![Hard Magic: Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles by [Correia, Larry]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51nQ8RPWQNL._SY346_.jpg)
Think X-Men meet film noire. Larry Correia has created a parallel universe taking place in the post WWI era that reads like a black and white serial we used to see at the movies. You can almost see the screen wipes and closing irises as each chapter comes to an end. "Actives", characters with a magical ability, like X-Men, constitute a small minority of the population of the world and for the purposes of this story are primarily divided into good (American and European) and bad (Japanese) with a few exceptions. The bad guys want to take control of the planet by exploding a doomsday device that will virtually destroy the US and bring the rest of the world to its collective knees. Lighter than air flying machines are the transports and military air weapons of choice. There is action aplenty and interesting, fun characters some better than good and some evil incarnate. Fight scenes are terrific and pull no punches, pun intended, as bodies at times are torn or blown apart causing fountains of blood to coat the combatants. There are zombies, ninjas, wizards, real historical figures and even a few "Normals" thrown into the mix. Spoiler alert, don't be too disappointed if your favorite character is mortally wounded or even killed as there are ways to bring them back.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is that it reads like a graphic novel. The dialogue is stilted and compares to that of the Star Wars films. This is not a book that requires any deep thinking on the part of the reader nor will you be rolling the plot around in your mind once you have finished the book. It is mind candy, a guilty pleasure you can enjoy for what it is and escape the reality of life. If that is what you are looking for and enjoy then I highly recommend this book.
- File Size: 1110 KB
- Print Length: 432 pages
- Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
- Publisher: Baen Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2011)
- Publication Date: May 1, 2011
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00APAHLMA
- Text-to-Speech:
Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Not Enabled
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#62,175 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #3546 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #4393 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books)
- #19292 in Literature & Fiction (Kindle Store)
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