An exciting story with great narration! This is a gem, it doesn't fall into the cookie cutter trap of many of the new series. Very creative twists on history.

???You???re Heavy Jake Sullivan, aren???t you????
???Yep.???
???I was afraid of that.???

Larry Correia delivers another exciting magical alternate history with Spellbound, the second of his GRIMNOIR CHRONICLES. After Jake Sullivan and the gang took care of the German zombies, the Japanese Iron Guard, and Nikola Tesla???s peace ray in Hard Magic, the magicals are needed again to thwart new threats to the country. This is hard to do, though, after they???ve been framed for the attempted assassination of President Roosevelt. Public approval for magicals is low and opposition groups are organizing to march on Washington. FDR decides that magic must be regulated and proposes a new-deal-type law that will require all magicals to register with the government and wear an identification badge.

Meanwhile, after receiving a phone call from Hell, the Grimnoir recognize that there???s a much greater magical threat that the American citizens are unaware of. Only the Grimnoir are equipped to handle it. Frustrated, they must take care of this alien evil while hiding from the government. Fortunately, they do have some really awesome magical powers, an unexpected powerful ally, and a lot of guns.

Once again, I???m surprised to find myself enjoying Larry Correia???s testosterone-pumping, gun-toting, blood-spurting, heads-rolling story, but there???s a lot more here than guns, guts and gore. There???s a large diverse set of likeable and fully-developed fictional and real historical characters, an interesting historical backdrop, plenty of action and suspense, some blood-chilling moments, and a few quirky elements, too, such as an army of robots and a black hole.

There???s also quite a bit of dark humor, which blends perfectly to lighten the mood just a bit when things get scary. I was always entertained by the scenes in which Lance takes over the body of an animal. I also love the adapted quotes at the beginning of the chapters, which put the story in its historical context. For example, one is from the New York Commissioner of Boxing who explains how, after Jack Johnson beat the Great White Hope, they bribed a referee and snuck in a Brute to end Johnson???s career (???Gotta keep the sport pure, y???know????).

Bronson Pinchot???s performance of Spellbound is nothing short of brilliant. There???s a large international cast here and Pinchot handles all of those accents with ease. He perfectly captures the excitement, horror, and humor of Spellbound. If you don???t read audiobooks, you might consider starting with this series. It???s a perfect example of how good audio can get.

There???s danger on the horizon, American opinion about magicals is unstable (are they public heroes or public enemies?), and many questions remain about the Power, its motives, and Faye???s ties to it. I???m looking forward to the next GRIMNOIR CHRONICLES book.

Probably. Excellent narration giving more life to the text through accent and emphasis

Having the protagonist in peril with no easily discernible way out and having to just ride along

All worked for me. Sullivan is probably the best with his drawl and pondering speech pattern. Dan 'the mouth' was the one that most nearly annoyed me.

It would have been tempting had I the opportunity. The story rolls and builds consistently.

Unlike most middle books of a trilogy, this one does not lull or spend overmuch time simply setting up the final book. Instead, this one moves briskly, introducing new characters seamlessly and growing the core group all with in an action filled story that still drives the overall plot towards the final encounter. A very enjoyable ride with some subtle and not so subtle nods towards history. I appreciated that the names of the designated interment camps for actives were actual camps used by the US government during WWII for those of Japanese decent.

I love Bronson Pinchot. He is fabulous with the voices. The story was entertaining. Larry Correia definitely has a good series with these books.

Definitely

Totally good and fun read.

It has been so long since I have found a author, with an amazing story line that takes nothing for granted, involved with the creation and implementation of so many different characters while getting the details of their individual personalities tight in both peace and war without killing the reader with mind numbing pages of detail. Add that to a reader that encompasses the heart of the story with amazing ease and you have a major winner. Well done and thank you!

The whole story ... I am dyslexic and although I can read, it is slow and cumbersome and I have to re-read several sections each time I move forward through a chapter just to keep the story alive ... I get characters however and form images of the individuals in my mind ... this author ... this reader keep my characters real in every aspect.

Very fast paced story with many interesting characters and great narration from Bronson Pinchot. Bronson's narration made this series a joy to listen to. Fun story. Great narration. Get the series.

Yes, Bronson gives incredible life and depth to all the characters.

Sullivan and Toro are both great characters.

He really brings everything to life.

Welcome to the society.

Cant wait to listen to the next one.

This second installment of the Grimnoir Chronicles carries the story along directly from where the first left off. The plotting of this trilogy was carefully planned and well executed. By now the listener is comfortable with the characters and the rules of how things work is familiar. This allows the story to get underway immediately. One unexpected delight in these first two novels is the political slant of author Larry Correia comes through as clearly American conservative. He does not miss any opportunity to jab at Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, or FDR. And the totalitarian countries of the Soviet Union, Germany and Nippon are depicted as enslaving regimes.

The theme of freedom and respect for life is strong among the Grimnoir Knights. The lead character Jake Sullivan is always as good as his word. Even the Imperium Iron Guard acts within his brutal code of honor knowing that his actions will cost him his life if he fails of even if he succeeds.

Bronson Pinchot is once again superb; displaying a wide range of personalities with aplomb. There are many instances where it is evident that careful planning was done to give just the right emotion for a character. Once even the character’s usual accent is not used so as not to give away a vital plot element. This is just as it would be if one were reading the novel listening to the voice in your own head. Another top notch performance that places Pinchot at the top of the very best audio book performers.

The character development was very good also they have done a good job mixing in throughout all three books comedy, mystery, drama the whole spectrum. Reader was not bad fit for the time period the book was written for and did a good job tying in some historical people into the story

I would recommend the three books

I already have Larry Correia knows how to write urban paranormal with a real twist. his characters are really interesting and they do some amazing things. Real character development

Jake Sullivan, is great, like a cross between a tank and a down pillow.....tough guy with heart.

I've listened to Bronson Pinchot narrate several series and he's great, the voices emotions and accents. I recommend another series "The Presidents Vampire" also narrated by Mr Pinchot.

Larry Correia writes urban paranormal very well with very interesting characters that you care about. In ever series I've read that he's written, I've enjoyed completely. Hope he continues to write, and even another for the Monster Hunter series would be great. :)