Monster Hunter International [Mass Market Paperback]

Larry Correia (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 28, 2009

Five days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a fourteenth story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer.

            It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. On the other side are the people who kill monsters for a living. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business. And now Owen is their newest recruit.

            It’s actually a pretty sweet gig, except for one little problem. An ancient entity known as the Cursed One has returned to settle a centuries old vendetta. Should the Cursed One succeed, it means the end of the world, and MHI is the only thing standing in his way. With the clock ticking towards Armageddon, Owen finds himself trapped between legions of undead minions, belligerent federal agents, a cryptic ghost who has taken up residence inside his head, and the cursed family of the woman he loves.

            Business is good . . .

            Welcome to Monster Hunter International.

Editorial Reviews

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 is part owner of FBMG (Fuzzy Bunny Movie Guns) 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. He has also designed a special patch for the agents of Monster Hunter International, Inc. As he puts it, “If you don’t look good while you’re killing stuff, then you’re not really a monster hunter.”

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Baen; Original edition (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439132852
• ISBN-13: 978-1439132852
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (285 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,843 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 

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#65 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#65 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 87 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars MHI February 2, 2008

By Kevin J. Coolidge

Format:Paperback

Monster Hunter International

It's your average, everyday Wednesday evening; I had just stopped by to pick up the latest issue of the Wellsboro Gazette. Suddenly, I found myself able to fulfill the American dream. No, not the one with the nude roller derby girls, the other "American" dream. I got to run over my boss. Understand, I felt obligated to burn hot rubber across his hairy back. No, I didn't wake up that morning and plan on killing my boss with my Subaru. It's really much more complicated than that. I would never have considered doing something that sounded so crazy. Heck, I work in a bookstore. My idea of danger is getting a paper cut. I didn't want to save the world. I didn't want to have to replace my headlight. I didn't want my insurance rates to skyrocket. I didn't want to know my boss was a werewolf...

It turns out that monsters are real, and that's why I found myself devouring Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia. Creatures from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there. Lurking in the shadows, seeking our destruction, or just plain hungry. Monster Hunter International is the number one agency for eradication of evil.

Our story starts with one Owen Zastava Pitt. He's your average, everyday working stiff. He just wants to work hard, get himself a wife and 2.5 kids, and settle in the suburbs, but when his boss literally tries to bite his head off, Owen is thrust into a world that he never knew existed - a world where monsters are exist, and there is good money to be made killing them. Welcome to Monster Hunter International.

MHI,a remarkable group of misfits that has banded together. They do more than dare to raise a candle to the darkness. They pack napalm-fed flamethrowers and lots of firepower.... There's specialized body armor, big guns with unusual ammunition, and bloodsucking fiends. You'll also find some likable, well-developed heroes that bleed, and a full-speed action yarn that's funny as Hades.

I picked up this first novel because it sounded like a fun, fast read, and it is. Larry is a certified weapon instructor and it shows in his writing. He knows guns and weapons and he likes to blow things up, and have a lot of fun doing it. He also loves B movies, and has a twisted sense of humor, and it all makes for a highly entertaining read. It's not perfect. There are some rough spots, and at 452 pages, it's a little longer than is needed. The action slows down after a great intro that grabs your attention, but quickly jumps back to the fight. If you like SF, military fiction, or horror, you'll find yourself staying up late at night to finish, and anticipating the next novel. You aren't going to find MHI on the New York Times bestseller list, or Oprah any time soon, but maybe she should lock and load and lighten up...

Kevin Coolidge columnist Wellsboro Gazette Read more ›

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast Moving Yarn April 6, 2008

By Thor

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I recently read Monster Hunter International by Larry Corriea. I have to tell you I waffled on buying this book. I mean I had this fear of Night of the Living Dead, Zombie Apocolypse stuff that was poorly written and didn't fit into anything that interested me. But, I read some of the reviews and I picked up on Larry's website and I thought I would take a shot at it. So, I duly brought up my Amazon account, and ordered the book. At the same time, I was ordering a bunch of other stuff so I thought of it as kind of a impulse buy.

Best impulse buy that I ever made. The book is a page turner, and one I had a hard time putting down. There is little or no, slow spots in the read. From the first few pages this thing moves the plot along quickly and efficiently, introducing characters as necessary and providing just the right level of detail to set the visuals of the situation.

Is the plot predictable? Maybe at times but for the most part it twists and turns, and just when you think it is going to go straight on for a bit, it pulls a wild left turn and zig zags all over the place.

Larry pulls in aspects of many different historical cultures and weaves them almost seamlessly into the story telling . Sorry Larry, there were a couple of abrupt points so you don't get the full seamless comment. However, I think that they abruptness may have been appropriate to the scene on occasion.

I wish I could write a story that is half as entertaining, and half as well written.

This is a damn fine book that you need to go out and read.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read! Fanastic first work. January 31, 2008

By Justin R. Southam

Format:Paperback

Larry has managed to create a work that blends humor, action, horror, a little romance, and a strong measure of independent thought to create a fast moving, engaging story. Throughout the book, there are many times when the imagery is so strong and the story so fluid, it makes it possible to forget the 300lb Russian sleeping next to you on your international flight (in coach). Of course, there are also scenes that will make you laugh so hard you may wake up said Russian if you don't excercise some restraint. Perhaps the best thing I can say, is it's been two weeks since I've finished the book, and I'm still thinking about the characters and element of the story. I highly recommend this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm going to buy the rest of the series, too... January 25, 2008

By O. Rettinger

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fair Disclosure: I consider Larry Correia to be a friend. I'm going to try to give as unbiased a review as possible (and anyone who knows me--which almost no-one who reads this review will--knows I'm likely to be even more brutally honest about my friends than anyone else) but you may feel free to take this review with a grain of salt.

I'm giving MHI a solid 4.5 stars. Amazon doesn't allow that, so I went with 4 to give as much warning as possible. I read a lot. I read a lot of science-fiction. (Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle) I read a decent amount of military fiction. (David Drake, John Ringo) I read a moderate amount of horror. (Poppy Z. Brite, Richard Matheson) Correia does a good job of tickling all of those interests.

It's not a perfect book. It has some rough spots, as any first time author will. But I've read MHI 3 times, and laughed out loud each time I've read it. It still inspires "sit down and read through" marathons. For those who like books that keep the tension factor up, and don't mind a bit of scary and gruesome, this book is a fine addition to your library. I was fortunate enough to be on the "pre-distribution" list, and sat and read the entire book the first run through, and have done so each of the subsequent times I've read it in published form.

It's not perfect, but it's real close, and a darn fine read. I eagerly anticipate reading about the further adventures of Owen Zastava Pitt, and the folks at Monster Hunter International.