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.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

This second installment of the Grimnoir Chronicles carries the story along directly from where the first left off. The plotting of this trilogy was carefully planned and well executed. By now the listener is comfortable with the characters and the rules of how things work is familiar. This allows the story to get underway immediately. One unexpected delight in these first two novels is the political slant of author Larry Correia comes through as clearly American conservative. He does not miss any opportunity to jab at Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, or FDR. And the totalitarian countries of the Soviet Union, Germany and Nippon are depicted as enslaving regimes.

The theme of freedom and respect for life is strong among the Grimnoir Knights. The lead character Jake Sullivan is always as good as his word. Even the Imperium Iron Guard acts within his brutal code of honor knowing that his actions will cost him his life if he fails of even if he succeeds.

Bronson Pinchot is once again superb; displaying a wide range of personalities with aplomb. There are many instances where it is evident that careful planning was done to give just the right emotion for a character. Once even the character’s usual accent is not used so as not to give away a vital plot element. This is just as it would be if one were reading the novel listening to the voice in your own head. Another top notch performance that places Pinchot at the top of the very best audio book performers.

Mr Correia Scores another big hit

Would you listen to Spellbound again? Why?

No, It is missing a chapter

What other book might you compare Spellbound to and why?

can't

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

Great voices but I liked the first book better he changed some accents that I found anoying.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Missing an early chapter, If you didn't read the book you not notice or think you dozed off for a sec and missed something.

Amazing!

Amazing book! I can't wait to get started on the 3rd book! very well written

Still read with a timid tenor

I love the characters as interpreted by Bronson Pinchot but he needs to bring more enthusiasm as opposed to reading like he's afraid he's going to wake someone in the next room if he's too loud.

Otherwise a great entry into the Grimnoire Chronicles.

My first review, but it has to be said

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

I definitely would recommend this book but would advise reading the fist in the series before you do. I read a lot of books and probably listen to even more but I can easily say that this is one of my favorite books to date. In this case it was the combination of a great book, even greater characters and subperb narration. This is definitely a book that is better listened to than read. Bronson Pinchot could not be better as a narrator and he just brings such life to these characters. Jake and Fay are wonderful characters and the voices that Pinchot uses for them make them two of my all time favorites.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Spellbound?

Any scene with either Jake or Fay is a good one. Fay is always funny when she gets frustrated with people who think or do things at a normal speed.

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

Jake and Fay. The voices and cadence that he has for both of them fits them perfectly.

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

On the one hadn, yes, because it is so mych fun. On the other hand, no, because you don't want it to end.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait for the third book. May have to check out Monster Hunters International in the meantime....

Unfulfilled Promise, But Not Disappointing.

Would you listen to Spellbound again? Why?

I wouldn't rule it out

What did you like best about this story?

The performance by Bronson Pinchot. The story was lacking the depth as compared to the first volume. Though it was far from terrible and still worth listening.

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

I'm not sure I could pick one, but I will say Mr. Pinchot does an excellent job with female characters. Anytime a reader can perform a member of the opposite sex without note, I am pleased. However, Pinchot's ability to "feminize" the voices without sounding silly or interrupting the listening flow is well worth mentioning. Something I failed to do in my review of the first Grimnoir review.

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

I listen knowing I'm going to have to listen in spurts, so few books inspire this reaction in me. Because of this, I wouldn't constitute this a fair benchmark.

Any additional comments?

A lot of people are disappointed when a story makes an implicit promise in the beginning and it goes unfulfilled at the end. If you're such a person, this story isn't for you. I'm usually willing to enjoy the author's vision of the story and judge it based on those merits. I think this is one such story. I had assumed the overall story would be about one thing, but it looks like that story line will be the subject of the third book.

I'd probably give the story 3.5 stars if it were possible, so I'm just going with 4. I think the biggest failing of the storyline is that this book seems like it's a bit of a throwaway story. Or perhaps it suffers a bit from the 2nd book syndrome of a trilogy, namely, a lot happens without a whole lot getting done in the big picture. In short, this story struck me as active filler designed to lead into a conclusive third book.

All that said, I still find the characters interesting. We're given a few more insights into how magic came to the earth. And I still find the fantasy-noir combo fresh enough to enjoy for its own sake, so I still found the book worth listening to and enjoyable.

Demons in DC

Who was your favorite character and why?

Faye is my favorite character. I knew there was more to this character after the first book and the author started fleshing out more of Faye and her abilities in this book. Plus, I love her no nonsense attitude when you mess with her people in the Grimnoir.

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

I have only listened to him in the previous book of this series. I think he is a strong reader with distinct voices for all the characters. Based on his performance in this series, I would be eager to listen to him read another set of books.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Demons in DC

Hard to wait for the next one!

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

It ranks high on my most enjoyed listening to list. The books are clever, full of great characters that you really become attached to without realizing it.

Excellent series

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

I just love the audio versions. They keep in companie on the road to work morning and night. Youn can't do that with paper copy.

What other book might you compare Spellbound to and why?

All of the 5 books from this author are excellent. The monster hunter are very good try them.

Which scene was your favorite?

I can' pin point one because the book keeps you on your toes all the way.

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

If i could i would but you sort of don't want it to end.

Any additional comments?

Just love it.

More magic and higher stakes

Spellbound is the second book with the cast of the Grimnoir society. A framed attack on the President leads to the Grimnoir working against a new group of foes trying to bring them down and a race against time. There's also some new characters introduced.

I like this book, it's fast paced, Jake and Faye get the majority of the focus for obvious reasons. I liked Jake's arc in this book more than Faye's, but she still has a great arc.

Bronson Pinchot does another solid job with his voice work.

Looking forward to book 3 and completing the series later this year.