After saving the world from the Old One, Owen Pitt is back in Monster Hunter Vendetta and he has more demons mad at him. And this time, it isn’t even his fault. Larry Correia basically writes supernatural gun books with characters who are larger than life (Owen is really huge) and enjoy nothing more than firing large caliber weapons at things that should be dead. If that’s not your type of book, then don’t even bother picking it up. But if that appeals to you, then let’s find out who’s pissed at Owen this time.
The backstory for this book happened during the finale of the first book(my review). When the gates of hell were open, the government dropped in a nuclear weapon. Apparently some really powerful demons weren’t happy about this and they caught wind of Owen’s name. So they decided to offer a prize for him and Owen ends a Mexico mission with a ton of zombies trying to kill him. Throw in a spy in MHI and a spy in the Monster Control Bureau and meeting Owen’s family and you have the recipe for a lot of shooting and fun.
The book does a great job extending on the characters created in the first book. I loved the addition of Owen’s family. His brother Mosh is great and we get to find out why Owen’s father put them through the survivalist training. And with Agent Franks being assigned to keep Owen alive (at least long enough to stop the head demon from destroying Earth), we get some more insight into him (as well as an origin which I’m mad at myself for not putting it together from the hints sooner). Although I wish there were more about Julie (who is basically peripheral for most of the book), although we do learn some important things about her.
Plotwise, it’s fairly simple. Evil demons control people and undead and they want to kill Owen because of the whole nuclear bomb misunderstanding. The MHI and MCB folks wish to protect Owen and stop the bad guys (although the order can be flexible). The book is really about the characters and the weapons. Overall it’s a fun read that makes me happy that Correia has continued their adventures. Recommended.