He’s been a librarian since 2008, and received his Library Support Staff Certification from the American Library Association in 2014-one of only 100 graduates nationwide and four in Wyoming. Steve received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University, and worked for eight years at newspapers in Maine and Wyoming. His work has won the ACFW Carol Award for Speculative fiction. Steve Rzasa is the author of eleven novels and numerous short stories of science-fiction, fantasy, steampunk, and contemporary fiction. Oh yes, and Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge is a finalist for the 2017 Dragon Award. He’s incredibly flawed by Evangelical and most creedal standards, yet, when it comes down to battling creatures that would make most of us cower, he takes solace in the power of God and the rightness of His assigned mission to defeat evil. What to take away from it? Ringo and Correia have created a character who is, by his own confession, a Christian, a Catholic at that. He does outright state “Jesus is the Savior.” Of course, he then sleeps with the same girl on the very same page, and makes lewd references to his activities. He tells a young woman that, in effect, being good inwardly and being kind to other people is what matters. On the flipside, Chad’s view of the faith is skewed on the I’m A Good Person Spectrum. Christianity is treated with respect throughout the book. Perhaps their origin lies in the Fall of mankind. The impression one gets is that monsters and demonic forces against which Chad fights are part of a corrupted Creation. “The God of Angel Armies is by my side,” I said, calmly. During one discussion, the characters discover a split between Oxford and Cambridge universities over the treatment of monster matters originated because Oxford wanted to “make This world of God’s Creation safe from the Unseen and unholy.” And toward the end of Grunge, Chad makes it clear where he thinks even the most powerful of monsters-a fairy queen-ranks: It’s presented as light versus dark, good versus evil. Throughout the novel, there’s references to the role of Christianity and its adherents in this ongoing struggle. He later interprets this miracle’s purpose was so he could take up a life hunting monsters. I’m especially fond of Pete’s mention of an e-mail, to which Chad replies, “What’s an e-mail?” It’s an offhand joke that buttresses the belief in a timeless, all-knowing God-one who knows e-mail will exist, even though the narrator’s living in 1983.Ĭhad returns to the land of the living. The ensuing conversation is poignant and humorous. “The Boss says they’re just temporary until humans figure out quantum tunneling. “Those things,” the man said with a slightly aggrieved sigh. “Is that … Earth down there?” I asked as something whipped past. Waaaay down there were what looked like clouds. While there’s no pearly gates, Pete is fishing off an ethereal dock: When he awakens, he’s in the presence of a man named Pete. What’s most intriguing, though, is the authors present Chad as being on a mission from God-literally.Ĭhad’s a young Marine who “dies” in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. Plus, Chad is an unrepentant womanizer, so he’s not a role-model for Christian readers. Profanity abounds, so much so this would be an R-rated movie even if it was completely bloodless, which it’s not, because there’s lots of monster killings. It’s definitely not Christian fiction in the sense that most are used to. Correia co-wrote it with John Ringo, and I haven’t read enough of their stuff to tell them apart, though several reviewers have noted it’s mostly Ringo based on comparisons to earlier Monster Hunter books. Grunge started a new set that dives back into the 1980s, ostensibly through the journals of one Oliver Chadwick Gardenier. I bought Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge and he was kind enough to sign it. I was privileged to volunteer at Salt Lake City Comic Con a year ago, among dozens of authors including Larry Correia at the WordFire Press book booth. The idea normal people could face hordes of hideous beasts and triumph through their strength (and copious amounts of weaponry) fires our imaginations. These monsters aren’t defeated by supernatural means or by prayer. The appeal to readers, especially men, is obvious. Lots of guns,” and you’ve got action-packed stories of heroes triumphing over evil. Throw in all manner of beasts and-to quote Neo from The Matrix-“Guns. government maintains a secret fund from which it pays bounties to private contractors in exchange for their elimination of monster threats. He hooks you from the first scene, and the blood-and-guts-soaked adventure does not let up. Larry Correia started a blockbuster series with the debut of Monster Hunters International.
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