• Hard Magic

  • Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles
  • By: Larry Correia
  • Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
  • Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (13,883 ratings)

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Hard Magic  By  cover art

Hard Magic

By: Larry Correia
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
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Editorial reviews

Larry Correia has already made a name for himself in the sci-fi/fantasy world with his Monster Hunter books, but now he's written the first in new series that takes place in New York in the 1930s, filled with dubious federal agents, hardboiled detectives, and dames with a whole lotta chutzpah. Except this isn't quite the New York you might expect, but an alternate universe where zeppelins moor at the top of the Empire State Building, the Titanic never sank, and mad scientist Nikola Tesla has created a devastating weapon called the Geo-Tel. Oh, and people have magical powers. They are known as Actives. It's become commonplace for some people to defy gravity, teleport, manipulate animals, and heal by touch. The hero here is Jake Sullivan, a detective and ex-con who is set free by the FBI to track criminal Actives, which J. Edgar Hoover (yeah, he's still around) would like to eradicate.

Actor Bronson Pinchot has become a regular go-to for audiobooks and the reason is obvious - the guy knows how to bring a story to life. Far from his manic days as Balki on Perfect Strangers, Pinchot is a warm, imminently listenable narrator. He's obviously having a ball with Hard Magic, gruffing up his voice for the hardboiled Jake and the various G-men and employing a countrified voice for Faye, a young farm girl who can teleport across great distances and becomes vital to saving the world from destruction by the Geo-Tel. Pinchot gives each character a different voice, so it's easy to keep up with the big cast. Correia writes long, colorful descriptions of his characters and their situations, but those passages never become boring and never get in the way of the action, thanks to Pinchot.

Steampunk lovers will find much to love about Hard Magic, but listeners who love big guns and explosions will be in hog heaven. There are epic, cinematic battles including one over-the-top of a dirigible that is audaciously impossible. Hard Magic almost defies categorization, because Correia has no problem blending science fiction with more fanciful fantasy, even managing to slip in double-headed dragons and imps. The second book in the Grimnoir Chronicles, Spellbound, is coming and let's hope Pinchot has signed on for the audio version. (Collin Kelley)

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Paranormal, 2012

Jake Sullivan is a licensed private eye with a seriously hardboiled attitude. He also possesses raw magical talent and the ability to make objects in his vicinity light as a feather or as heavy as depleted uranium, all with a magical thought. It's no wonder the G-men turn to Jake when they need someone to go after a suspected killer who has been knocking off banks in a magic-enhanced crime spree.

Problems arise when Jake discovers the bad girl behind the robberies is an old friend, and he happens to know her magic is just as powerful as his. And the Feds have plunged Jake into a secret battle between powerful cartels of magic-users - a cartel whose ruthless leaders have decided that Jake is far too dangerous to live.

©2011 Larry Correia (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Hard Magic

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    8,780
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  • 3 Stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    8,021
  • 4 Stars
    3,118
  • 3 Stars
    964
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    236

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

97 out of 100. It's that good.

I only chose this book because it had such high ratings, and I figured, that all those people can't possible be that wrong. Well, they're not. First let's start off with the narrator, Bronson Pinchot. We all know him as Balki from Perfect Strangers. Okay, throw that out of your head right now, because his narration of this book is perfect. He's fantastic. I can't believe it's him. Other narrators should listen to his narration of this book, so they can say to themselves, "ahh so that's how it's done." The story, and world that it takes place in are original, interesting, intelligent, enjoyable, etc. It's everything a fantasy/sci-fi action novel should be. I'd say it's 50% steam punk, and 50% fantasy. If I had any criticism of this book it would be the lame cover, and title. Hard Magic? You'd think after creating such a rich world and story he could have come up with something like, Tesla's Geo-Tel, or The Imperium Unleashed. But hey, no book is perfect. I'm looking forward to books 2 & 3, and happy to see the Bronson Pinchot will be the narrator.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

I read the rave reviews and gave it a try. The book started off with some promise, but pretty quickly devolved into chaotic, ever escalating mayhem, inadequately explained new magical powers and magical creatures. The book totally lost me when the zombies appeared. It was like reading a poorly thought out action comic. I stuck it out till the end, but I found it tedious and boring.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Great Find

What did you love best about Hard Magic?

I happened to notice this book while browsing for something new. I had never heard of the title, but I had heard of the author via the Monster Hunter series. However I had never read any of his books before.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hard Magic?

I enjoyed the character development. The principal players are diverse, interesting, and are good people to spend time with. Even the villains.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to top the climax of the story. But Jakes battles with Maddy really added a level of sophistication and conflict that was very satisfying.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The female leads and the relationships to the others were great story lines. Jakes relationship with Delilah was particularly poignant. And Faye's character was both a treat and a key plot point as she strove to avenge her grandfather.

Any additional comments?

Bronson Pinchon did an outstanding job reading this story. Great dialects, pacing, and tone. I hope he chooses to do more of this work as his involvement will be a huge selling point for me. I highly recommend this story and I've already purchased and started the second installment of the series.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not for me

I know everyone else seems to love this book but it didn't do it for me. Every time a character got into a tough situation someone has another super-power and saves the day. It was much too contrived for my taste.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating with a new standard of narration

What did you love best about Hard Magic?

Characters, plot, narration, alternative history. Likeable characters (and the not so), excellent plot around magic and the alternative history.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hard Magic?

Hmm, to many.

What does Bronson Pinchot bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Bronson Pinchot sets the new standard for me. He is excellent, the accents, different voice for each character. Other male narrators need to listen to how he does women. Amazing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The audible is better than any movie.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended for magic in the 20th Century. Likeable characters, excellent alternative reality, great magic system. The third part is in print later in the year, but with Bronson's superb narration I may have to wait for the Audible release (or if I read the print I will certainly also grab the audible).

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Like X-men but in book form

Excellent book. I am a very picky person when it comes to books, but I do really enjoy this one. I am reminded of X-men by the plot and concept of magic, but it is original in enough ways that it is interesting. The characters are very likeable, but it is hard to keep some of them straight. Definitely worth the credit, I would bet you will not return this one.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Fun but Extremely Cheesy

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was fun.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The different magical powers and their relationships were creative, the story line was engaging and the characters were well-developed.

The least interesting aspects were the choice of words and cheesy expressions such as, "I'm an American first, an active second!" and many others that make you cringe over and over. The fight scenes (along with the detailed information about all the guns) were excessively long.

Which character – as performed by Bronson Pinchot – was your favorite?

I thought the Pale Horse was the most gripping character, although clearly not a likable one.

Do you think Hard Magic needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Maybe but I wouldn't buy it.

Any additional comments?

The performance was excellent.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Original and entertaining.

Quite a few reviewers have said that the Grimnoir series is way better than the MHI books. I personally disagree. BUT,the Grimnoir books are fantastic,original and they keep you listening. I loved that in between chapters we get some new history blurbs as they could have happened with the addition of magical powers.

Sweet story,read the publishers description,and then be surprised that the book is way better than the publisher describes.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A great balancing act

Narrated wonderfully by Bronson Pinchot, yes Balki Bartokomous from Perfect Strangers, narrates this book bringing the characters to life, it is a wonderful performance.

I am not usually into books about magic, when I was a kid there were a couple that I really enjoyed because of their humor, but as a rule I did not get into many magic or fantasy books. But this book is very different from anything I had read before with the exception of Mike Resnick’s "Stalking the Unicorn."

The publisher’s summary confuses me, I think it is written by someone who did not read the book, Jake is not a private eye, in fact he is a convict that is blackmailed by J. Edgar Hoover to hunt down people who are using magic in ways that the FBI does not like. Anyway…

What makes this book great for me is that even though magic is the main focus of the book it is written more in the fashion of a science fiction book than a fantasy one. It also includes many elements of a pulp-fiction mystery from the 50’s. Doesn’t that sound great?

Adding to that there is a delicate balance struck between explaining how the magic works, day-to-day living, and personal relationships that give the reader deep insight into the characters that many stories completely miss. Even though Jake Sullivan may be the "hero" of the story the other character all get moments to shine, I believe some reader will pick characters other than Jake to be their "hero."

Fighting is a regular feature of this book, there are long sections of the story that are detailing the battles between the characters. He does a good job with these but every now and then they do get a little tedious, but overall I do not think they hurt the story more than they add a feeling of action.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Gees! What a disappointment, after Monster Hunters

After listening to the fantastic Monster Hunter series, I thought for sure this "Hard Magic books would be great, and it had great reviews. But listening to the first few hours of "Hard Magic, Book 1",.. I was deeply disappointed. I just can't believe it. I thought they'd at least have some of the humor of "MHI', (Monster Hunters International), but no such luck. G-Men with Fedora hats, and the main character sounds like Forrest Gump for crying out loud. I know this is the narrator's fault, but.... really? The accent is terrible, and it does nothing for his so-called hard nosed P.I. image. They are living in times of J Edgar Hoover, the 1930's, or somewhere around there. I had to stop reading and trade it for another book from a different author. What happened Larry C? I just LOVED Monster Hunters, they were so much fun... and I thought for certain I could trust the reviews of this book, but the book just fell flat to me. Just my opinion. Interesting angle on a new-fangled magic though.

Oh well, at least Audible.Com is a great company that will allow a credit to get another audible book.

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