It’s been a little over three years since the last book in the main Monster Hunter series was released. Not that Larry Correia has been twiddling his thumbs the whole time, because he hasn’t, but it’s nice to get back to the main series with Monster Hunter Siege.

MHI is still reeling from losing some of their people in the Nightmare Realm. After finding out some of them may still be alive, Owen plans a rescue mission. The mission must involve hundreds on monster hunters from around the globe to even stand a chance of being successful, so differences must be put aside. On top of that, the portal to the Nightmare Realm is located on a remote island off the northern coast of Russia, so politics are involved.

Monster Hunter Siege doesn’t waste any time getting right into the action. All of the regular cast of characters makes an appearance, though some are fairly brief. Everyone seemed more mellow than in previous books, which might have something to do with the events from Legion. This made the pacing of the book feel more laid-back, like sipping lemonade on the porch while watching the sunset.

Even with that feeling, however, lemonade-sipping moments were few and far between here. Correia’s writing has definitely changed since his first book, and that surer hand can be seen in how the book is written. He’s taken things he’s learned along the way and applied them here.

The only complaint I have about Monster Hunter Siege is that the discussions between Earl and Owen at the beginning of the book felt off. It’s as if the characters’ voices were having trouble coming to the forefront in Correia’s mind. To me, the dialog didn’t sound like the characters. It may have been the word choices, or how the sentences were structured. I couldn’t quite place a finger on it.

However, that didn’t last too long. They found their voices quickly enough (or I got used to the way they were written as the book progressed), and I fell back into the rhythm of the story. Learning more about the mythos in this series was a lot of fun. While there is a solid ending to this book, it was definitely building up to something bigger. I’m looking forward to Monster Hunter Guardian when it comes out.

This book was solidly entertaining, and I recommend it to any action adventure fans, especially if you like a touch of horror mixed in. It was written from Owen’s point of view, so it returned to the roots of the series. If you read for entertainment, this is one of the best series out there. Monster Hunter Siege definitely kept me entertained.

Release Date: July 25, 2017 (USA)
ISBNs: 1481482556 (9781481482554)
Publisher: Baen Books
Language: English

MySF Rating: Four point five stars
Family Friendliness: 80%

Content:

Alcohol/Drugs: 1 (brief, social drinking, smoking)
Language: 3 (frequent, mix of stronger and milder, deity)
Sexuality: 1 (brief innuendo)
Violence: 4 (some brutal violence, monster fighting, guns, explosions, battles, death)