Monster Hunter Nemesis

Special Agent Franks of the top secret Monster Control Bureau has been killing supernatural threats on behalf of the US government for hundreds of years. Hes a legend, and hes literature. Hes also an unstoppable killing machine. Hes kept his side of the bargain, so long as the government kept theirs: never to make anther being like Franks.

But now hes learned that another top secret government organization is making an army of living dead to serve as super-soldiers. Someone has decided Franks is obsolete and must be disposed of.

Franks disagrees, but when hes framed for murder and terrorism he finds himself the target of government and private monster hunters.

Its Franks vs. the whole Monster Hunter universe. And it is glorious. One fight to the death after another in a running battle of set pieces. Throw-down after throw-down after throw-down!

Im not the biggest fan of Correias MHI books, preferring his other series, but he excels at writing hardened, killers who kill bad things and Franks is the ur-example.

Book 5 of the the series

I just recently purchased this book (and the rest of the series) for a re-read of the first 4 books before moving on to the new ones I had not read. It has been several years since they came out and I read them the first time. The story holds up even on a re-read. Sure I know whats coming, somewhat, as it has been about 5 years since the first read. But even so, the story and characters are compelling and as the series progresses Larry Correia becomes more polished as a writer.

This is another great book in the MHI series. Larry has a great way of taking a story to in new and interesting directions to keep it from becoming stale, repetitive, or bogged down in fluff.

This book focused on one of the characters from the first four books, MCB Agent Franks. The story does include the other main characters but is a Franks driven book. As with MH: Alpha, this book allows Larry to build and explore the history and life of one of the more interesting support characters in the first 4 books. There is plenty of the action and excitement from the previous installments and the over arcing story continues to build. In addition, Larry manages to through in some interesting twists and turns.

So, this book is the beginning of a trend that I hope keeps going. Main team novel, character novel, main team novel, character novel, etc.
This is about Franks, his contract with the government, Nemesis project, Stricken, misuse of monsters trying to earn PUFF exemption, etc.
It is an action book from a 3rd person mostly POV, I think because Franks POV would be amusing for a while but lose steam reading things like, he kept talking, it annoyed me, I facepunched him. Bastard shot me, shot him in the head, need first aide, require food. So this is a bit more of a narration, and this gets way into some of the government stuff we have seen hints of as we go but goes over the top like most of Larry’s books. This is a slugfest, frankly far moreso than than the other books, and you get a showdown that a LOT of people have been looking forward to since book 1, guess who Franks gets a fight with?
Fun book, made Franks an even more enjoyable character, and sets the stage for some things to come.

5/5

I was sorely tempted to title my review of Larry Correia’s “Monster Hunter Nemesis” thusly:

“Oh s***, it’s Franks! Run!”

Such was the dismayed reaction of a demon who – briefly, futilely and very, very unwisely – attempted to fight off the enigmatic, badass killing machine otherwise known as Agent Franks of the federal Monster Control Bureau, in a flashback sequence from “Nemesis'” very first chapter. Not that running is really an option when facing Franks, for in addition to super strength and near indestructibility, Franks is *very* fast…and if you run from Franks you’ll only die tired.

And probably in a lot of pain, because Franks hates it when his enemies run from him. Not that he likes them any better when they stand and fight, mind you.

Not that Franks likes much of anybody, really. Or even cares what anybody thinks of him, for that matter.

Part (literal) Frankenstein, part inhuman Terminator, possessed (again, literally) of Hell’s own fury, totally unconcerned with collateral damage and a virtual law unto himself, Franks is what the feds of the Correiaverse turn to when they’ve tried everything else to deal with supernatural threats, including hiding under the covers and praying it would just go away. Most of them feel that way about Franks himself, with good reason.

And a few of them want to replace Franks with something “better.”

Of course, it all goes horribly wrong.

If you’ve read the prior books in the series, then you already know all this. If you haven’t and “Monster Hunter Nemesis” is your intended introduction to the series, then you really should stop right here and read the first four novels before tackling this one,

“Nemesis” picks up right where the fourth novel, “Monster Hunter Vendetta,” left off (in the ruins of Las Vegas after a particularly horrific monster attack, by a creature straight out of nightmare), and deals with various subplots from the first four novels that here come to fruition. Not least of these are the machinations of the mysterious albino Stricken and his very black-ops, off-the-books “Special Task Force Unicorn” (otherwise known by the appropriate acronym of STFU) and Stricken’s ongoing bureaucratic war with the MCB, Agent Franks and Franks’ boss, Dwayne Myers.

Whereas the MCB’s goal is both defense against supernatural threats and concealing their very existence – because popular belief in the supernatural would only increase the magnitude of such threats, in the Correiaverse – the ruthless Stricken and STFU actively use supernatural beings to attack America’s enemies. As such, they’re in constant conflict with the MCB…and the Vegas attack gives Stricken the opportunity to take MCB down once and for all and make STFU the lead agency in supernatural defense. Among other things, Stricken wants to build new superhuman operatives akin to Agent Franks, using not only the centuries-old alchemy at Franks’ core but the latest in modern technology.

Thing is, when you have a perfectly good body lying around that doesn’t happen to have a soul of its own, you never know what might decide to take up residence in it. And Stricken – stupidly, and in violation of that treaty mentioned in the book jacket copy – has already built thirteen of them…

Also stupidly, as part of his campaign against the MCB, Stricken seeks to remove the original Franks from the equation by framing him for a violent terrorist attack on MCB headquarters. At which point – this would be Chapter Four of the novel – the plot kicks from top gear to overdrive as a outlawed and thus completely unrestrained Agent Franks basically takes on the world to save America from literally (there’s that word again; what did I do with that thesaurus?) ALL THE DEMONS OF HELL.

And some things that are even WORSE than that. Like, Lovecraft worse.

“Monster Hunter Nemesis” is yet another fast-paced, high-octane thrill ride in Correia’s “Monster Hunter” series, with the author’s trademark blend of occasionally gory, high body-count horror, sci-fi/fantasy, gunplay and a deliciously warped sense of humor. There’s little of the politics some claim to find objectionable in Correia’s writing here, unless the lethal sort of “office politics” in the confrontation between Stricken’s STFU and the Monster Control Bureau counts as such.

In this book, however, most of the series’ core protagonists such as Earl Harbinger, Owen and Julie play a supporting role, because this, first and foremost, is the story of Agent Franks. (Although several other subsidiary characters from the series, notably Grant, Archer, and particularly Myers and Heather, figure prominently in “Nemesis” storyline as well.)

In “Nemesis” we get not only the tale of Franks’ origins and motivations, which have only been hinted at up until now; it’s also, in a sense, the story of Franks’ search for humanity…and perhaps, his redemption. It’s also the apocalyptic payoff of several plotlines that have been building from the very first book of the series…and the setup for apocalypses yet to come.

I give “Nemesis” five stars out of five…in a series that hasn’t had a dull book yet.

Best instalment in the series so far, we discover the background to agent franks!, what a hardcase! Known to all sides of the struggle between light and dark, feared by both sides. He takes the the strong silent archetype to new heights. Correa is fearless when it comes to storylines, sparing no one, he pushes his characters thru their paces with no mercy and if they are sacrificed to progress the story then so be it!
Overall a cracking story with plenty of action and an engaging plot, a few visits with series regulars and a great thumping finale!

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member