NIGHTMARE IN THE BIG EASY
With New Orleans out of control, Chad Oliver Gardenier, one of Monster Hunter International’s premier hunters, has been dispatched from Seattle to reinforce the beleaguered members of MHI’S Hoodoo Squad in their fight against the darkness.
Chad had once taken a werewolf while wearing only jogging gear. With half a dozen or more loup garou appearing every full moon, mysterious shadow demons, houdounnecromancers, fifty-foot bipedal crocodiles showing up every couple of months and more vampires than a Goth concert, New Orleans in the ’80s gives a whole new perspective to the term “Hell on Earth.” In fact, more monsters are popping up than crawfish at a fais do do! Chad may be able to collect enormous bounties for the monsters he kills. But there’s one catch: he has to stay alive to do it!
Monster Hunter Memoirs: Sinners by Larry Correia and John Ringo is the second in the Monster Hunter Memoirs trilogy (with John Ringo) and the latest in the Monster Hunter International Series (MHI) by Larry Correia.
I’ll start off by saying that main character is a bit of an asshole. He is a completely over-the-top dirt bag, but that is what makes this book fun.
If this were a role playing game, then Chad “Iron Hand” Gardenier is the character all DM’s want to throw under the bus. He is the roguishly charming cad with all the luck and talent one could ask for. He’s fluent in languages, has girls fawning over him, ALWAYS has the right weapon for the job stored in his vehicle, and almost always walks away with little more than a scratch. On top of all that, he just happens to get the perfect house and a gentleman servant who is as talented as Batman’s Alfred. This is a character you love to hate because he is so far over the top.
Iron Hand, is a fun character. You either love him and continue reading to see him win the day, or you hate him and continue reading to see him suffer.
The book has no A-to-B plot line, this a series of small stories cohesively tied together as they cover Iron Hand’s adventures in New Orleans. This book is over 300 pages of monster fights, with little bits of character building in-between. There is a hint of something else, but it is probably a tie-in to another MHI book.
You do not need to be familiar with the series to read this book and enjoy it. This is fast-paced, mindlessly enjoyable reading.
Monster Hunter Memoirs: Sinners gets 4 stars
Written by: John Ringo, Edited by Larry Correia and based on Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International World
Cover Art by Alan Pollack
Published by Baen Books
How we rate our Books
1 = We finished the book with effort
2 = Readable, but more fluff than substance
3 = Good
4 = Pretty Good and worth passing on to your friends
5 = We couldn’t put the book down
