Review | Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia

And now for something completely different: Monster Hunter International. Though it could probably be classified as horror (ater all, it’s about werewolves, zombies, ghosts, and other monsters) pick up Monster Hunter International, and you’re going to to find something akin to fantasy (or maybe science fiction?), if it was written by a Second Amendment and gun enthusiast.

It opens when Owen, a mild mannered but not small of stature accountant who just happened to work his way through college fighting in off-the-books prize fights, is attacked by his boss, a newly turned werewolf with a hunger for man. Owen kills him with his bare hands, catching the attention of the premier monster hunting company in the country, Monster Hunter International (or MHI for short). Yes, there’s a whole agency of freelance monster “bounty hunters.” Think of them as something like the Ghost Busters, but less urban, and less focused on ghosts. “Have gun, will travel” might apply, but it’ll be the “things that go bump in the night” that they respond to. Before Owen knows it, the death of his werewolf boss catches MHI’s attention, and he’s recruited to the team to help hunt vampires, zombies, wights, and worse, armed with more ordinance than anyone not in the US Army. It’s just a job, albeit one that happens to pay well, until Owen finds himself fighting an ambitious creature, ancient and deadly, one intent on bringing about the end of the world, or at least domination of it.

With Mayan prophecies of the end on the horizon (as in, tomorrow), this might be a fun way to ring in the apocalypse.

This is Larry Correia’s first novel, and the effort is entertaining, fun, and readable. Correia self-published the book initially, and only attracting a publisher’s attention after it made Entertainment Weekly‘s bestseller list. If you’ve ever watched a horror movie and wondered what would happen if the victims were armed, dangerous, and prepared, then this is your book.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the book, and though it falls into brain candy territory, there’s a place for that. Monster Hunters International is a fun romp of a book and a very quick read.

______________

Overall rating: