Monster Hunter Alpha

Larry Correia — 2011

#3 in the break-out, best-selling Monster Hunter series. Earl Harbinger, head of Monster Hunter International, faces down an old nemesis -- a very nasty former KGB werewolf who is working to create a new, unstoppable breed. Dirty Harry meets Twilight. #3 in the break-out series and a follow-up to Monster Hunter International and Monster Hunter Vendetta. Earl Harbinger may be the leader of Monster Hunter International, but he’s also got a secret. Nearly a century ago, Earl was cursed to be werewolf. When Earl receives word that one of his oldest foes, a legendarily vicious werewolf that worked for the KGB, has mysteriously appeared in the remote woods of Michigan, he decides to take care of some unfinished business. But another force is working to bring about the creation of a whole new species of werewolf. When darkness falls, the final hunt begins, and the only thing standing in their way is a handful of locals, a lot of firepower, and Earl Harbinger’s stubborn refusal to roll over and play dead. Here’s a sample of Larry Correia’s prose punch from series opener, Monster Hunter International: “I didn’t wake up that morning and decide that I was going to kill my boss with my bare hands. It was much more complicated than that.” About Monster Hunter International “[A] no-holds-barred all-out page turner that is part science fiction, part horror, and an absolute blast to read.”– Bookreporter.com About the “Monster Hunter” series: “If you love monsters and action, you’ll love this book. If you love guns, you’ll love this book. If you love fantasy, and especially horror fantasy, you’ll love this book.” – Knotclan.com

Reviews

Sarah Escorsa@shrimpy

Mar 8, 2022

Actual rating: 3.21458638 stars Time to do the Super Extra Short List Thingie (SESLT™) and stuff! Because puny humans to tyrannize, countries to overthrow and all that. So. ① Not very terribly inspired or inspiring change in POV. Not that Earl Harbinger the Ruthlessly Fearless and Fearlessly Ruthless Hardass Werewolf Leader (RFaFRHWL™)—that is an official title, yes—of Monster Hunter International is an uninteresting guy, but he’s kinda sorta, um, you know, not fantastically fascinating, either. I mean, we learn lots of stuff about him here, which adds depth and complexity (view spoiler)[ and stuff (hide spoiler)] to his character, but it felt a little slightly like back story overload most sometimes, and wasn’t always quite thoroughly relevant to the story (view spoiler)[ and stuff (hide spoiler)]. Yeah, pretty much ② Because of ① there is a most revolting Owen Pitt Shortage (OPS™) in this book. Which is most revolting, if you ask me. Granted, Owen Zastava Pitt is not exactly the most fantastically written character ever, and you could even say he’s a teensy little bit cartoonish (view spoiler)[ and stuff (hide spoiler)], but I like his moderately OTT ways. Besides, the guy makes me hahahaha like a barnacle on crack. Also, he’s a homicidal, trigger-happy accountant. What more can a girl ask for, I wonder? Not much, methinks. Not bloody shrimping much. So QED and stuff. ③ Sorry, I forgot what this fascinating point was supposed to be about. ④ There is such a thing as TMC™ (Too Much Carnage). No, my account was not hacked by my evil, fluffy bunny-loving twin and yes, this is really my little slaughterous self saying that Mr Correia got somewhat considerably a little too enthusiastically generous when it comes to bloodshedding and butchering and slaughtering (view spoiler)[ and stuff (hide spoiler)] in this instalment. Granted, some of the extermination techniques displayed in the book are delightfully creative and wonderfully efficient (not to mention quite inspirational), but it doesn’t change the fact that too much gore + little else = boredom = goredom. And that is a scientifically proven fact. ⑤ The Evil Russian™-based plot that should have been titillating but wasn’t. You’d think that any story involving Evil Russians™ would be Instantly Very Cool (IVC™), right? Because, you know, Evil Russians™ (view spoiler)[ and stuff (hide spoiler)]? Wrong. Yes, it is very sad but it is very true, not even Stalin’s favorite werewolf managed to make this plot scrumptiously scrumptious. And, if I am to be disgustingly honest, the story dragged on and on and on (view spoiler)[ and on (hide spoiler)], and ended up being a little *whispers* dull ← I never wrote that and you never read it. Go home, my Comely Decapods, you’re obviously very drunk. Don’t ask. ➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): as you superiorly clever barnacles might have guessed, this is definitely not the best book in this series so far. BUT: 1) it introduces a couple of great characters who—my nefariously sentient crystal ball tells me—will be part of the cast from now on and 2) I’m pretty fairly certainly sure your Monster Hunting Pilgrimage (MUP™) won’t suffer dramatically if you decide to be bold and audacious and skip this instalment to jump right into book 4. You are quite welcome (view spoiler)[ and stuff (hide spoiler)]. • Book 1: Monster Hunter International ★★★★ • Book 2: Monster Hunter Vendetta ★★★★ • Book 3.5 (short story): A Halloween Public Service Announcement from MHI ★★★★ • Book 4: Monster Hunter Legion ★★★★ • Book 4.5 (short story): Tanya: Princess of the Elves ★★★★ • Book 5: Monster Hunter Nemesis ★★★★ • Book 6: Monster Hunter Siege ★★★ • Book 7: Monster Hunter Guardian ★ [ Pre-review nonsense] This book in a nutshell: I have been breeding bloodthirsty crustaceans for decades⁶ and you could therefore say I am quite the bloodbath fan, but this was a bit too much, even for my nefarious, sanguinary little self. Besides, carnage and slaughter kinda sorta get really old after a while. Also, Earl Harbinger makes an okay MC, but he sure ain't no Owen Pitt. So you better bring the homicidal accountant back, Mr Correia, or I'll show you what a pincer-induced bloodbath is. But hey, no pressure and stuff. ➽ Full review to come and stuff.