"A Worthy Successor To 'Hard Magic.'"
'The Spellbound' is great fun. It's the second in a series, so read 'Hard Magic' first. You'll be glad you did.
For those who have read and enjoyed 'Hard Magic,' this book is sure to be a treat. Correia seems like he has a ball writing these books. They're not silly (not in the denigrating sense, anyway), but they never take themselves too seriously.
The surviving characters from Hard Magic are back, and some intriguing new characters are introduced.
Once again, Bronson Pinchot's narration is spot-on. Highly recommended.
"Good middle novel to the triology"
This is a good follow up to the first book. It allows for events in the 1st book to be better explained and sets up for an interesting finale in the third book.
I did have some reservations about the first book, but to Larry's credit, the 2nd book is much better and builds and augments the scenes from the first book.
A much more polished effort and I look forward to the final book.
"A worthy sequel. A marvelous universe."
The title of my review for Hard Magic (Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles) was "Simply, the best audiobook I've ever encountered." After getting through Spellbound I have to say that Hard Magic still holds that title, but the sequel is certainly no disappointment. Perhaps it was because Hard Magic just felt more fresh, and upon reading Spellbound my wonderment at the universe had been a bit diluted (I listened to them back to back all in less than a week). But, the best way to put it is, if I give Spellbound 5 stars all around, I'd have to give Hard Magic 6 stars. Although, Bronson Pinchot's performance still gets 10/5 in both books.
Spellbound has the same incredible historical urban science fiction fantasy mojo that is touted by Hard Magic. Most of your favorite characters return and the new characters that are introduced, for the most part, do not disappoint, with a very interesting interaction between a magic-envious academic and a demon possessor; yes a demon summoner that possesses the demons. Clever stuff.
You won't be disappointed by Spellbound if you found Hard Magic worth your time. But, while this seems obvious, definitely get through the first book before even attempting this one. Though, you could probably take a pretty big break in between and have no trouble picking right back up into the universe. And, what a universe it is!
The only disappointing thing about Spellbound is that Larry Correia hasn't finished the last book yet. Right now I'm feeling quite impatient waiting for both Cold Days, the next Dresden Files installment and for the third book of the Grimnoir Chronicles. I'm working my way through the Monster Hunter series now, trying to get my fix of Correia's action packed fantastical imagination.
Comparing Grimnoir Chronicles to Monster hunter:
After finishing the first book, Monster Hunter International, I would suggest that both Hard Magic and Spellbound really represent a definite refinement of Correia's art. The Grimnoir Chronicles series blows, at least the first, Monster Hunter book out of the water, and that's saying a lot because MHI itself represents a fantastic addition to the urban fantasy genre. Though I admit that I am probably speaking too soon since the MH books likely improve with each new installment. I am quite excited to see how Correia evolved as an author.
Plug for Iron Druid Chronicles:
Oh, and one final recommendation for those waiting for the third GC book: The Iron Druid Chronicles. While the series is a magnitude lighter than Larry Correia's writing, Kevin Hearne's own take on urban fantasy with a 2000 year old druid living in Arizona might be of interest to those who have similar tastes to myself, based on my review above.
"Spellbound "
I Loved this and the previous book, can't wait to get started on the next.
"It's just gets better"
a great story getting to love this world that Correia has created and Pinchot really is one of the best for narration.
"It's a fun story"
if you have read other books by mr. Larry, then the storyline actually will be familiar to you. I do like the characters, and the way he develops them, but this is plot is very similar to his monster hunter series. Bronson is excellent and puts a great voice to all the characters.
"Good story, but I was hoping for a cast of readers"
Correia does a commendable job but knowing that a cast of voice actors separately did at least the first book in the series leaves this reading comparably flat and more difficult to distinguish characters.
"Great but"
Love the books only thing I don't like is that lances personality and voice changed. How he was in the first was better I think
"Balances high octane fun and developed characters"
This is the second installment in the series, and it didn't feel like a retread, which is something MHI suffered greatly from. I'm actually very impressed how genuinely well written this is. Seems to me that Mr. Correia has gotten much better and perhaps hired a better editor? Whatever it is, he has earned my trust in him as an author who delivers.
Since this is an audiobook, I have to comment on the narration. Bronson Pinchot is simply superb. He might replace Luke Daniels as my favorite audiobook narrator, his range is something to behold.