Hard Magic is the first of series of books called the Grimnoir Chronicles written by Larry Correia. A former gun store owner and three- gun competitor, Mr. Correia knows his guns and he knows action. Set in an alternate Earth universe, this series takes place during the 1930’s. This Earth is not that much different than ours, if fact a lot of the same names pop up, Teddy Roosevelt, J. Edgar Hoover, Melvin Purvis, John Moses Browning, Blackjack Pershing, even Raymond Chandler. The primary difference between our Earth and the Grimnoir one can be summed up in one word: Magic. But not the Harry Potter kind. In fact, it is more like the superpower kind. On this Earth, people first began exhibiting extraordinary abilities in the 1850s. Lacking an explanation for these new found powers, the general public began referring to their abilities as magic. Most “Actives” as they call them, have only one type of power, but rare individuals can exhibit more than one. There are many different varieties of magical abilities, some Actives can control fire, others lightening, some can control the weather, others are super strong (Brute), some can become immaterial, others teleport, some heal injuries or illness, while others can cause someone to become sick (Pale Horse), and some can even raise the dead. The main protagonist and narrator of the story is Jake Sullivan, a WWI veteran (First Volunteer Brigade, Active) currently out of prison on special parole under the supervision of Hoover’s Bureau of Investigation. Jake is a Gravity Spiker, or a “Heavy” in every day jargon. He was sentenced to prison for killing a corrupt southern sheriff in a spectacular way for a good reason. His parole from prison is conditional, as he is required to assist the Bureau of Investigation in capturing five magical criminals before he is truly a free man. Most “Heavies” are used for manual labor as their power allows them to make heavy things light and easy to move. While in prison, Jake honed his ability to where he can not only manipulate the laws of gravity and change his own mass and density. He can make you fall both “up” or down, and make a fully loaded 28 pound .30-06 Lewis gun feel like a featherweight 20 gauge. When he isn’t working with the BI, Jake ekes out a living on his own as a Private Investigator. Right off the bat you are thrust into action as Jake and the BI are tasked with capturing one of his former girl-friends who just happens to be a Brute. While in the process of apprehending her, he is thrust into an all- out battle between two unknown groups of Actives. After some magical powered hand to hand combat, temporarily dying and eventually coming back, Jake learns that there are two factions vying for the parts of a magical planet destroying super-weapon designed by the late Nikolas Tesla. On the evil side is the Chairman of the Japanese Imperium, arguably the most powerful Active on the planet. The good guys are the Knights of Grimnoir, an international band of Actives fighting the good fight. This is an oversimplification of the book but will give you a general idea: think Spenser for Hire gets a superpower, joins the Justice Society of America/X-Men/League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to fight Fu Manchu/Yellow Claw/Dr. Zin to save the world. There is plenty of pulpy goodness here for everyone, with odes to Phillip Marlowe, Frank “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” Buck, Mad Scientists, Death Rays, Demons, Zombies, G–Men, Samurai, Ninjas, Dirigibles, and………….SkyPirates! Gun wise, there is what you would expect from a story set in 1930’s with some extra added bonuses. Thirty-eight Special revolvers, an Iver Johnson top-break, 1911’s, Thompson SubMachine Guns, big ol’ N frame Smith and Wessons, Lugers, various shotguns including break open single shots, sawn off double barrels, and at least one Browning A-5, a very special BAR, and since this is an alternate universe, a Schofield/LeMat break open revolver that shoots .50 caliber Russian rounds out of full moon clips WITH a 12 gauge shotgun barrel. In addition to the other two Grimnoir Novels, Spellbound and WarBound, Jake Sullivan also appears in two standalone short stories, Detroit Christmas and Murder on the Orient Elite in an anthology collection by Mr. Correia entitled Target Rich Environment, Volume 1. To quote Jake describing himself, “He was built like a bull, had the face of an anvil, and wasn’t particularly well-spoken, but that was no excuse not to present well.” The world building is imaginative, the action brisk, and the gun references all correct. And while I desperately wanted to see how Hard Magic ended, I was sad when it over. I wanted it to go on. I really can’t give a better reference than that. Jeff Watkins November 2024
