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What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finished?


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Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

 

I finished "Monster Hunter International" by Larry Correia several days ago.

 

This book started off great...tons of action combined with an "easy to read" writing style. I was happily flipping the pages until Mr. Correia committed an unpardonable sin...not once, but TWICE!

 

****SPOILER****

At one point, every main character died INCLUDING OWEN PITT the protagonist! But wait...he didn't really die! His spirit talked to the ancient artifact and told it to roll time back 5 minutes. POOF!!! Everyone is alive again and the monsters who slew them have magically disappeared. Deus FREAKING Ex Machina anyone?

 

If that was not bad enough, just when our hero is beaten to a pulp, blinded in one eye, and about to die, something similar happens at the very end of the book. Mr. D. E. Machina spoils my reading enjoyment for the second time in one book. Yikes.

 

****END OF SPOILER****

Mr. Correia obviously has the chops to be a competent writer and storyteller, but he needs to stop writing himself into corners. Monster Hunter International could have received 4 stars from me. Each time he triggered the D. E. M, it cost him a star in my rating. I have already (stupidly) purchased the second book in this series, but I will not be reading it. I prefer to spend my precious reading time on books written by authors that do not cheapen the experience in such an unsavory fashion.

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Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

 

I finished "Monster Hunter International" by Larry Correia several days ago.

 

This book started off great...tons of action combined with an "easy to read" writing style. I was happily flipping the pages until Mr. Correia committed an unpardonable sin...not once, but TWICE!

 

****SPOILER****

At one point, every main character died INCLUDING OWEN PITT the protagonist! But wait...he didn't really die! His spirit talked to the ancient artifact and told it to roll time back 5 minutes. POOF!!! Everyone is alive again and the monsters who slew them have magically disappeared. Deus FREAKING Ex Machina anyone?

 

If that was not bad enough, just when our hero is beaten to a pulp, blinded in one eye, and about to die, something similar happens at the very end of the book. Mr. D. E. Machina spoils my reading enjoyment for the second time in one book. Yikes.

 

****END OF SPOILER****

Mr. Correia obviously has the chops to be a competent writer and storyteller, but he needs to stop writing himself into corners. Monster Hunter International could have received 4 stars from me. Each time he triggered the D. E. M, it cost him a star in my rating. I have already (stupidly) purchased the second book in this series, but I will not be reading it. I prefer to spend my precious reading time on books written by authors that do not cheapen the experience in such an unsavory fashion.

 

All of this was foreshadowed. I thought it was obvious that Pitt could control time since it shows up before those two events, and is the reason the guy in the armor wants him dead. The 5 minute event starts breaking down the masqurade for the rest of the world.

CES

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Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

 

Deadly Stakes, by J.A. Jance.

 

Spunky amateur detective is asked to investigate the murder of a guy's ex-wife because the cops like the guy and his new fiancee for it and their investigation consists of questioning the two of them until one of them decides to rat out the other, or be martyr. Either way's good with them. Mostly runs on the personality of the heroine so it's a good thing she's likable.

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Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

 

I finished "Monster Hunter International" by Larry Correia several days ago.

 

This book started off great...tons of action combined with an "easy to read" writing style. I was happily flipping the pages until Mr. Correia committed an unpardonable sin...not once, but TWICE!

 

****SPOILER****

At one point, every main character died INCLUDING OWEN PITT the protagonist! But wait...he didn't really die! His spirit talked to the ancient artifact and told it to roll time back 5 minutes. POOF!!! Everyone is alive again and the monsters who slew them have magically disappeared. Deus FREAKING Ex Machina anyone?

 

If that was not bad enough, just when our hero is beaten to a pulp, blinded in one eye, and about to die, something similar happens at the very end of the book. Mr. D. E. Machina spoils my reading enjoyment for the second time in one book. Yikes.

 

****END OF SPOILER****

Mr. Correia obviously has the chops to be a competent writer and storyteller, but he needs to stop writing himself into corners. Monster Hunter International could have received 4 stars from me. Each time he triggered the D. E. M, it cost him a star in my rating. I have already (stupidly) purchased the second book in this series, but I will not be reading it. I prefer to spend my precious reading time on books written by authors that do not cheapen the experience in such an unsavory fashion.

 

All of this was foreshadowed. I thought it was obvious that Pitt could control time since it shows up before those two events, and is the reason the guy in the armor wants him dead. The 5 minute event starts breaking down the masqurade for the rest of the world.

CES

I loved the MHI books, all of them, more than the Grimnoir books which are arguably better written. I shared the first book with all my friends, and none of them liked them like I did, so there's that. They are all eager to play in a game using the licensed Hero System books for it though as long as I run it. ;)
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The Watchman by Robert Crais.

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this book; it features characters in a series, but I don't think it's necessary to read the previous books to enjoy this one. It's sort of a PI book, and sort of a soldier of fortune book. I loved it for the characters.

 

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"Some Kind of Peace" by Camilla Grebe & Asa Traff.

 

Scandinavian thriller written by sisters. Swedish psychologist Siri Bergman is dealing with losing a pregnancy, the drowning of her husband and her crippling nyctophobia. So she doesn't quite put together some creepy events until one of her patients turns up in her backyard an apparent suicide. Much of the plot is driven by Siri refusing to take basic safety precautions due to her issues. A nice try at justifying slasher movie victim behavior, but still not endearing her to me.

 

Full review will appear at my blog, http://www.skjam.com

 

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"Some Kind of Peace" by Camilla Grebe & Asa Traff.

 

Scandinavian thriller written by sisters. Swedish psychologist Siri Bergman is dealing with losing a pregnancy, the drowning of her husband and her crippling nyctophobia. So she doesn't quite put together some creepy events until one of her patients turns up in her backyard an apparent suicide. Much of the plot is driven by Siri refusing to take basic safety precautions due to her issues. A nice try at justifying slasher movie victim behavior, but still not endearing her to me.

 

Full review will appear at my blog, http://www.skjam.com

I'm now giving this book away, check it out at http://www.skjam.com
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"Payback" has been a favorite movie since I saw it, and I recently saw "Parker" so I finally decided to read the books. Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark. 20 + books, and I have finished 5 at this point - all from the mid 60s.. Great examples of genre fiction of the era (i.e. lots of mysogony) but very well written, and a nice turn of phrase

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"Odd Apocalypse" by Dean Koontz. Great series, and the author is pretty good at writing good, page-turner stand alones that don't depend on you reading all the books that came before. Sort of Stephen King-ish thriller material but less concerned with scaring you and more concerned with entertaining you with lovely prose expressing the main character's unique, quirk point of view and internal monologue.

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The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen

 

Spunky girl detective investigates a plot against Harry Houdini even as she deals with her cop boyfriend's demands that she give up her private detective work before they marry. The plot she uncovers is a bit silly.

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