Hard Magic (Grimnoir Chronicles, #1)

Sep 13, 2011 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed-first-or-limited-edition, audiobook, hardboiled-and-noir, fantasy, 2011, sff-operation-chaotica, good-guys

WINNER:...BESTest, most FUN-Drenched and PAGE-Turniest new hard-boiled, magical, steampunk, noirish, alternate history, gun-toting, action-orientated urban fantasy.

Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International series has been guilty pleasure of mine for a few years. Now, with Hard Magic, the first of a new series called the Grimnoir Chronicles, Correia unloads the guilt and pumps up the pleasure by crafting a smart, authentic, incredibly fun alternate history in which magic has been incorporated...more

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Jun 14, 2013 Seak (Bryce L.) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-review, 2013, urban-fantasy

Cool [no, not nearly cool enough]

Cooooool [so now we're not even using our words? Nope]

Super cool [almost makes it less cool ... no]

Very cool [oh, now we're getting so descriptive ... no]

Chilly [apparently the thesaurus isn't working, nope]

Boss [actually on the way to fitting despite going back a few decades, not quite]

Bully [actually getting to the right decade, but still not there]

Cawbullboss aka Coolawesomebullyboss [I was right up above, needed a new word to describe this]

Yep, Hard Magic ree...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, action

This is a big greasy double cheeseburger...with all the works kind-of-a book. It's not deep, it's full of action, a rather unique magic system that while you've probably seen things close to...you haven't seen it exactly...adventure, and imagination. I like it. So far I've pretty much liked everything Mr. Correia has turned out.

Maybe if we had a 10 star system here I "might have" given it a 9 as there are a lot of books I'd rate higher. The same goes for a half star system, it might get a 4.5. B...more This is a big greasy double cheeseburger...with all the works kind-of-a book. It's not deep, it's full of action, a rather unique magic system that while you've probably seen things close to...you haven't seen it exactly...adventure, and imagination. I like it. So far I've pretty much liked everything Mr. Correia has turned out.

Maybe if we had a 10 star system here I "might have" given it a 9 as there are a lot of books I'd rate higher. The same goes for a half star system, it might get a 4.5. But we don't have either of those, we have an "out of 5 star" rating system, and I think it deserves a bit better than a 4, so...I went to the complete 5.

The novel is all story right from the get-go without the slow build up you sometimes get even in action novels. While we don't find out what color socks each person wears or how they feel about polar bears or their favorite snack they are well drawn and complete. You come to know them and care when....well, that would be a spoiler. You'll see influences here from other well done fantasy. Don't get me wrong, the story is very original and shows lots of imaginative thought, it's all Mr. Correia's own, still there are distant echos of so many from H.P. Lovecraft to Sax Rohmer (with maybe a nod to Bob Kane?).

The book does something I've seen done before in that Mr. Correia takes actual people from history and re-imagines them into this (very) alternate history where magic has come to exist. As many are people I'm interested in (one way and another) and some I find very interesting (as in for example John Moses Browning or John J. "Black Jack" Pershing). I won't give any details about the way the world's different or the basis for the magic system other than what I've already said. It may slightly resemble things you've seen before, but it's one of the more original systems and alternate histories I've seen.

As you may have guessed by now, all in all I like the book. Not great literature but a great read. Maybe not the best, maybe a few gripes, (no need to go into those really. Are you curious? I'll mention one below, but it's no big deal) but nothing to turn me away. I'd say the book is fun, and it is, but there are serious moments and even some emotional moments. Well, done, well told, well written, enjoyed and recommended... enjoy.

(view spoiler)

This is a gut-busting, hard fighting, brawny, rugged dose of literary junk food...brain candy at it's best. As said before, enjoy. (less)

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May 09, 2013 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Correia fans

Recommended to Carol by: Fantasy Aficionados

Shelves: action, steampunk, time-period-fantasy, male-lead

Unfortunately, Hard Magic doesn't measure up to Correia's first series, Monster Hunters International. One reviewer hit it on the head when he noted that there is a lack of world building, and tossed-in 1920s vocabulary is supposed to stand for setting. There's more detail on guns then there are physical characteristics of setting and mood, critical elements of the detective noir. There's a lot of odd ethnic referrals going on as well that make me vaguely uncomfortable. I don't know a lot about...more Unfortunately, Hard Magic doesn't measure up to Correia's first series, Monster Hunters International. One reviewer hit it on the head when he noted that there is a lack of world building, and tossed-in 1920s vocabulary is supposed to stand for setting. There's more detail on guns then there are physical characteristics of setting and mood, critical elements of the detective noir. There's a lot of odd ethnic referrals going on as well that make me vaguely uncomfortable. I don't know a lot about the 20s, but it almost seems if Correia is pulling on American political attitudes from the 40s-50s(post WWII) in his characterizations of Germans and Japanese and the political divisions. I get the feeling he didn't research the 1920s for this book--more like he watched a couple of Al Capone movies.

I loved Faye, the grey-eyed talented Okie kid who grows into her power, but I think I loved her because I root for grrl-power, and not because the characterization was done particularly well. Her simplistic speech pattern when we are inside her head need finesse as she progresses through her development. As usual, females play the "almost-but-not-quite-equal" role, despite the actions of Faye. One's a healer and one's a ex-prostitute (I believe there's an ex-ho in Monster as well), so you can pretty much tell from there how their characterization is going to run. (view spoiler)

You can tell Correia put a lot of thought into the development of his Heavy, Sullivan. I love the idea of the book, and the fascinating idea of "powers" branching out into "adjacent" areas with practice.

He is also taking the narrative short-cut of the almost-omniscient narrator, and flipping between a number of protagonists and antagonists. Despite the shift in narrators, there is one character "surprise" and a mediocre plot twist based on character premeditated plans in the last few pages of the book. It's a technique that irks me to no end for two reasons: one, because it feels like it's substituting character sketches for a congruent storyline; and two, it smacks of poor characterization--shouldn't we already be aware of their goals if we are in the characters' minds?

Alright, so it's not the most positive of reviews, but you can see so many 5 and 4 star reviews, I don't really need to re-iterate what's good, do I?
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Nov 29, 2011 Beanbag Love rated it 5 of 5 stars

This alt-history magic noir series is a great mind-bender. I love Larry Correia's no-holds-barred action writing. His world building in this is fantastic and the attention to detail is superb. I had been told by other fans of Monster Hunter International that this was even better and I think I might agree.

Jake Sullivan is a gravity manipulating "Heavy", forced to do jobs rounding up other magical "Actives" for J. Edgar Hoover. Faye Vierra is a girl of indeterminate age -- a teenager -- who has...more This alt-history magic noir series is a great mind-bender. I love Larry Correia's no-holds-barred action writing. His world building in this is fantastic and the attention to detail is superb. I had been told by other fans of Monster Hunter International that this was even better and I think I might agree.

Jake Sullivan is a gravity manipulating "Heavy", forced to do jobs rounding up other magical "Actives" for J. Edgar Hoover. Faye Vierra is a girl of indeterminate age -- a teenager -- who has a rare ability and an over-abundance of Power. Delilah is a Brute, Francis is a Mover, Lance can talk through squirrels, Jane can Heal, and Blackjack Pershing is in trouble. It's intricate, driven, even poignant, and it engages completely. The use of real history and people is done with finesse and incredible cleverness.

As always, Correia's action sequences are over-the-top and filled with suspense and gore. There's an element of superhero mythology -- one reference made me laugh out loud at the end -- as well as military suspense, steampunk and epic fantasy.

Jake does seem like Owen Pitt (the protag from MHI) in a different setting, but that's okay because I love Owen. And this is third person so we get many points of view and they're all fascinating. And, yes, the story structure is also a lot like MHI but, again, I love MHI's story structure so I have no complaints. The rich detail of this imagined world is so full and unique I can't imagine the similarity of one character is going to bother anyone too much.

Check your political correctness at the door! This is noir written in the context and verbiage of 1920's/30's post-war America. And what impresses me so much is the accuracy of tone and general worldview of the time coupled with the outrageous aspects of the fantasy element. Correia has done an amazing job.

I had one complaint but it's a spoiler so I won't tell. It wasn't enough to lower the rating, however.

Now to distract myself so I don't plow through the next one and end up with nothing left. (less)

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Sep 01, 2011 Kat Hooper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Jake Sullivan is not your average Heavy. He spent his jail time honing his skills and improving his mind and now he’s J. Edgar Hoover’s super-weapon, useful for fighting Fades, Torches, Brutes, and any of the other Actives who are using their magic for criminal purposes. Jake doesn’t like being used this way, but it’s his ticket out of prison. When the FBI asks Jake to bring down Delilah Jones, the Brute who used to be his girlfriend, Jake gets caught up i...more ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Jake Sullivan is not your average Heavy. He spent his jail time honing his skills and improving his mind and now he’s J. Edgar Hoover’s super-weapon, useful for fighting Fades, Torches, Brutes, and any of the other Actives who are using their magic for criminal purposes. Jake doesn’t like being used this way, but it’s his ticket out of prison. When the FBI asks Jake to bring down Delilah Jones, the Brute who used to be his girlfriend, Jake gets caught up in a world-wide battle that involves magic, mobsters, zombies, zeppelins, Ninjas and Nikola Tesla’s peace ray.

Knowing that Larry Correia was into big guns and B movies, I wasn’t planning to pick up Hard Magic, the first of his Grimnoir Chronicles. It doesn’t really sound like my kind of thing. But then I noticed that it was released in audio by Audible Frontiers (who always do a superb production) and narrated by actor Bronson Pinchot. I decided to give it a shot, and I’m glad I did. Even though it is a bit too gory for me, Hard Magic is an exciting story with a fully-developed world, a cool magic system, terrific characters, and some hard-hitting action scenes.

I won’t even try to classify Hard Magic — it’s urban, it’s alternate history, it’s paranormal, it’s steampunk, it’s romance, it’s horror, it’s noir — it’s a little bit of everything. The story is set in an alternate 20th century between WWI and WWII. Magic talents have evolved in some humans so that each Active has one particular skill. For example, Jake Sullivan can alter gravitational forces, making himself or other objects light or heavy, Torches can set or put out fires, and Brutes have super strength. In addition to these heritable magical skills, the Germans have developed a way to create zombies to keep their soldiers fighting during The Great War, and the Japanese have developed their own nearly indestructible human super-weapons which they call the Iron Guard. And everyone wants to find the missing pieces of the machine that Nikola Tesla was working on at Wardenclyffe.

There’s a lot going on in the Grimnoir Chronicles, but Correia gives us a break by setting it in our own almost-recognizable world. The bits of true history orient the reader, and the mangled quotes of real historical figures at the beginning of each chapter give Hard Magic an authentic feel:

* I am by heritage a Jew, by citizenship a Swiss, by magical gift a Cog, and by makeup a human being, and only a human being, without any special attachment to any state or national entity whatsoever. —Albert Einstein, 1919
* You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun. A smile, a gun, and a Brute get you the key to the city. —Al “Scarface” Capone, 1930

Hard Magic is well-written and frequently funny. The complex and twisty plot moves swiftly and is full of intriguing characters such as the uneducated orphan who can Travel, the German Fade who walks through walls, the Pale Horse whose curse kills, the greedy billionaire who designs airships... there are too many interesting characters to list. All of their cool magical skills lead to some hardcore fight scenes. Most readers will probably find these fights to be the most fun part of the book. I was grossed out more than once and kind of irked that dead people didn’t necessarily stay dead, but that’s just me.

If you’re familiar with Bronson Pinchot’s acting career, it won’t surprise you to learn that his narration of the audiobook was brilliant. He took the whole production to a higher level. He easily managed all those characters with their different ethnicities and education levels — it was delightful, and was one of the best audiobook performances I’ve ever heard.

Despite my queasiness, I’m looking forward to Spellbound, the next novel in the Grimnoir Chronicles. I can highly recommend this series to urban fantasy/noir fans who don’t mind reading about ripped off heads and steaming entrails. If you want to give it a try, read the first few chapters of Hard Magic at Larry Correia’s blog.(less)

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May 26, 2013 Anne Toronto1 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, fantasy

Front cover pictures big man carrying big gun, blonde busting out of red dress. Back blurb boasts Jake Sullivan and Delilah Jones, honorable and strong magical Heavies falsely accused of murder by American authorities. Setting is alternate magical WW2 era bone-crunching blood-spurting brain-spattering battle against the tyrannical Japanese Chairman.

We expect a Happy Ever After ending to unite the couple. But in first and last pages of text, Faye, super-powerful Appalachian back-country hick, ba...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Max Traver rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, favorites

Was frustrated that I could not find this on the Nook store, but lo and behold, it is available as a $6 e-book from the publisher's own website (BAEN...great site, highly recommended). In the mood for some pulpy noir old school monster fighting fiction, so I think I'll enjoy this.

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May 12, 2013 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

An unusual take on magic steampunk.

Things I like about this book:

- Characters with incomplete information. Just because a character believes something to be true doesn't mean it always is. I like it when you can't just expect every random character to be the mouthpiece of the author.

- Major characters can die. Many novels involve large casts of characters entering extremely dangerous circumstances and all miraculously surviving. In this one, not everyone survives. This is a good thing for story...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Sho rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, steampunk, sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Don't be fooled by the cover which really really doesn't convey what's inside. Seriously please don't judge this book by its cover.

This was a surprisingly fun steampunk/alternative history, post-WW2, with the dark noir atmosphere magic/scifi comic book like action. And the enemy is the EVIL Japanese lord which I'd like to object to. However, to be fair I can totally imagine Japan under a dictatorship and become a nation blindingly following him. Unfortunately the author seems to have forgotten t...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Christine E. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Listening to this audiobook helped get me through the part of post-surgical recovery during which I was no longer in pain but complications left me too weak and dizzy to get out of bed for a couple of weeks. Bronson Pinchot (yes, Balki from that show in the 80's!) did a wonderful job of the narration. I was too bored and miserable to focus on the kind of stuff I usually like, but this fast-paced, ultraviolent story set in an alternate 1930's in which some humans have magic was able to cut throug...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Marie Loughin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It was exactly what I needed to read at the time I read it. That is, I needed to read something fun and action packed. The world building in this one was somewhat unique, at least for me. It's set at a time when World War II would have taken place, assuming Hitler had survived that long (this is an alternate world urban fantasy, if there is such a thing). I like Correia's rules of magic, and I like the over-arcing conflict that is being developed in this first boo...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Alisi ☆ needs to stop starting new books ☆ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, absolute-favorites

This series is my absolute favorite at the moment. I read these months back and have been waiting for the next! I'm doing the *headdesk headdesk headdesk* I need the next book thing!

While others may not like this world, I rather enjoyed it. I love the super hero powers they have and find them fascinating. I also love the characters themselves. I don't hate any of this rather large list of characters.

He also writes as if he believes this reads hold some intelligence. I love reading a book where I...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Robert Verde rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting addition to the modern fantasy/alternate history genre. Reads as a mashup between old school gangster/detective fiction (including references to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett), and a sort of super-hero origin story, like Wild Cards or Captain America.

Apparently this author is noted as some sort of firearm buff, and the book is peppered with references to obscure weaponry, as well as speculative variants in the alternate historical context. I'm not sure if the two are linked,...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Rusty rated it 2 of 5 stars

Larry has created another world of fantasy where magic exists. I really like his Monster Hunter series, so I was hoping this series was good in its own way. I’ll admit, the premise was good, the fact that it takes place in the 1930’s gives that noir appearance. After reading about 1/4 of the story, I started to worry it was going to drag on. One of my biggest pet peeves is to read a good story that tends to stretch a bit too long. His M.H. series is long too, but there’s plenty of action and sus...more

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May 20, 2012 Ryan Draga rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've now read this along with Book 2 of the series (entitled "Spellbound"). I found this on a whim as an audiobook on Audible whilst looking for something for my girlfriend. I had a few free monthly credits thanks to a promotion, so I snagged both books.

First off, for novelty's sake I should note that the audiobooks are (quite wonderfully) narrated by none other than Bronson Pinchot...known to most of us 80s kids as Balki from Perfect Strangers.

Now I'll be honest here, when I saw a pulpy-looking...more I've now read this along with Book 2 of the series (entitled "Spellbound"). I found this on a whim as an audiobook on Audible whilst looking for something for my girlfriend. I had a few free monthly credits thanks to a promotion, so I snagged both books.

First off, for novelty's sake I should note that the audiobooks are (quite wonderfully) narrated by none other than Bronson Pinchot...known to most of us 80s kids as Balki from Perfect Strangers.

Now I'll be honest here, when I saw a pulpy-looking, steampunk-bandwagon-riding alt. history/hard-boiled noir book narrated by an 80's castaway known for an over-the-top comedic character, I snapped the book up expecting a trainwreck involving everything I just described. However...a trainwreck, it was CERTAINLY not.

On the COMPLETE contrary, this book (and it's sequel) was FANTASTIC. I couldn't stop listening. I got these as an excuse to have a chuckle whilst doing housework, and instead found myself putting down the mop and broom and becoming completely lost in this wonderfully-imagined alternate version of the world where Magic existed alongside early 20th century technology and culture...the book has small tidbits of information (which it often opens chapters with) regarding historical and cultural icons who happened to also have been "actives" (what the book calls magic users who have a proper grasp on their abilities).

Beyond that singular curiosity though, there is certainly much more. The characters are wonderful and a motley bunch to be certain: a hard-boiled ex-con turned FBI muscle that can manipulate gravity, a femme fatale with physicality that would make the Hulk crap his giant purple shorts, a firecracker hayseed girl who can teleport, a famous big game hunter who makes Doctor Doolittle look like a chump...the list goes on. There's A LOT of story packed into this book.

TL;DR version: if you're a sucker for steampunk and/or alt. history, if you're a Dresden Files fan, hell, beyond all that, if you love a good old fashioned "good guys versus bad guys" pulp yarn, PICK THIS DAMN BOOK UP. I guarantee you won't put it down.(less)

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Apr 08, 2012 Ryan Lawler rated it 5 of 5 stars

The 1930′s was an era of charm sophistication. The world was just coming out of the great depression, cars were starting to become affordable, men wore pinstripe suits and women wore flapper dresses, gangsters and corruption controlled the cities, and people would converse using the full range of the English language, often hiding what they really meant to say between layers of entendre. It is an area that has remained largely untouched by genre fiction but with Hard Magic by Larry Correia, that...more The 1930′s was an era of charm sophistication. The world was just coming out of the great depression, cars were starting to become affordable, men wore pinstripe suits and women wore flapper dresses, gangsters and corruption controlled the cities, and people would converse using the full range of the English language, often hiding what they really meant to say between layers of entendre. It is an area that has remained largely untouched by genre fiction but with Hard Magic by Larry Correia, that is all likely to change.

Hard Magic is a fantasy story set in the 1930′s and is full wizards who practice all sorts of magical powers. The story follows Jake Sullivan, a "Heavy" who has the ability control and manipulate gravity, density and mass. During a routine operation to take down a fellow "active", Sullivan becomes caught up with a secret society of "actives" called The Grimnoir as they try to save the world. This is very much a superhero story, an alternate history story where the timeline diverges from around the 1850′s after seemingly random people suddenly started acquiring a range of magical abilities. Correia has a lot of fun with the alternate history here, taking some of the achievements by famous historic figures and attributing them to magic powers in a subtle but effective effort to build a unique world. Famous men such as Tesla and Einstein are given the abilities of "Cogs" and are about to advance their theories and inventions far beyond what they achieved in our time line. The level of detail here adds to the overall appeal of the story, helping it to become one of the more entertaining stories of 2011.

Hard Magic has by far one of the best cast’s for a fantasy story in recent memory. Jake Sullivan is the slow speaking WWI veteran whose immense mental capacity is at odds with his external appearance. He is a character that is far more complex than I initially gave him credit for, and as he starts to interact with the other actives, Jake really comes into his own as one of the most likeable, charming, and violent heroes currently going around. He has a couple of offsiders in Delilah the "Brute" and Faye the "Traveller", both remarkably strong women for whom no challenge is to big or complex for them to overcome. The story of Delilah is as tragic as the story of Faye is fun, adventurous and full of hope. These two characters contrast each other perfectly with their history, outlook on life, personal attributes and magical powers, and their interactions make for some of the more fascinating scenes in the book. The rest of the Grimnoir are brilliant support characters, each worth of their own story. And the villains, wow. They are awe inspiring through their sheer weight of power and strength, they are some of the toughest villains I have seen in fantasy stories, and each fight scene they participate in is overwhelmingly epic in power, brutality, and ruthlessness.

The writing is good, the pacing is very fast and prose is quite efficient, making this story easy to read. Correia’s expertise with firearms colours every single page, especially in the Sullivan POV scenes where it seems Sullivan cant go more than five minutes without making a remark about how much he loves his gun. The book is very violent and the violence can be graphic, so if you are a bit on the squeamish side you may not appreciate some of the action scenes. But if you do appreciate a good action scene, then you will be treated to some of the best pieces I have read, definitely on par with the fight scenes crafted by Brandon Sanderson. Picture a hulking giant jumping of a building, reversing the gravity immediately surrounding him so that he can make the 100 metre high leap onto the bridge of an escaping airship, while "movers" are flinging pieces of debris at him and "crackles" are throwing lightning bolts at him. Correia makes the most of the magic system he has set up, it almost seems like he dreamed up the set pieces and then created the magic system required to make the set piece a reality.

This was a fast paced and highly entertaining novel. The time period adds a lot of charm and class to the book, and it is great to see just how much historical figures can further mould the world given a bunch of unique magical abilities. This book suffers from some poor cover art, but don’t let that put you off because Hard Magic has some of the most fun and entertaining scenes I have read this year.(less)

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Mar 31, 2012 My Awful Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Larry Correia has no shame at all about writing exciting, pulpy novels full of action and lots and lots of things that go boom. What's more impressive is that over the last two or three years, he's turned those novels into something that has characters you can care about and root for, villains that you hate, but understand, and plots that are well-paced and worth the read. He may claim that he loves writing pulp, but he's not writing anything close to that anymore.

When I first met Larry, he was...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Brendan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this better than the last Correia book I read, Monster Hunters International. The characters and the pacing of the plot have both improved, and there's more than one original idea here.

Let's start with the characters. Some of them aren't terribly interesting, but there are more of them, and they are more complex this time around. Faye is a likably spunky kid, and the good brother (yes, there is a brotherly conflict) has some unusual intellectual depth. In addition to the original charact...more

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Jan 16, 2012 ***Dave Hill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: text

It's 1932 in an alternate Earth were magical super-powers started manifesting in the mid-19th Century. Now, going on two decades after World War I led to the ascension of Magical Actives as tools of warfare and commerce, the Japanese Imperium is growing in strength, and a conspiracy to attain Tesla's Tunguska-causing weapon is unleashed, against which stand the Grimnoir, a dwindled band magical conspirators ...

Correia is known (from his Monster Hunters series) for writing all-out, balls-to-the-w...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Jana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, scifi-fantasy

An odd mix of Steampunk and sci-fi, elements of fantasy. Think film noir meets The X-men in an alternate history. Various characters have "powers" over elements, gravity, The time-frame is between the World Wars, but this is a US with regular blimp and train travel with a united Asia (imagine Mao working with Hirohito) poised to take over the world. Correia's world is fairly well-crafted, with interesting touches of humor--oblique references to the alternate nature of this history where a fanati...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars

It’s hard to place this book into a genre. It’s fantasy, it’s alternative history, it’s pulp fiction, it’s got ninjas, it’s … diesel punk?

Set in the late 1920s or early 1930s, the US has entered the Depression, but Prohibition is still in effect. Airships (and airship pirates!) and biplanes share the skies. Around 1850, people started showing up around the world with magical abilities. Some were super strong; some could control heat, cold, fire, gravity, electricity, animals’ minds, human minds...more It’s hard to place this book into a genre. It’s fantasy, it’s alternative history, it’s pulp fiction, it’s got ninjas, it’s … diesel punk?

Set in the late 1920s or early 1930s, the US has entered the Depression, but Prohibition is still in effect. Airships (and airship pirates!) and biplanes share the skies. Around 1850, people started showing up around the world with magical abilities. Some were super strong; some could control heat, cold, fire, gravity, electricity, animals’ minds, human minds, some can heal, some teleport. They vary wildly in ability. No one knows why this change in humans occurred. Many people fear and hate them, but a lot of the famous are magical: Einstein, Tesla, Browning (of guns, not poetry), Stonewall Jackson, Babe Ruth.

Jake Sullivan can control gravity; he’s a being called a Heavy. He was a hero in WW I, a private detective, and a prisoner because he killed some people who sought to harm a boy whose only crime was to be different. J. Edgar Hoover gave him early parole on condition he help capture other law breaking Actives (the name given to those with magical powers); then he met up with the Grimnoir (noir being pronounced as it is in ‘film noir’), a group of magicals who work against the Actives who are evil. One of the problems is trying to figure out who is evil and who is not…. And there is never a calm minute to stop and think about that.

Faye Vierra is a teenager who can teleport, child of Oklahoma dust bowlers, adopted grandchild of an old farmer who is also a teleporter. He’s taught her everything he knows about magic, but she’s already better than he is. When he dies, murdered by other magicals, she’s left on her own to fulfill his dying command. She soon runs into the Grimnoir, too, and has that some problem about not knowing who to trust and not having any time to think about it because people are always shooting and blowing things up and doing magical things and she’s having to shoot and kill them in return, something she really hadn’t learned on the dairy farm but turns out to have a real aptitude for.

The main story revolves around the Japanese threat to the rest of the world; they seek the Tesla invented device that created the Tunguska blast in a test firing so that they can rule the world. The action never stops; there are constant gunfights and magical fights. The book moves at a breakneck pace. Explanations are woven in seamlessly. There is not huge depth to most of the characters, but there is enough there to satisfy the reader. This book is the first of a series; I imagine there will be more character as time goes on. But really, while the characters of Jake and Faye drive a lot of the story, the story is more driven by plot and action. It’s not meant to be deep. It’s a well written, can’t put it down adventure story. I can’t wait to read the next installment!
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Aug 02, 2011 Paul Genesse rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hard Magic book review

Hard Magic by New York Times bestselling author Larry Correia is a really great book and so much fun to read. Imagine X-Men crossed with the 1920’s period show by HBO, Boardwalk Empire. It sounds awesome, and it turned out to live up to its billing.

This novel is the first in the Grimnoir Chronicles and promises to be a really fantastic series, with three books under contract—book two, Spellbound is coming out November 1, 2011 by the way so there’s not long to wait for the s...more Hard Magic book review

Hard Magic by New York Times bestselling author Larry Correia is a really great book and so much fun to read. Imagine X-Men crossed with the 1920’s period show by HBO, Boardwalk Empire. It sounds awesome, and it turned out to live up to its billing.

This novel is the first in the Grimnoir Chronicles and promises to be a really fantastic series, with three books under contract—book two, Spellbound is coming out November 1, 2011 by the way so there’s not long to wait for the sequel.

Hard Magic is set in an alternate history Earth where people all over the world have spontaneously manifested what can only be described as super powers—it can’t be magical powers, can it? This awakening happened in the late 1800’s, I believe, and world has been changed forever. People usually have only one power and can change gravity, teleport, and do many of the things you’d imagine superheroes can do, except maybe fly. Those with powers are called “Actives” and the rest of the people in the world, who are the major majority, are mostly frightened by them and there is a backlash, similar to the mutant backlash in X-Men. People usually have only one power and are known by names such as: Heavies, Brutes, Fades, Cogs, Mouths, Movers, Finders, Healers, Pale Horses, Weatherman, Torches, Travelers, and so many more.

The world building is top notch and well researched. The time period is 1920’s or 30’s and the alternate history alone makes this worth the read. Various figures from our own history are in this novel or are mentioned and it’s cool to see the exciting spin that Correia put on things. There are also little quotes at the beginning of the chapters that give insight into the world and the history of things. World War I was so much worse than the one from our history—which is saying a lot—and many of the characters in the book are veterans, with terrible memories of the fighting in Europe. It’s definitely dark stuff, but very fascinating.

There are a lot of characters in this book, but the main ones are Jake Sullivan (a Heavy), the big guy featured on the cover, and a hick girl from Oklahoma named Faye (she’s a Traveler), who just might be the most powerful “Active” in the world, though no one really understands that fact until late in the book . . .

Jake Sullivan is a hard-boiled hero who has been in prison and is still in love with Delilah, a dame with a disreputable past, and some serious power (she’s a Brute). Delilah is on the cover, though she should have had brown hair. Anyway, they’re both great characters, but this is an ensemble book with multiple points of views, which is a weakness in most fiction, but Correia never switches POV’s in mid sentence and breaks chapters or sections before going to a new character. This makes it a little hard to follow at times, but after you get familiar with everyone it’s easy to keep all the characters straight and this story couldn’t have been told from one or two points of view. There’s also a great glossary in the back that details much of the world building related to the powers that the “Actives” have. I also liked the illustrations in the book, which were drawn in the 1930’s pulp style by Zachary Hill.

Correia keeps the action going at a rapid pace and the enemies of the heroes, who are members of the Grimnoir Society, are really bad news. In the Grimnoir universe, The Imperium is of course, the Empire of Japan, and they’re starting to take over using their own specially developed Actives who are after a weapon that will allow them to take over the world. The heroes, mostly Grimnoir Knights, get to battle machine gun and sword wielding samurai that are nigh indestructible, teleporting ninjas, zombies, gangsters, and more. There’s airships, superhero smack downs, lots of guns, and great writing. If you enjoy lots of action and have a special place in your heart for super heroes, this is the book for you.

Highly Recommended

Paul Genesse
Editor of The Crimson Pact Volume 1 & 2
www.thecrimsonpact.com
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Jul 27, 2011 Jadepen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, magic

In this book, Larry Correia introduces us to a fascinating alternate universe. A world where magic changed the course of human history, where some events which permanently altered humanity's destiny never happened, with all the implications that follow. He adroitly handles the challenge of offering a historical perspective while never slowing down the narrative, and he outlines a system of magic which is both interesting and flavorful- a cross between traditional magic and comic book mutant powe...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Thomas Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hard Magic is a difficult book to review. Is it good? Yes. Did I love it? No. It is impossible to read this book without comparing it to its counterparts with a more contemporary setting by the same author, Monster Hunter International. I found those to be more enjoyable books, mostly due to the accessibility to the story.

Hard Magic is a story about a man named Jake Sullivan who is magical, in an alternate late 20's-early 30's world that contains magical people, and WWI featured Germans wielding...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Viccy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

In the early 19th century, magic manifested itself in the world. Many people turned into Actives, possessing some type of power. Jake Sullivan was a Heavy, he could alter gravity and mass and density. He was sentencing to Rockville for killing a man who was harrassing a kid who was an Active. Now he has been released to work for J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, bringing in Actives who have broken the law. Hoover want Jake to capture Delilah, the woman Jake loves; the FBI has convinced him she has tu...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Meran niCuill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Meran by: Ron, a fellow gamer

Shelves: fantasy, novels, science-fiction, alternate-history, mystery, steampunk, magic

I was pleasantly surprised at the story line. I fully expected this to be an uneventful read.

The mechanics of the magic system is very like a gaming system for role playing; in fact, I'm rather surprised it hasn't already been made up into one!

The premise is that there are magical abilities that have been gifted to some of the human population of this alternate world of 1933 (which has a lot of airship travel). These special people become a team to fight against other specially gifted people who...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Caroline Kimsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

I bought this book on a whim from the audible sale and it was fantastic.
Take a cup of Gumshoe bordering on Film Noir, A magical alternate Universe complete with shavings of Quotes by famous people from our history, a large pinch of Steampunk, liberally add male female stereotypes of the 30s including Dames, hoods and Kid, a sprinkling of mobsters, secret societies, evil henchmen, ninjas, sumos, supernatural characters and then mix well with a huge flavour of the X -men meets the Matrix powers. I...more I bought this book on a whim from the audible sale and it was fantastic.
Take a cup of Gumshoe bordering on Film Noir, A magical alternate Universe complete with shavings of Quotes by famous people from our history, a large pinch of Steampunk, liberally add male female stereotypes of the 30s including Dames, hoods and Kid, a sprinkling of mobsters, secret societies, evil henchmen, ninjas, sumos, supernatural characters and then mix well with a huge flavour of the X -men meets the Matrix powers. Ice with some of the best villans and action scenes and varied and changing super powers.
In this book Correia juggles so many genres and "Big Ideas" that a lesser author would fumble in an instant and mangle into some Frankenstein monster of failed literature. Not only does Correia manage to keep the story uncluttered but he does it with some serious style.

First, the universe. Hard Magic features a fully functioning, well planned system of magic and gives explanation behind the appearance of this magic. The magical abilities of "Actives" are very fascinating and are explained. There are rules and dangers that come with each form of magic and the magics themselves, are firmly grounded in the universe they inhabit. Correia's alternative version of the 1930's is also a very interesting world on its own for steampunk fans..... there are dirigibles.

Next, the characters. Jake Sullivan, the main protagonist is a very tough, duty bound characters and eminently likeable. Sullivan is a damaged man with a tragic past and immense sense of duty and loyalty. He is intelligent, having discovered things about magic that other characters within the novel never would have guessed and has some of the best powers. The other really notable character here is Faye, a young girl who can teleport and suffers some tragedy of her own. I rarely enjoy female characters written by male authors but to me Faye rings true. Her peppy attitude is a wonderful foil to the more solemn Sullivan and she always seems believable. There are some other colorful characters as well as a very well written villain but it's best for the reader to meet them on their own. The biggest anchor to the book is through Jake and Faye.

More, The Narrator. He does a very good job of bringing in the era, timing and the whole cast of characters to life. The only thing that threw me to start was his Jake Sullivan sounds a little like Tom Hanks doing a Southern accent. But I liked this as Jake could have sounded too aggressive and unintelligent if handled differently.

Penultimately, the action. If you have ever wanted to read about a teleporting ninja battle being carried on across a super zeppelin in the midst of a pirate attack while samurai and zombies engage magical super heroes trying to prevent a super weapon from being activated this is the book for you. The fight scenes in Hard Magic are top notch, white knuckle, block buster, thrill rides that will satisfy even the biggest adrenaline junkies. Not only are these fights brutal and explosive but they are also rather intelligent. It can't be easy to write a multi-layered battle featuring combatants with different magical skills but Correia weaves seamless fight scenes that couldn't possibly be choreographed any better. The last 50 pages make for one of the most epic final confrontations I have ever read. Be warned.

Finally, the plot. We were allowed to think for ourselves with very little future plot possibilities of personal thoughts being elaborated on. Your fondness or loathing for the characters was built upon their deeds and actions more than dialogue or back story. There is swift action and explosions, a profusion of original ideas, wonderful colourful characters and heart rending moments and perfect pacing. There are completely unexpected twists, betrayals, curses, loyalties, surprises, intrigue, build up, and a very satisfying conclusion..

The only thing I cannot understand is why this was not made into a film. Enjoy.
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Oct 12, 2012 MsBDiamondDiva1 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, zombies

Wow!!! I am so glad I took a chance with this book, it had so much stuff in it that you automatic think-this can't make sense. But as the story progresses, you find out that things just start falling into place. I know that there are several reviews on these books, so I will just give a brief summary of few things. The author did a great job at building a world that was a combination with the prohibition era 1920’s, steampunk, super powers, magic (wizards & necromancers) and varies other fan...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Clay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Larry Correia is something special. Sure, he’s no Hemmingway or Fitzgerald, but he excels none the less. He has ideas. He has a healthy respect for patriotism. He loves guns and things that go “boom.” He loves mystery and suspense and action and adventure. Put all of those things together and you’re in for an awesome ride. That’s exactly what Hard Magic is all about. I was first introduced to Correia’s writing in the series. And I loved every minute of it. Hard Magic, while not quite the same...more

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Hard Magic (Grimnoir Chronicles #1)

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