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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
The books are better when the main character is not the focus of the books. Go figure
Agent Franks is a dick. You know it, I know it. Everyone does. But Agent Franks would never do bullshit, backstabbing, cowardly things out of selfishness. So when he gets set up to look like he went to destroy the MHB, he needs to do anything he could (and the dude can do many insane things) to prove he is innocent and find out who and why is trying to make him look like he basically betrayed everyone and everything.
It was time to humanise the MHB and Mr. Correia did one hell of a job. Owen and MHI in general doesn't trust the government and at heart, they want to be left alone to do their thing instead of waiting to some asshole to look up in the government issued handbook how to do it according to politicians. Then again, that's pretty much a returning theme in all of this author's books and I can respect that. The government isn't infallible. The procedure isn't always perfect and I'm really against the idea that any one of us can become the loss that's calculated as acceptable when the rules are made.
When dealing with a huge volume of human beings, you can not just completely ignore that, the human factor. How we are awkward, clumsy creatures who don't always make the best decision. Who will act batshit insane or just criminally stupid sometimes. Who will be unpredictable.
Here comes Agent Franks, though. He isn't human. He can't understand things like getting emotional over a case, having biases or acting in a surprising way. He comes, he fights, he closes the case and he leaves.
But then what will happen when the enemy is not working according to any moral code and even uses creatures that are very familiar to Franks?
When the series started, we were told the MHB is one block of government funded assholes. Sure, we have seen some of them being human, some hints here and there as time went on, but at the same time it was rare to see them interact with each other without it being filtered though the eyes of Owen and Co. Here a bunch of them do exactly that. They apparently have Christmas parties with Secret Santa, they bitch about their assignments. Many of them are actually unhappy about many of the things they have to do to the survivors. Archer and Grant are downright funny.
It was interesting to see how Franks was basically forced to compromise; he realised that to fulfill his big goal of protecting humanity, he needed to do things he found distasteful and deal with people he finds weak. Then again, everyone is weak to him.
I will go there; sometimes Franks was downright charming with how he is totally inhuman and just does his best. Yes, yes, he is not a good person, but he is kind of... not even a person. His past was interesting too.
This one fleshed out a lot of things about the world. If you think the Non-Owen-Centric books are not essential, think again. They are an absolute joy every time.
It was time to humanise the MHB and Mr. Correia did one hell of a job. Owen and MHI in general doesn't trust the government and at heart, they want to be left alone to do their thing instead of waiting to some asshole to look up in the government issued handbook how to do it according to politicians. Then again, that's pretty much a returning theme in all of this author's books and I can respect that. The government isn't infallible. The procedure isn't always perfect and I'm really against the idea that any one of us can become the loss that's calculated as acceptable when the rules are made.
When dealing with a huge volume of human beings, you can not just completely ignore that, the human factor. How we are awkward, clumsy creatures who don't always make the best decision. Who will act batshit insane or just criminally stupid sometimes. Who will be unpredictable.
Here comes Agent Franks, though. He isn't human. He can't understand things like getting emotional over a case, having biases or acting in a surprising way. He comes, he fights, he closes the case and he leaves.
But then what will happen when the enemy is not working according to any moral code and even uses creatures that are very familiar to Franks?
When the series started, we were told the MHB is one block of government funded assholes. Sure, we have seen some of them being human, some hints here and there as time went on, but at the same time it was rare to see them interact with each other without it being filtered though the eyes of Owen and Co. Here a bunch of them do exactly that. They apparently have Christmas parties with Secret Santa, they bitch about their assignments. Many of them are actually unhappy about many of the things they have to do to the survivors. Archer and Grant are downright funny.
It was interesting to see how Franks was basically forced to compromise; he realised that to fulfill his big goal of protecting humanity, he needed to do things he found distasteful and deal with people he finds weak. Then again, everyone is weak to him.
I will go there; sometimes Franks was downright charming with how he is totally inhuman and just does his best. Yes, yes, he is not a good person, but he is kind of... not even a person. His past was interesting too.
This one fleshed out a lot of things about the world. If you think the Non-Owen-Centric books are not essential, think again. They are an absolute joy every time.
Reminded me quite a bit of the President's Vampire books. Enjoyed seeing more of Franks's perspective and story.
Another strong entry in the series, although probably my least favorite of the five. Seemed that the fight sequences between the nearly immortal creatures just dragged on too long and there were enough of those sequences that it dragged the whole story down a bit.
Monster Hunter Nemesis was me catching up a bit on this series, which I enjoyed a while back.
A while back me probably would have enjoyed this a bit more, but overall it was fun.
Great to get a shift in perspective in characters, with this one being from the perspective of 'Franks' (effectively, Frankenstein's monster).
A while back me probably would have enjoyed this a bit more, but overall it was fun.
Great to get a shift in perspective in characters, with this one being from the perspective of 'Franks' (effectively, Frankenstein's monster).
I'm so torn! Parts of this were fantastic. I loved learning about Franks's backstory, but part of what I love about the Monster Hunter series is the witty dialogue and commentary, and because we mostly heard the story from Franks's perspective, there just wasn't much of it.
3.5? Almost 4? Parts were 4 or 5, parts weren't even three...
3.5? Almost 4? Parts were 4 or 5, parts weren't even three...
This was an interesting look at Franks, so I did enjoy it, but he's not my favorite character or anywhere close, so I didn't love it. I kept wishing we'd see more of MHI. After finishing it, I am looking forward now to seeing how MHI deals with some of the things that may come from this. I especially wonder if they'll ever find out the truth about who/what he is.
One thing that was interesting about this book was how it made me sort of like complete jackasses like Myers and Grant Jefferson, so it really shows some nice complexity of character there.I was really bummed when Strayhorn died, as he seemed like an honestly decent guy. I'm curious about whether he'll ever show up again in some form (as some of the dead characters have done) and what will come of the implication that he wasn't Franks's only descendant.
One thing I thought was of note is how much the author's Mormon beliefs influenced the mythology of this one.By which I mean the idea that humans are basically incarnated angels. But don't quote me on that. I had to check the internet to confirm that the concept was a Mormon belief. Being that this is fantasy, it's something that I don't think should bother any non-Mormons, but Mormon readers might find it particularly interesting.
One thing that was interesting about this book was how it made me sort of like complete jackasses like Myers and Grant Jefferson, so it really shows some nice complexity of character there.
One thing I thought was of note is how much the author's Mormon beliefs influenced the mythology of this one.
In Monster Hunter Nemesis, the fifth book in his history of the clandestine war waged against monsters in the world -- they're all real, by the way -- Larry Correia turns his attention to Agent Franks of the Monster Control Bureau. We've only seen Franks so far from the viewpoint of others, primarily the freelance fighters of Monster Hunter International. Being as Franks is a federal agent and MHI sees the feds as more hindrance than help, that hasn't been a particularly kindly perspective.
Franks himself doesn't get any kindlier when he's the center of his own book. He lives by the code that people who say violence solves nothing simply haven't been violent enough. But now he's been framed for a deadly attack on MCB headquarters and shadowy government forces have reminded everyone involved that even though he hunts monsters, Franks is a monster himself, who needs taking down by any means necessary. Since Franks knows what's behind the frame-up and the conspiracy, that's going to be easier said than done.
Nemesis is the second book of the series to go outside our main viewpoint character, new and extremely talented MHI recruit Owen Pitt, and it's a good choice on Correia's part. The Monster Hunter books are fun and often funny mind candy, but the three books so far focusing on Pitt's story have been slices of the same pie and breaking them up is a series-saving move. Seeing Owen and company follow the same exact path they've already walked loses excitement quickly. Although the plot is still more or less the same -- small-scale brawl, conflict set-up, larger brawl, full-out battle -- using someone new gives a peek at a few different corners of the Monster Hunter universe. It also allows Correia to vary his fight scenes some, although they are what he does best and he sticks with his strengths whenever possible.
The series has also featured a slow build to a major monstrous crisis, and while Nemesis features the main MHI cast only as walk-ons, it builds into that as well. Correia has nowhere claimed that his Monster Hunter series is anything but a good-time smash and shoot romp, and he delivers exactly that in Nemesis, with enough extra flavor to keep a reader along for the next stop.
Original available here.
Franks himself doesn't get any kindlier when he's the center of his own book. He lives by the code that people who say violence solves nothing simply haven't been violent enough. But now he's been framed for a deadly attack on MCB headquarters and shadowy government forces have reminded everyone involved that even though he hunts monsters, Franks is a monster himself, who needs taking down by any means necessary. Since Franks knows what's behind the frame-up and the conspiracy, that's going to be easier said than done.
Nemesis is the second book of the series to go outside our main viewpoint character, new and extremely talented MHI recruit Owen Pitt, and it's a good choice on Correia's part. The Monster Hunter books are fun and often funny mind candy, but the three books so far focusing on Pitt's story have been slices of the same pie and breaking them up is a series-saving move. Seeing Owen and company follow the same exact path they've already walked loses excitement quickly. Although the plot is still more or less the same -- small-scale brawl, conflict set-up, larger brawl, full-out battle -- using someone new gives a peek at a few different corners of the Monster Hunter universe. It also allows Correia to vary his fight scenes some, although they are what he does best and he sticks with his strengths whenever possible.
The series has also featured a slow build to a major monstrous crisis, and while Nemesis features the main MHI cast only as walk-ons, it builds into that as well. Correia has nowhere claimed that his Monster Hunter series is anything but a good-time smash and shoot romp, and he delivers exactly that in Nemesis, with enough extra flavor to keep a reader along for the next stop.
Original available here.
If you've been reading this series at all, you know Agent Franks. Make that, you think you know him, because what you know isn't the whole story. After Franks apparently goes nuts and shoots up the Monster Control Bureau, he gets a chance to tell his side of the story. The usual level of crazy action is here along with a bit of humor (less than the earlier books, because, hey, it's Franks, he doesn't have a sense of humor), a lot of nifty hardware gets deployed and stuff gets blowed up real good. A fun ride.