Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge by Larry Correia and John Ringo
A
fresh new voice enters the MHI Universe with Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge. The book’s introduction discusses
how veteran author John Ringo read and loved Correia’s Monster Hunter International novels, as should everyone with
discerning taste in monster hunting novels. He was inspired by those books to create
stories of his own set in the MHI universe. Correia, already a Ringo fan,
wasn’t about to turn away a writer of that stature playing in his sandbox,
especially since the ideas were so good. Correia spent some time helping shape
the ideas to fit his universe’s history and aesthetic. The resulting book is
smooth as silk between the two writer’s styles.
The
first story in the planned series is Grunge.
And it is spectacular. I’d never read Ringo’s work, but count me in as a major
fan now. Ringo’s hero protagonist is Oliver Chadwick Gardenier, a unique and
dangerous man. The book takes place in the 1980s, as Gardenier’s memoir is
found behind a filing cabinet in the present day and is exposed to the world
for the first time. As the story and Chad’s background slowly but deliciously
unfolds, we meet his hippie/activist mother and his playboy father, and come to
realize Chad’s future will go in a slightly different direction. After being
mortally wounded during his Marine Corps service, Chad is given another chance
by heaven (the circumstances of his heavenly meeting are a hoot) to come back
and make a difference on Earth. This quickly translates to kicking some major
monster ass.
Chad
is a different sort of hero. He is what some Asian cultures would term the
warrior poet. He is extremely well educated, has a talent with languages and
his IQ is off the charts. He is a violin virtuoso and writes music when it pleases
him. But he is also a gun, combat and weapon expert/enthusiast who doesn’t
hesitate to kill evil monsters of all categories.
Grunge
is the story of Chad’s life, his “resurrection” and his time fighting monsters
as part of Monster Hunter International. No one is more dedicated to getting
the job done despite any and all obstacles put in his way. Chad faces off
against zombies, a werewolf, giant spiders, trailer elves and even challenges a
fairie queen to a duel of sorts (my favorite part of the book and not for the
faint of heart). Along the way he indulges his giant libido, makes contact with
many new monster cultures (mostly to crush them like radioactive bugs), and
becomes a born-again Christian. True, he practices his own personal brand of
Christianity, but it’s a safe bet he’s going to heaven when he dies. And I hope
that is not for a long, long time. Chad’s story is funny, irreverent and a
mountain of fun. This book is sure to bring many new readers into the MHI fold.
The
ending of Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge
makes me glad there are more books planned in the series. I could read about
Chad Gardenier’s exploits for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. A
joyous read.
Rating:
***** out of 5 stars
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Taking
place in the near future, Ready Player
One is a true ode to 1980s video games, music, TV and general pop culture.
Being a teenager for the first part of the ‘80s, I can definitely relate. But
the book goes much deeper into the future of gaming and how it might affect
society. Speculation on what our entertainment choices may evolve into is
wrapped around the tightly plotted story of a fantastic and magical online
quest.
When
eccentric billionaire and game developer James Halliday dies from cancer in the
2040s, he leaves behind a video that will change the world. He reveals in the
video that he has left clues in his immersive 3D online world, known as the
OASIS, to a contest that will award the winner his $340 billion fortune. Not to
mention control of his online gaming empire, including the OASIS. Immediately
billions of online users of the OASIS scramble to find any evidence of the
clues. One of those users is Wade Watts, a brilliant but poor teenage
hacker/programmer. Wade uses his online avatar, Parzival, to aggressively go on
the hunt for the first clue. The goal is to find “the Egg,” the final prize
that will lead to Halliday’s billions.
Other
top scorers, whom Wade ends up knowing well, are avatars Art3mis (Artemis),
Aech (pronounced like the letter “H”), and Japanese brothers Diato and Shoto.
Standing directly in their way, and in the way of the entire world, is the
company IOI. IOI management and
employees, collectively known as “the sixers” (for reasons explained in the
novel) are not only after the money, but also control of the OASIS, which has
become the way most of the world learns, lives and is entertained. They want to
monetize the program and make it much more exclusive, an anathema to Wade and
the other players. IOI has the money and resources to control a lot of the
quest and game play online, but they are not all powerful.
Wade
has to compete against IOI as well as other very smart people in his quest for
the Egg. Halliday has based many of the clues on the pop culture he consumed
growing up in the 1980s. Wade and the others immerse themselves in 80s culture,
memorizing Halliday’s every favorite movie, video game, cartoon, song and book,
most of which are mentioned in his public diaries. This information comes in
handy when Wade has to take Matthew Broderick’s part in an online recreation of
the movie War Games, or know the
lyrics to a particular Rush song from the album 2112. The length and breadth of iconic 80s pop culture items
mentioned in this book boggle the mind, and definitely took me on a nostalgic
trip to my teenage years.
The
plot takes some fun twists, especially dealing with the lengths IOI will go to
possess the OASIS, and also with the reveal of the characters behind all the
major avatars. Getting through each challenge—there are three virtual keys to
find and three gates players must navigate to find the Egg—is progressively
harder but endless fun to read. The explosive battle for the final gate
includes every spaceship, giant robot, fantasy and sci-fi weapon and video game
icon created in the 1980s. I’ve read that Steven Spielberg is adapting Ready Player One into a movie. This is
an inspired idea, as it is one of the most visual books I’ve ever read.
However, I’m not sure it will be possible to bring the epic nature of the story
to the screen. Will the filmmakers be able to license media from all the
different genres and cultures mentioned to recreate the book? There are
hundreds of different rock bands, video games, books, anime, TV shows and games
featured, from Dungeons and Dragons to Family
Matters to Joust. I would think it would be prohibitively expensive to have
them all sharing space in one movie. Perhaps they will pull a Roger Rabbit and make it all work.
Ready Player One
is a prose visual tour de force and a feast for all senses. It also takes a
serious look at the shut-in phenomenon and what might happen when people have
the chance to immerse themselves 24 hours a day in a 3D environment much more
exciting and rewarding than real life. Thought-provoking, action packed and
full of surprises with an inspired ending, Ready
Player One delivers the full gaming experience.
Rating:
****½ out of 5 stars
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