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.

loved it

new author and series. recommended by a friend. Will definitely get book 2. highly recommend.

Bronson Pinchot's narration rocks!

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

I loved the revisionist aspect of history, with the introduction of magic, the whole world developed at a different pace.

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

Of course you have to say it compares well with the Monster Hunter series also from Larry Correia. His style is so fresh and fun, even when people are getting hacked to death and blown up.

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

I got the book from the library after listening to the audible version. Don't get me wrong, Larry Correia has a fantastic imagination and a great gift with language, but Pinchot brought these people to life! I was particularly fond of the way that he presented Faye. I found myself laughing out loud as she taunted the shadow warrior. Trying to read the book without his interpretation is now impossible. Kudos Bronson!

Any additional comments?

Larry, keep on writing! This series may be wrapped up, but keep the villains coming and give me heroes to root for.

Noir crime meets gritty super heroes

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

This is a great book. I read all the Mist Born Series. I was looking for something similar. This is written with Sam Spade like characters. The story should tickle Graphic Novel fans with its pace and wild colorful characters. Revisionist history has lots of dirigibles and alt history twists. Sci fic and fantasy fans have magic, elemental physical powers and super-weapons.

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

The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel
by Brandon Sanderson

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

His reading is lively and with his accents you a mental picture of the characters.

Any additional comments?

This was a fun book. I spent a lot of time laughing.. Even though the book has a lot of fighting, it is more about the characters finding out who they are than just violence.

Great story! Impressive performance!

I listen to this mainly out of curiosity but Bronson Pinchot was surprisingly masterful in his characterizations

Best book I have read in a while!

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

I would absolutely recommend this book to a friend, in face, I already have. Multiple times. It is getting quite annoying actually. The non-stop action and twisting plot kept me entertained and excited the whole time. It felt like if Joss Whedon had a baby with the movie Sin City. If you picture that.

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

The scenes where Faye learns to use her magic on the Imperium dirigible.

What about Bronson Pinchot’s performance did you like?

Pretty much everything. He has specific voices for each character and they all lend to the development of said character. He is also the embodiment of onomatopoeia. Each word has the impact of a sound. Whether that word is meant to be quiet or loud. The reader feels them as Pinchot speaks them.

Good Times for Hard Magic

I have never been a fan of period based fantasy or science fiction. I find that my knowledge of the period stops me from dispelling disbelief in what I read. So it is harder to relate to the characters. However Larry Correia has done a masterful job of interweaving Jake Sullivan and the rest of the US Grimnoir Society into the fictional fabric of American history.

And without digging to deep into the characters too much, I think that Oke' Faye is one of the most memorable characters ever.

And then there is Bronson Pinchot. What little I know of his work was a mid level character actor. After listening to Hard Magic, this saddens me. His performance in this book is unnerving. It is that good. It was as if he lived each character. Combine the performance level with the detailed level of development provided in the Larry Correia's writing and you have a winning combination.

I want more.

Reminders me if the Mist born Series

very well done. The magic system reminds me of Brandon Sanderson's mistborn series. very good story and can't wait to read the sequel.

Incredible Story

What an amazing world full of vivid characters. Engaging and compelling from the first paragraph.

Amazing

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

Absolutely, I already have.

What did you like best about this story?

The magic system is really good and the story gets you hooked right away.

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

Hes one of the best there is.

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

I love everything about this book and the performance is really well done.

Any additional comments?

Do yourself a favor and get this whole series.

This is the book series that bound me to audible.

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

The Narrator.

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

I had listened to other books. First choosing stories that I knew I liked because I always felt I was missing half the story when I listened to them rather than reading them. So I chose old familiars, reasoning that if I missed some of what was being said it was alright, I had already read them dog-eared. Eventually I ran out of book options in my library and chose this book for lack of other choices (I think it was a daily deal), figuring I might erase it 20 minutes in (honestly that was based on the artwork).
Then Bronson Pinchot started narrating. He took every voice, every character and made them Alive. This was not one man putting on a bunch of voices. These were fully realized entities. Each of his characters had a pattern and a pace that was their own. Then subtly with some, the way he read a character would change slightly, intentionally, in the way that a person will minimally change in a situation.
I love his accents, and am now laughing remembering him in "Beverly Hills Cop" saying ACHmel! ACHmel! to Eddie Murphy.

My first choices in the beginning of my subscription were poorly picked. Books that I have read thousands of times and loved each time were unexpectedly pale and unpalatable. This series educated me on the full experience that is the audio book, and that it is not just about simply choosing the right book.

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

Fortunately it has two other books to follow it.
Each one more craftily thicker in story and more engrossing than the previous. I was very satisfied with it's finish as well, carried out expertly from beginning to end.