Hard Magic: Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles

Hard Magic is Larry Correia's third novel and already he is writing better than authors who have been on the scene for years. Having read both Monster Hunter novels I was well aware of Correia's skill going into Hard Magic but I never expected a masterpiece of this caliber. Reviews have been going around for some time now, Baen published an electronic-Advanced Read Copy a couple months ago and the reviews have been flattering. Some critics had even stated that this is Correia's best book yet. Having finished the novel I can honestly say that such praise is well deserved.

Hard Magic can be summed up as epic-urban fantasy-steampunk-noir-detective thriller-alternative historical-fiction. Correia juggles so many genres and "Big Ideas" that a lesser author would fumble in an instant and mangle into some Frankenstein monster of failed literature. Not only does Correia manage to keep the story uncluttered but he does it with some serious style. The Monster Hunter novels are packed with hardcore action, huge set pieces ,deep characters, and involving plots and yet Hard Magic is able to transcend them and create a whole new level of awesome.

First, the universe Correia has created. Not only does Hard Magic feature a fully functioning, well planned out system of magic but it also gives explanation behind the appearance of this magic. The magical abilities of "Actives" are very cool but at the same time they are explained. There are rules and dangers that come with each form of magic, and the magics themselves are firmly grounded in the universe they inhabit. Correia's alternative version of the 1930's is also a very cool world on its own, and quotes by notable historical figures involving the emergence and use of magic only help to flesh it out. Oh and for any of you steampunk fans out there I should mention there are some serious awesome zeppelins.

Next, the characters. Some critics are bound to draw similarities between Jake Sullivan, the main protagonist of Hard Magic, and Owen Pitt the lead of Monster Hunter. These similarities are fewer than some might imagine. Both are very tough, duty bound characters but I actually found myself liking Jake Sullivan a good bit more. Sullivan is a much darker character than Pitt. He is a damaged man with a tragic past. At the same time he is also very intelligent, having discovered things about magic that other characters within the novel never would have guessed. Sullivan also has some of the coolest powers of any magic "Active." The other notable character here is Faye, a young girl who can teleport and suffers some tragedy of her own. I rarely enjoy female characters written by male authors but to me Faye rings true. Her peppy attitude is a wonderful foil to the more solemn Sullivan and she always seems believable. There are some other colorful characters as well as a very well written villain but it's best for the reader to meet them on their own.

And now for the action. If you have ever wanted to read about a teleporting ninja battle being carried on across a super zeppelin in the midst of a pirate attack while samurai and zombies engage magical super heroes trying to prevent a super weapon from being activated this is the book for you. The fight scenes in Hard Magic are top notch, white knuckle, block buster, thrill rides that will satisfy even the biggest adrenaline junkies. Not only are these fights brutal and explosive but they are also rather intelligent. It can't be easy to write a multi-layered battle featuring combatants with different magical skills but Correia weaves seamless fight scenes that couldn't possibly be choreographed any better. The last 50 pages make for one of the most epic final confrontations I have ever read. Be warned.

Lastly the plot. With enough action and explosions to trump a Michael Bay film and plenty of original ideas whirling around it would almost be forgivable for the plot to suffer. This, fortunately, is not the case in the least. From the beginning to the end Hard Magic features perfect pacing. There are completely unexpected twists, betrayals, surprises, intrigue, build up, and a very satisfying conclusion. The Monster Hunter novels have great plots as well as a very successful over arcing story but Hard Magic achieves far more. My only concern is that it will be nigh impossible for Correia to out-do himself when Spellbound, Book II of the Grimnoir Chronicles comes out this fall.

Overall if you are looking for a book to rock your world, make you do some fist pumps, and demand a sequel then buy this book. The only regret I have is that I cannot give Hard Magic a rating higher than 5 measly stars. It deserves much more.

This was so amazing and I am in awe of Larry Correia. The action never stops and he makes it all seem to flow from one crisis to the next so effortlessly and on such a scale that you never end up questioning the transition from a little girl milking cows to saving the world. I want to hunt down someone... oh, Michael Bay or JJ Abrams and tell them they've got to do this! Surely Joss Whedon *needs* to write the script with Faye in it.

Zeppelins! Zombies! Pirates AND Ninjas!

And I'll say this, too.... ALL of that is while Correia shines a harsh light on the reality of Imperialism, racism and misogyny in the 1930's. Which I wouldn't even mention because far too many people (rightly) avoid paying for the right to be preached at about anything. But some people are humorless scolds and judge the man without reading his stuff, so I'll say it and I'll trust that those of you who (rightly) avoid "message-fic" understand the need to mention it.... meanwhile, did I mention Faye can teleport and Sullivan can change the direction of gravity?

Best... there are two more books (which I haven't read yet) and the third is the end, so no waiting for years for the author to get around to finishing. Yay!

Hard Magic intrigued me during the prologue, then grabbed me in the next few chapters, but ultimately a few small issues prevented me from really getting into it. It's hard to fault any aspect of the story - plot, action, world-building, characters, genre-bending - and I don't really see this being an issue for most people.

This book is action-packed. From beginning to end, there's action. In particular, the action ties in well with, and sustains, a very tight plot. It's hard to seperate the two - and, indeed, the other aspects of the story - the way they're intertwined. The story-telling in this aspect is really quite masterful. The characters and the action combine to create intrigue; the intrigue leads to the development of the plot; there's more action later, but between the intermissions, there's development of the characters and plot. It's a wonderfully conceived, and wonderfully executed, story. From the get-go the pace is cracking, and the shorter chapter lengths helped this alot, and there are a number of well set-up and executed reveals.

There are a mix of genre's here, but i'd say foremost among them is alternate history with a fantasy twist. There's some mystery/thriller elements, some noir, some steampunk, but most of those play back in to either the fantasy or the alternate history. The particulars of the fantasy take on an urban-style form for this book, but also has the beginnings of an epic fantasy over-arching style plot.

The magic itself I found a bit derivative in its manifestation. There are two types. The first is kind of like Xmen meets Mistborn. The second is the type that's draws on power via symbols. However, as the story progressed, despite the nature of the magic and how it was used, which I didn't find all that compelling on its own, we find out more about where the magic comes from and how it's manifested at the source - and I found this very interesting.

The magic also plays very heavily into the alternate history setting, where the world has changed rather abruptly in some ways, and certain historical figures have been augmented or abruptly fallen by the wayside. Until the narrative developed this a bit more I was a little concerned about whether the conception of this was thorough enough, but in the end I didn't have any particular problems with it.

The characters are well-developed, with their own histories and personalities, but throughout I got the feeling that most of them felt a little flat. It could just be the very frank nature of the writing, where there's not a whole lot of room for a subtle investigation of the characters, but sometimes it felt like the author was going over a check-list with things that set the characters apart, that gave them a uniqueness, and just focused the hell on those particular aspects. There's also not a whole lot of character development in-story, or much internal character-conflict, which is surprising (and, for me, disappointing) given some of the things that happen. However, despite all this, I was intrigued by the characters, I did care about them to a certain extent, and I was tugged emotionally by things which happened to them.

Then there's the themes of the story. It's a good vs evil kind of thing, very clear cut. Discussion around this and the related concepts of rightness and wrongness lacks subtlety. There are hints at a more complex idea of what's going on, touching more on the moral ambiguity of the conflicting righteous parties, but these are barely covered and never fully developed.

A couple of events could have been foreshadowed better. There are small paragraphs at the top of each chapter, excerpts from certain things, or altered quotes, to better show the changes in the world. I can think of one big event in particular which could have been foreshadowed quite easily, making the eventuality of what happened far less jarring.

In addition to all this, given that one of the main characters is a gun-enthusiast, I was disappointed to find that when a silencer was used it was described as just basically making a *phut* sound. There's no indication that the silencer was magically augmented, or whether it's surpassed current technology, but a gun with a silencer is still very loud and i'm not aware of a silencer which functions that particular way.

I really liked this book, but i'm hoping that Correia can build on this and really hammer everything home in the next book, which i'm eager to pick up.

4/5

It's hard to place this book into a genre. It's fantasy, it's alternative history, it's pulp fiction, it's got ninjas, it's ... diesel punk?

Set in the late 1920s or early 1930s, the US has entered the Depression, but Prohibition is still in effect. Airships (and airship pirates!) and biplanes share the skies. Around 1850, people started showing up around the world with magical abilities. Some were super strong; some could control heat, cold, fire, gravity, electricity, animals' minds, human minds, some can heal, some teleport. They vary wildly in ability. No one knows why this change in humans occurred. Many people fear and hate them, but a lot of the famous are magical: Einstein, Tesla, Browning (of guns, not poetry), Stonewall Jackson, Babe Ruth.

Jake Sullivan can control gravity; he's a being called a Heavy. He was a hero in WW I, a private detective, and a prisoner because he killed some people who sought to harm a boy whose only crime was to be different. J. Edgar Hoover gave him early parole on condition he help capture other law breaking Actives (the name given to those with magical powers); then he met up with the Grimnoir (noir being pronounced as it is in `film noir'), a group of magicals who work against the Actives who are evil. One of the problems is trying to figure out who is evil and who is not.... And there is never a calm minute to stop and think about that.

Faye Vierra is a teenager who can teleport, child of Oklahoma dust bowlers, adopted grandchild of an old farmer who is also a teleporter. He's taught her everything he knows about magic, but she's already better than he is. When he dies, murdered by other magicals, she's left on her own to fulfill his dying command. She soon runs into the Grimnoir, too, and has that some problem about not knowing who to trust and not having any time to think about it because people are always shooting and blowing things up and doing magical things and she's having to shoot and kill them in return, something she really hadn't learned on the dairy farm but turns out to have a real aptitude for.

The main story revolves around the Japanese threat to the rest of the world; they seek the Tesla invented device that created the Tunguska blast in a test firing so that they can rule the world. The action never stops; there are constant gunfights and magical fights. The book moves at a breakneck pace. Explanations are woven in seamlessly. There is not huge depth to most of the characters, but there is enough there to satisfy the reader. This book is the first of a series; I imagine there will be more character as time goes on. But really, while the characters of Jake and Faye drive a lot of the story, the story is more driven by plot and action. It's not meant to be deep. It's a well written, can't put it down adventure story. I can't wait to read the next installment!

I recently finished this wonderful book on Audio via my Audible account. Imagine a world where a small portion of the world's population is born with magical powers and live openly among us mere normals. A world where Teddy Roosevelt leads an army composed solely of "actives" against the Kaiser's Army of Undead during World War 1. Where Tesla creates a weapon so powerful it's energies could be felt on other worlds.

In the world of Hard Magic,there are certain types of "actives". You have your "Fades" people who can move through objects. You have "Mouths" people who can control others via their voice. You have the rare "Healers" who can see peoples affections and can cure them of it and on the opposite end, the even rarer " Pale Horses" people who can infect others with a mere touch, causing them to wither away in a most painful death.

Book 1 introduces us to Jake Sullivan. A World War 1 hero active, who was sent a special "active" prison when he killed a sheriff who was going to murder a young active in New Orleans. There, Jakes powers as a "Heavy" ( one who could manipulate gravity) served him well as a rock breaker. While in prison , Jake spent his spare time studying and reading every book he could get on gravity, mass and science. In doing so he fine tuned his powers beyond that of a mere "Heavy". This in turn caught the attention of J.Edgar Hoover who took Jake on as a special agent to help track down killer actives. He helps the FBI, he earns his freedom. Simple enough no?

That is until he goes on a mission in Chicago to help bring in an old lover of his, a "Brute" named Delia Jones. When a special team of actives known only as the Grim Noir intervene to save Delia , Jake finds himself on a path that will lead him to conflict with the agents of the Imperium, Japan's incarnation in this world, and their mysterious Iron Guard. Combine that with a young girl with teleportation powers on a quest to avenge the murder of her adopted grandfather at the hands of an Iron Guard and the plotting of the worlds richest man to hire a Pale Horse to assassinate his rival and you have the makings for a fantastic novel.

Doc Savage, G-8, the Spider are just some of the characters of the 30's that thrilled readers with adventure and daring do. My father told me about these books and I read the Doc Savage series as a boy and I was in heaven. I saw the cover for Hard Magic and I was hooked. I had read Correia's series Monsters International and I loved them. They had monsters and guns and guns and guns...you get the point. But here I found the grand scale adventure that I loved in the 30's pulp novels. Here were really good guys and really bad guys. Heroes and villians who were not cardboard people. The sides were drawn and there was no middle ground just good vs. evil. Now Correia added the history of the early 20th century with magic and blended them into an alternate world where the two lived side by side. The action was big and over the top, like the those serials from the 30s and 40s with cliff hangers at the end of each battle. Heroes lived, heroes died, villians were slain, and all died in glorious ways. There are no half way measures in this novel. Each character is given his moment to shine or tell his story. There is love, hate, duty and honor here. The background is grounded and litter with references to historical characters of the period,i.e. Teddy Roosevelt dies in W.W.I. I devored this book and wished that there was going to be another one. I wish my father was alive so he could have read this. I am sure he would relived his youth as I read it. So grap this book and travel back to the wonderous times of the 1930's.

The "cool" factor of a book must have, for me, three things.

First, it must have an original feature about it. Secondly, the setting must be believable as well as easy to pronounce. Lastly, it must have very compelling characters and a very intriguing plot. Thankfully, author Larry Correia accomplishes all of these in his latest offering, Hard Magic: Book 1 of the Grimnoir Chronicles.

Jake Sullivan is a con "assisting" the FBI with the arrest and capture of people who are "specials" like him: people who, for unknown reasons, have magical abilities. Jake is what's called a "Heavy": people who can manipulate gravity. Usually associated with the simple-minded and common laborers, Jake is a Heavy who has pushed his ability further than previously thought possible. It is his special talents that come to the attention of the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover (the novel is set in the 1930's) when they need him to arrest 6 "specials" with other powers. Six, and he is pardoned. However, Hoover more or less screws him over by having him "arrest" his former love, Delilah, who is a type of special called a "Brute". You can figure out what that means, I bet.

In the midst of all this, however, is the tale of Faye, a young teen from Oklahoma who was taken in by a Portuguese farmer when he learns that she is talented like him. His ability, to travel through space, is identical to hers, only it comes to light later that she is far more powerful than he ever could be. Just as she's finally settled into her new life (okay, a few years later), someone comes along and murders the man she has grown to call "Grandpa". Faye sees the killer, isn't able to do much other than hurt one of the men, and promptly runs to San Francisco upon her dying "grandfather's" request.

The pacing is fantastic, and is a much shorter novel than any of Correia's previous work. The action is believable and he does a tremendous job with creating characters who you like immensely. Weaving an amazing back story seamlessly in (using quotes at the beginning of each chapter to talk about the magic, different events and different people throughout history), this book is a lot of fun.

This is a must-buy book for any fan of urban fantasy or science fiction.

Even though I haven't finished this book yet, it's already been so awesome that it would take a lot for me not to like the ending. The characters are amazing. The global scale is great. The magic system. The time period. I LOVE IT! Most interesting thing I have read in a long time. It's very unique, I think I have only read one other series set around the 1930's and that was P.N. Elrod's Vampire Files, which was great, but nowhere near as face paced, action packed and epic as this.

I have read a ton of novels lately including, the Watch Series by Sergei Lukyanenko, Dresden Files and Codex Alera by Jim Butcher, Kingkiller Chronicles by Pat Rothfuss, Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Magic series by Illona Andrews, Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks, and many more I can't recall off the top of my head.

However Hard Magic has been the most fun to read so far, it is truely a character book, with excellent world building and detail, and to top it off this author is publishing these at 90 to nothing. How does he do it?

Ok, so first things first: This novel absolutely does NOT do what it says on the tin. With a name like 'Hard Magic' one could reasonably expect some sort of urban fantasy, but this isn't it. It also announces that it's the first book in the 'Grimnoir Chronicles', which would imply that maybe this is going to be a hardboiled detective story in the Dashiell Hammett tradition, but it isn't. Hard Magic certainly runs by and gives both genres a little love tap, but doesn't tackle either. The best description I can come up with for this book is 'The alternate-history lovechild of the X-Men, Sky Captain and The World Of Tomorrow, and Weird Tales with an extra dash of Cthulhu Mythos sprinkled on top'.

The fact that it's difficult to nail down where this book lands genre-wise by no means implies it's bad. If the concept of an unapologetically pulpy romp where superpowered Chicago gangsters duke it out with Tesla-cannon toting G-men on the bridge of a super-zeppelin appeals to you, then this is a book you will want to read. Correia actually manages to pull together a fairly coherent and very interesting alternate reality where the people with X-men like super powers started popping up in the 1800's and the effect they had on world history. This is a Baen book, so it's pretty much required to be pulpy and have a lot of things that explode violently, and Hard Magic definitely delivers both in spades.

That said, there are some pretty serious flaws with this book. The characters start out as basically cardboard cutouts going through the motions to set up the next explosion-laden set piece. This improves somewhat later in the book, but early on the characters are all flat and two-dimensional. Correia also tends to get bogged down in what I can only describe as 'gratuitous gun porn'. A lot of the action scenes have wind taken out of their sails when the author takes a 4 paragraph aside to discuss the characters' weapons. In the kindle version there is also some really horribly amateurish portraits of the characters. These really jarred me out of the book, as the character descriptions are well enough done that I have a good imaginary picture of the characters already, adding a D-grade artist's conception just undoes all the good work he did with describing his characters.

Despite it's flaws though, the book is an extremely fun read and quite a page-turner. If you're looking for something that doesn't take itself too seriously and is good beach-blanket reading fodder, you can do much much worse than Hard Magic.

(This review is based primarily on the Audible edition)

I went into this book hoping for Cast A Deadly Spell but instead got something far more interesting, textured and fun. The alternate magical 1930s seems very authentic despite the dirigibles, super powers, and Tesla weapons woven into the setting because the actions of both the fictional and fictionalized characters are an honest reflection of the time and place.

The characters are all well conceived and developed. As with Mr. Correia's, Monster Hunter series, there is a large, violent male protagonist who is far smarter than anyone initially suspects, but rather than being the main character his is just one of a large ensemble. Rounding out the cast are: a teenage Okie teleporter, a kraut who can walk through walls and survived early life in a city of undead, a femme fatale who can throw a Buick through a Sears and Roebuck bungalow, a master engineer specializing in firearms, a telekinetic heir to a vast airship fortune, a former radio man who can talk anyone into anything, a man who can possess animals, a healer and a retired Army general afflicted with a mysterious confluence of deadly ailments.

The story is excellently paced with action, exposition and character development each being given plenty of time in the spotlight without becoming over-balanced in any one direction. The theory of magic underlying the story is interesting and consistently handled.

And if you are an Audible member, there is the added bonus of Bronson Pinchot's awesome narration and characterization.

I have just finished this in one sitting.
Set in 1930's America Hard Magic is a two fisted all action non stop adventure. A number of the world's population are gifted with incredible magical powers including some with the ability to raise the dead, summon demons and visit all manner of disease upon their victims.
A secret war is waged between the knights of the Grimnoir organisation and those who would enthrall the world utilizing Nicola Tesla's awesome death machines.
Though not strictly speaking a horror novel it does contain some wondrous takes on horror tropes and the action scenes which Correia excels at are breathtaking, bloody and bone crushingly glorious. The finale is a veritable tour de force as sky pirates battle immense Imperial Japanese airships to save mankind from unspeakable terror. I loved it!

There was a lot going on in this book. My favorite characters were Sullivan and Faye. The are two Actives who have powers. They happened to be part of the group who are goo. Sullivan can make things heavy as a ton of bricks or light as a feather. Faye can go from one spot to another in the blink of an eye. There are many good and bad Active's in this story with different powers. I listened to this on CD and the reader was excellent. I will read the next one.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read this novel at first. Many authors have tried similar plots and I have, mostly, been disappointed. Correia is different though. The book snaps and sizzles in all the right places. Catchy dialogue and interesting twists on characters kept me reading avidly. Then, he went and did something new with the plot and characters. I almost want to fangirl my review. Not giving anything away, but what seems to be a regular story, isn't. There are so many things going on at once with a great deal of history for the characters. Correia is a master at taking what are usually cardboard cut outs and giving them life. His characters draw you into the story and before you know it, you're on the edge of your seat cheering them on or holding your breath. It's new, fresh, and I've re-read the book three times. It is that much fun to read. I'll be buying the sequel.

I really like this book series and in particular this book because it isn't like anything I've ever read before. The way Larry Correia builds the world, the characters and the plot lines is F****** brilliant. The characters are all interesting even the ones who are the villains of the series. I am amazed and I am already on the last book and I know I am going to have to listen to this book and the other two multiple times because it is seriously action packed and I think it will still be great the second time around.

Lastly, I hope that Larry Correia continues writing because I am a fan.

I have to admit that when I read the premise of this story, I was a little sceptical that it would be my cup of tea. Boy was I wrong! Larry Correia really comes through with this story of a an alternative depression era America, where magic is real and Tesla's death ray actually works! The story takes on a noirish style as the protagonists attempt to figure out how to overcome and defeat the nefarious "Chairman", the magic imbued leader of an alternate post world war Japan. This is an action laced story from beginning to end, but Mr. Correia takes the time to create a thoroughly interesting story with characters that engage the listener right from the start. This is one of those few magical novels that I did not want to end.

Larry Correia is a friend. I got to read MHI long before it made it to print. I was reluctant at first, because, really, how good was it likely to be? But when I started reading, I was delighted. Fresh new twists on old themes combined with absolutely correct weaponry in a yummy explosion of humor, magic, and tons of hot lead.

Some authors are like rock bands that turn out one hit, and then spend the rest of their careers trying to make good again, or tiredly trying to rewrite the same material. Larry's freshman effort was a great story, but when I read Hard Magic, I knew he had become something more. I called Larry just as soon as I finished the explosive finale. "Larry, you've become a great *writer*", I said immediately after I told him I'd finished the book.

Some authors excel at dialog, some at storyline, others at character creation. Some manage to do several of these things well. Dan Brown creates characters who do things those characters would never, ever do. Robert Ludlum obviously didn't do much weapons research. Most good authors have strong points and conspicuous weaknesses. If Hard Magic is any indication, Larry is going to be one the few authors in our generation who transcend good for true writing greatness. And like all good Americans, he believes in happy endings.

I think I could listen to Bronson Pinchot read the phone book. I particularly enjoyed his performance of the character Faye, who seems to take over the story despite the synopsis focusing on the main character and tough guy, Jake. But this book repeatedly surprised me, in the best way. It was nothing I expected, creating its own ninjas and zombies and zinging one-liners from nowhere. Hard Magic is an excellent read. It was just plain fun, and I think it would be appreciated by anyone who enjoys fantasy or action or ... books. Five stars. I'm already downloading the next one.

I've been a fan of Larry's work since I read the first paragraph of Monster Hunter International ("On one otherwise normal Tuesday evening I had the chance to live the American dream. I was able to throw my incompetent jackass of a boss from a fourteenth-story window.") HARD MAGIC is Corriea's third novel, and the best yet.

Around 1850, for reasons only one person knows, random people acquired the ability to do magic. The talents have been spreading since, till by 1932, about one person in a hundred has some magical ability, and one in a thousand is seriously magical.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this novel, but the main two are Jake Sullivan and Sally Faye Vierra. Jake is a "Heavy", a man who can control gravity in his immediate area. Faye is a "Traveler", a young lady who can teleport. They end up involved with the Grimnoir Society, a secret organization that exists to protect the magically talented from normal people, and the normals from the magical. They end up in a secret war with "The Chairman", the most ruthless and magically talented person in existence, who is trying to take over the world, in the hope of saving it from something really bad . . .

I don't want to say much else, because the plot of this novel has a large number of delightful twists. I will tell you to watch the character names: there are a bunch of real figures from the thirties worked into this book, like an account named Ray Chandler. But I will say I loved this novel, and can't wait to read the sequel. Go buy a copy, and bug the store to start selling Baen's electronic books (all Baen Books come out as DMR-free ebooks, and they're so cheap the store can't wrap their minds around them.)

Very, very highly recommended.

A quick review for anyone who might have been hesitating to dive into this series as I was.
The short version: Don't wait another minute; it's freakin' awesome!
Bit longer: I'm an avid fan of detective/mystery and got into the magical version through the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. When I saw the synopsis for this book and read some of the reviews, I thought that I could not possibly get into another magic series. Thankfully, I decided to give it a try and now am hooked.
I read the audiobook and have to say that Bronson Pinchot was awesome. Perfect reader; great voices. Not once did I mistake him for Balki. He also reads the second book which I just finished today and am hoping he stays on for the whole series.
Characters are very well developed.
Writing is crisp and there is a great noir-ish theme to it.
Love the retelling of historical events and persons.
Overall, it's a great read and a solid introduction to the series. The second book is at least this one's equal so get going and start reading this one!

Larry Corriea hits another home run with an entirely different approach reminiscent of Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane! Those who've read Larry's other series (MHI, NHV) know the weapons will be right, the techniques right, and believable. This time around Larry adds historical figures in an 'alternative' world that is believeable; backed up by a good backstory, good (and believeable) characters (both male and female) and arcs, he sucks you into a world where you find yourself unable to put the book down. Larry does an excellent job of keeping the audience up to speed with the bumper-ins at the chapter starts, and weaves a very interesting alternative history. Highly recommended if you like believeable fantasy novels!

So the first introduction to the Grimnoir Chronicles Universe I had was the Detroit Christmas short story posted on the Baen Website. I enjoyed that. I started reading Hard Magic Monday night. Due to having to work in the morning I was unable to finish it that night. I finished it last night.

Larry Correia has hit it out of the park again. The world of the Actives is a great read. Heavies, Healers, Fades, Brutes, magic, some unknowable enemy coming to destroy everything. Guns, horrible weapons developed by Tesla, Zombies, airship battles. What more could one ask for?

I can't wait for Spellbound to come out.

If you have not picked up this book yet, go now and buy a copy. Buy two copies, give one to a friend.

This book was an odd one for me...there are some very entertaining segments, but there are also more than a few parts that made me roll my eyes, or want to put it down and forget the whole thing.

Without a doubt, the best part of the entire book is the action scenes. There are a lot of fights, especially in the second half of the book, and their descriptions, pacing, and overall feel are pretty good...the only problem with the action scenes is that the characters aren't fleshed out enough to add any emotional weight to the proceedings. In almost every action scene, Jake plays the big tough lug that takes a licking and keeps on ticking, Faye's the plucky girl who muddles through somehow (more on her later), and everyone else, despite having cool magical powers of their own, just fades into the background as "another person firing a gun".

In addition, no one seems to grow over the course of the book other than Faye, and her growth comes in sudden, jarring leaps. One moment she's an innocent farm girl, the next she's cheerfully bashing her sparring partner in the face with a rock and a wooden plank, and the next she's straight-up killing people in massive numbers. There's no real sense of progression, of her coming to terms with the kind of violence she has to deal with in her new life...all of a sudden she's just happily shooting people in the face, or blowing them up with their own grenades, or tearing off their hands and throwing them into propeller blades, and bragging about how good she is at it. Where did this bloodthirsty side come from?

The writing, other than the action scenes, is generally average, with a few distracting tendencies...such as the way the viewpoint of the main character of a scene leaks into the narrative. It's hard to explain, but it feels like you're dipping in and out of the character's head a bit too much, as if the scene was originally written in first-person perspective and then changed to third-person while keeping the descriptions the same. For example, in every Sullivan scene, he "hauls himself outta the chair" or "drags a razor across his face" and "ain't that cute, bad guys sure are bozos", but in every Faye scene "golly gee he sure was sore at her, and Faye didn't take kindly to that there attitude", etc. Like I said, distracting. And this might count as nitpicking, but there are also a couple of descriptions and pieces of character information that get repeated, verbatim, once or twice throughout the course of the book, as if you could have forgotten from one chapter to the next.

In the end, though...it's not a great book, but it's not awful either. It's just kind of average, fun in some ways but flawed in others. I probably won't end up grabbing the next book in the series, but if you're looking for something light and casual, you might like it.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Many authors especially ones as relatively new as Correia stumble when trying to create a new series entirely different from what they had written before. That being said I gave the author the benefit of doubt and picked up the book and I am so glad I did. A great pulp/noir world with elements of steampunk, Tesla inventions, and magical superpowers thrown in. It sounds as if it shouldn't all work together, but it does with ease. I suggest you pick it up and join me in waiting for the next installment. (I picked it up as a Baen ebook and it was much cheaper that way)

I really liked this book at the beginning. The world was very interesting. I liked seeing the changes in the world due to people suddenly being able to use magic in the mid-1800s. The quotes from historical figures heading the chapters were really fun.

The characters were interesting as well, though calling the lead character a "Private Eye", when we never actually see him doing any private investigation was a bit of a stretch for me. If you're going to make that such an big part of how the character sees themselves, it needs to occupy an equally big part of the story, and in this case, it didn't.

Despite the excitement of the beginning of the book, by the middle of the book my enthusiasm had waned. I'm not really sure why. Perhaps it was too many reactionary action scenes in a row. I prefer books where the characters are choosing their actions, instead of having outside forces driving them. The level of detail in the gun descriptions got a bit old as well, as I really don't know that much about guns, or have much interest in them. I think I'd also learned all the big pieces of each character, with no other mysteries to learn. Almost all the characters were also firmly set in stone - no character growth there. The one character that was changing, it felt less like character growth, and, once again a character having decisions made for them, not organic changes.

Regardless of the reason, my attention drifted and I skimmed to the end of the book. I really didn't care for the ending. It just didn't work for me.

This book will probably be a huge hit for plenty of other people - there was some good stuff in there. There was just too much that didn't work for me.

Larry Correia's third novel, Hard Magic is a happy marriage of pulp fiction and alternate history. It's particularly entertaining for anyone familiar with the period of about 1900-1945. With a deft touch he shows that he's taken this world in a perpendicular direction. For example, there is a passing reference to a failed German painter who is arrested in the 1920's and executed by firing squad for sedition. So much for Hitler and the Nazis!

This is one of those books that is just plain fun. The characters are heroic, the villains are evil and the stakes are freedom from an evil empire. The magical element functions as a force multiplier for the heroes and the enemy. The moral dilemmas are the same. In the Europe of our world, appeasement was transformed from a legitimate strategy into a dirty word. Big American corporations did business with Nazi Germany in the 1930's. In Hard Magic, the largest dirigible manufacturer is selling ships to the Imperium while dancing around an arms embargo.

I loved the use of epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. Using imagined writings by personages who are real historical figures in both our universe and the fictional world of the novel, he clues in the reader as to what is going on off-stage. It also fleshes out how magic has transformed what was our history because some, or all, of the epigraphs are adapted from real quotes.

Finally, I would note that Corriea is probably working within the tradition of science fantasy because he hints at a rational and physical explanation for the sudden appearance of magical powers in his fictional universe during the mid-19th century. I may be wrong and his explanation ends up being more consistent with a Lovecraftian multi-verse. We'll find out as the series continues. I'm looking forward to it.

I love Correia's writing style, and I always have. All five of the Monster Hunter books are fantastic and so well written that I honestly can't put them down. But you can imagine my skepticism picking this one up, seeing as it's vastly different from what he's previously written. But damn was it good. Correia has a certain writing style that puts a movie in your head, and most of the time you just forget you're even reading a book. It took me some time to read this one because of outside things, but given the free time I bet that I could be read this thing in a day, day and a half tops. I can't wait to pick up the second and third ones.

This book is very cool. Everything from the unique system of magic, to the alternate and very believable alternate history to the characters. This is an epic fantasy set in the 1930's with a cloak of detective noir about it. The action scenes with the different types of magics going against each other is something you'll have to experience for your self. This book has a gravity altering P.I., zombies, ninjas, pirates, teleporters and yet it is all in a very cohesive and tight narrative that makes you believe that it can happen. The characters are all very cool and I have a hard time picking my favorite. It's brilliant in execution. The ingredients that go into this book could easily have been ruined by a less skilled author, but Larry blends them in together to form a masterpiece of magic, noir, history and epic scale adventure. The first thing I thought to myself when I finished was "There better be a sequel." It leaves you not wanting, but NEEDING more. Bravo Mr. Correia.

I read this because I enjoy the Monster Hunter series by the same author. This is also a great series of books. It takes a little bit to get started and get the basics sorted out, but then it is all fun from there. I usually don't like magic or fantasy type novels, but there is some science behind this magic, so I found it more enjoyable than I thought I would. Highly recommend this series to anyone who likes sci-fi with a super hero or magical twist..

Truthfully, what more can be said? I just came off reading the first three books of Monster Hunter International, which were excellent.

Then out of the blue, he gives us a storyline consisting of X-Men like powers, real magic, an attempt by characters to understand the origins and the boundaries of their powers, a noir type world and kick butt action. Oh, can't forget about the alternate history.

The main problem I had was that some of the action sequences were so long that I ended up going to bed very late after thinking, "oh, I'll just go to sleep when this part is over."

This book is a good combination of John Ringo action with Brandon Sanderson world building.

There's a reason it has a 5 star average on 50+ reviews. Buy, read, enjoy.

Just a great fun book. Suddenly I have become a big fan since I read all the Monster International books as well. He writes very well with lots of actions and fun characters. Great imagination.

What makes Larry also great is that he has an arc for a series. A beginning and an end. He doesn't drag out the story.

I hope there are other Monster books coming out and I wouldn't mind a 2nd Battle fo the Somme book either.

Hard Magic is an action packed 1930's alternate history pulp novel with gangsters, magic, ninjas, and dirigibles! How awesome is that? Jake Sullivan, is an ex-con, and a veteran of World War One. Except in this timeline the Kaiser had a few Necromancers on the payroll. As soon as his soldiers were killed they were raised from the dead and sent back into the fight.

Sullivan is a Heavy, though he prefers the term, "Gravity Spiker." He can alter the pull and direction of gravity, which can lead to making his enemies fall up, turning his body as dense as a rock, or just straight up squishing the bad guys.

Faye is a young Okie farm-girl who's family sells her as they're running away from the dust-bowl. Fortunately they sell her to a man who also shares her power of teleportation. They're called travelers and they're some of the rarest forms of Actives, people who have magical abilities, because they usually end up teleporting themselves into something before they figure out how to control their magic. Faye became my favorite character, she learns how to seriously kick butt, and she does!

The list of awe inspiring powers goes on and on, Torch, Cog, Crackler, Healer, Brute, Fade etc. Each of the powers is weaved into the story each filling a part of the greater power. Unlike most "urban" fantasies this one has everyone out in the open. People take for granted the fact that there's magic in the world. Some people embrace it, others fear it. And the bad guys, well they obviously want to use it to control the world.

I almost forgot to mention the Dirigible pirates, Tesla super weapons, John Moses Browning, and General Black Jack Pershing, are all in this book. I don't know how he managed to cram so much awesome into one book but he did. Also firearms play an important roles in the the book. Because sometimes it's just easier to shoot the summoned demon with your Thompson Sub Machine Gun or Browning Automatic Rifle than go toe to toe with him magically.

So if you like depression era private eye stories, awesome fight scenes, historical fiction, fantasy, and shootouts then pick up Hard Magic yesterday because this book has something in it for you. Just don't forget to fasten your seat-belt before your start reading. ;-)

Awesome book. Very well written and an interesting Steampunk/Superpower book. Love that all the characters aren't just your run-of-the-mill goody goody types. They come across as realistic with actual concerns and problems.

Honestly, I passed this up a few times when it was recommended by the store because of the cheesy cover. I finally got it on audible.com (I think there was a sale) and was completely blown away! It's a great blend of a hard boiled detective novel, sci-fi, and a touch of steampunk. This is another good example of a book that has a completely different world, but the writer blends explanations/exposition in so deftly that it feels very natural and seamless. Now I'm on a mission to read everything Larry Correia has written.

I picked up the e-Arc (advanced reader copy) version of this from Baen so I got to read the un-edited version a few months ago. This book is the start of a fantastic new series by Larry Correia set in an alternate-history 1900s where magic was discovered. Each chapter starts out with a neat glimpses of history with a "twist" where historical people respond to the presence of magic (Einstein, Abraham Lincoln etc). Larry does a great job of world-building a believable alternate history setting.

The story introduces some neat characters but my favorite is Faye. Characters have special abilities such as teleporting, manipulating gravity, healing or causing sickness. The setting is sort of a fantasy meets noir detective style set in alternate history in the 1920s and 1930s.

If you enjoyed the Monster Hunter series, you will love this one, possibly even more. The second book in this series comes out later this year and I can't wait for the advanced reader copy to show up!

Other reviewers have covered the general plot and characters of Hard Magic, so I will focus on one of Larry's greatest strengths, namely his ability to create a universe that is both fantastic and believable. Whether it's a world where monsters from myth, legend and B-movies exist and are hunted for pay, or one where magic exists and fundamentally changes history, Larry's universes are well thought out, internally consistent, and simply fun. Crafting such universes is a very difficult thing and to do so while also telling a very fun and engaging story is harder still. Fortunately, Larry has the ability to do both and his skill improves with each book. As I've said before, there are few authors whose books I will buy sight unseen (and that list is getting shorter by the year). Larry's place on that list is guaranteed.

Larry Correia is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I have been loving his Monster Hunter series and Hard Magic was a blast! A truly great start to a new series! In fact, I liked it so much that I'm a little worried about the next books in the series.

Hard Magic is set in an alternate history 1930's. It definitely has a gangster and steam punkish type feel to the story. I can't gush enough about what a great job Larry Correia does with this! I loved it!

Another thing I love about this author's books are his characters. He writes some of the best characters EVER! I especially love that he always has some kick a** women shaking things up a bit! GOOOOO girls!

As always, lots of guns, explosions, and general messiness! Ohhhhh, I'm definitely a fangirl!

Hard Magic was a fun read. From the characters to the action to the universe, the entire book was entertaining. Certainly, magic that manifests itself as super powers isn't a necessarily unique device in fiction. But Correia did an excellent job weaving it into the social fabric of his alternate history world. Also, the powers were a lot of fun simply because they were wielded by pulp characters. And, as always, Correia's sense of humor and his competence in involving firearms in the action made the book even better.

Larry Correia's writing has improved exponentially. As someone who loved the monster hunter series I snatched this book right away to see how he takes on a different storyline. This book is something special. He creates an entire world, with great characters incredible action. cinematic, literary, exciting, fascinating. I love this book and I was not expecting it to be this good. Read the other reviews for a summary I do not want to spoil anything but I will be buying the next book the moment it comes out. After reading it I decided to hear it on audible and it is great there as well, Bronson Pinchot does a great job narrating it.

A great alternate history, set in the late 30's early 40's, just prior to the outbreak of WW2. The story is written in period, so the way the people act and talk is very reflective of the times. Same for the scenery and the politics. Fun story.

I'm a bit late to the party, but I absolutely loved this book. It started strong and ended on a high. Strong male and female characters opposing a villain that is at once likable and while he espoused a very "end justifies the means" set of ideals; I am not sure that he was completely wrong.

This book borrowed a lot from history and combined to make an incredibly enjoyable read.

Magic and intrigue in the recent past. Great book!

Well written though the cover would lead you to imagine an urban detective mystery. It is not. Instead its an alternate world where magic is real and the axis powers are fighting the US in a vaguely WWII era. An entertaining read because of the writer's skill even when the plot gets a bit much to imagine and he has to pull a "deus ex machina" twist.

I greatly enjoyed the Monster Hunter novels, but Hard Magic was even more entertaining and creative. This book is a crazy mix-up of genres/influences: fantasy, noir, comic books, alternative history, and horror. But it definitely works and Correia has created a cohesive and entertaining world.

I liked two things in particular about the book. First, it is refreshing to see a 1930s-set book whose global villain isn't Nazi-related. Second, while the book ostensibly focuses on Jake Sullivan, it is really more of an ensemble book with a lot of well-drawn characters, especially Faye, who seems to be everyone's favorite.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I enjoy fantasy, science fiction as well as historical detective fiction (particularly the Bernie Gunther novels). This book has a complex protagonist, Heavy Jake Sullivan who I loved reading about. The book is set in the 1930's in a timeline where people have magical abilities, the Third Reich never happened and Japan is ruled by magicians. Blimps are used instead of aeroplanes. There is a fight on a blimp with teleporting ninjas which is really cool. Larry Correia writes really great action scenes and his books are always suspenseful and fast-paced. His books keep me turning the pages to the end and are easy to read.

After I finished the MHI series I picked this up and was at first skeptical, but Correia does not fail to deliver with his trademarked action sequences and uber realistic gun details. This is a great piece of alternative historical/ urban fantasy and I highly recommend it to any one who is a fan of the fantasy genre or the MHI series. I really can not sing the praises of Larry Correia enough he is one of my favorite fantasy authors.

First in a new series, clever plot and well written characters. Correia explains the reason for the emergence of "Actives" - people with either enhanced physical or magical abilities. With enough thought put into the workings and rules of this alternate world to make it believeable and real to the reader as an alternate 1930's era America.
A cross between "film noir" and The X-Men with the type of action hero everyone will want to cheer.
A fast paced, action packed thrill ride with the occassional humerous aside, giving the story a kind of gritty realism.
Not my usual genre but I have to say, once I'd started I enjoyed the ride and cared about the characters.

Wow! "Hard Magic" had me by the time the prologue ended. It is like the X-men meets Sin City. Loaded with tons of great heroes and villains. It has a ton of action but it is the plot that kept me moving along. The main character is "Sullivan" a gravity changing bounty hunter with a you don't have to like me but you will respect me attitude. I liked the book so much that I requested an autographed copy of the second novel "Spellbound."

Don't let the store's likening to "Twilight" fool you. "Hard Magic" is a gritty, fun, roller-coaster of a read, and definitely worth picking up.

If you like the idea of alternate history, post World War I America, dirigibles, solid world-building, and a crash course in gun lore, this is the book for you. Bonus points if you get the audiobook version - the narration is consistent and an easy listen.

I was hooked on the Grimnoir world before I finished the first chapter of this book. Larry creates characters that are interesting and writes action scenes better than anyone I've read. The historical characters and setting with magic in a noir setting just nailed it for me. I've read this twice and will probably read it several more times.

I wavered between giving this 2 or 3 stars, but ultimately decided a 3 was fairer, as my initial unhappiness with this book (and series) was due to exaggerated expectations rather than the book (or series) it self. And the book itself is entertaining, even with some serious faults.

I have recently been reading a lot of noir-ish urban fantasy, and this book kept popping up as a recommendation. So after devouring the most recent Sandman Slim novel (by Richard Kadrey) and still wanting more I decided to give this series a try. It certainly has many ardent fans as evident by the reviews.

First off, this book is not really in the 'noir' tradition, or really even the contemporary urban/paranormal fantasy genre. It is much more of a mix of Robert Jordan-esqe high fantasy mixed with Lovecraftian Cthulhu Mythos. It doesn't narrate a story around a central anti-hero set in a decaying and debauched urban environment, but rather follows a fairly large set of characters dispersed around the world fighting a global conspiracy. And rather than relying on intricate plot twists and turns that continually force you to read just.. one.. more.. page, many readers will know precisely where this book is headed by the mid-point.

Genre aside, Correia is very good at some things. Most notably, descriptions of squadron level battles and tactics, as well the general butt-kicking of bad guys. So if butt-kicking descriptions of a team of good guys beating up on a Lovecraftian world-threatening conspiracy of bad guys sounds like your thing--this book and series is for you.

That said, Correia is not very good at other things. To describe the characters in this book as wooden and 2-dimensional would be an insult to lumber. Their behavior is often straight out of a soap opera--such as going to life threatening lengths to capture a wanted fugitive, who moments later they decide is the great lost love of their lives.

Another weak point that I found extremely grating at first, but I eventually was able to get past, is the dialogue. A central character who supposedly spends her formative years with Portugese immigrants speaks in a dialect straight out of Huckleberry Finn/Lil Abner (this is to accentuate her Oklahoma dust bowl origin, I suppose).

Characters and dialogue aside, Correia has the ability to spin a very entertaining and engrossing yarn around epic battles between the good guys and some really, really, bad guys. If you're up for that kind of thing, you should check it out.

Well after reading other titles from Larry Correia I was not quite sure what to think about a book that is pretty far from the MHI series. I should state that this type of book isn't something that I normally look for, it's fairly far out there compared to the normal historical type of books that I read. However once I got into his writing style, I've found that I enjoy the way he puts together a story and really find myself even re-reading his books.

Overall great read, I actually might have enjoyed it even more than MHI and if I had to take a shot at why it's the time frame. I'm a sucker for the early 1900's, Larry if you want a suggestion:) Go ahead and write some MHI books around some of the early characters fights in further back in history. That would be a blast;) However I'll be waiting semi patiently for the next in this series as well.

Luke

This is some really fun stuff. Its a great story with lots of action and a hero you grow to care about. Its a very unique twist on magic and is inventive and fun. Its a basic good versus evil story and for simple book candy it cant be beat. If you are looking to kill some time and be entertained this is it. This is a very talented story teller. I cant wait for the next installment.

I decided to give this book a try when I happened to see a copy of it in my local bookstore. I didn't buy it right away, but being a fan of both 1930's culture and stories about magic it stuck with me. I eventually got around to getting the audiobooks and I cannot recommend them enough. An interesting concept and great characterization makes Hard Magic one of the best damn books I've ever read. Top that off with the fantastic narration in the audiobooks and this is probably the most fun story I've encountered in quite a whire. I'm nearly finished with the sequel, and really hope Mister Correia writes a few more set in this world.

So many better commentaries on this work by more worthy critics, but it bears repeating: if you like pulp, fantasy, sci-fi, alternate-history, or generally fun times, you need to read this book. Larry Correia is a master of his craft.

Put reality on a Mobius strip and you still don't have the depth of creativity in this CPDB (can't put down) book. The characters are engaging, the magic system is the antithesis of cliche, and the story moves like a supercharged Zeppelin lightened by a "heavy" and pushed by a "brute" (two of many powers in the book).

I see there are over 100 reviews, so I don't need to summarize the plot. I read this book because I liked Monster Hunters. Have to say I liked Monster Hunters better than this, but nevertheless I thought this was a great read and I am looking forward to future installments.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't add much to the other reviews except to let people know that it's available as a DRM-free, multi-format ebook directly from the publisher Baen Books. For some reason Baen doesn't sell their ebooks through the store, only the print versions.

I didn't make it through this one which rarely happens. The reader didn't help. I like many of this authors books. This one just never hit the same spot. Too sarcastic. To abrupt. I finally bailed at chapter 6/7. Sorry, can't recommend it.

Fun, fast paced book. Characters are interesting and not cardboard cutouts. Plot is twisty and enjoyable, but not overly complicated that it loses you. The premise of an alternate history where our world becomes "inhabited" by magic is clever and makes for some great storytelling. The author does a great job of tying everything together, with a wry sense of humor.
Loved this book and am looking forward to many, many follow-ons!

I feel like many other people before me have reviewed this book and said everything I would like to say. I will only add this: This book was so good I went out of my way to rate it. If you are a type of person that would even consider this genre this book is a must read.

Absolutely awesome. Larry has outdone himself. If you have never read anything remotely sci-fi-ish or fantastic ... if you have never read mystery or detective novels ... if you have never read historical novels ... buy this book. You'll like it.

What a great and FUN book to read!
lots of different characters, but very easy to keep track of who is who and who can do what....
I sincerely hope that a sequel will come out very, very soon. Like right now!

Urban fantasy with not a vampire or werewolf in sight. A masterful combination of the hardboiled detective style with fantasy. I couldn't wait for the sequel.
Keith Cockrell
Author of HeritageHeritage

Hard Magic is one of the more unique books I have read (actually listened to) in a long time. The characters have depth and the story line is both fun and intense. The "magic", its origins, and the ripples it causes is perhaps one of the better developed elements of any I have crossed paths with in my 35+ years of science fiction and fantasy readings. Definitely worth the time and energy!!

Some books are for challenging our intellectual boundaries thus giving us an excuse for the hours spent amongst their erudite pages. This book is not one of those. It's fun for the sake of fun. Loved it. I am looking forward to the next adventure.

I am about a quarter of the way through and I am impressed, this is a very well written book with an excellent story.There is a rich background and I loved the index at the back telling me what the actives are called and what their powers are. The only negative I see are the constant changing POV's of different characters which threw me a little when I first started reading. So far I give it an A

Completely original and I love the steam punk feel to the story. Correia is masterful at character development and this is what really drives his books. I will be first in line to get book two of this series.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. I'd read the Monster Hunter series and couldn't put them down. Then I hear that Correia is starting another series with a completely different setting. My first reaction was, "Oh great. He's pulling a George R. R. Martin or a John Ringo and gonna do a bunch of story lines and make us wait forever for the sequels." Well, I don't know if he's gonna make us wait forever or not but he's definitely got another fantastic series going here that I'm going to be picking up every book of as they come out. Great characters, great premise, and overall great story. Really looking forward to more books in this universe to see how the characters and their skills develop. Keep it up man.

If you like sparkly vampires, forget it. If you like good guys fighting bad guys, and firearms and weapons described and used in realistic ways, you'll like it.

Looking forward to the second book.

I love this guys books and his website is a riot. I have even Bought patches from this guy to put on my gun cases. This book is a hoot and if you don't like Faye who is one of the main characters there is something wrong with you. I even bouth this in audio format to listen to while driving. Hope he writes faster in the future. Come on guys buy his books so he can quit the day job and write full time!

This book was such a surprise, I absolutely love the Monster Hunter Inc. series and didn't think this would come close to measuring up, but it did. Larry Correia is an amazing writer and I look forward to reading the next book in the Grimnoir Chronicles series, Spellbound.

A new blend of Genres PI Noir, Magic and Alternate History. A lot of fun to read. Magic is fairly new to the world and Man is learning how to use and abuse it.

1st in a series, this book is complete in itself but you want to know what happens next.

My husband read this first and told me not to read in spurts. You pretty much have to slog through it. I homeschool our oldest, so telling me not to read it in spurts is pretty much impossible. Still, I tried and it was PAINFUL to read; until the training session with Delilah and Faye, that is. The book started picking up steam after that scene. I like the quaint language; it's not really used much nowadays. I like the idea behind Actives' magic abilities/limitations. I felt Delilah wasn't well written and fell a bit flat and that Harkness and Rawl's scheme was overly complicated and underwhelming. Out of all the characters, I liked Faye the most.

You know it is a good story when you can not wait to get back to it. The author creates complicated characters the play off each other well. I figured out the ending but that is okay too. I am a fan of Jim Butcher Dresden files and think Hard Magic is better.

If you love ANYTHING fantasy, read this book series.

It's just... WOW. It's as if you took the Xanth series, gangster noir, and John Woo, put them a blender with a unicorn horn and applied it to paper.

Just finished reading the book. I think it's his best to date, certainly some of his best characterization. As always, the guns, explosions and other mayhem are just right. A highly entertaining read.

I picked up the ARC version a month or so ago, having read Larry's MHI novels and so was expecting a great read.

I was NOT disappointed. He's put a lot of thought into the details of the magic system and the plot has plenty of twists to keep you guessing. And Larry KNOWS his firearms, which is always a must if you're gonna write about 'em.

Can't wait for the next installment.

I picked up this book after reading the monster hunter books, but this book blind sided me. There may be a nother book out there that takes place in the 1920s with super powers and magic but I have not read it. Loved it can't wate to get the next book.

Hard Magic (2011) is the first Fantasy Alternate History novel in the Grimnoir Chronicles series. It is set in a timeline where magic became a major force in human affairs during the nineteenth century. Normal mankind is hostile to those having magical skills.

In the early twentieth century, Tesla developed magical weapons of mass destruction. Magical Actives in the Grimnoir Society prevented the use of the most destructive weapon -- the Geo-Tel -- against the American east coast. The weapon was disassembled and the parts hidden.

In this novel, Jake Sullivan is a Heavy, capable of altering the force of gravity. He is serving time in Rockville State Penitentiary. He reads a lot and occasionally kills other prisoners in duels. Then he is offered a deal by J. Edgar Hoover.

Sally Faye Vierra is a Traveler, capable of teleporting herself. She had been an Okie girl until a Portuguese farmer bought her from the family for ten dollars. Later the farmer adopted Faye.

Delilah Jones is a Brute, a very strong and almost indestructible being. She had been Jake's girlfriend in New Orleans.

Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant is the richest man in the world. He owns United Blimp & Freight. He also owns the yards where dirigibles and blimps are designed and constructed.

Francis Stuyvesant is the grandson of Cornelius. He has discovered the truth of the Imperium and now is a Knight in the Grimnoir Society. He is estranged from his grandfather due to this association.

Lance Talon is a Beastie, capable of controlling animals through telepathy. He is also a Grimnoir Knight.

John J. Pershing was a General in the US Army. He had been commander of the American Expeditionary Force during the Great War. Now he is head of a covert organization within the secret Grimnoir Society.

Okubo Tokugawa is an Active. He is also the Chairman of the Imperial Council and chief advisor to the Emperor of Japan.

In this story, Jake joins with FBI agents and local police at the airfield in Springfield, Illinois. They are after Delilah, who is wanted for manslaughter. Jake is not happy with the assignment, but she is a killer.

Unfortunately for the Feds, Grimnoir knights are also at the airfield. When the Feds move in, the knights take Delilah and escape in the UBF dirigible. Jake uses his control of gravity to enter the aircraft and confront the knights. He is attacked from behind by Delilah and thrown out of the airship.

Jake wakes at the bottom of a hole. His toughened body has survived the drop, but he is freezing in the cold mud. He climbs out of the hole and discovers that he is in a trainyard. Apparently Jake had fallen through a freight car, five ties and a single track before making his own crater.

Hoover is not very happy with the fiasco. He blames Jake and reneges on their agreement. Then Jake learns that Delilah had good reasons for the killings and decides to look for her on his own.

Meanwhile, Japanese agents attack the Vierra farm looking for parts of the Geo-Tel weapon. Faye's grandfather fights back, but is killed by Madi, an Iron Guard of the Imperium. Faye witnesses the whole affair.

Before the battle, her grandpa had given Faye a part from the Geo-Tel and an address for the Grimnoir Society. So she leaves the farm and goes to California. There she finds that the address is for the burned ruins of a house.

Then Japanese agents appear and search for her. She is advised by a local squirrel to avoid them. Delilah, Lance and Francis save Faye from the agents and then take her to the new headquarters.

Faye has to surrender her pistol at the house. Then she is taken upstairs to the General. She tells her story and delivers the part to Pershing.

This tale describes a covert war between the Grimnoir Society and the Japanese Imperium. Tokugawa is the most powerful Active in the world. The Grimnoir Society has assassinated him several times, but he always revives himself. It reads like a 1930's adventure story.

This novel basically parallels real history up to the end of the nineteenth century. Tokugawa seizes control of Japan during this era. The Japanese defeat the Russians at the turn of the century, but magic is a strong factor in their success.

The Germans still lost the Great War, but Berlin became a death zone of zombies preying on the normals. Hitler was executed as a traitor after the war. The Czar remained in control of Russia.

Jake and Faye barely survive the battles in this story. The next installment in this series is Spellbound. It should be worth the wait.

Recommended for Correia fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magical talents, international intrigue, and tough characters. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

Not a book to read for extensive character development, Hard Magic excels at two things - pacing and action sequences. The book moves like a locomotive (or a dirigible?) and delivers some bone-crushing hits. I definitely recommend. Also impressed by the system of magic the author created. Good stuff.

There WAS a subtle strain of political right-wingery to the text that irritated me as I moved through it, and when I googled the author and "politics" I found that his blog reads like a Fox News transcript. But hey, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. I'll still buy book 2!

This is an interesting take on what life might be like if real magic had entered the world before WW1, and how things might have changed instead of going the manner that they did. Set in time after WW1, with magic part of every day life, but also people having to deal with the realities of the time.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Having read the first two books in MHI and seeing the glowing reviews of Hard Magic, I thought I'd give it a shot. Overall I came away from it feeling disappointed, because:

1) The magic system seems MUCH too similar to works of Brandon Sanderson, especially the Mistborn Trilogy. I would be extremely surprised if Correia hasn't read them. For example:

Moving items:
Mistborn: Lurcher/Coinshot
Grimnoir: Mover

Controlling people:
Mistborn: Rioter/Soother
Grimnoir: Mouth

Enhancing strength:
Mistborn: Thug
Grimnoir: Brute

Altering gravity:
Stormlight: Lasher
Grimnoir: Heavy

Channeling magic with writing:
Elantris: Aons
Grimnoir: Kanji

Adding magic to one's body:
Mistborn: Steel Inquisitors
Grimnoir: Iron Guard

... to name a few.

Comparing the main villain of Hard Magic and Mistborn reveals that both are "immortal" and "omnipotent" yet misunderstood. They are both standing in the way of a greater evil and their downfall will only serve to make things worse.

I realize that it is hard to be original when it comes to Fantasy, but all the similarities mostly ruined the book for me. I suppose if one hasn't read Sanderson then Hard Magic would feel more creative.

2) The plot seemed to jump around as wildly as Faye without a clear direction.

3) Characters didn't get very much development and seem unrealistic/unbelievable to me. Faye especially: going from a farm girl to wild assassin taking out hordes of enemies in bloody murder strikes me as a bit extreme.

I'll probably read the next book(s)in the series to see how it turns out eventually, but in the meantime I'm turning back to finishing the current MHI books and reading some other authors. If you're new to Correia, I'd suggest starting with Monster Hunter International instead of with Hard Magic.

Just look at the cover, many well developed and varied characters who are, well, characters, you can see it on those perfectly period hard faces, like something out of an old film noir with hardbitten gumshoe detectives and well dressed gangsters. Kinda like an Indiana Jones movie. By the end, you have zeppelins, pirates, ninja, big guns, samurai, and magic all mixing it up at once. What more do you want?

An excellent concept and well written. far too often books like these get lost in the setting, and forget about character development and plotting. This finds a capable balance between them. I really enjoyed it: clever, unpredictable, true to the era while still being 'alternate'. well done.

I had a blast reading this novel. The Grimnoir Chronicles are a fantastic urban fantasy/alternate history series and Hard Magic gets things off to a roaring start.

An awesome and likable protagonist, dangerous and thrilling villains, a rich setting, and gripping action. Just an all out outstanding book.

Hard Magic (2011) is the first Fantasy Alternate History novel in the Grimnoir Chronicles series. It is set in a timeline where magic became a major force in human affairs during the nineteenth century. Normal mankind is hostile to those having magical skills.

In the early twentieth century, Tesla developed magical weapons of mass destruction. Magical Actives in the Grimnoir Society prevented the use of the most destructive weapon -- the Geo-Tel -- against the American east coast. The weapon was disassembled and the parts hidden.

In this novel, Jake Sullivan is a Heavy, capable of altering the force of gravity. He is serving time in Rockville State Penitentiary. He reads a lot and occasionally kills other prisoners in duels. Then he is offered a deal by J. Edgar Hoover.

Sally Faye Vierra is a Traveler, capable of teleporting herself. She had been an Okie girl until a Portuguese farmer bought her from the family for ten dollars. Later the farmer adopted Faye.

Delilah Jones is a Brute, a very strong and almost indestructible being. She had been Jake's girlfriend in New Orleans.

Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant is the richest man in the world. He owns United Blimp & Freight. He also owns the yards where dirigibles and blimps are designed and constructed.

Francis Stuyvesant is the grandson of Cornelius. He has discovered the truth of the Imperium and now is a Knight in the Grimnoir Society. He is estranged from his grandfather due to this association.

Lance Talon is a Beastie, capable of controlling animals through telepathy. He is also a Grimnoir Knight.

John J. Pershing was a General in the US Army. He had been commander of the American Expeditionary Force during the Great War. Now he is head of a covert organization within the secret Grimnoir Society.

Okubo Tokugawa is an Active. He is also the Chairman of the Imperial Council and chief advisor to the Emperor of Japan.

In this story, Jake joins with FBI agents and local police at the airfield in Springfield, Illinois. They are after Delilah, who is wanted for manslaughter. Jake is not happy with the assignment, but she is a killer.

Unfortunately for the Feds, Grimnoir knights are also at the airfield. When the Feds move in, the knights take Delilah and escape in the UBF dirigible. Jake uses his control of gravity to enter the aircraft and confront the knights. He is attacked from behind by Delilah and thrown out of the airship.

Jake wakes at the bottom of a hole. His toughened body has survived the drop, but he is freezing in the cold mud. He climbs out of the hole and discovers that he is in a trainyard. Apparently Jake had fallen through a freight car, five ties and a single track before making his own crater.

Hoover is not very happy with the fiasco. He blames Jake and reneges on their agreement. Then Jake learns that Delilah had good reasons for the killings and decides to look for her on his own.

Meanwhile, Japanese agents attack the Vierra farm looking for parts of the Geo-Tel weapon. Faye's grandfather fights back, but is killed by Madi, an Iron Guard of the Imperium. Faye witnesses the whole affair.

Before the battle, her grandpa had given Faye a part from the Geo-Tel and an address for the Grimnoir Society. So she leaves the farm and goes to California. There she finds that the address is for the burned ruins of a house.

Then Japanese agents appear and search for her. She is advised by a local squirrel to avoid them. Delilah, Lance and Francis save Faye from the agents and then take her to the new headquarters.

Faye has to surrender her pistol at the house. Then she is taken upstairs to the General. She tells her story and delivers the part to Pershing.

This tale describes a covert war between the Grimnoir Society and the Japanese Imperium. Tokugawa is the most powerful Active in the world. The Grimnoir Society has assassinated him several times, but he always revives himself. It reads like a 1930's adventure story.

This novel basically parallels real history up to the end of the nineteenth century. Tokugawa seizes control of Japan during this era. The Japanese defeat the Russians at the turn of the century, but magic is a strong factor in their success.

The Germans still lost the Great War, but Berlin became a death zone of zombies preying on the normals. Hitler was executed as a traitor after the war. The Czar remained in control of Russia.

Jake and Faye barely survive the battles in this story. The next installment in this series is Spellbound. It should be worth the wait.

Recommended for Correia fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magical talents, international intrigue, and tough characters. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

Not a book to read for extensive character development, Hard Magic excels at two things - pacing and action sequences. The book moves like a locomotive (or a dirigible?) and delivers some bone-crushing hits. I definitely recommend. Also impressed by the system of magic the author created. Good stuff.

There WAS a subtle strain of political right-wingery to the text that irritated me as I moved through it, and when I googled the author and "politics" I found that his blog reads like a Fox News transcript. But hey, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. I'll still buy book 2!

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Having read the first two books in MHI and seeing the glowing reviews of Hard Magic, I thought I'd give it a shot. Overall I came away from it feeling disappointed, because:

1) The magic system seems MUCH too similar to works of Brandon Sanderson, especially the Mistborn Trilogy. I would be extremely surprised if Correia hasn't read them. For example:

Moving items:
Mistborn: Lurcher/Coinshot
Grimnoir: Mover

Controlling people:
Mistborn: Rioter/Soother
Grimnoir: Mouth

Enhancing strength:
Mistborn: Thug
Grimnoir: Brute

Altering gravity:
Stormlight: Lasher
Grimnoir: Heavy

Channeling magic with writing:
Elantris: Aons
Grimnoir: Kanji

Adding magic to one's body:
Mistborn: Steel Inquisitors
Grimnoir: Iron Guard

... to name a few.

Comparing the main villain of Hard Magic and Mistborn reveals that both are "immortal" and "omnipotent" yet misunderstood. They are both standing in the way of a greater evil and their downfall will only serve to make things worse.

I realize that it is hard to be original when it comes to Fantasy, but all the similarities mostly ruined the book for me. I suppose if one hasn't read Sanderson then Hard Magic would feel more creative.

2) The plot seemed to jump around as wildly as Faye without a clear direction.

3) Characters didn't get very much development and seem unrealistic/unbelievable to me. Faye especially: going from a farm girl to wild assassin taking out hordes of enemies in bloody murder strikes me as a bit extreme.

I'll probably read the next book(s)in the series to see how it turns out eventually, but in the meantime I'm turning back to finishing the current MHI books and reading some other authors. If you're new to Correia, I'd suggest starting with Monster Hunter International instead of with Hard Magic.

I love Larry Correia's writing, but waited ages to get the smaller and more affordable paperback version of "Hard Magic." Last week I found it at Barnes and Noble and snapped it up.

To my intense annoyance, this book started immediately falling apart! When I first opened the cover it gave out a muted "crack" and the pages completely separated from the spine. The printer appears to have used (deliberately?) an inferior glue and edge binding technique. I wasn't 30 pages into the book when the first twelve pages fell on the floor! By the time I finished, it was a pile of loose pages.

I used to see this kind of thing years ago as publishers attempted to keep books from being resold. Unfortunately, it often prevents the reader from ever rereading the jumbled mess.

If you want this book, (and it is a good read), buy the e-book or the big, overpriced paper volume. Big thumbs down to Baen books, normally one of my favorite publishers.

I simply could not enjoy the story for being too often insulted by the author's (in my honest opinion) unnecessary concessions to racism. I speak specifically about his use of the word Negro; and his antebellum insistence on spelling it with a small 'n'. To use it as proper English requires would have no adverse or diminishing effect in the story. I imagine that the author could not care less about my opinion in this matter, nor would it concern him that I cannot see myself paying to be insulted. I will not purchase any books written by this author nor those published by Baen Publishing Enterprises.

This really should be an illustrated book because the entire story is little more than a comic book. It is filled with magical combat between irresistible forces that invariably have time for a meaningless wise crack before battle. The author seems to be a firearms instructor, the other part of the book is detailed descriptions of rifles, pistols, automatic weapons and the effect these weapons have on flesh. The heroes are impaled, split, shot, crushed, sliced and diced but still keep coming back for more even after losing buckets of blood. There could have been some charm with historical figures involved in this alternate history, but the magical and physical combat is so over the top that it becomes painful to read.

I “read” this book on audible and the narrator did a pretty good job with the many voices. That’s about the only thing I can say in its favor.