Monster Hunter Vendetta (Baen Fantasy) [Mass Market Paperback]

Larry Correia (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 28, 2010 | Series: Baen Fantasy

ORIGINAL PAPERBACK.

Sequel to the Hit Novel, Monster Hunter International. Owen Pitt Never Met a Gun He Didn’t Like, or a Monster He Couldn’t Shoot. But Now, the Monsters are Shooting Back . . . 

             Accountant turned professional monster hunter, Owen Zastava Pitt, managed to stop the nefarious Old One’s invasion plans last year, but as a result made an enemy out of one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Now an evil death cult known as the Church of the Temporary Mortal Condition wants to capture Owen in order to gain the favor of the great Old Ones.

             The Condition is led by a fanatical necromancer known as the Shadow Man. The government wants to capture the Shadow Man and has assigned the enigmatic Agent Franks to be Owen’s full time bodyguard, which is a polite way of saying that Owen is monster bait.

            With supernatural assassins targeting his family, a spy in their midst, and horrific beasties lurking around every corner, Owen and the staff of Monster Hunter International don’t need to go hunting, because this time the monsters are hunting them. Fortunately, this bait is armed and very dangerous . . .

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Problem: a psycho cultist necromancer and his horde of zombies are trying to bring about the end of the world. Solution: a badass boy lets loose with his badass toys. Owen Zastava Pitt, a member in good standing of Monster Hunter International, has pissed off the Overlord of the Old Ones enough to get his name on a supernatural hit list. Owen tries to ferret out links between MHI and the deranged necromancer on his trail while enlisting various dubious allies, protecting his family, and dodging the Feds. This lighthearted, testosterone-soaked sequel to 2009's Monster Hunter International will delight fans of action horror with elaborate weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, disgusting monsters, and an endless stream of blood and body parts.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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

• Mass Market Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Baen; Original edition (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439133913
• ISBN-13: 978-1439133910
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excitement Continues - New Readers can start here September 25, 2010

By P. Gibbs VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Monster Hunter Vendetta picks up Owen Pitt's saga a few months after the events of the first book, Monster Hunter International. This time Owen is the hunted as much as he is hunter. The Dread Overlord (a sort of top-of-the-heap Cthulu monster) has put the word out to his minions on Earth that he wants Owen Pitt delivered to him in his dimension for torture and death. He blames Owen for what the Feds did to him during the last battle described in the first novel (something involving a tactical nuke), when Owen literally saved the world.

This book fills in a lot of the back-story of the MHI fictional universe without getting in the way of the non-stop action. For a new writer Larry Correia has great story-telling skills as he pulls the reader from one chapter to the next. Don't start this book on a night when you need to get some sleep. One could easily start this on a Friday night and finish it by Sunday.

We learn more of the family history of the Shackleford's, four generations of which have owned and operated MHI. Some really big secrets of some agents of Monster Control Bureau (MCB) get spilled here. It does nothing to alleviate MCB's image as an evil-twin version of Men In Black. Even worse its top agent is a bloody-minded egomaniac who doesn't care if MHI is wiped out as long as he accomplishes his mission.

The author does a great job of building up the powers of the villain, a British necromancer, to the point where you doubt that anything to stop him. The key is to make it believable when our hero does beat him and comes home in one-piece to marry the girl he loves - another monster hunter who shoots a rifle better than Owen. Good looks, brave and a great shot. That is my idea of a 21st century heroine/love-interest.

This is a fun book with an adult view of good vs. evil, in stark contrast to the action movies of today that have stories at the level of comic books, even when they are not based on comic books. I'm glad to report that the evil villains are truly evil and not mis-guided or victims of a troubled childhood. The author's deft touch shows in the depiction of some of the "good guys" who cut corners while trying to save the world. We still don't like the guys from MCB, but some of them are more understandable after this book.

It's a successful second book in the series because new readers can enjoy it before reading the first book but it still moves the saga forward for people who have already "discovered" MHI. That's why I give it Five Stars.

Urban fantasy is in good hands with this sharpshooting writer from Utah.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Explosive Fun September 27, 2010

By Nickolas X. P. Sharps VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

A true sequel should expand on the vision of the original while adding depth to the concepts and characters of its predecessor. This can be a difficult feat to accomplish, especially when the first book is a mind blowing success. A lot of sequels coast off the momentum of the first book without ever really establishing a name on their own. Larry Correia could have easily sat back and written Monster Hunter International 2, with all the fans he has attracted he could have easily sold a book without any improvement on the original formula. Instead Larry wrote Monster Hunter Vendetta, and I'm sure glad he did.

Anyone who has read Monster Hunter International knows what to expect. Tough guys, big guns, and scary monsters. This novel features the return of our beloved mercenary monster hunters faced with a new unholy evil. A random passerby may see the front cover of this book (an awesome holographic illustration might I mention) and assume that it is a shallow violence ridden urban fantasy book. That, however, is so far from the case. What sets MHV apart from standard urban fantasy is Larry's knowledge of B-movie monsters and his personal experience with firearms. There's no supernatural problem a fully automatic twelve-gauge shotgun with an underslung grenade launcher can't handle. The action in this book is top notch, one of the fights continues on for pages but never gets boring. With some action-heavy books I tend to scan over what should be the most exciting parts. This is not so with MHV. Larry has a real talent for writing fight scenes and while you might be exhausted after reading it you will never be bored.

The most surprising thing about MHV is by far the amount of depth added to the characters. The first book displayed some unique and fun characters to follow. Owen Z. Pitt, combat accountant, makes for an excellent main character. He isn't handsome or unbelievably smart, but he is a great shot and a good fighter. While the first book introduced a wide and diverse cast MHV delves into story behind some of the more important players. Owen's family also makes an appearance in this book. Owen's relationship with his father gives a whole extra dimension to his character. Then of course there is Special Agent Franks. I didn't much care for Franks in the first book and I didn't expect to like him in MHV. Somehow by the end of the novel he had become my favorite character of all. Franks is one of the toughest characters I've read about in years and I can't wait for his solo novel Monster Hunter Nemesis.

I pre-ordered a signed copy of MHV for my personal library. Instead of waiting for the package to reach my house I went out and bought another copy as soon as it hit store shelves. I then proceeded to spend my weekend reading it. If you haven't read MHI I highly suggest going and buying it now, but buy MHV too. That way you won't have to run back out to the store to get the sequel after having your mind blown.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Big, Explodey Fun!! September 28, 2010

By Steven Diamond

Format:Mass Market Paperback

We recently reviewed MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA at Elitist Book Reviews. Head on over there to read more reviews, and also catch an interview with MHV author, Larry Correia.

***THE REVIEW***

We like our books with thought put into them. Characters in shades of gray. Plots that are epic, yet deeply personal. We like novels where the author challenges our minds, and makes us ponder humanity.

And after we have read all that, we LOVE to read books that involve explosions. And zombies. And exploding zombies. And zombie elephants. Did we already mention explosions? How about heavy gunfire?

Thank you, Larry Correia, for giving us another novel full of exploding monsters, and incredibly detailed gun-play: MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA.

You readers DO remember Larry Correia, right? It would be in your best interests to nod your head in agreement regardless of your actual answer. Larry has lots of guns. And he knows how to use them all. Apart from that, he is a good friend of ours, and a terrific storyteller. His first published novel, MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL (MHI), was completely awesome (we reviewed it as well). More importantly, it was FUN. Larry is the kind of writer that if his novel doesn't make you smile with giddiness while reading, he isn't satisfied with his work.

With Larry's latest novel, MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA (MHV), we are happy to report that it is indeed full of win. Now, no one will ever say that Larry has written the Great American Novel. Why the heck would he want to? Guns and monsters are WAAAAAAY more better. (Yes, that bad grammar was intentional. Deal with it.) What Larry provides is lots of action, lots of guns, lots of explosions, and lots of fantastic characters. And we get it all at a lightening pace.

In other words: WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!111!!!

MHV is essentially the consequences of the events in MHI. You know, when our stud of a PoV, Owen Pitt, thwarted a Cthulhu-esque God. An evil death cult, known as the Church of the Temporary Mortal Condition, took exception to that whole thing, and they want the Old Ones to come back and take over. Owen seems like the ideal sacrifice.

Queue destruction and mayhem.

Look, we can go on about how fun MHV is for days. It really is completely awesome. But what people don't seem to think of when you read a book "like this" is that there will actually be some great character development. MHV's characters are much deeper than than they appear on the cliché surface. Really, seeing the growth these characters have forced upon them, and the heart-wrenching steps they willingly take is where the book's true pillars are found. From Owen, to Julie, to Earl...they all are distinct characters. You readers may think that Larry Correia is just blowing $%^* up, but that's just to hide that he is actually very, very good at crafting characters.

Are there flaws? Duh. But they are all so minor, that it would annoy us more to have to even write them down. Look, Larry cheats when he writes. He refers to it in the novel. If Larry isn't cheating, he isn't trying hard enough. If Larry wants something to happen, he will make it happen. If he is told, "Dude, you CAN'T put Deus Ex Machina into a novel!!" he will purposely put it into the novel just to spite you. Twice. And he will make it work. He is that awesome.

It still shocks us how BIG these novels are. MHV clocks in at over 600 pages of pure adrenaline. Instead of giving adrenaline injections to patients, doctors should just beat them with MHV. It would have the same effect, and is significantly cheaper.

MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA, like MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL before it, is worth every monster-gore-soaked penny of its cover price. Larry has again brought extreme fun back to reading.

And if you don't like MHV, Larry will just shoot you. So there.

Recommended Age: 16 and up.
Language: Heck yeahs.
Violence: Seriously? There is literally a character NAMED Violence in the novel. What do you think?
Sex: None.