Rule 32: Enjoy the little things in life.

Quick question for you, what would you do if you were in the following scenario: Necromancers are raining down chaos and destruction and other generally bad things down upon Chicago, there’s hordes of zombies filling the streets, the good guys are on the verge of defeat, and there’s a good chance one of the previously mentioned necromancers is liable to attain dark god-hood before the night’s up. Personally, I’d probably scream like a little girl and run away flailing my hands in the air like a twilight fan at a midnight showing. But then again, I’m not Harry Dresden. Though I wish I was.

Harry Dresden

This is the exact scenario Harry Dresden, hero of the Dresden Files find himself in in Book 7, Dead Beat. Necromancers on the rise, hordes of zombies, chances of survival slimming. No problem. Harry finds himself needing to cross Chicago to rendezvous with his allies, but there are hordes of zombies between him and them. Inside of Chicago’s Field Museum, he looks for something he can use, anything that can aid him in the fight at hand. He looks around for a bit, then he sees it. Specifically, he  sees this:

For those of you who don’t recognize this fine piece of ancient history, her name is Sue. She’s the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date. And those are her actual bones, not replicas. She’s on display prominently in the Field Museum. With more than a bit of magic, Harry brings her back to life. Now, something important to note: in Dresden’s world, when bringing things back to life, the older the better. Why, you ask? Because the older something is, the more magic you can put into it, consequently making it more powerful. Now, note that Sue is approximately 65 million years old. Yeah, this is gonna be awesome.

So Harry brings Sue back to life. What happens next is exactly what you think. Angry, magic-filled, ancient, ginormous, T-Rex VS a few paltry zombies. Yes. Zombicide ensues. And it is awesome and glorious. Sheer carnage. One of the most awesome things I’ve read recently.

This is why you should read The Dresden Files.

So in my hometown of Valparaiso, there aren’t that many great place to kill time. Unfortunately, given the spotting schedule of a piano teacher, it’s not uncommon for me to have an hour or so to kill. Usually it comes down to either loitering at Best Buy or Barnes and Nobles. I’m not a coffee drinker, so Starbucks is out. Gamestop’s fun, but I’m there enough already. So it’s either BB or B&N. The latter has free wi-fi, so it usually wins. One thing about killing time at stores is that sometimes you end up buying stuff anyways. Another reason Barnes is better than Best Buy. Easier to justify a $15 book than a $125+ piece of electronics. One of those random purchases was Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia, and boy was I glad I did.

Monster Hunter International is the story of Owen Zastava Pitt, our hero for the story. An accountant, one night while working late he gets cornered by his extremely annoying boss. Turns out there’s no love lost, as the boss reveals he was recently turned into a werewolf and intends to make Owen his dinner for the night. A battle ensues, and thanks to Owen being a gun nut (a huge gun nut, I must say. Takes after the author), he actually holds his own and wins. Very nearly dies, but is ultimately victorious over his lycan boss. This garners the attention of MHI, an international corporation whose sole purpose is to kill the things that go bump in the night. Before long, Owen is swept up in a series of events that could mean the end of the world. Not bad for a rookie hunter.

When writing fantasy fiction,  it can be hard to avoid cliches. I am happy to report that MHI avoids most cliches and actually mocks more than a few by turning them on their heads. MHI is very much its own story. It’s quite epic, very entertaining and definitely a page turner.

Owen Pitt makes for great hero/narrator. He’s a total badass, yes, but he’s also pretty believable. You can see where he’s coming from and his past makes sense. He’s also far from perfect. Other characters call him ’slow’, and occasionally ‘dimwitted’, and it’s hilarious to watch him clam up around Julie, the female lead and Owen’s love interest. But most of all,  it’s great to watch him transform from someone ordinary to a true hero, the kind that makes choices with life and death consequences, not just for himself, but the rest of the Hunters, and perhaps the world.

The rest of the cast is also excellent, Correia really did a great job with characters. Julie Shackleford, one of the lead Hunters, is the beautiful, gun-toting badass woman that we’d love to date but we know we never have a chance. Milo Anderson is the very Irish quartermaster who’s perhaps the only one more gun crazy than Owen.  Earl Harbinger, a Hunter commander, is pure badass. As in instead of blood and muscle, he’s comprised of badassedness. The other recruits on Owen’s squad, Trip, Holly and Lee are all very unique and interesting. A truly remarkable cast. Easily the highlight of the book.

One thing that occurred to me as I was flipping through MHI the other day after I had finished Book 4 of the Dresden Files, that like Jim Butcher, Correia isn’t afraid to put his characters in extremely dire circumstances and expect them to figure how to get out. A few times in Dresden File #4, despite knowing it’s not the last book, you genuinely think that Harry and his companions might actually die. The same thing happens in MHI. Owen, Julie and the rest of the hunters are put in extremely precarious positions and have to survive using all their wits, resources, and yes, guns.

Monster Hunter International is a fantastic read with great characters, an epic story and great gunplay and action sequences. Do yourself a favor and pick it up. I wish all the random purchases I made during my loitering were as good as MHI.

theindiegeek on: Heat Wave by Richard Castle

I recently had the pleasure of reading Mr. Castle’s new book, entitled Heat Wave.  And I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Good to know that old Rick Castle hasn’t lost it.  Heat Wave is a very nice read.  Fast paced, flows very well,  just enough plot twists to have your head spinning and very likable characters;  it’s well worth reading, and perhaps then reading again.

I have to be honest, after offing Derrik Storm, I wondered if Castle’s future books could reclaim that sense of awe and trill that made him the Master of the Macabre.  But have no fear, my friends.  Nikki Heat’s just as thrilling as Derrik.  Different, perhaps, but still excellent.  She’s the kind of cop you want on your side, and really not the other way around.  Dangerous, smart, gorgeous, and relentless, she is a hound that sticks with the case until it’s solved.

Now I know that we all know that Castle’s been following (or is pestering perhaps the right word…) one of NYPD’s finest detectives.  Personally, I’m not sure what to think about having a writer on hand at crime scenes, mucking things up, but if this it what comes out of it, and as long as the bad guys still get behind bars, I’m all for it.  Still you have to admit it’s a bit odd.

One thing that’s always made me wonder about Mr. Castle, and that’s his uncanny resemblancethat one actor guy.  Y’know, the one in Firefly.  No, not Alan Tudyk.  Not Adam Baldwin.  Yes, Nathan Fillion. That’s him.  Always thought the similarities in appearance was a bit eerie.  Someday I’ll have to ask either of them about it.

But back to the book.  Please buy it, borrow it, steal it, whatever you have to do, just read it.  It’s well worth the time.