Monster Hunter International (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Larry Correia (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

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: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,079 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

136 of 138 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MHI, February 2, 2008

By	Kevin J. Coolidge - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Monster Hunter International (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

144 of 147 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monster Hunting, December 30, 2007

By	A. D. Cox (northern PA, USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monster Hunter International (Paperback)

Seconds, little pieces of forever, crawling towards 5pm and quitting time--I'm drained of essence, slaving in a cubicle, no window, no outlet, no wind in my face, just an organized version of Hell, but with paperwork. My boss keeps yelling at me to think outside the box, but I'm crammed into a container that someone forget to punch holes in to let me breathe. I'm tired of watching the clock. I'm tired of asking permission to go to the bathroom. I'm tired of working for the man. It's time to carve out my own niche. It's time to do something for me. I'm going to be a monster hunter...

I picked up this book because it sounded like a fun read, and it is. I am very much enjoying it. The author shoots competively and it shows in his writing. He knows guns. He also love B monster movies and that shows too. A fun first novel.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written and very fun monster killing novel, January 2, 2008

By	Matthew Bracken "author of Enemies Foreign An... (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Monster Hunter International (Paperback)

Normally I'm not a science fiction or fantasy fan. I'm not into Lord of the Rings, or space movies. Maybe a little Robert Heinlein...

But I am into guns, and wicked humor, and that was enough to hook me into reading this novel. So, where's the sci-fi? Let's just say that there have been outbreaks of werewolves, vampires, zombies and other assorted superstrong bloodthirsty mutant freaks running amok and slaughtering humans. Otherwise, we're right here in a sort of normal world...mostly.

A world that's normal to the extent that the government doesn't want the ordinary sheeple to know what's happening, monster-wise. They want the mutant monsters eliminated when they appear...but they want it done quietly and out of sight, to keep the ordinary folks from panicking.

That's where Monster Hunters Int'l comes in. Picture an all-star squad of combat marksmen, sort of a Blackwater Security tasked with wiping out monsters, in return for extremely lucrative bounties offered by the government. (Sidebar: Anybody want to guess what Uncle Sam has payed Blackwater over the last few years? It's astronomical. In the billions, not millions.)

Also kind of parallel to Blackwater, MHI has an uneasy relationship with the straight federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI. Sometimes they work together, sometimes they fight, and this dynamic adds several plot twists and turns.

The novel is told in first person voice, by 24 year old protagonist Owen Pitt. He is recruited into MHI after demonstrating a very high level of skill in killing a few shape-shifting vampires, who can morph from human-appearing (as his boss for example) and back. These suckers are incredibly hard to kill, they have a great ability to heal and possess super strength.

The novel begins with a surprise attack on the protagonist in his office at work. Fortunately, Owen Pitt is the kind of guy who carries a concealed pistol and knows how to use it, so he has an edge that his unlucky (and unarmed) coworkers lack. He defies the odds to survives his first surprise monster encounter, which originally brings him to the attention of Monster Hunters Int'l, and the rest of the book.

Okay, great, we have a Zombie Opus here. What separates MHI from many other monster books and movies? Well.....guns. Guns of every type and description, accurately described and utilized. Hapless victims don't creep around in terror, holding baseball bats as they do in more PC books and movies. No way!

The MHI team uses .45s, 12 guages, RPGs, 40mm grenade launchers, you name it. The monsters are not in the lightweight game category, and it takes heavy duty weapons to put them down for the count. Silver bullets even, for some of them. If monsters are the problem, guns are the solution in MHI. Large bore guns. Assault weapons. All of the guns the PC world hates.

Now if you're looking for a novel of "High Literature" that Oprah or the New York Times is going to love, it's a safe bet you won't want to get Monster Hunters Int'l. But if you want to read a full speed action-adventure yarn, (that's also funny as hell), you'll want to read MHI.