Spellbound

Book II of the Grimnoir Chronicles

By: Larry Correia

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Paranormal, 2013

Dark fantasy goes hardboiled in Book II of the hard-hitting Grimnoir Chronicles by the New York Times best-selling creator of Monster Hunter International. The Grimnoir Society’s mission is to protect people with magic, and they’ve done so - successfully and in secret - since the mysterious arrival of the Power in the 1850s, but when a magical assassin makes an attempt on the life of President Franklin Roosevelt, the crime is pinned on the Grimnoir. The knights must become fugitives while they attempt to discover who framed them.Thing go from bad to worse when Jake Sullivan, former P.I. and knight of the Grimnoir, receives a telephone call from a dead man - a man he helped kill. Turns out the Power jumped universes because it was fleeing from a predator that eats magic and leaves destroyed worlds in its wake. That predator has just landed on Earth.

©2012 Larry Correia (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Terrific followup...can't wait for more.

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

I'd definitely recommend it. It's a very original story with lots of fascinating characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The two main characters of Jake and Faye...the most well-developed and complex characters. Good amount of humor thrown into each of their personalities.

What does Bronson Pinchot bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Bronson Pinchot does an amazing job of giving each character his/her own unique voice. One thing I noticed between this book and the previous one ("Hard Magic") was that several of the character voices changed. Jane and Lance both changed significantly from an eastern european accent for Jane and a sort of midwestern accent for Lance in the first book to a midwestern accent for Jane and a country drawl for Lance in this book.

A worthy sequel. A marvelous universe.

The title of my review for Hard Magic (Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles) was "Simply, the best audiobook I've ever encountered." After getting through Spellbound I have to say that Hard Magic still holds that title, but the sequel is certainly no disappointment. Perhaps it was because Hard Magic just felt more fresh, and upon reading Spellbound my wonderment at the universe had been a bit diluted (I listened to them back to back all in less than a week). But, the best way to put it is, if I give Spellbound 5 stars all around, I'd have to give Hard Magic 6 stars. Although, Bronson Pinchot's performance still gets 10/5 in both books.

Spellbound has the same incredible historical urban science fiction fantasy mojo that is touted by Hard Magic. Most of your favorite characters return and the new characters that are introduced, for the most part, do not disappoint, with a very interesting interaction between a magic-envious academic and a demon possessor; yes a demon summoner that possesses the demons. Clever stuff.

You won't be disappointed by Spellbound if you found Hard Magic worth your time. But, while this seems obvious, definitely get through the first book before even attempting this one. Though, you could probably take a pretty big break in between and have no trouble picking right back up into the universe. And, what a universe it is!

The only disappointing thing about Spellbound is that Larry Correia hasn't finished the last book yet. Right now I'm feeling quite impatient waiting for both Cold Days, the next Dresden Files installment and for the third book of the Grimnoir Chronicles. I'm working my way through the Monster Hunter series now, trying to get my fix of Correia's action packed fantastical imagination.

Comparing Grimnoir Chronicles to Monster hunter:
After finishing the first book, Monster Hunter International, I would suggest that both Hard Magic and Spellbound really represent a definite refinement of Correia's art. The Grimnoir Chronicles series blows, at least the first, Monster Hunter book out of the water, and that's saying a lot because MHI itself represents a fantastic addition to the urban fantasy genre. Though I admit that I am probably speaking too soon since the MH books likely improve with each new installment. I am quite excited to see how Correia evolved as an author.

Plug for Iron Druid Chronicles:
Oh, and one final recommendation for those waiting for the third GC book: The Iron Druid Chronicles. While the series is a magnitude lighter than Larry Correia's writing, Kevin Hearne's own take on urban fantasy with a 2000 year old druid living in Arizona might be of interest to those who have similar tastes to myself, based on my review above.

Second book delivers

I don't think that Larry Correia can write a bad book. Pinchot however, still leaves me cold. Some of the characters that carried over from the last novel did not have the same voice as they did the first time. One that sticks out like a sore thumb is Jane. You'll note in this book that her accent is completely missing and now she all of the sudden sounds like any other American girl. I really wish that Oliver Wyman could have voiced this series as well. He is a better fit for Correia's writing. That said, this is still a fantastic book and I am excited for the next in the series.

A Worthy Successor To 'Hard Magic.'

'The Spellbound' is great fun. It's the second in a series, so read 'Hard Magic' first. You'll be glad you did.
For those who have read and enjoyed 'Hard Magic,' this book is sure to be a treat. Correia seems like he has a ball writing these books. They're not silly (not in the denigrating sense, anyway), but they never take themselves too seriously.
The surviving characters from Hard Magic are back, and some intriguing new characters are introduced.
Once again, Bronson Pinchot's narration is spot-on. Highly recommended.

Much better than part I

What made the experience of listening to Spellbound the most enjoyable?

It's a great story and now that the narrator seems to have woken up a bit, he actually did a decent job.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This story is full of fascinating characters. Of course Jake and Faye stand out but I have grown very fond of all the others in the little group of Grimnoir knights as well.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Pinchot's soft, dreamy voice is just not right for this action packed story. He does the various characters and their accents very well indeed but when someone is shouting or screaming you would never know it if he didn't say so in explanation. Very good timing with the funny parts. He's doubtless a very gifted narrator. This is just not the right kind of book for him.

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

Absolutely. And I'm going to buy the paperback as well.

Any additional comments?

Great good fun and I'm eagerly waiting for the next book in the series.

Fascinating Story, Perfect Narrator

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

Spellbound, though not as thrilling as the first book of the series, is still a perfect book. Keeps you always on the edge and you don't want to finish listening. Definetly a must read if you are into books/stories with magic/role play.

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

I have listened to Bronson Pinchot through this series only. He is the best narrator so far. Keeps you concentrated, motivated and makes you feel whole book.
It is as if he is bringing a whole new dimension to the book with his narration.

Unusual part II of III

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

Probably. Excellent narration giving more life to the text through accent and emphasis

What did you like best about this story?

Having the protagonist in peril with no easily discernible way out and having to just ride along

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

All worked for me. Sullivan is probably the best with his drawl and pondering speech pattern. Dan 'the mouth' was the one that most nearly annoyed me.

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

It would have been tempting had I the opportunity. The story rolls and builds consistently.

Any additional comments?

Unlike most middle books of a trilogy, this one does not lull or spend overmuch time simply setting up the final book. Instead, this one moves briskly, introducing new characters seamlessly and growing the core group all with in an action filled story that still drives the overall plot towards the final encounter. A very enjoyable ride with some subtle and not so subtle nods towards history. I appreciated that the names of the designated interment camps for actives were actual camps used by the US government during WWII for those of Japanese decent.

Bronson Pinchot and Larry Correia do it again!

The first Grimnoir book won me over. The world building continues, the characters continue to grow, and Bronson's narration, wow, I can't say enough about how well he brings the story to life.

The descriptions were fantastic, the battles and fight scenes were very clearly detailed, the whole thing just blew my mind.

After the first book, I was hesitant to try the second one. How could he keep the quality of suspense and plot going in a sequel? I was mistaken, and so glad I checked out this one. I suppose it's time to check out the third one.

Pretty Good

Spellbound is good, not as good as book one in the series "Hard Magic" but still good.
The performance was excellent! The characters were great! I love the universe!!

It just gets better and better.

Right from the moment that Jake literally answers a phone call from hell to the destruction of the newest nemesis, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. Every fight, whether it be with demons, Iron Guard, or good-old-fashioned normal non-magical agents took on Correia's signature style of violence, strategy, and mayhem.

The powers-that-be are simply ignorant of the true threat to their world, preferring instead to favor their own personal agenda (what else is new?) and the Grimnoir are pretty much on their own to save us from ourselves as well as the newest threat that makes the Chairman look like a pouting child in comparison.

The whole Grimnoir crew does their thing again in Correia's own original universe based in a modified 1930's time-line while employing a very thought-provoking, original, and unique magic system that we were introduced to in the first book, Hard Magic. For the second book, he fleshes out yet more details of the nature of the Entity, it's purpose, and it's natural enemies as well as new information on the mechanics of the magical universe.

Correia's description of his monsters are all very unique and his ability to rationalize their existence in the world allowed me to suspend my reality and fully engage my imagination. A good example would be his description of Zombies from the first book; always feeling the pain of their death until they become insane with rage and jealousy. His explanation of demons in this book is equally as satisfying.

I think this book would be worth a second listen as there's just so much detail in the various scenes. I enjoyed it all the way through as we were getting to know the "real" Crowe and especially loved the final encounter with him toward the end as all of the bad guys got their comeuppance. I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for them though as I realized that they were just victims of their own environment.

This book finishes the story to my satisfaction and doesn't leave a cliff hanger to agonize over until the next writing. However, it does setup the next book in such a way that I can't wait to read it.

Waiting for book 3 is going to be long and painful and will surely drive me insane. Now I know how those zombies feel...