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By Duane ThomasFor experienced gun people, most popular fiction

is absolute torture to read due to its lack of technicalaccuracy. Well, what if I told you there was a bookout there, the first of a recently started series, actuallywritten by an avid 3-gun competitor, in which he getsall the gun stuff right? And on top of being a joy toread vis-à-vis its accuracy regarding firearms, it’s aGOOD book, a rip-roaring,guns-blazing, fast-paced,monsters-attacking, hardcorehorror novel.

The book is MonsterHunter International, thewriter is Larry Correia. MHIactually started life in 2008as a self-publishing venture.Larry explained during aninterview for The Blue Press,“I only self published after ayear of being rejected byevery agent in the publishingindustry. You have to realizethat most of the publishingindustry is based out of aManhattan, which I’ve beenled to understand is an entirely paved, tiny island,with very few shooting ranges, and anything writtenfrom the perspective of hardcore shooter, militarycontractor type, Southerner tends to be seen bythem as unsellable.” But Larry sold thousands ofcopies of MHI. By the time major publisher BaenBooks became aware ofMHI, as Larry puts it, “thefact that I was already sell-ing the heck out of it cer-tainly helped.”

The main character of MHIis Owen Z. Pitt, an accountantwho, one star-crossed night (orperhaps moon-crossed wouldbe a better term) finds out hisjerk boss is actually a were-wolf. As his homicidal super-visor completes his change, ina situation where most peoplewould be running or wettingthemselves, Owen says, “Youknow that ‘no guns in theworkplace’ policy? I neverliked that policy.” He thenwhips a Smith J-frame .357out of an ankle holster and proceeds to do battle. Sens-ing talent, he is then scouted by Monster Hunter Inter-national, a group of contractors specializing in casesinvolving supernatural menaces.

For all the blood and violence in MHI, it’s alsofrequently quite funny, displaying an antic sense ofhumor. For instance, all the companies/teams withinMHI have their own names, and own team patches.The shoulder patch of Team Harbinger, generally rec-

ognized as being the best team, features a green,horned smiley face.

One of the most common questions leveled at fic-tion writers is, “Where did you get that idea?” Mostwriters can’t answer that. Larry Correia can whereMHI is concerned: “One of my favorite things is B-grade monster movies. The cheesier the better. But ifyou’ve watched very many horror films, you know

that usually the charactersjust scream, run, and geteaten. If you put the averageperson with a CCW into ahorror movie, it would beover in a minutes. I wanted towrite a book for MY people;for the folks who watchedmovies like that and foundthemselves asking, ‘Whydon’t they just get a shotgunand blast the stupid critter?’

“Several years ago, therewas a thread on The FiringLine [an online gun forum]called “Lines I’d Like to Hearin a Horror Movie Someday”where a bunch of gun folks

made up funny quotes for horror movies that didn’tactually exist. A fellow named Dillis Freeman said,‘You know what the difference between me and youreally is? You look out there and see a horde of evil,brain-eating zombies. I look out there and see a tar-get-rich environment.’ That made everything click,

and became the openingquote for Monster HunterInternational.

“Having him be a 3-gunshooter was a logical choice,because I needed a hero whocould really run a gun, andfor anybody who’s shot 3-gun, you know that it’s aninherently dramatic competi-tion. You’ve got movement,you’ve got the complexity ofusing different weapons, andyou have to react quickly. Ithink more authors should tryshooting competition. We’dall get to read much betteraction scenes that way.”

Owen’s favorite weapon isthe shotgun, and he begins at

MHI – which has a somewhat, to put it mildly, “open”weapons policy – running his own 3-gun gear, pri-mary among which is his Remington 870. When thatgun is destroyed by a monster (Owen screams,“Damn it! That was my favorite gun!”), MHI’s residentfirearms genius, Milo (the equivalent of “Q,” JamesBond’s armorer), bestows on Owen – obviously aworthy recipient – something he’s been developingfor awhile, the ultimate shotgun: Abomination.

larry correia, monster hunterlarry correia, monster hunter

Larry fires around a barricade at a match. The rifle is a custom job, mostly Stag Arms parts,with a 10.5” barrel and a permanently attached

Tactical Innovations suppressor to bring it upover the 16” legal limit.

Originally, Monster Hunter International was aself-publishing effort. At left is the original cover.At right is the new cover of MHI from Baen Books– this shot was taken at Borders by a fan immedi-

ately after the book’s new release.

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