Book Review - Hard Magic

Hard Magic is what happens if Raymond Chandler wrote the X-Men.  If you find that idea appeasing, then you will be right at home diving into Larry Correia's magic crime noir.

 Hmm...tell me more about these X-Men, while I pretend to smoke this pipe.

STORY:

Tough guy, Jake Sullivan, who also happens to be a Gravity Spiker/Heavy, hopes to one day be a free man from a crime he committed years ago.  The FBI recruits him to help wrangle other Actives (people who possess special powers) until his debt is paid.  Soon thereafter he becomes wrapped up in a plot so sinister and complicated that even he doesn't know what's happening until the end.  Crazy super-power fights ensue.

THOUGHTS:

The title "Hard Magic" might throw you off a little.  The story doesn't revolve around witches and warlocks, or silly spells with wands. (Yes, I’m looking at you, Harry Twatter)  This story is based in the Hoover days of the FBI, and there are people running around everywhere that have one special gift or more appropriately, a special power.

"Did someone say my name?"  Nope, beat it loser. 

Think X-Men in the 1920's-1930’s, minus color and the tight spandex outfits.  You have people that can reverse gravity, making things lighter or heavier (our protagonist); people like Nightcrawler, who can vanish and reappear anywhere; Brutes, who will rip your head from your body like you were a doll; healers (no explanation needed); psychics, and a whole slew of other powers ranging from luck, to being able to give people disease.  Oh, and there's Steampunk too.  It comes in the form of massive Airships, where several battles take place.

"What the hell happened to our color?"  Shut up and just go with it. 

Larry Correia creates an alternate history where these Actives run around freely.  (There are introductory paragraphs before each chapter that give you a tiny smidgen of Correia’s alternate history. Unnecessary, but an awesome addition to the novel) Some Actives are employed by the government, and there are others who'd rather become criminals.  Adolf Hitler and his silly Nazis didn't happen, and the biggest threat to the United States is Japan.  And that's where Jake Sullivan comes in.  You see, the story unfolds through his eyes and the eyes of a sweet southern girl named Faye, who's a Traveler (think Nightcrawler).  Their paths cross and the story takes off.

"Does this cigarette make me look too smug?"  Never mind that--did I leave the stove on?

Other reviews stated the protagonist from this novel is similar to the protagonist in "Monster Hunter International."  (If you haven't tried that series yet, I highly recommend it and our review can be read right here.)  Besides being big and tough, the two main characters from each of Correia's series couldn't be more different.  Okay, maybe they do both carry big guns...but now you're just being nitpicky.

Coming off of a novel like MHI, which throws action, humor, monsters, and explosions at you almost every other page, it was jarring for me to jump into "Hard Magic" since I was expecting a story along the same lines.  MHI stayed pretty consistent, having the main character walk you through the plot most of the time.  "Hard Magic" jumped from one character to the next, with Jake and Faye having the larger portion of the story, but only through a slight margin.  And if there was one gripe about the novel I had, it would be the continuous rotating POV.

"I'd like to thank the acade...Hey, who keeps rotating me?!"

The story is quite multi-layered, so switching to another character every chapter seemed the only logical way of writing the book without being confusing.  But just as I started to like Jake Sullivan and find him amusing, another 2nd rate character would be introduced and I'd lose the connection.  I find switching POV's to be refreshing after several chapters following the main protagonist, but when it's every chapter, I tend to miss the main protagonist and skim paragraphs until I get back to him/her.

Alright, I'm confused. These shots have no correlation, whatsoever.

Does this make "Hard Magic" a bad novel?  Absolutely not.  If you don't mind being thrown around like that, then you will have no problem with the story. 

The action sequences are where Correia shines the most.  Having a room full of people with extraordinary powers doing extraordinary things to each other becomes a whole lot of fun.  You're never lost as Correia eases you into the different Actives, making you learn the world little by little.  Visualizing a female Brute charging at someone, only to have gravity change on them and they start to fall away from the earth, is stuff of genius.  And each fight scene capitalizes on the powers being used to the fullest.  There aren't any lame battles with just people smashing each other through walls—yes, that happens—but there is always refreshing ideas springing up.

"Sir, I just can't understand you." Mah noseth, mah noseth dammith! 

The noir part of the story is really just the setting.  Your typical crime noir usually had a detective looking into a small crime, which at times could spiral out of control, but mainly focused on just a few people.  This story starts small and works its way to Armageddon status fairly quickly.  But the novel is fantasy, so saving the world comes along with the package.  You also won't find any women looking for men to help them here, as most of the girls in this story would rather kill you first, and then say "yes" to marriage. 

Whoa...easy lady, you're showing way too much leg.

"Monster Hunter International" received a perfect score.  And since it's from the same author, comparing the two books is necessary.  If you like the action-packed, gun-slinging accountant, Owen from MHI, then you might be slightly disappointed here.  Jake is a good character, but you won’t get to dive deep enough to make him great.  Still, "Hard Magic" is a refreshing book with a wonderful story, and if you're hard-up for super powers with a side of crime noir/steampunk, then the book is a no-brainer.

3.75 out of 5 stars (Couldn’t give it a 3.5, but it wasn’t worthy of a 4—minus 1.25 stars for all the jumping around)