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.

Lots of fun

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

This book was lots of fun the narrator was great and had lots of good voices. I esp liked the way he portraied Mr. Harkness.

What did you like best about this story?

good story

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

Fay

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

yes

AWESOME! Perfect combination of humor and gore!

Would you consider the audio edition of Hard Magic to be better than the print version?

Absolutely, this is one of the best narrated audiobooks I've ever listened to. His accents bring all the characters to life.

What other book might you compare Hard Magic to and why?

Joe Abercrombie's First Law series comes to mind. The lead character Jake Sullivan reminds me of 'The Blood Nine".

What a Surprise!

Would you consider the audio edition of Hard Magic to be better than the print version?

I really enjoyed the narrator here, the different characters were brilliantly voiced. I think I would prefer to listen to this series than read it, so long as the narrator remained the same.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Faye is my favorite. She begins as a very sheltered girl and must grow into herself. I enjoyed her single-mindedness, and her will to survive, and to wreak vengeance!

Oooh, and The Pale Horse! Creepy, twisty, yeah.

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

Bronson Pinchot did a fabulous job with all of the characters. His reading was extremely entertaining.

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

There are several great cliffhangers in this book that leaves the listener wondering what happened to the characters involved. I was really taken by the complexity of the premise of the world these characters live in.

Any additional comments?

I bought this book when it was the daily deal and it was surprisingly fabulous. My husband and I listened to it during a road trip and loved every mile of it. Lots of great characters, adventure, romance, fights, explosions, zeppelins, good and evil battling for control of the world, what's not to love?

Brilliant. Riveting. Engrossing.

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

I bought this book on a whim. I had never read anything by Larry Correia and within 15 minutes I was hooked. Bronson Pinchot is excellent; every single voice is perfectly tailored to the character's personalities. He brings you into the book and turns a fascinating story into a riveting experience that's impossible to pause! I can't wait to listen to the rest of the trilogy!

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

Faye is by far my favorite character, I loved the way he turned her into this raw, realistic person with a huge heart and an adorable accent.

Any additional comments?

At first, Bronson's slow pace and calm voice was different and I wasn't sure I liked it. But now I can't imagine listening to any other narrator. Superb.

Hang On

Hang on till chapter three and things will start coming together. This is an amazing story that you really have to pay attention to. I can't wait to read book 2.

pretty decent series

series review: it's light on the spiritual stuff, and becomes more sci-fi (vs horror demons), so if you didn't like Constantine this should be ok
(i don't like daemon stuff. this seemed like it was going to push that limit, but became more ok as they went along and explained what was actually happening).

if you like James Butcher you'll probably like this.

decent world building, rules based magic system, excusable expected to tropes. overall enjoyable, and I'll probably listen to again at some point, but not up to Sanderson standards in my book.
give it a shot and see it you like it.

Good storytelling, brilliant voice acting

Good, exciting, capable storytelling, as expected from this author. The set pieces are exciting, the characters are intriguing although how they're handled gets predictable & tropey, and I look forward to finding out what happens.

Pinchot's voicing steals the show. He's among the best voice actors in the English language and the best I've heard in American English, giving each character a consistent, complete personality through the way he voices it. His characterizations save weak points in plot and character and bring the action to life. You can always tell who's talking or thinking, where they come from emotionally and socially, and you can always tell how they feel about it all.

Great story and great narrator

A great urban fantasy with really good characters. Narrator has great voices for everyone and gets the emotions perfect

Magical gunny goodness

Once again Larry Correia brilliantly mixes real-world and fiction. A well written book that leaves you waiting for the next one.
Bronson Pinchot does a great job with the narration as well. I would highly recommend this book.

And if you like this book, try Monster Hunter International, Monster Hunter Vendetta, and hopefully Monster Hunter Alpha will be out soon as well.

great mashup of james bond, the x-men, and columbo

Any additional comments?

i'm usually not drawn to alternate history type stories, but after listening to and really enjoying larry correia's monster hunter series, i decided to try hard magic. like many other reviewers, i was a bit skeptical of the story b/c of the description. i wasn't sure of the whole detective angle. but being a fan, i decided to go for it, and boy am i glad i did!

correia uses the detective angle to open the story. jake sullivan is released from rockville prison by j edgar hoover on the condition that he helps hoover catch law-breaking actives. actives are humans with magical abilities. each active has a specific magical ability. jake is a heavy, which means he can manipulate gravity. hoover wants jake to capture his ex-girlfriend, delilah, a brute, who are actives with enhanced strength and speed.

as jake investigates delilah, he learns that things aren't what they seem. without divulging too much of the plot, jake stumbles across a hidden war between actives, and he must choose sides. yes, this may be cliche, but larry correia makes it a thrilling ride.

the story is kind of like a mashup of james bond, the x-men, and columbo. the bad guys' intentions are as sweeping as those of spectre's, except their methods are even more depraved and vicious! the magic system is extremely unique and interesting. as a heavy, jake is assumed to be a dimwit, and like columbo, he allows others to assume that train of thought until his spark of intellect surprises those around him. again, this is kind of cliche, but it is well done, well timed, and utterly enjoyable.

true to correia's style, there is a great cast of characters, each with their own unique magical power. the supporting cast have their own interesting backstories, which add depth to their characters. each character is well-developed, and fits into the plot.

as an alternate history story, correia adds nice touches by having each chapter open with quotes from famous people, ranging from abraham lincoln to einstein to teddy roosevelt to adolph hitler.

although the story starts kind of slow...the first 2 & 1/2 hours...what starts as a simple detective story unfolds into an action-packed thrill ride to save the world from a megalomanic, reminiscent of professor xavier vs. magneto. to those of you who don't know what i'm talking about, the are characters from marvel's x-men who butt heads and fight over the future and direction of the mutants. sorry...i was geeking out for a while. lol yes, i've read a lot of comics and manga.

overall, an excellent story! if you liked larry correia's monster hunter stories, i'm pretty sure you'll dig hard magic. the stories are disimilar enough that you won't feel like you're listening to the same thing, but they are similar enough in that they're both awesome and unique stories. geezzzz...does that even make sense? lol

if you've never listened to nor read larry correia's monster hunter stories, then don't be afraid of hard magic. it is a great jumping off point to experience his exquisite storytelling!

omg! i would be remiss w/o mentioning bronson pinchot's narration! i can't believe this is the same guy who played balki from the tv show perfect strangers! lol i'm showing my age! bronson's narration is amazing! his range of voices is staggering, from jake's deep voice to faye's flighty, country twang, bronson believably pulls of different accents and tones so well that you think there's multiple narrators! this is my first time listening to his narration, and he's one of the best i've heard!