Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge

Way to go John Ringo!! If I'm being entirely honest, i liked this book more than any of LC's series since the first MHI. i like a series that has a central character. i like to watch that character grow and learn as time and trauma dictate. this is a really fun and interesting start, i hope chad stays alive long enough to develop. i mean we all know he dies in the end, but then, don't we all?

It's a good story reads like an actual memoir no major plot or plot development of the correia universe a few interesting background stories of main correia characters. Ringo ranting Republican to which I say both parties have blathering idiots. And yes Democrats like guns and explosives and killin the baddies.

GOD DAMN GARY STU!

Don't get me wrong, I love MHI, and the stories Larry Correia has written. This is NOT one of his stories. This is John Ringo and if I'd known that I would've never read this book.
The main character is a Gary Stu, or a character that is damn perfect. He is a strong arm, katana master, gun wielding, man that every woman drops their panties for, friend of politicians, super intelligent man who speaks 9 languages (including monster languages PhD professors in linguistics can't figure out), and overall SUPER SAIYAN. Sure he gets marginally hurt, and I saw marginally because if you go toe to toe with trolls with a katana means normally you're going to die. This guy can seriously never do wrong and he is SO BORING! Seriously, this is the scrawny guy making a DnD character called Ragnar Cockstrong, immortal superhero of the DnD world.

Please don't read the original MHI series and ignore the memoirs.

This was a book I wanted to like but the narrator was more than unreliable, he's down right deranged. First details about Seattle and Washington state in the eighties weren't just wrong they were wrong within the story. Larry admitted that editing was hard and I believe him but using the same town twice in two different parts of the state and as entirely different towns is just a terrible error.

Like all Ringo books the protagonist is a Mary Sue. Considering how the series started that's not such a huge deal, however, it gets old and no doubt would have gotten as ridiculous as any of Ringo's other stories if not reined in by Correia's sense of propriety. I'm glad we didn't get Monster Hunter Memoirs: Gor.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book just not as much as other books in Correia's universe. But there are flaws. Either the story was poorly edited or it was seriously such an unreliable narrative that it might as well be considered fiction from written in a fictional universe. I'm not fond of either option.

For Monster Hunter fans, Chad is a great new narrator/hero. And I liked the retro setting too. The only knock is a couple of the fight scenes were hard to follow, but maybe that is due to the narrator fighting instead of memorizing the details.

It can't be over already!!!

The real problem with letting someone else muck about in your world is they might screw it up.

This is not one of those cases.

As expected from John Ringo the action starts right away and never lets up.

As expected from Larry Correia this book fits seamlessly into the MHI world.

And as usual, I am left wanting more.

If you haven't read any of the monster Hunter books you could start the series with this one and not miss a step. I couldn't put this one down and I even laughed out loud at some of the antics.
I don't normally rate or review books, but I think you will really enjoy this book and would then try the others. Have fun ..
..

Ignore the double author credit. Its Correia's world but its a Ringo novel minus the hotter sex scenes of Ghost et al. Its also not really a novel. Its a set of shaggy dog stories strung together by a common POV character. If you liked the Ghost books or the Black Tide series you'll love this. I did. If not, think carefully.

Awesome addition to the Monster Hunter Series, I really like John Ringo's storytelling--I'm glad Larry edited it and probably toned down the sex--I have the same morals & religion as Milo. Nice to read stories from an earlier era of MHI and how it relates to Larry's previous books. Amazing that Ringo could crank those out so fast, looking forward to the Monster Hunter Memoirs: Sinners.

A fantastic addition to the Monster Hunter International world. The MHI series mostly (books 1-4) focus on Monster Hunter International's main team, book 5 is from the MCB's point of view, while this book is part of an older Monster Hunter's memoirs, one that worked with the Flaming Warthog team in Seattle mainly. (Dorcas' team, unless my memory is faulty.) This entry is also the beginning and/or first half of 'Iron Hands'' career as a monster hunter, where he comes from, how he first encountered monsters, etc. The combination of Larry Correia
s MHI world, and John Ringo's writing is very interesting: I've read both, and it's like Mozart and Bach decided to swap venues for a performance. Lots of hilarious period-perfect jokes all through the book, but the book doesn't DEPEND on them, so folks who weren't alive in the 1970's and 1980's will still get a kick out of them simply from context. Well done, looking forward to Sinners in a few months!

Wasn't sure what to expect with John Ringo writing in Larry Correia's universe although I figured it would rock...and it did! Typical Ringo "OMG it's HOW LATE?!? But....but....I gotta finish it!" read. John's style is just enough different from Larry's that I could tell who the main author was, but it dovetails into the MHI universe without a hitch.

Recommended without reservation.

Good and simple action story with guns,blades and explosives. The sometimes cheesy dialogue was great it went well with the over the top hero. The protagonist was a Wile E Coyote super genius who could also kick Ass. Pure enjoyable escapism.

Reads like a free book. No cohesive story. Just a bunch of random story ideas to fill the pages. Had potential but went nowhere.... I did like the prior books in the series. Won't waste my time or money with the sequel to this book.

This book was a huge disappointment. For starters, the narrative structure was entirely episodic. The story didn't go anywhere, it was essentially kill zombies, kill vampires, kill werewolf, kill giant spiders, the end. Boom. No real plot development, no arc, no nuthing. And the characters were two-dimensional caricatures, basically place holders to fill in situational needs like the guy who feeds the ammo into the machine gun, or the guy who ooohs and ahhhs at the katana. Except for the women, who were all one-dimensional, and that dimension was horizontal. The only characters who seemed real were Chad (who was a jerk) and characters created by Larry Correia: Earl, Milo, the Nelsons, Susan and Ray, Marty -- characters that we already knew because Larry had already breathed life into them.

What can I say? Ringo does MHI. Great fast moving story with likable hero. A little bit raunchy. As a prequel, we see some familiar minor characters as they were referred to in past tense in the MHI books. Well worth the time and money to read.

I've enjoyed reading these books it's great escapism.the description says if you like sci-first or guns,you will like this series.I enjoy it because of the great characters.Each book has a combination of both the original monster hunters and new ones and they are all interesting.Also,there are the monsters!! This is a very unique series that's very enjoyable.

My top two authors in my two favorite genres melding and crafting superior tales. I salute you. Semper Fi. My time in. My best friend out of 2nd ANGLICO did two tours on that perch. Missed the biggest ride. Enjoyed it immensely.

Loads of irony. Ringo makes me laugh, not funny ha ha. Dark humor that brings a sneer to my lips and a keen edged song to my heart. Metal should be playing in the background while reading. Might I suggest as an opener Rim of Hell by DAD. Enjoy.

Another fantastic book in the Monster Hunter series! Great cooperative writing effort and who knew a fey princess was responsible for grunge rock. Loved the book, a real page turner even kindle. Get it and read it now!

Nobody does guns and shooting monsters, zombies, aliens better than Ringo! Now he's in the monster hunters world. Look out! Hopefully it won't take too long for round 2 - damnit Ringo! Your writing is like crack! Don't take to long with more....like, please dude.

I was getting worried that nothing new was coming out. Then I was worried that some other guy was writing in this universe, but despite the cocky intro this guy is good. He truly does justice to MHI. His characters are great and the story was a blast.

It is hard to put down a book by one of my favorite authors but when two of them team up to write it is a sleepless night and no work done the next day. My GOD is this excellent! Larry has created a universe that is fun to live in and John has just punched it up a notch.

If you like the Monster Hunter World and you have a hearty appreciation for f-bombs, you will laugh yourself silly at this book at the same time you can't put it down. Excellent, enjoyable collaboration!

WOW!!!! What a fantastic book! I loved the characters, the plots and the general story line! Larry Correia and John Ringo have knocked this one out of the park! I can't wait for the next memoir! Hurry up guys! I need that book!

If you expect the quality, style, pace, sophistication and tone of Correia's original works, you will likely be disappointed. If you like Ringo's more recent works, you'll probably like this: plenty of in-your-face gratuitous and irrelevant politics (Ringo-flavor), repeated ad nauseam hardware minutia, and or course sex/ Although Larry apparently edited out some of the latter (thank you, although you could have cut most or the rest with no loss).

Bought this because I like the MHI inverse and Larry Correia's writing--and Larry Correia's name was at the top. Throw Ringo into the mix and for me the result is mediocre at best--and at the price ($7.99 at this time) it's an insult to the original. This is at best a $3 guilty-pleasure-few-hours-weekend read (if you can handle recent Ringo).

Correia has a way of getting in your face and making you think without really getting in your face and insulting you. Ringo appears to have lost that ability. Or maybe willingness, as he says publishing his laundry list would make money and seems to take pride in how short a time he wrote this. Unlike Correia, the lack of care or respect for the reader shows in Ringo's writings.

So, a bit of background. Larry Correia wrote a series of books where monsters, virtually all monsters from folklore of every nation, are real, and a private company, Monster Hunters International, hunts them to collect bounties paid by the federal government. The first book was a huge success, so much so that now there are five books in the series with more coming. John Ringo is a prolific author, writing books in multiple genres from science fiction to fantasy to, well, whatever the Kildar series is. His books are also hugely successful. One of John's series was a tale of the zombie apocalypse, written from the point of view of characters who were actually competent.

One day, John picked up an MHI book and read it. The next day he picked up the rest.

A few weeks later he had written two.

This is not normal; authors don't generally just write a book in another author's universe. That's something fans do, usually badly. (See 50 Shades.) John did not do badly. In fact, he did so well that he and Larry decided that this project, that started basically on a whim, mshould see the light of day. Baen publishing agreed, and so MHI: Grunge was born.

Collaborations are notoriously tricky things. Two writers with distinct voices have to find a way to harmonize together. When it works, each writer strengthens the weak points of the other, while their strong points shine. When it doesn't work, the work doesn't live up to the standards either have set in the past. Making things tougher, it's hard to collaborate repeatedly. As an example, .Stephen King and Peter Straub collaborated twice, first with the Talisman and then the sequel, The Black House. The first book was magical; the second, meh.

So how does this particular collaboration work out? Well, I gave it five stars, so clearly, I think it worked very well. Partly because the book is mostly John's; Larry acted more as an editor than a collaborator, thus sidestepping the difficulties of matching voice and tone. PArtly because the story is set a couple of decades prior to Larry's mainline books; this gives John room to create his own characters and his own atmosphere without treading on Larry's toes. But mostly because John really gets the world of MHI, and his character, Oliver Chadwick Gardenier (Call him Chad. He hates his name.) fits seamlessly into the world Larry created. Both John and Larry share a similar view of life, that challenges are inevitable and must be met by men and women of courage. They both believe in heroes, and that people of good will can make a positive difference in this world, even though sometimes that may cost them their lives. They believe that sometimes, that price must be paid. They also believe that evil must be opposed, actively opposed, through deeds, not just words, and this shows through in the MHI world, regardless of which man is writing.

The book is fast paced, moving rapidly from encounter to encounter, which is expected since it is written as a journal. When you keep a diary, you don't write about the boring days; you write about the ones where stuff actually happens. Despite the episodic nature of the storytelling, we get to know Chad pretty well. Unfortunately, we don't really get to know more about the supporting cast; they come off as slightly flat. Given that there are two more books coming along, that may change.

Since it is a book about killing monsters, you can expect action and fighting, blood and gore, but you also get some laughs along the way as well. You do get to meet some characters from the main line books, and for readers of the series, knowing what's coming down the pike for them gives these brief glimpses a deeper poignancy.

One thing that must be pointed out is that this is the first book of the trilogy. There are hints of future events that are left unresolved, as well as some fairly significant questions. The good news is that Ringo writes fast. The second book is due out this winter with the third due next year.

I'll definitely buy the next two books in the series.

Great addition to the MHI world. Ringo gets it, though I would love to read the stuff cut out by Larry as too "adult". Got the feeling Ringo went a little too "Ghost" a few times LOL.

"Do the whole village! Do the whole village!" Now ranks up there with "Nuke it from orbit only way to be sure".

The first couple of chapters are nothing but the main character masturbating in a mirror.
We get it.
He thinks he's awesome.
It's like if Archer were played completely seriously.
After a while I couldn't take it anymore and gave up.
And that's too bad.
I LOVED the regular Monster Hunters International books and highly recommend them.

The first couple of chapters are nothing but the main character masturbating in a mirror.
We get it.
He thinks he's awesome.
It's like if Archer were played completely seriously.
After a while I couldn't take it anymore and gave up.
And that's too bad.
I LOVED the regular Monster Hunters International books and highly recommend them.

Great book. It keeps well with the original MHI lineup and and keeps the same Vibe. Something I love about all the MHI's characters is they are the best at making fun of themselves. It is always great when Owen or Chad site their flaws with humor.

What can you say - John Ringo writing in Larry Correia's universe. If there was any better match made in heaven, I don't know what it would be. MHI with a bit of Ringo flair and attitude. The difference is subtle, but there. A fan of either author will immensely enjoy this book.

No where near as well written as the MHI series.
Grunge reminds me of a movie producers want to get R rating for so they add cursing and violence add nauseum. Adds nothing to the plot.
Mr. Correia may want to rethink this dual authorship, at least on the MHI series.
As Earl would say, "Don"t fix it if it aint broke."

Ordered this book pre-publication, unfortunately, because I like the Monster Hunter series.
Prefer Larry Correia books which are written by Mr. Correia. And not one written mostly by someone else. I have read & enjoyed some of the material written by John Ringo; I wish he would have stayed out of this universe.
His main character, 'Chad'. was a one-note-Johnny & I got tired of him so quickly that I was almost relived when the book ended. With the others in the series I was left wanting more/the next installation of the story. Not this off-shoot.
Doubt very seriously I will buy any other Monster Hunter co-written w/Mr. Ringo.

This is not a MHI book. The author put in the MHI world and linked it to past books to draw in fans but the way the story is written is very poor. Other than the main guy, there is no character development and that's because it takes the whole book for you to know how perfect the guy is at everything. You could care less if his teammates die since you have no idea who they are and he does everything by himself anyway. I cant wait for a new Real MHI book to hit the shelves.

Don't get this book!!!
If you liked Monster Hunters, there is a slim chance, very very slim that you just got ripped off from Ringo.....like me.........could not meet my standards, not my fight....... absolutely terrible.

This reads like the episode of Futurama where the alien forces the cast of Star Trek to play out his awful fan script. The main character is an uncomplicated heap of hyperbole without any depth - he is the best/most in the world at literally everything he does by pure writer fiat. No hint of Correia's usual layering and finesse.

This is not MHI. This is self indulgent fan fiction with the MHI logo slapped on it.

Decent book but overly religious for no reason and very obvious that Corriea was not the author. I am okay with a new writer writing in the universe with over sight but had Ringo been the original author of the first book, would have stopped reading and dismissed the rest of the series. Supposed to be different, cool with that. Just feel as if Ringo wrote whatever that vaguely fit in the universe and Corriea didn't check the work.

Also, you learn nothing new that supports the main story of Owen and MHI in present day. I would sell back the book if I hadn't bought the electronic and was past my grace window.

Its definitely the MHI, but protaganist is too convenient (genius intellect, handsome lothario and super ninja chuck norris ripoff) to feel any empathy for. I loved MHI because it was fantastic stories of ordinary men and women fighting overwhelming odds. Mr Weber reputation for his other fine works may be well deserved but in this case i was rooting for the hero to be swallowed by a giant spider and save us his smartass commentary.

You might have met our hero in some form in real life. Now you know that guy a little better from the inside. This was a good hand- off from the original author to a new source of material we have come to want more of

What are you waiting for?

I don't know why John Ringo had to get involved. Larry Correia does just fine without a "guest writer". It seems Larry was more or less wrestled into this. Not at all happy. This book is a blemish on an otherwise entertaining journey into a great wirter's works.

Very well written if you are a fan of mhi so far you will love this. Ringo created a whole new branch of the story that stayed true to the original series and blends seamlessly with the story thus far

I've enjoyed reading the other MHI books but John Ringo isn't Larry Correia. The main character in this story is just way too cartoony and cheesy to have any interest in. I had to stop reading before I hit the half way mark in this book. Skip this one and wait for the next one written by Larry.

I read and enjoyed all the prior books in the series. Larry Correia is a decent writer, and his characters are generally well thought out. The MHI books seemed to have been getting progressively better -- both in plot and characterization, and you could see the writing improving from book to book. I particularly enjoyed Alpha. Not so with Grunge. Remember when Tom Clancy started farming out his characters to other writers and they all sucked? Same thing here. Correia made a terrible mistake letting John Ringo write this drivel based on a world he so carefully constructed. The writing is sub-par, and the main character is an unlikable braggart who, despite his completely unbelievable claims of superior intellect, acts like an immature frat boy 95% of the time. A waste of my money and time, and a big step backwards for the series. Larry should go it alone next time, even if we have to wait longer for a book.

Correia's books were quite fun. This is not by him. It is horrifically misogynistic and nearly unreadable in places. I finally had to stop reading this it got so bad. If you want to reinforce your world view that women are all idiots and only meant to be used by men then this is the book for you. i seriously doubt I will buy any more books by correia given his terrible choice here. Makes me sad. Love the series before this...

I got this book through Edelweiss to review. This is the first book in the Monster Hunter Memoirs, which takes place in the mid 80’s of the Monster Hunter history (before the MHI books). This book was okay but not nearly as good as the MHI series.

I am had some issues with this book. Mainly I just didn’t like the main character Chad; since this book is completely his memoirs this is an issue. He is a self proclaimed womanizer who is apparently awesome at everything. He’s written like a hero (which I guess he is) but comes across as very arrogant and insufferable...he also can do no wrong (aside from all the womanizing). I can honestly say if I ever met this character in real life I would hate him. Previous MHI books were nicely balanced between female and male characters, and all those characters (while heroes) also had endearing flaws.

My other issue with this book is that this is less of a book than a series of loosely connected effects strung together chapter by chapter. I guess that’s okay; this is labeled as memoirs and that’s what it is. I just didn’t find it to be all that engaging or interesting. I have never read anything written by John Ringo before and maybe it’s just his writing style that’s rubbing me the wrong way.

We do encounter lots of creepy monsters and there is a ton of action (which was well written). There is a lot of gun talk and lots of gore just like previous books.

Overall this was okay but definitely not as good as previous MHI novels. I didn’t enjoy the main character and the book was less of a book than a bunch of loosely connected events. I had a lot of trouble getting through this book and, although it is much shorter than the MHI books, it took me a much longer time to read it.

I guess if the reason you read the Monster Hunter books is for the action, the guns, and don’t mind lots of talking about women as objects and not people then you will probably enjoy this. If you enjoyed the characters, the story, and the nice balance between strong female and male characters in the previous MHI books you probably aren’t going to enjoy this one.

As a Larry Correia fan I found this book unreadable. Larry's other books were written for adults with subtlety and humor. This mess of a book caused me to have flashbacks to the kid stuff I read as a teenager. I miss the old MHI style of writing. Hope to see the old Larry soon.

John Ringo ruined this book like he ruins everything else. For reference check out https://www.the store.com/dp/B00APAH6T8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#nav-subnav which is one of the most rapey, jacked up, horribly written sacks of crap I've ever read. I read it years ago while stuck in the hospital and never remembered the author but I immediately knew it was the same guy.

Skip this horrible horrible book. The rest of the series is pretty solid. But this one...holy crap. The main character is almost super human and of course pulls women like it's his job (because it's a Ringo novel), and everyone who isn't a gun toting bad a** is a liberal loser who should die in a fire.

Larry chose really really bad on a co-writer.

I was disappointed with this book. I don't think you can throw in a few familiar names and characters and call this a part of the MHI series. The book reads less like a great story (See: All original​ MHI books) and more like a womanizer bragging about why he's a genius and is amazing and is God's gift to monster hunting. The main character is kind of a blow hard. I'd choose an extended dinner with Agent Frank's over a 5 minute phone call with Chad. I think the co-author has some women issues he might need to see a therapist about...

Want politically correct characters peacefully coexisting with human-eating monsters? Then you've boarded the wrong train, because this book ain't going nowhere you wanna be. The lead character, Chad, is an unapologetic, womanizing, gun-loving, monster-killing, God-loving Marine, and he's wonderful. Sure, he's pretty much good at everything he decides to do, and he's so over-the-top that it's part of his charm. Even super-hunters have rough assignments, though, so don't expect Chad and MHI to blast their way through every problem with no trouble. It's not all explosions and gunfire, because not all monsters are, well, Monsters. And sometimes solutions require negotiation and finesse.

Grunge is set in the 1980s, before the first MHI book, so you won't catch more than a few glimpses of familiar characters. I don't think you'll miss them. Grunge is entertaining and satisfying. With the exception of New Orleans. Can't wait to find out about New Orleans.

Based on the eARC.

This is a fun fast paced, action adventure with real world ballistics, and what solo, squad and platoon level fighting of mythical monsters would look like with modern weapons. It stands alone on it's own story arc, or as an addition to the Monster Hunter International series. It has a rich universe that has a great theme and continuity.

The book action and the fire fights are what I loved.

The book does have it's detractors, and isnt well loved by those that don't figure out the narrator is a braggart and is shamelessly embellishing and exaggerating. I couldn't believe people could be that dense, until I saw the reviews. Since it is never explicitly confirmned this isnt a spoiler. Protip for those who cant figure it out the narrator isn't an over-powered "Mary Sue" he's shamelessly self promoting. No he probably didn't use his genius intellect to get all Cs as a boy, he just was a c-average student, and let's just say it is highly unlikely he used his superior intellect to throw the ASVAB test and get assigned to infantry, how much more likely is it he enlisted when all the good jobs were filled, and there was a shortage of cannon fodder. Did he really get the premier task force assignment immediately as rookie only to turn it down due to not liking the weather in that area, or did he flat out not get it. That is for the readers to decide, and not accept as fact. His linguistic abilities are partially explained later, or they be fabricated as well.

Either because of, or despite the narrator's embellishments the action is great, and the plot compelling. Some critics actually mention cheering for the giant spider at the end. Chad is supposed to be the kind of guy you could cheer for him or the giant spider attacking him.

If you love the rich universe, the theme and the action, then the Monster Hunter Series is great. The Chad memoirs portion of the universe are entertaining fun, but told by Chad so you just might wind up cheering for the giant spider.

This book is just bad. I read all of the MHI books, 1 through 6, and I’ve read them twice. I needed my MHI fix so I decided to try one of the John Ringo books from the MHI universe.

As I started reading the foreword by the author, I had a bad feeling about this book. “Very few people (some of the top Baen writers excepted) write well enough to keep me engaged. I can think of and write stories better than ninety percent of the published stuff out there.“. This statement just rubbed me the wrong way - all I could think about was the size of the authors ego. Well, my feeling turned out to be justified, as the main character of this book is what I feel author wants to be in his real life. Master swordsmen. Amazing soldier. Great gunsmith. Genius, beyond Mensa levels. Violin virtuoso. Sex machine. Amazing athlete. Super gifted linguist. Great politician and deal maker. You get the gist - you name it, if it is a skill needed for the character, he’s the best at it. He’s better at monster hunting than Harbinger, he was there when Mr Shackleford lost his hand and of course, he saved the day with his sword.

Owen Pitt has great skills too, but Larry Correia manages to keep him likable. Chad is an annoying smart ass know it all, and I simply can’t see how anyone would like him.

I am never giving John Ringo another chance. His style of writing just doesn’t do it for me. Only reason I’m giving it two stars is the fact that the book lives in MHI universe which I love.

I can only say that this is NOT what I expected. It is a collections of stories told from the point of view of Chad - who is over the top and cheesier than nachos. The story was long winded and lacked the action I have come to love from Correia. If you are a gun nut, you will appreciate the overly long winded descriptions/explanation of EVERY weapon the characters used. As much as I love the MHI stories - if the next one follows this format - I will have to skip it.

I’ve been a huge fan of Larry Correia’s since I first read Monster Hunter International (MHI). Since then I have read all of his books and bought most of them on day one. I even had the pleasure of meeting him at least twice and he didn’t disappoint. When I heard he was starting to expand the MHI universe to allow other authors in I got pretty excited at the prospect. At DragonCon last year I heard author John Ringo talk about the book and it seemed pretty great with a cool setting (Seattle). Ringo also seemed super passionate about the project (which you can read in the book’s forward) which made me even more excited about the story.

I won’t say I disliked the book, entirely, I can’t say I liked it very much either. Out of every other MHI book I’ve read, this is definitely my least favorite. There’s plenty of the stuff I like: guns, action, MHI, supernatural monsters, etc. but the biggest issue is that I can’t say I really got onboard with the main character or his story. John Ringo is a fantastic author but he has a tendency to only write about characters who are the “best of the best” in the most exaggerated of ways. Take that writing style and turn the volume up to 11 and you have an idea of where we’re going.
Without giving away too much of the plot I will say the main character, Chad, is practically a Mary Sue in every regard. I never felt the character was in true danger, he’s the best at everything he even gives a passing decision to try, he’s an amazing swordsman, he learns any language with ease, he’s the guy all women want to sleep with, and he’s also the guy all men want to be (in the story). The character who immediately jumped into my mind when reading this book was Buckaroo Banzai, and not in a good way (I love that movie btw). Of course, there are story beats for why the character is the way he is (in every respect) but that doesn’t change what I’m reading. One of the things that makes books like MHI great is the characters that we follow and meet on top of the interactions they have with others. That is nowhere to be seen in this book, in my opinion. There were times where I actually said out loud something akin to, “Really, John?”

The story isn’t anything to get excited over, other than the initial premise: these are the memoirs of a hunter from MHI’s past. That’s a great concept and something that could easily fuel the series in side stories going back to anytime in the fictional world’s history. However, because of the reasons I described above, I found the story to be rather one note. I suppose there are some things that flesh the world out a bit in terms of how some of the government interactions work in the MHI world and what threats the north east of America face but other than that I found it pretty one note. Maybe you could justify some of it by saying that Chad is an unreliable narrator but there’s no evidence of that yet. There are two more books planned in Ringo’s MHI trilogy so it is possible that gets thrown in but I seriously doubt it.

The action is solid, but again there is no agency because I never felt Chad was in danger. When reading Correia’s MHI books it is totally possible that characters you like will die or something terrible will happen to change the landscape of the fictional world. To be fair, this is a story set in the past (80s to be specific) but I can’t say I ever felt any likeable character was in danger (to be fair I can’t say there are many likeable characters that I haven’t already met in previous MHI books). If you simply need to read a monster hunting story where the author is a gun lover then that’s a boon as that is here more so than even in Larry’s books.

So can I recommend this book? Yes, but only if you’re hardcore into MHI and even then you may come out the same I did, or worse. This is without a doubt my least favorite book in the MHI series by leaps and bounds. I will be getting the next book in the series but there won’t be the excitement I had going into this one. If anything I can say that it will be an obligatory purchase for me to support the franchise. I really hope the upcoming MHI anthology (featuring authors like Jim Butcher and Jonathan Maberry) has better content but I don’t really doubt that it will. John Ringo is a tremendous author but I wish he would have just scaled back some of the ideas he had for this book as his excitement to write in the MHI universe may have gotten the best of him.

I've enjoyed Larry Correia's books, including the Monster Hunter series. This book was obviously not written by Correia, and is my first experience with John Ringo's writing. I hope that Mr. Ringo's books set in his own worlds are better. The character of 'Chad' is a headache-inducing hybrid of James Bond and Forrest Gump, set in the MHI world. He has the license to kill (monsters), he's insanely successful with the ladies, he packs the latest weaponry and destructive gadgets, and like Forrest, he happens to have been involved in or the cause of multiple historic and cultural moments - he's indirectly responsible for the birth of Seattle grunge, he's indirectly responsible for unleashing Valley Girl-speak on an unsuspecting world, he's a survivor of the 1983 Marine barracks car-bombing in Beirut, he knows Ronald Reagan well enough to refer to him as Uncle Ron. Oh, and he's also a genius who knows multiple languages and writes learned papers for an eager audience at Oxford. Also, he's a ninja with an ancient, named sword. Seriously.

Chad is insufferable. Worse, he's not interesting - I guess he was meant to be funny (no one could expect a reader to take him seriously), but he fails at this. I'd pass unless you're a completist who has to read everything set in the MHI universe.

A fresh new voice enters the MHI Universe with Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge. The book’s introduction discusses how veteran author John Ringo read and loved Correia’s Monster Hunter International novels, as should everyone with discerning taste in monster hunting novels. He was inspired by those books to create stories of his own set in the MHI universe. Correia, already a Ringo fan, wasn’t about to turn away a writer of that stature playing in his sandbox, especially since the ideas were so good. Correia spent some time helping shape the ideas to fit his universe’s history and aesthetic. The resulting book is smooth as silk between the two writer’s styles.

The first story in the planned series is Grunge. And it is spectacular. I’d never read Ringo’s work, but count me in as a major fan now. Ringo’s hero protagonist is Oliver Chadwick Gardenier, a unique and dangerous man. The book takes place in the 1980s, as Gardenier’s memoir is found behind a filing cabinet in the present day and is exposed to the world for the first time. As the story and Chad’s background slowly but deliciously unfolds, we meet his hippie/activist mother and his playboy father, and come to realize Chad’s future will go in a slightly different direction. After being mortally wounded during his Marine Corps service, Chad is given another chance by heaven (the circumstances of his heavenly meeting are a hoot) to come back and make a difference on Earth. This quickly translates to kicking some major monster ass.

Chad is a different sort of hero. He is what some Asian cultures would term the warrior poet. He is extremely well educated, has a talent with languages and his IQ is off the charts. He is a violin virtuoso and writes music when it pleases him. But he is also a gun, combat and weapon expert/enthusiast who doesn’t hesitate to kill evil monsters of all categories.

Grunge is the story of Chad’s life, his “resurrection” and his time fighting monsters as part of Monster Hunter International. No one is more dedicated to getting the job done despite any and all obstacles put in his way. Chad faces off against zombies, a werewolf, giant spiders, trailer elves and even challenges a fairie queen to a duel of sorts (my favorite part of the book and not for the faint of heart). Along the way he indulges his giant libido, makes contact with many new monster cultures (mostly to crush them like radioactive bugs), and becomes a born-again Christian. True, he practices his own personal brand of Christianity, but it’s a safe bet he’s going to heaven when he dies. And I hope that is not for a long, long time. Chad’s story is funny, irreverent and a mountain of fun. This book is sure to bring many new readers into the MHI fold.

The ending of Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge makes me glad there are more books planned in the series. I could read about Chad Gardenier’s exploits for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. A joyous read.

I am a huge fan of the MHI series but I was very disappointed with this book. One of my favorite things about Larry Correia's writing is his character development. The characters of MHI and The Grimnoir Chronicles are awesome and developed to the point where you feel like they're real people. The characters in this book were not. The main character is annoying most of the time and I wasn't able to get on his side. He spends a good portion of the book whining about his mother who is supposed to be someone you hate, but is so one dimensional I found myself rolling my eyes whenever she popped up. Larry Correia has always written amazing, strong female characters and I was disheartened to see that in this book all the other female characters are merely plot devices for the main character; someone for him to sleep with or think about sleeping with. With respect to both authors who are amazing in their own right, I hope this partnership is short lived. I would love to see Mr. Correia write more MHI.

Let's start out with the positives. 1. Larry Correia is amazing. 2. Monster Hunter International is amazing.

Now for the bad news. This is NOT written by Larry Correia. It is written by John Ringo. It steals Correia's wonderful universe, which is fantastic. But the author is so full of himself that it's ridiculous, and it comes through in his character. The author starts out his introduction by announcing that he doesn't bother to read hardly any fiction books anymore because he writes better fiction than anyone he knows of. His highest praise of Correia's work is that he can't believe that he didn't think of it first.

The main character is unbelievably overpowered. I mean he's a better fighter, better shooter, better hunter, better linguist and better scholar than anyone else in the books. Oh, and did I mention that he hooks up with a girl every other chapter?

It's just a disgrace that someone with this large of an ego had to take such a literary s#!t on such a wonderful universe.

So the novel is John Ringo writing in Larry Correia's world. And as Larry writes "my kids read this stuff". So Ringo is reigned in on things that he wouldn't normally be shy about writing a few paragraphs on. So, good news, you can let your kids read the books!
I don't know why everyone is saying Chad is a one note character. In the book he goes through his background explaining his raising and how he became a hunter. Chad is no more one note than Owen was in MHI. He is more driven by....alternative interests than Owen, but that is how Ringo writes.
It really is like the character from Ringo's "The Last Centurion" in MHI world. Ringo still does a ton of edu-taiment with his writing/education style prose.
I love MHI and I really liked this book. It was a good starter to the trilogy.

Let me start by saying I'm a MHI fan. I have all the books in audio and text formats, and I enjoy each of them immensely. This book was not as good. Only one new character, Chad, was developed. The rest of the new ones were just bit players. For good or ill, this book was primarily action with little sub-text or story line development. It was nice to get more info on the Doctors, but this book felt a little too much like a right-wing pitch to horror fans. It is well known that Mr. Correia is, how should I say it, a hard core right wing gun nu....enthusiast, and that is fine. In this book the "other" writer got a little too political for my taste, which took the fun of the story out of it for me. I may or may not pick up the next one...

This is an interesting offshoot on an urban fantasy series I have greatly enjoyed by an author that I greatly enjoy.

It must be noted that although the book lists Correia as an author in almost all ways this is a John Ringo work. If you like John Ringo's writing style (I do) you'll like this book. If you don't you won't. Beyond that, I think it is fair to say that, in this book at least, there is very little character development however there is lots of action, not to mention amusing oneliners and some backstory to a number of characters in the main MHI books.

If the idea of urban fantasy in the Pacific Northwest sounds good then you may also enjoy William Lehman's John Fisher stories (Harvest Of Evil and Keeping The Faith (John Fisher Chronicles Book 2) ). They are an interesting contrast to the MHI world.

A funny fast read. I loved the different view of the 80s Monster Hunter scene. The Chad's origin story was weak-sauce but I wasn't reading it for the origini , I was reading it for ass kicking monster fighting and this book had that in spades . John and Larry were synergistic and the expanded MHI univere was great to drop into , with details and background that was a treasure , and in fact inspired me to open up an MHI campaign . The only reason this got 4 instead of 5 stars was you never got any real visuals for characters. Off the top of my head I can remeber maybe 4 or 5 character's hair color or physical characteristics beyond she had a banging bod , or blond curly locks down to his butt (until he had them cut). The writing was fast paced and I have read it 8 or 9 times now . Very much a fun read .

I Got this on audible and wrestled with myself the whole time on if I should return it or not. I finished it and wish I'd just returned it at the start. I have lots of fun with Correia's work. I wouldn't classify it as great literature, but I bought this without reading reviews because his name was on the cover. I won't do that again. Correia writes using main characters who are unbelievable but in a fun way. You like them because of how they are introduced, develop and react to situations. They aren't saints, but they typically mean well. Not so with the Chad (the protagonist of Grunge), who is more of a Mary Sue than anything I've ever read before outside of fan fiction. I get the feeling the author (Ringo primarily, I only felt like I heard Correia's voice during action sequences) decided on what he wanted the hero to look like and sound like and worked backwards one step at a time and got more and more implausible as he went. Chad (who converts during the book to Catholicism) spends significant time trying to tell the reader how Christians have it wrong without really understanding any christian doctrine. The character is supposedly smart enough to learn what the church teaches, but never does. He supposedly has a best friend, but we never hear about how they get close (they never hang out "on screen"). All in all, Ringo really seems to lack the ability to "Show, not tell" which is considered the hallmark of a quality author. I may pick up the other books in the sub series but only because I intend to keep up with the main series.

As an aside for people who might be listening to the audiobook, unlike Correia's usual fare, this book contains constant swearing, which I normally would shrug off, but I have a daughter who's just really getting going on language acquisition. It would have been nice to know I couldn't reasonably expect to listen to it with her around.

This is not the complex, multilayered and innovative story that you get from the other Larry Correia books in the Monster Hunter international series or from his Gromnoir Series. It is instead the simple, single layered, predictable and less interesting story that is typical of John Ringo's books. I've ravenously read each of Correia's books in the Monster Hunter series and in the Gromnoir series and all are excellent. Once I ran out of them, I tried some from John RIngo, but found all much less interesting - Ringo is an OK vodka suitable for drinking only if mixed into a more interesting cocktail; Correia is an excellent single malt scotch, complex, strong, and best sipped neat. This book is listed as a collaboration but it seems to be something dashed off by Ringo. I'll anxiously await Correia's next sole authored book, but I'll not again buy something co-authored. His imagination and complex story lines are exceptional, and I've read some straight through because I simply could not put them down. This one I gave away after reading the first 65% and deciding it was a waste of my time. If you like Ringo's books, maybe you will like this one, but if you are expecting the high standard Correia has set previously, give this one a pass and wait for the next book that is really by Correia.

John Ringo liked Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter series so well that he wrote some prequels set in the 80's Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge(hard from Baen) is the tale of Oliver Chadwick Gardenier who almost lost his life when his barracks were blown up in Beruit. A dream convinced him that St. Peter let him live because God had further plans from him. Then a prayer meeting literally caused the dead to rise, and he had to destroy zombies. After Oliver joins Monster hunters, Inc he works in Seattle where he has to kill giant spiders, vampires. werewolves, and more in various adventures that cover the first decade of his time with the company. Two more books are promised. Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press

I'm a prolific reader of a variety of books. My current favorite author right now is Larry Correia and I've been a longtime reader of John Ringo... so when I'd first heard about Monster Hunter books written by Ringo and edited by Larry Correia, I was pretty excited. It was a long wait for me, just under a year from when I first heard about the books.

I wasn't really sure quite what to expect: the quirky humor of John Ringo, the snarky humor from Larry Correia, the impressive gun fights from Larry or the bombastic, over-the-top action that you find in a John Ringo book. Both of them tell excellent stories, so that certainly wasn't something I was worried about.

In the end, I'm still not really certain what I came away with. There is humor and action and a story... but it all had a sort of manic energy to the writing that made it feel uneven. Yes, there are hilarious sections and good action, but overall I'm not sure it fully pulled together. It felt more like a series of "hey, cool, you'll like this" scenes that only loosely followed a narrative. The hints at future events both within this series and in the mainline series were entertaining but also jarring.

To be clear, it's written as a journal, set before the events of the other MHI books. It removes a bit of the tension, in that you know the main character will survive (until he finishes writing those journals at least). The quips and references to future events are part of the "Unreliable Narrator" theme and they work... mostly. The story jumps forward, from section to section and in parts the writing is brilliant and in others...

Well, I don't want to spoil things, but there was a section that was clearly meant to be very moving and it didn't have the profound impact it was meant to have. The main character is so centrally focused that the other characters in the book aren't fully fleshed out. This is what threw me, I think, in that normally both authors put a lot of work into their characters and in this book, the side cast were utterly forgettable. The main character is so over-the-top, so central to the story, that the others just fade out.

It isn't a bad book by any margin. There's action, excitement, and Ringo and Correia fill in a ton of backstory that I loved to see. It just didn't hit the level of awesome that both authors can hit on their own. By all means, I recommend picking up a copy. I enjoyed it and I'll read the other books in the series.

Given that the main character is loose in his habit of sleeping with any girl he can, this story is obviously a little less kid friendly in that department than Larry Correia's own writing tends to be. Doesn't go into detail, but you know that stuff has happened. The violence is pretty on par for any monster hunter book, lots of things get killed in sometimes interesting ways and people are sometimes killed by the monsters before the hunters kill the monsters.
I give this story five stars however as I still found it really enjoyable, and some of the humor is great. The story gives blue screen of death a new meaning. It should also be noted that while this could be read without having read the original series, it has a whole level of appreciation that can be had from references if you have read the original series and get the inside jokes and what not.

So I recommend this, but not for kids under teen years, and maybe not until later teens, though that is more personal preference and so do what you want, just giving a heads up for those who care about that sort of stuff. Looking forward to the next book in the series, and really looking forward to the next book in the original series by Larry Correia.

Whenever you broaden an established, popular franchise to allow another author to write a major novel in your universe, you are taking a risk. This addition to the Monster Hunter universe presents a new 'voice' while remaining true to the original flavors of MHI. We get some glimpses of beloved characters, meet a few new ones and learn about a name revered in MHI history.

Correia's trademark, the first person narration spanning different sorts of scenes - from gun fights to introspection, from business negotiation with crime lords to business negotiation with monster lords - is faithfully maintained. His other trademark, the accurate depiction of firearms, is de rigeur, of course.

Ringo brings his unique and engaging brand of humor, leavening the original recipe with a spicy new flavor note.

I will be acquiring the next book in the series and you should too!

I rarely write reviews because I just don't feel strongly enough about your average every day product to do so, but this time, yeah I am going to bother. Mostly because this book is a ripoff. It isn't Larry Correia, it is some angry donkey's backside who wrote the worst Mary Sue fanfic and managed to get a paycheck for it. He is Neo with mommy issues and the depth of a kiddie pool.

The rest of the MHI series, the real series, I love. But this ain't it. I won't be getting any other books with John Ringo's name stamped on the cover.

If you are a fan of the MHI series, you will enjoy this one. It has all of the action, humor, monsters, and guns MHI fans know and love. Chad is a cheesy but excellent main character, and there are a few tantalizing hints at the larger universe that Correia really started to dig into with Nemesis. My one issue with the book was the supporting cast. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to the awesomeness of the likes of Julie, Trip, Hollie, and Earl Harbinger. I think this is mostly because of the memoir format. The book takes place over a very long period in Chad's life, so no supporting character is around long enough to really get a chance to shine. It's still a great read, with some excellent action and humor, and an exploration of the political side of monster hunting that really enhances the universe. One other thing that got on my nerves just a little was the rather cliché opening scene, but it's a minor issue. All in all, a great book.

I'll be honest. I bought this novel as soon as it was available, just as I have all of Larry's MHI series. I wouldn't say that Ringo added much to the MHI history, but if it helps get more MHI stories out there, then this team-up gets my approval--for what that's worth. The synopsis has already been stated and I won't repeat it. I listened to this novel and all of Larry's novels on Audible and I must say the narration for all of them has been killer. You absolutely CANNOT GO WRONG with any of the MHI series.

I enjoyed the book and have no problem saying that. It felt true to character as belonging to the monster hunter world. My one word of caution is well it's John Ringo.

Ringo has a voice and tone that's pretty consistent throughout his work and if you like it you shouldn't have any problem liking this book too. It kind of reads like a Ringo book that Correia had to reign a bit. I think you'll enjoy it but it is a bit different from the rest of the books in the monster hunter universe.

Ringo may have been writing in Correia's universe, but his style is quite different...and not in a good way. If you're expecting something similar to the prior Monster Hunter books, think again. I returned the book a few minutes after purchasing it; it simply wasn't worth my time.

I am getting this book because it is funny! Just listening to the preview had me laughing so hard it hurt.
I don't know what "Grunge" some commenters have against John Ringo but I like his style of funny. Not too rude or sexual. You can be funny without being crude. Anyway I prefer to listen first ans judge later.
I hope this is as funny as the piece they used as preview :)

OMFG! Larry, buddy, what were you thinking letting this hack of a writer mutilate your beloved universe?? I'm guessing that it was foisted upon you by the publisher. Words cannot describe how disappointed I was in this book. I absolutely LOVE the MHI universe - it is one of my all-time favorites series! I literally count the days until each new book appears. I knew within 10 pages that I was going to be so very disappointed in this piece of crap book. The "hero" is a complete "MarySue"; he can do no wrong and is utterly perfect in everything he attempts, while at the same time he wants to kill every Liberal he sees, starting with his own mother. This book feels like it was written by a 15 year old boy with juvenile fantasies. Please do yourself a favor and read the REAL MHI books and stay completely away from this juvenile garbage. Correia = TOTALLY AWESOME! Ringo = COMPLETE HACK. I want my money back!

I read these for the campy over the top action, but that was toned down quite a bit in this book. Instead we get a study of one character who excels at everything, it gets a little boring. Plus I think there is a bit too much 'God' in this one.

You will lose sleep over this story. Ringo grabs the Monster Hunter series and throws it back to the 80s. Our hero marine is on a mission from god to destroy monsters. The action take place mainly in Seattle and has plenty of 80s call outs. The one fault is the hero is good at almost everything. So I dropping a star. Now back to bed to catch up on my sleep.

Given that the main character is loose in his habit of sleeping with any girl he can, this story is obviously a little less kid friendly in that department than Larry Correia's own writing tends to be. Doesn't go into detail, but you know that stuff has happened. The violence is pretty on par for any monster hunter book, lots of things get killed in sometimes interesting ways and people are sometimes killed by the monsters before the hunters kill the monsters.
I give this story five stars however as I still found it really enjoyable, and some of the humor is great. The story gives blue screen of death a new meaning. It should also be noted that while this could be read without having read the original series, it has a whole level of appreciation that can be had from references if you have read the original series and get the inside jokes and what not.

So I recommend this, but not for kids under teen years, and maybe not until later teens, though that is more personal preference and so do what you want, just giving a heads up for those who care about that sort of stuff. Looking forward to the next book in the series, and really looking forward to the next book in the original series by Larry Correia.

Whenever you broaden an established, popular franchise to allow another author to write a major novel in your universe, you are taking a risk. This addition to the Monster Hunter universe presents a new 'voice' while remaining true to the original flavors of MHI. We get some glimpses of beloved characters, meet a few new ones and learn about a name revered in MHI history.

Correia's trademark, the first person narration spanning different sorts of scenes - from gun fights to introspection, from business negotiation with crime lords to business negotiation with monster lords - is faithfully maintained. His other trademark, the accurate depiction of firearms, is de rigeur, of course.

Ringo brings his unique and engaging brand of humor, leavening the original recipe with a spicy new flavor note.

I will be acquiring the next book in the series and you should too!

I rarely write reviews because I just don't feel strongly enough about your average every day product to do so, but this time, yeah I am going to bother. Mostly because this book is a ripoff. It isn't Larry Correia, it is some angry donkey's backside who wrote the worst Mary Sue fanfic and managed to get a paycheck for it. He is Neo with mommy issues and the depth of a kiddie pool.

The rest of the MHI series, the real series, I love. But this ain't it. I won't be getting any other books with John Ringo's name stamped on the cover.

If you are a fan of the MHI series, you will enjoy this one. It has all of the action, humor, monsters, and guns MHI fans know and love. Chad is a cheesy but excellent main character, and there are a few tantalizing hints at the larger universe that Correia really started to dig into with Nemesis. My one issue with the book was the supporting cast. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to the awesomeness of the likes of Julie, Trip, Hollie, and Earl Harbinger. I think this is mostly because of the memoir format. The book takes place over a very long period in Chad's life, so no supporting character is around long enough to really get a chance to shine. It's still a great read, with some excellent action and humor, and an exploration of the political side of monster hunting that really enhances the universe. One other thing that got on my nerves just a little was the rather cliché opening scene, but it's a minor issue. All in all, a great book.

I'll be honest. I bought this novel as soon as it was available, just as I have all of Larry's MHI series. I wouldn't say that Ringo added much to the MHI history, but if it helps get more MHI stories out there, then this team-up gets my approval--for what that's worth. The synopsis has already been stated and I won't repeat it. I listened to this novel and all of Larry's novels on Audible and I must say the narration for all of them has been killer. You absolutely CANNOT GO WRONG with any of the MHI series.

I enjoyed the book and have no problem saying that. It felt true to character as belonging to the monster hunter world. My one word of caution is well it's John Ringo.

Ringo has a voice and tone that's pretty consistent throughout his work and if you like it you shouldn't have any problem liking this book too. It kind of reads like a Ringo book that Correia had to reign a bit. I think you'll enjoy it but it is a bit different from the rest of the books in the monster hunter universe.

Ringo may have been writing in Correia's universe, but his style is quite different...and not in a good way. If you're expecting something similar to the prior Monster Hunter books, think again. I returned the book a few minutes after purchasing it; it simply wasn't worth my time.

I am getting this book because it is funny! Just listening to the preview had me laughing so hard it hurt.
I don't know what "Grunge" some commenters have against John Ringo but I like his style of funny. Not too rude or sexual. You can be funny without being crude. Anyway I prefer to listen first ans judge later.
I hope this is as funny as the piece they used as preview :)

OMFG! Larry, buddy, what were you thinking letting this hack of a writer mutilate your beloved universe?? I'm guessing that it was foisted upon you by the publisher. Words cannot describe how disappointed I was in this book. I absolutely LOVE the MHI universe - it is one of my all-time favorites series! I literally count the days until each new book appears. I knew within 10 pages that I was going to be so very disappointed in this piece of crap book. The "hero" is a complete "MarySue"; he can do no wrong and is utterly perfect in everything he attempts, while at the same time he wants to kill every Liberal he sees, starting with his own mother. This book feels like it was written by a 15 year old boy with juvenile fantasies. Please do yourself a favor and read the REAL MHI books and stay completely away from this juvenile garbage. Correia = TOTALLY AWESOME! Ringo = COMPLETE HACK. I want my money back!

I read these for the campy over the top action, but that was toned down quite a bit in this book. Instead we get a study of one character who excels at everything, it gets a little boring. Plus I think there is a bit too much 'God' in this one.

You will lose sleep over this story. Ringo grabs the Monster Hunter series and throws it back to the 80s. Our hero marine is on a mission from god to destroy monsters. The action take place mainly in Seattle and has plenty of 80s call outs. The one fault is the hero is good at almost everything. So I dropping a star. Now back to bed to catch up on my sleep.

I love Larry's Monster Hunter Books. I will buy his next book the day it comes out. I was extremely excited for this book. Half-way through I was completely disappointed.

This book reads like MHI Fan Fiction. While technically descent prose, the story craft is awful. The protagonist is something you would see from a 13 year old writing his first story. Awesome at everything, no real flaws or depth. The more he insults a woman, the more they want to sleep with him.

To add insult to injury, not only is this poor story telling, but it's also bad message fiction. While most of the time, it's left wing message fic that turns me off. I'm a right leaning 2nd amendment supporter and Ringo's constant preaching drove me nuts.

All this book did was waste my time and make me appreciate Larry's books more. I returned it to get my money back, but I'll never get the time back.

Avoid this book and the sequel. Stick to Larry's books.

I am a HUGE fan of Monster Hunter and of Larry Correia, but I didn't make it past two pages in this book. Not only did it not feel like an MHI book, the swearing was over the top, excessive, and pointless. In his other books, Correia does a good job of balancing some adult material (this is the military after all) without being ridiculous. With Ringo on board, I didn't make it past 3 pages. There are more f bombs in 3 pages here than in any other MHI book I've read.

This book is an interesting addition to the MHI series, but it's clearly a Ringo book, and not Larry's. I'm conflicted about it, because I LOVE both Authors, but it somehow doesn't flow like their books do normally.
Chad (our hero) is a genius, in his own mind and memoirs. He is constantly telling us how smart he is, how he's talented, handsome, adept at weapons, languages, and can bed any girl he wants. The only thing he is bad at is modesty and acting normal.
Some of the stuff in there is hilarious, and satisfying, but it would have been nice to have seen that he is in fact fallible, and can fail at things without doing so deliberately.
I am looking forward to the other two books in the series, but won't rush out to read them like I normally do with Larry's works.