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.

Super Heroes and Violence Done Well

What made the experience of listening to Hard Magic the most enjoyable?

Strong characters, novel re-write of history, unique alternative universe, all the threads pulled together, yet clearly leads to sequels.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Fay was my favorite character because of her strength, thirst for knowledge, growing powers, innocence.

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

Pinchot's performance was exceptionally fine with him creating new appropriate voices for each of many characters

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

No

Any additional comments?

Belabored description of fight scenes that grows tiresome

so much fun.

ibabsolutely loved this book! great narration, story and characters. a truly refreshing experience. Bronson peaches narration brought the entire world alive

Excellent and Surprising

This book was fantastic! I wasn't sure what to expect from the publisher's summary, but enough users liked it so I thought I'd give it a shot. Boy am I glad I did! The story was phenomenal, the characters well developed, and the performance was great! I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next!

Loved it!!!

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

I've recommended this book. It's truly an interesting read

What did you like best about this story?

Great read!!! Twists and turns keep your mind engaged.

Which scene was your favorite?

Favorite scene is the fight on the blimp with jake and the grimnoir

Good, overall.

Some of the accents and voices struck me as odd on occasion at first, but eventually found their rhythm.

Just Some Fun Storytelling

Though I love Correia's MHI books, which was a big surprise to me, I was a bit hesitant to start this new series.

In reading this book I realized two things. First, I really don't like alternate history. And second, Larry Correia is a good enough storyteller that I didn't care.

It was nothing particular, but somewhere around the quarter mark the story stopped being about the setting and started being about the characters and the magic, and it was fantastic.

I'll definitely be reading book 2.

I could not recommend this enough

What made the experience of listening to Hard Magic the most enjoyable?

As a long-term listener of audiobooks, I downloaded this purely based on the review profile. And I have heard a remarkable variety of great stories. This has to be one of the best and most unexpected delights I have encountered (ever since Shantaram). This is a sci-fi kind of story, but it is much deeper than that. This is a story for those not into sci-fi will enjoy - it represents a very simple and elegant concept, another version of human history which is fascinating.

The historical reflections throughout, the twists on human history from the 1800's, Albert Einstein, WW I -- it all is wonderfully done, and based on simplicity. An alternate world which things come alive. I personally love the timeframe (1930's) where the Prohibition is active, with all the hallmarks of a well-thought-out universe and characters.

The story itself is made up of some quite intriguing characters, and both sides of the story held my interest. The writing style is refreshing, certainly not laboured, and demonstrates a great deal of skill.

I am three quarters finished and I am already downloading the second book of the Grimnoir Chronicles. A fantastic read/listen, and recommend it to everyone, regardless of age, gender or reading preferences. A very good find and wholeheartedly recommended.

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

As mentioned, the twists on historical figures, their viewpoints slanted to include magic are particular nice for me to listen/read. Gandhi, Einstein, the Kaiser, Tesla, Lincoln, Al Capone - all very well constructed, witty and stylish.

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

Wow what an orator! I mean, I was impressed. Ive listened to some fantastic stories (Frank Muller, Scott Brick, Michael Page, Michael Kramer (&) Kate Reading, Marc Thomson. I have to say that Pinchot does such a wonderful job of this, effortless with some fantastic vocalisations. I sincerely look forward to other stories he tells -- very unexpected and very good listening.

Any additional comments?

I want to see this story into a film. BADLY. This could be masterfully done (I would be thinking Christopher Nolan for this).

- But this story is just SO well done. No nonsense author who treats the reader/listener with a great degree of respect for thier intelligence. The writing style is sharp, not waffley at all, humourous, and just won't let you stop listening/reading! I cannot wait for #2, #3, #4, and all to come. I want to hear about all the other characters - big and small - in this era and in previous times, such as American Civil War, Jack the Ripper, India, China -- many events in the past 200 years come to life in a wonferfully new and refreshing way! love the detective/noir feel, love the Prohibition/Depression era, love the characters.

READ THIS BOOK. LISTEN TO THIS BOOK. It will only be the beginning and you will be wanting more.

Strongly recommended.

magic moves in historic conflict

I have never been disappointed with a Larry Correia story. I've love the MHI series and this story meets this high standard. Great heroes battling seemingly unbeatable villains. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Great Listen!

What did you love best about Hard Magic?

The reading is awesome. The characters come to life. I could feel the intensity, from happiness to sadness to laugh out loud.

Don't let the bad cover art fool you - a rare gem!

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

Enthralling alternate history!

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

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell comes to mind, but so does X-Men. This is a genre mash-up but the sum is refreshingly original.

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

I SO did not expect "Balki Bartakamous" from Perfect Strangers to be a good reader, but Bronson Pinchot's reading was just one of the many pleasant surprises in this series. He doesn't "read" this book, he acts it like a radio play by different 20 people. Mr. Pinchot's ability to create and maintain specific voices for a huge array of characters is up there with Jim Dale's reading of the Harry Potter series. He really brings each character to life, and it's obvious he's read the series thoroughly ahead of time to create the personas and infuse them with a voice that fits their backstories. Mr. Pinchot is simply one of the best audiobook readers I've ever heard.

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

This book sneaks up on you. It starts off with what seems to be a small 1930's hard-nosed film noir trope (reinforced by the poor cover art), and slowly introduces you to an incredibly well designed alternate history of characters from Lincoln to Roosevelt to Edison.

Any additional comments?

A story this good, and reading this good, really deserves better cover artwork. The cover art for Hard Magic is cheesy, and the sequel Spellbound artwork is just dreadful. They make these look like cheap productions and hide the quality of the writing and the reading. It's true but hard to avoid - don't judge this series by its covers!
If you're on the fence read a few of the reviews because this was one of the most enjoyable "what the heck I'll try it" finds I've had in a long time. I'm only halfway thru the sequel but it seems just as good.