This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Saints
Series: Monster Hunter Memoirs #3
Author: John Ringo, Larry Correia
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 288
Format: Digital Edition
| Synopsis: |
Chad blows up at MCB after the experience in New Orleans. This puts him on their Super Shit List and one of the agents starts making things personal. A bad scrying shows Chad is involved with a black magic group kidnapping virgins to raise an Old One. Turns out it is Chad’s brother but that makes Chad involved anyway. Chad takes down his brother and stops the ring. That’s enough proof for the agent AND Agent Franks. Franks beats Chad almost to death and hospitalizes him. Chad then sues MCB and while things are in full swing heads over to England to do some research at the Van Helsing Institute.
There he investigates why some of the occurrences are happening in New Orleans. Turns out, his brother has slightly awakened an Old One’s cocoon. The Agent in charge of MCB in New Orleans has taken MCB being sued by Chad extremely personal so he does nothing when even Earl Harbinger tells him there is a baby Old One about to wake up and eat the world. That means its up to MHI to toe the line again and stand between the Earth and total destruction. MHI wins. Was there any ever doubt? Of course, they get a little help from the Fey and a High Hunt.
The books ends with Earl taking over and describing the events at the Christmas Party where Ray Shackleford IV almost destroys MHI. Turns out it is Earl and Chad who close the Portal to the Old One and Chad gives his life to allow Earl to do so.
| My Thoughts: |
This was a great wrapup to the trilogy. A nascent Old One growing under New Orleans? Man, how much more of a threat can you get than that? Everything leads up to that though, so the story goes from threat to threat to threat.
Everything isn’t directly connected, so things feel a little discombobulated sometimes. The whole thing with his brother ends so quickly that there was no tension and besides it leading into Chad getting the snot beat out of him, was rather anti-climactic.
Chad’s time in England was boring. It didn’t help that the story about the ghost and the super special metal was included in the Monster Hunter Files anthology so I kind of felt cheated. Him teaching was just as boring.
The final battle was EVERYTHING I want out of a Monster Hunter International fight. Guns, bombs, flamethrowers, Holy Water, and so many monsters. So many, many monsters. Ringo and Correia did a fantastic job of making this a pulse pounding fight!
The ending, with Chad’s sacrifice, was how this trilogy needed to end. Chad’s story had a beginning and this was his end. For all his philandering, dickheaded braggodocio and general arrogance, Chad goes out like a hero.
Overall, this was a worthwhile read in the MHI universe, even if a little bit off from Correia’s style.
★★★★☆
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
I loved this spinoff series, and I’m sad there won’t be any more. I suppose it’s possible Ringo could dream up another character in the MHI universe.
I agree that the brother takedown was anticlimactic, and that they shouldn’t have included the short story in the England part. I think almost everyone agrees with you that the rest of the England stuff was a bit dull, but it didn’t bother me too much.
Old one under New Orleans and swarming monster battle were awesome reading, as you describe. For some reason, a throwaway line about a Siamese cat vampire really stuck with me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Correia IS writing another book with whatshername about the lead female from MHI. Sarah Hoyt, that’s the author. Never read any of her stuff I don’t think, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the collab works.
Yeah, that vampire siamese cat line WAS pretty funny 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read part of one of her books, and decided it wasn’t for me. I’ll try the upcoming MHI one, though, because I think Correia’s pretty heavily involved with it.
Now I want to write a fan-fiction where the Siamese cat vampire is attacking stray cats in a neighborhood, and the local crazy cat lady has to stop it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And I just saw, you liked my post from July ’07?
What is that about?
LikeLike
I’m thinking it was this: in a comment below, you referenced making a rant about a Harry Potter book, and I wanted to read it, so I searched your site.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahh yes. That makes sense 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Woah, that sounds like a GREAT ending! I’m a fan of the hero sacrificing himself, so I would have liked that as well.
Also, the flamethrowers and explosions. Verrrrrry nice!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I liked that Chad sacrificed himself even more because I didn’t like Chad 😀
That way I don’t have to worry about him coming back. Of course, it’s hinted that he has an extraordinary daughter from one his numerous flings, so we might get her story one day.
I tell you, I have yet to read another series where the violence, whether with guns, machines, knives, fists, swords, claws, whatever, that reaches near this series for pure awesomeness.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh yeah, I should consider this! I like a good all-out fight 🙂
So he left himself an opening to return to the world.. That’s kinda cool! He doesn’t have to, but he can.
About sacrifices…The Harry Potter books were partly ruined for me by the fact that Harry didn’t die in the end (and a couple other things^^). I hated book 7.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh man, HP. Book 7 was the first time I ever wrote a multi-paragraph rant as a book review. I’ve never re-read any of the books since and I never plan to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just started with an adio book on nr 1 I think I have not read through this review in the fear of spoilers
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good call on avoiding the review for spoilers. I hope you enjoy your time as you listen through the first book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a pretty good trilogy! The ending sounds like a blast too. Very cinematic and epic based on what you’ve had to say about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have to admit that I don’t understand why these haven’t been picked up for a tv show or movie. It might be that Correia wants to keep a firm hand on his creation. Can’t say that I blame him in that regards.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is a Monster Hunter movie in the works though, based on the acclaimed game of course. Milla Jovovich to star in it too. Of course, I doubt it’ll have any similarities to this trilogy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The videogames and the books are 2 different franchises. Nothing related to each other, sadly.
That was hard to take, as I thought they were the same at first 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Quite unfortunate, and yet still the closest thing you’ll ever get as an adaptation hahaah
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think he’s talked about this on his blog before, but I don’t remember the details. He may have sold rights to the story once or twice, but the deals fell through. I suspect his politics (opposite of everyone in Hollywood) are hurting him on this front.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now that you say this, I do recollect it. He has sold the rights to somebody and they are sitting on it. They send him his annual “due” every year so he can’t take it back I think he wrote a whole post about new authors learning a lesson from him and never selling their rights away…
LikeLiked by 1 person