Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title:Monster Hunter Legion (Monster Hunter International #4)
Author: Larry Correia
Publisher: Baen
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Monster Hunter International might be the premier monster eradication company in the business, but they’ve got competition.

When hunters from around the world gather in Las Vegas for a conference, a creature left over from a World War Two weapons experiment wakes up and goes on a rampage across the desert. A not-so-friendly wager between the rival companies turns into a race to see who can bag the mysterious creature first.

Only there is far more to this particular case than meets the eye, and as Hunters fall prey to their worst nightmares, Owen Zastava Pitt and the staff of Monster Hunter International have to stop an ancient god from turning Sin City into a literal hell on earth.

What are you waiting on this week?

Character Building Before Page One

As many of you, I’ve grown used to main characters in books to go through a growing period from beginning to end in a book or series. But recently I grew tired of it. I’m tired of the evil, all powerful arch nemesis being defeated, again (!!), by an underdeveloped hero – a hero just growing into his powers, finding his destiny, and stumbling unwillingly into the path of his fate. Meh.

I grew tired of the stupid choices characters made in these types of books. Oh, you have an awesome power? How about taking the time to master it BEFORE the shit hits the fan? No? But why? It makes SO much sense! Oh, I get it. Teenage angst. Oh for all the gods, I’m getting annoyed just thinking about it.

Whatever happened to prepared people?! Whatever happened to some properly grown up man who, when Armageddon came a knocking, puts on his double shoulder holster and starts kicking ass, and to hell with taking names. Taking names is for people with paper pads and proper handwriting. After all that world saving, those notes can be hard to read, what with all the blood.