Monster Hunter International

Kevin Coolidge

It’s your average, everyday Wednesday evening; I had just stopped by to pick up the latest issue of the Wellsboro Gazette. Suddenly, I found myself able to fulfill the American dream. No, not the one with the nude roller derby girls, the other “American” dream. I got to run over my boss. Understand, I felt obligated to burn hot rubber across his hairy back. No, I didn’t wake up that morning and plan on killing my boss with my Subaru. It’s really much more complicated than that. I would never have considered doing something that sounded so crazy. Heck, I work in a bookstore. My idea of danger is getting a paper cut. I didn’t want to save the world. I didn’t want to have to replace my headlight. I didn’t want my insurance rates to skyrocket. I didn’t want to know my boss was a werewolf…

It turns out that monsters are real, and that’s why I found myself devouring Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia. Creatures from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there. Lurking in the shadows, seeking our destruction, or just plain hungry. Monster Hunter International is the number one agency for eradication of evil.

Our story starts with one Owen Zastava Pitt. He’s your average, everyday working stiff. He just wants to work hard, get himself a wife and 2.5 kids, and settle in the suburbs, but when his boss literally tries to bite his head off, Owen is thrust into a world that he never knew existed - a world where monsters are exist, and there is good money to be made killing them. Welcome to Monster Hunter International.

MHI,a remarkable group of misfits that has banded together. They do more than dare to raise a candle to the darkness. They pack napalm-fed flamethrowers and lots of firepower. There’s specialized body armor, big guns with unusual ammunition, and bloodsucking fiends. You’ll also find some likable, well-developed heroes that bleed, and a full-speed action yarn that’s funny as Hades.

I picked up this first novel because it sounded like a fun, fast read, and it is. Larry is a certified weapon instructor and it shows in his writing. He knows guns and weapons and he likes to blow things up, and have a lot of fun doing it. He also loves B movies, and has a twisted sense of humor, and it all makes for a highly entertaining read. It’s not perfect. There are some rough spots, and at 452 pages, it’s a little longer than is needed. The action slows down after a great intro that grabs your attention, but quickly jumps back to the fight. If you like SF, military fiction, or horror, you’ll find yourself staying up late at night to finish, and anticipating the next novel. You aren’t going to find MHI on the New York Times bestseller list, or Oprah any time soon, but maybe she should lock and load and lighten up…

Hordes of evil, brain-chomping zombies, or a target-rich environment? Email me at frommyshelf@epix.net Miss a column? Check out www.frommyshelf.blogspot.com for past columns. Hunting for Hobo? Make sure to check him out at his book reading and signing at the Blossburg Library, March 8th 1PM. He’ll be reading “Hobo Finds A Home.” Come by and rub his tummy.