Hard Magic

Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles

By: Larry Correia

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins

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.

Good story and characters. A pleasant surprise

l got this story by chance because I wanted a change of pace from what normally listen to. I'm glad l did as it was quite enjoyable.

Give in to Peer Pressure!

Even though I'm a fantasy/sci-fi fan, I really didn't think this was going to be my kind of book, but I was persuaded by all of the raving reviews this series has received. And...I'm totally hooked! I know I'm a little late to the game, seeing as the third book was just released, but I will be catching up shortly because I can't wait to listen to the next book. I'm glad I listened to all the reviewers because I've found a new series to love. Larry Correia is original and Bronson Pinchot is perfect. I've already recommended the Grimnoir Chronicles to a friend.

Great story but Balki should stick to sheep

I loved the story and the content of the book. Very well written and the addition of little "historical" quotes was great!

However, Bronson Pinchot's delivery was very difficult to listen to. Even up to the end I found it taking away from the story, enough so that I went to see if someone else had narrated it as well.

I will continue the saga because the story is that good however, I will stay away from any of Pinchot's other works.

Exciting and totalling engrossing from start to finish! You

My first book by Correia. I find him to be a fantastic author with a vivid imagination. I wish I would have discovered him sooner.

Love the mix of "Guy Noir" meets "Iron Man"

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Most definitely would recomment this book as a delightful adventure perfectly blending allegorical fantasy, great dectective noir and science fiction. It is well balanced and reminiscent of the Fire Fly series on HBO.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I never have one favorite character To me a good story relies on the interplay between many good characters.

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

The ability to commute and to not even complain!!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No! I love anticipating getting in to my car and enjoying my drive. I admit several times I took the long route home to get to a good stopping place in the book.

Great fun, specially for fans of B gangster movies

Would you listen to Hard Magic again? Why?

Strong characters and plenty of subtle tongue-in-cheek fun in this alternate reality slug-fest. Correia has a fun writing style and Pinchot brings great talent to his performance.

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

All the best moments would be spoilers, the book is full of them.

What about Bronson Pinchot’s performance did you like?

Pinchot does a great job of creating voices that reflected the personalities of the characters. He also uses a performance style that fits into the 1930's gangster style of the writing.

Anything Larry writes is amazing:)

I love books by Larry! I've read almost all of them,, and I'll continue to do so.

Well That Was Fun!

Any additional comments?

Raymond Chandler meets Ray Bradbury. I love the whole premise this was built on, and fell hard for some of the characters, most notably Faye, and loved the wildly over-the-top action sequences.

Mr. Pinchot is admirable as the narrator, keeping all the characters clear and divided so I never questioned who was speaking.

A fun, roller coaster ride, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Very Surprised

If you could sum up Hard Magic in three words, what would they be?

I wasn't sure I would like this one but it was a Daily Deal so I took a chance. I loved it! Bronson does a great job of narration, and the story is action-packed and fast-paced. It kept me riveted.

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

Almost anything Faye was up to was exciting and funny.

Have you listened to any of Bronson Pinchot’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've not listened to other work of Bronson's but I will definitely seek him out.

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

No.

Any additional comments?

Get this book. You'll enjoy it.

Something For Everyone

Would you listen to Hard Magic again? Why?

Definitely. I love the current trend where authors have been mixing very disparate genres. In this book, Larry Correia takes urban fantasy and puts it in a noir setting in the 1920's. The fantastical element being magic begins to suddenly appear in humans around 1850. So even though everyone has grown up with the idea of magic, it is not well understood and is still quite uncommon.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I guess I'd have to say Fay was my favorite. She was a "Traveler", or someone who could teleport themselves. I liked her country bumpkin simplicity. To her, everything was right or wrong, friend or foe, black and white. Even more interesting was her simple morality, if you were good you should live, if you were bad, you should die. And she had no compunction about ending those who she deemed bad.

Which scene was your favorite?

Geez, these questions are terrible. If a book is written well, it should be a scene near the end, likely the climax, because each preceding scene should have been what culminated into a satisfying result. Since I don't want to give any of that stuff away, I guess I'll say this book followed that template.

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

I'm not writing a review for a 6th grade book report. I'm just going to skip to the additional comments now...

Any additional comments?

First things first, Larry Correia marries the two genres wonderfully. I suppose you could also call this story an Alternate History. I'm not sure I would. All genre quibbling aside, his alternate history is both well crafted and interesting. One subplot dips into the "why's" of how magic came to earth, which aids in building both his vision of the world and creates a foundation for the sequel. Speaking of which, I enjoyed this story so much, after I was finished, I purchased and downloaded the sequel right away. I suppose that's as good as praise gets.

Of course, the world makes for a nice place to visit in fantasy, but ultimately, it's the characters that makes a story worth reading. As is the modern convention, good versus evil is merely a matter of perspective and morality. This story is no different. Though in true noir fashion, the protagonist, aka Jake Sullivan, is the type of person we can consider to be "morally pure". By that, I mean, he always does what he feels to be the right thing. Considering the U. S. Hippy-Christian salted with a pinch of schadenfreude-ian Old Testament Eye-for-an-Eye mentality that many of us have been raised with, we're inclined to agree with his actions.

Basically, that's a long-winded way of saying Jake is sympathetic and likable.

In a nutshell, this story takes all the elements of fantasy, noir, and alternate history and blends them into an well crafted and interesting story. I highly recommend it!