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.

A GREAT & FUN LISTEN!

Where does Hard Magic rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's tied with the Anne Hathaway narrated version of The Wizard of Oz as my favorite Audible purchase so far. Both have wonderful fantasy stories with exceptionally good narration.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hmm. Can't narrow it down to just one. Jake Sullivan, the main character, is an interesting tough-guy with lots of smarts and a true commitment to fighting for the things he believes in. It's a very good thing that he's almost indestuctible. Faye Viera is a lot younger than Jake, so she doesn't know nearly as much as he does, but she's a fast learner. She's also a real hoot and sometimes makes me laugh out loud! I can't wait to get the other two books in this series so I can find out which one learns the most about using his or her magical abilities.

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

Never listened to him before, but I was greatly impressed by his talent! He does a wonderful job giving each character a very distinctive voice. It was if I was listening to a cast of people doing a radio show. I'm glad he narrates all 3 books in this series, since I'm looking forward to hearing all the voices again.

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

It's too long for me to do in one sitting, but I did look forward to my listening time every day. I was never bored and always wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Any additional comments?

I'm a fan of superhero comic books, and one reason I loved this book was because the "magical" powers the characters had made them seem like superheroes. I'm surprised no comic company has bought the rights to do an actual monthly comic based on this series. It would make a great comic book! (And a great movie, too!) This was my introduction to Larry Correia's work, and I will definitely be buying more. He's a nicely "visual" writer who lets you easily picture the settings and action going on. (Which is especially good since there is a LOT of action in this book.) He creates some really interesting characters and lets you know why they are acting the way they do. (I even liked the villain in this book and came to understood his motivation.) Reading/listening to HARD MAGIC was the most fun I've had with a book in a long time.

Hard to put down

My husband and I listened to this while driving the hour back and forth to the grocery store and two hours never seemed to be long enough. We found ourselves discussing the plight of the characters in the book, wondering how Jake would ever manage to survive his magically altered nemesis, or whether the Pale Horse was a hero or a villain.

One of the things I liked about this series is the moral complexity; good people can do bad things for good reasons, and bad people can do bad things that may have some good consequences. At one point as we turned off the car I told my husband that I thought the book would kill me, since I spent so much time holding my breath during the intense parts. He informed me that he thought it would kill me because I spent so much time dodging bullets during the fire fights and was going to get in the way of his driving. Much of that is due to Bronson Pinchot's narration, which really puts you into the story. Altered histories and steampunk is a newly popular genre, and in this version, you can easily see the world as though it were the 'real' one, and I could easily visualize the blimp landing platform on the top of the Empire State Building. The quotes he begins the chapters with really add to the realism, reframing a quote from the Scopes Trial as though it were about magic, for example. You can easily see the conflict between 'normals' and 'magicals' and how that would add to the difficulties of race and class already within the 1930's worldview.

Bronson Pinchot is an amazing narrator, and his work added a great deal to the story. Even while playing a young "Okie" girl or a japanese soldier his characterizations always felt real, bringing life to the characters. I would read another book just to hear him read it, so I hope he is selective in the things he chooses to read.

very good, a complete package

unique and interesting story. I loved how they incorporated history in it to make the world seem relevant and alive.

Pinchot and Correia? Just take my money.

Any additional comments?

Pinchot was simply excellent, I thought his range for the voices was spectacular. Would buy another audiobook just because he narrated it.

This was also my first experience of Larry Correia and was not disappointed. Enjoyable world building, fun characters, never slow or boring. A different and delightful entry to the genre. Will definitely continue the series and see what's next.

Love the story, hate the dialects

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Good book, I quite enjoyed the story, the way all of the characters had personality and motivation to them. Good story too, well told and clean (story-wise).

What did you like best about this story?

I loved Faye's growth as a character. She was awesome.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I must admit, the first three or four chapters were filled with such rascism nearly made me put the book down and stop listening. Which is all right for the time, but that combined with the narrator's determination for accurate sounding dialects made it really hard to get into. This is a book I may have enjoyed reading more than listening to.

great stuff and a great read

Where does Hard Magic rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

near the top

What did you like best about this story?

the scope and flow. Sounds crazy, but he is in no rush, takes his time and does it right.

What about Bronson Pinchot’s performance did you like?

he was fantastic

Any additional comments?

a very enjoyable listen, I could not stop and was happy and sad,. Happy that there is a sequel sad that there is only one more (to date) in this series.

Good, Despite the Ridiculous Book Jacket

Unless I’m missing something, this book about an alternate Universe where magic appeared during the mid-1800’s. Approximately 1 in a 100 has special powers and there are people who can manipulate gravity while others can pass through walls. Some can control fire or change the weather, and of course, there are people who can raise the dead while others can heal.

It is the early 1930’s and there is a war going on between those who want to use their special powers for good versus those who want to use it to rule. The book is addictive and filled with action and intrigue.

My only criticism is the cheesy book jacket. Finally, I decided not to judge a book by its cover, and this was a good decision.

not you're average read

this book wanders all over every cliche and somehow makes it all work, I'm ready for the next one, it better have Sullivan and Fay!

fantastic

the excellent first volume of one of my favorite series of all time. I constantly recommend it to friends.

Violent Sometimes Humorous Magic

Whoever authored the blurb for the book must have read only the first chapter and had no idea what the theme or story was about because it is definitely not a detective novel. However, if you like to play shoot-um-up video games with lots of magical characters who defy the laws of physics, this is the book for you. Although there is a base of the early 20th century, the whole thing is pure fiction so Larry Correia changes history to suit his whim. This is not my genre, however, the characters and subtle humor that is inserted, did make the book enjoyable.

Bronson Pinchot does a marvelous job of giving each of the characters a unique voice synonymous with their character. Correia makes Faye an exceptional character and Pinchot gives her the perfect voice and accent; she is precious and by herself makes the book worthwhile.