Monster Hunter Alpha [Mass Market Paperback]

Larry Correia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2011 | Series: Monster Hunter

Dirty Harry meets Twilight.  #3 in the break-out series and a follow-up to Monster Hunter International and Monster Hunter Vendetta. 

Earl Harbinger may be the leader of Monster Hunter International, but he’s also got a secret. Nearly a century ago, Earl was cursed to be werewolf.  When Earl receives word that one of his oldest foes, a legendarily vicious werewolf that worked for the KGB, has mysteriously appeared in the remote woods of Michigan, he decides to take care of some unfinished business. But another force is working to bring about the creation of a whole new species of werewolf. When darkness falls, the final hunt begins, and the only thing standing in their way is a handful of locals, a lot of firepower, and Earl Harbinger’s stubborn refusal to roll over and play dead.

Here’s a sample of Larry Correia’s prose punch from series opener, Monster Hunter International:  “I didn’t wake up that morning and decide that I was going to kill my boss with my bare hands.  It was much more complicated than that.” 

About Monster Hunter International

“[A] no-holds-barred all-out page turner that is part science fiction, part horror, and an absolute blast to read.”–  Bookreporter.com

About the “Monster Hunter” series:

“If you love monsters and action, you’ll love this book.  If you love guns, you’ll love this book.  If you love fantasy, and especially horror fantasy, you’ll love this book.” – Knotclan.com

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Coreia is an award-winning competitive shooter, a movie-prop-gun master and, yes, an accountant by day – but an urban noir adventure master by night.  He is very bald and lives in Utah.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Baen; Original edition (July 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439134588
• ISBN-13: 978-1439134580
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary
  • #31 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > General

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Whole New Benchmark for Awesome, July 19, 2011

By 

Geoffrey Kidd (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monster Hunter Alpha (Mass Market Paperback)

Larry Correia is creating a trademark of ingenuity, innovation, and an absolutely wicked sense of humor. The same things that made the prior books in the series, "Monster Hunter International" (Not your standard elves.) and "Monster Hunter Vendetta" (Stand back! I'm going to fight magic with science.) return in hurricane force.

In this case, the book is more of a solo dip into hellfire for one of the major players in the first two books: Earl Harbinger, MHI's operations chief. He's the oldest living werewolf in the world, and one of the few who is NOT on the U.S. Government's "Kill On Sight" list.

The action in the novel shifts a bit between who Harbinger is now, and the events and people and monsters out of his past who have gathered in Michigan to try and kill him. There's a fine irony in the oldest living werewolf having to be the world's best werewolf destroyer, but Harbinger and the people of the besieged town in which he finds himself stranded must meet the challenge, or the plague of werewolves will spread...

I won't spoil the wonderfully ingenious ways they defend themselves, but I will say my jaw dropped when I realized just what Harbinger and party were up to, and Correia's magnificent two-word description of the results still has me laughing like hell, three months after I read the electronic ARC of this awesome book.

One warning, do not drink anything while actively reading. Stop, sip, swallow and THEN continue, or you risk a very soggy book.

Thank you, Larry. Please keep them coming.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Larry Correia's best MHI book yet, July 20, 2011

By 

P. Gibbs (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monster Hunter Alpha (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the "origins" story of Earl Harbinger, who was the chief hunter and leader of Monster Hunter International ("MHI") in the first two books. It is the story of the curse that created the first werewolf. The book is about a battle to save a town from an un-killable werewolf and his "progeny." With all that it's a great story that will keep you up at night to find out what happens next.

I'll leave most of the plot summary to the product description above, except for this: Earl must prevent an uber-werewolf from getting the one magical "device" needed in his plan to overwhelm the world with ravenous and unbeatable packs of werewolves. The struggle unites Earl, a proverbial lone wolf, with a gutsy female sheriff's deputy. To keep the fight from being fair, their adversary has the aid of a sorceress who is the daughter of the necromancer that Owen Pitt defeated in the first book.

This is an action thriller sort of narrative because all of the action takes place within a 48-hour period. In military terms it's purely a meeting engagement because neither side is able to call in reinforcements. This is after all the upper peninsula of Michigan in the middle of a magically enhanced winter storm with a magically induced blackout of all electronic communications.

The whole point of good fantasy stories such as this is to explore moral issues. However it is not just good versus evil. That would be way too simplistic. With Earl Harbinger's "back story" putting a spotlight on the subject, we get into the issue of free will versus the predatory instincts of the werewolf. Even the fascinating story of the creation of the first werewolf is a morality tale. In creating the first werewolf long ago a prehistoric tribe discovered that resorting to some measures in a war against your enemies carried too high a price in the unintended consequences.

Larry Correia has established himself as a first-rank SF writer with this book. He's a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award at this year's Worldcon for best new SF writer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Summer Popcorn movie-in-a-book, August 3, 2011

By 

robin brown (toronto, ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monster Hunter Alpha (Mass Market Paperback)

When I was waiting for the latest MHI book to come out, I had a realization- Mr.Correia writes summer blockbuster movies, only in book form. You know that feeling you used to get, looking forward to a big, fun summer movie? Seeing the trailer months before and then eagerly awaiting the release date then sitting in a darkened theatre with a bag of popcorn and a coke, ready for some big fun? The movies that are like a great roller coaster ride that you smile all the way through? For me, that's what the MHI books are like. Great fun.