Hard Magic: Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles (Grimnoir Chronicles (Quality)) [Paperback]

Larry Correia (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 3, 2011 | Series: Grimnoir Chronicles (Quality) (Book 1)

             Jake Sullivan is a war hero, a private eye—and an ex-con. He’s free because he has a magical talent, being able to alter the force of gravity in himself and objects in his vicinity, and the Bureau of Investigation calls on him when they need his help in apprehending criminals with their own magical talents. But the last operation he was sent along to help with went completely wrong, and Delilah Jones, the woman the G-men were after, who just happened to be an old friend of Jake’s in happier times, had a lot of magical muscle with her, too much muscle for the cops to handle, even with Jake’s help.

             It got worse. Jake found out that the Feds had lied to him about Delilah being a murderer as well as a bank robber, and they had lied about this being his last job for them—he was too valuable for them to let him go. And things were even worse than Jake imagined. There was a secret war being waged by opposing forces of magic-users, and Jake had no idea that he had just attracted the attention of one side, whose ruthless leaders were of the opinion that Jake was far too dangerous to be permitted to live . . .

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Correia is hopelessly addicted to two things: guns and B-horror movies. He has been a gun dealer, firearms instructor, accountant, and is now a very successful writer. He shoots competitively and is a certified concealed weapons instructor. Larry resides in Utah with his very patient wife and family. His first novel, Monster Hunter International is now in its third printing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Baen; Original edition (May 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439134340
• ISBN-13: 978-1439134344
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.4 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (116 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Larry Correia is hopelessly addicted to two things, guns and B-horror movies. He lists his occupations: gun dealer, firearms instructor, accountant, and writer, and was until recently part-owner of a company specializing in firearms and movie props. He shoots competitively and is a certified concealed weapons instructor. Larry resides in Utah with his very patient wife and family.

Visit him on the Facebook Group, Monster Hunter International, Hunters Unite! or his blog, larrycorreia.wordpress.com.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#69 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#69 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Novel May 2, 2011

By Nickolas X. P. Sharps VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Novels don't get much more fun than this! April 27, 2011

By Steven Diamond

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This review was posted on Elitist Book Reviews. For more reviews and interviews stop by our blog.

***The Review***

There are very few authors whose body of work makes us cackle with boyish glee. Chris Wooding is one. Jonathan Maberry another. Recently Sarah Pinborough has joined those ranks. For those of you keeping score, when Larry Correia writes something new we drop everything. You can then find us camped out with a flashlight in the living room under a tent made of sheets and blankets. Never mind we own our own homes.

We are just going to come out and say it: Larry Correia's HARD MAGIC, book 1 of the Grimnoir Chronicles, is completely fun and awesome. Everyone knows how much we like his Monster Hunter series. We like this one more. Much more. Everything about HARD MAGIC is positively saturated with style...

...well, and explosions of course.

HARD MAGIC takes place during an alternate USA of the 20' and 30's. Magic has been reintroduced into the world which has obviously changed it dramatically. There is some detective story stuff here and some magic. But apart from those automatic "win buttons" the main thing that Larry's novel has going for it is its epic foundation. This is Epic Alternate Historical Urban Fantasy...with superheroes...kinda. Yeah. Tell us that doesn't sound completely fun and awesome if executed right. And yes, Larry does it right.

You may be tempted to dismiss Larry as a pure action author. The style (and `splosions) over substance type. The explosions and violence are there, and they are GLORIOUS! But we've said it before, and we'll say it again. Larry's work is deceptive. No doubt we read his work for the gunplay (one of the best out there) and the B-movie feeling it all invokes. But if we are honest with ourselves--and you readers of course--we would have to admit we read Larry's work for the characters. HARD MAGIC, in our opinion, has the best character work of all Larry's novels so far.

To understand the characters, we should probably talk a bit about the main magic system of the novel. Rare individuals have the ability to perform a certain type of magic. Some can alter their own personal gravity. Some can teleport. Some use animals in a borderline possession way. Others can perform miraculous healing feats while their opposites can cause plagues. In the back of the novel you'll find a list and description of them all. They sound a bit like superheroes. You readers of MISTBORN will feel very comfortable picking up the magic of this created world.

One of the main characters of the novel is Jake Sullivan. He is one of those individuals that can alter his personal gravity--a Heavy. He's been in wars (we get some awesome history here), he's been a P.I., and he's been in prison. Now he's on loan to the Feds. Simply put, Sullivan is terrific. He is very reminiscent of the Owen Pitt character from the Monster Hunter universe (some would say a tad too similar), but has enough differences to make him his own character. For starters, Sullivan is more intelligent. The sequences in the novel that show the research Sullivan is doing on magic are fantastic and are VERY character building.

While there are a ton of characters in the novel--none of with we can point at with dislike--the other main character we want to mention is Faye--a Traveler (aka teleporter). We want to mention this character specifically because Larry does such a great job of keeping her, well, female-ish. So many male authors have such a hard time writing female PoVs (just as female authors have trouble writing male PoVs). Faye goes through some traumatic events early in the novel, and there is a need to balance this "lost youth" and innocence with the incredible power he grows into as the novel progresses...not to mention all from a female's PoV. Tough stuff, yet Larry pulls it off. We don't mean to snub the female characters from his other novels, but Faye is not only the best female character Larry has put on paper, but she is one of his best overall characters, period.

We couldn't wrap us this review without mentioning the world-building. It may seem hardly worth mentioning since this takes place in a familiar-ish 1930s USA, but Larry did an amazing job here. Information is never just dumped on you during the course of the story. Rather than killing the pacing, Larry puts all the historical changes and details in the chapter bumps. The chapter bumps (or leads, if you will) in HARD MAGIC are easily on the same level as those in Brandon Sanderson's novels. We've mentioned before that we think Sanderson's chapter leads are some of best in the business (if not THE best). Larry's are THAT good. As you read through the novel, the attention to detail is noticeable. You can tell that a ton of research was done, and then effectively spun into the text.

When all is said and done, Larry Correia's HARD MAGIC is one of them most entertaining, fun novels we have read. What's more is that it has all the qualities that make us love Epic Fantasy, only in a Raymond Chandler, noir setting. No one type of reader will enjoy this novel more than another. This is one of the few novels that will capture every reader's imagination and leave them--like us--begging for more.

Recommended Age: 16 and up.
Language: Yep. It can be strong, but never feels thrown in for shock-value.
Violence: It's a Larry Correia novel, of course there is violence. The gun-play is perfect, and the set-piece action sequences are completely over-the-top and awesome.
Sex: Nope.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars New Book, New World, Still Great Storytelling April 27, 2011

By Jason Cordova

Format:Paperback

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.