I had heard quite a bit about Larry Correia and this series prior to reading this first novel, so my expectations were high and this novel delivered. What really strikes me about this novel is the writing style. It is unapologetic in its enthusiasm for guns, fighting supernatural creatures, and testosterone. Although men are the target audience, I think this also can appeal to a wider audience because the story telling and characterization are strong enough to carry it through to all demographics.
The story starts with Owen Pitt throwing his werewolf boss out of a window to his death (something I’m sure many people fantasize about). That leads to him joining Monster Hunter International, a company that specializes in killing things that are otherworldly. The main plotline is a Portuguese conquistador from the 16th century becoming a cursed creature with the sole intent of ripping open the fabric of the universe in order to rule this world, and bring on the apocalypse in the process. Owen is getting visions in his dream linking him to this Cursed One. To complicate matters, the Cursed One has seven master vampires doing his bidding, which apparently is unheard of in this story world.
Although I liked this novel, I thought it was a bit longer than it needed to be. I think some trimming would have benefited the novel. I also thought the fighting scenes were not as good as the non-fighting scenes, although the overall quality of the storytelling in general is quite high. Overall, this was an enjoyable novel that I would recommend.
