actually written a book prior to that one but it was too horrible to even try and publish.

So technically this is his second book. Regardless, it is a very well polished piece of storytelling. The plot doesn't bog down and it certainly doesn't try and overwhelm the reader with exhausting action scene after action scene. The subplots are woven so well into the storyline that it doesn't take conscious effort to keep track of them.

Who says monster hunting can't be a love story or an exercise in metaphysics? Sometimes we can't see the true nature of evil (or good) until we get rid of our own self delusions. In this sense, Monster Hunter International is a morality story and it fits nicely with Nietzsche's statement that "He who fights monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster".

Z has to wrestle with some tough questions about himself. What is he fighting for? Who are the real monsters? And how much of his soul is he willing to give up to win over the woman he loves?

If the above reasons are enough to pique your interest then you might be interested to know that you can read several chapters for free. Baen Books offers a preview of Monster Hunter International. DRM free epubs can also be purchased from their site.

For those that prefer the traditional paperback format, Monster Hunter International can be purchased at Amazon.com.