I got halfway through War of the Twins and then received a belated birthday gift. Or rather received a book that I had pre-ordered for my birthday. Larry Corriea is a genius when it comes to action, adventure, and the supernatural. His Monster Hunter series are my guilty pleasure books - a para-military organization that hunts supernatural monsters. They are the bloodiest, most profanity laced books I've ever read (which isn't saying a whole lot) and they are a total thrill ride to read. His Grimnoir Chronicles are an alternate history urban fantasy and, to me anyway, are even better than the action and excitement of Monster Hunter. The first two books in the trilogy are Hard Magic and Spellbound. The latest and last book is Warbound. Set in 1933 the world is very different. In 1850 people all over the planet started to display "magical" powers. As a result of super-science, magical abilities, and just plain old change the world is very different. The book was not a dissapointment and now holds my personal best for finishing a Corriea book, 24 hours from first page to the end. That's not 24 hours of reading, just totals hours between when I started and finished. My previous record was 28 hours. Edit: A year after this was first posted, I bought the Audible version. It is narrated by Bronson Pinchot who does an incredible job and is just over 17 hours.
Plot: In the first two books Jake Sullivan (a gravity spiker - someone who can increase or decrease the pull of gravity) has learned that the entity that gave people powers is a creature that has been pursued across the universe by a predator which feeds on the worlds "the Power" comes to reside in. He has recruit the help of some South Pacific pirates with an ax to grind against, fellow knights of the Grimnoir Society (a secret organization that uses magic to protect others), and a handful of outcasts including the most brilliant mind on the planet, a sociopath of a psychiatrist, and a dishonored samuri who has promised to kill him went they're done saving the world. They aren't sure where to look, but as they gain information the truth is far worse than they expected. At the same time, Faye, a traveler (person who can teleport) has learned that she may be the single most powerful person on the planet and that she may be destined to destroy it. As Jake and his motley crew look for predator Faye has to look for her own answers and what they both find out could either mean the end of the world or the power to save it.
My personal favorites: Corriea does not fail to excite and Warbound is no exception. Our heroes have new toys, new foes, and a iron hard resolve. The twists were exciting and many were unexpected but blended in well. The characters of Toru, Jake, and Faye were built upon even more. The side characters of Lance, Heimrick, and Lady Origami were well done too. The end battle was very well done with suspense, action, drama, and butt-kicking coolness. I also enjoyed the resolution and epilogue. I would love to read more in this world, but am very happy with the conclusion of this story. I think my favorite aspect to these books is how Corriea treats magic, how his characters figure things out, and how they use the new discoveries to do even cooler things. As always, the book had me at the edge of my seat for the whole ride.
Considerations: Like I mentioned earlier, Corriea is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. Even though his other series has more profanity and gore the Grimnoir is not without it's share. I can say that the profanity was less than Red Storm Rising and the descriptions of gore are never gratuitously done. But I mention it because it's there. There is also what may be called brief sensuality, consisting of one scene with no graphic descriptions.
I recommend this trilogy to anyone looking to try Corriea's work. The books are well written, engaging, and just fun to read. He sets up the world nicely and presents some really wonderful alternate history views. If you know your history you'll get a kick out of the ways that Corriea has flipped it around to fit his needs, but still left it intact to provide a really cool comparison. The total lenge was 417 pages.
My personal favorites: Corriea does not fail to excite and Warbound is no exception. Our heroes have new toys, new foes, and a iron hard resolve. The twists were exciting and many were unexpected but blended in well. The characters of Toru, Jake, and Faye were built upon even more. The side characters of Lance, Heimrick, and Lady Origami were well done too. The end battle was very well done with suspense, action, drama, and butt-kicking coolness. I also enjoyed the resolution and epilogue. I would love to read more in this world, but am very happy with the conclusion of this story. I think my favorite aspect to these books is how Corriea treats magic, how his characters figure things out, and how they use the new discoveries to do even cooler things. As always, the book had me at the edge of my seat for the whole ride.
Considerations: Like I mentioned earlier, Corriea is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. Even though his other series has more profanity and gore the Grimnoir is not without it's share. I can say that the profanity was less than Red Storm Rising and the descriptions of gore are never gratuitously done. But I mention it because it's there. There is also what may be called brief sensuality, consisting of one scene with no graphic descriptions.
I recommend this trilogy to anyone looking to try Corriea's work. The books are well written, engaging, and just fun to read. He sets up the world nicely and presents some really wonderful alternate history views. If you know your history you'll get a kick out of the ways that Corriea has flipped it around to fit his needs, but still left it intact to provide a really cool comparison. The total lenge was 417 pages.
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