Review: Monster Hunter Files #2, by Correia, et al
The gang is back with a few new faces!
Since the first Monster Hunter Files was a runaway hit, it only makes sense that a second one would come down the pike at some point. 2026 was finally the year, with several returning faces and a couple of new ones.
The Stories
Set in the world of Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter, the latest collection of one-off cases will span the globe and even the ages. Correia himself gets the ball rolling with a story from Albert Lee’s perspective—he’s MHI’s resident librarian, tending to the company archives after Owen’s latest battle trashed the place (see: Monster Hunter Bloodlines). He finds a previously hidden item that then proceeds to trigger a situation not unlike The Ring, and Albert has to get creative to save his own neck.
Obviously Correia will write the best works in this world, and this was not only a strong start to the collection, but a reminder of why all of these characters are a joy to read. That said, my personal favorite story was "The Hard Earth” by Jack Wylder, where we revisit the North Texas Bull Men from Monster Hunter Alpha. They’re in a succession crisis and Earl Harbinger’s name is in the mix, since his leather jacket is actually the pelt of a fallen minotaur; the story was an awesome blend of action and fan service around a strong concept.
Three other entries stood out to me: “Teddy and the She-Beast” by Brad Torgersen, featuring Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War. Torgersen was also in the first anthology and he made good use of American history with a tale about Benjamin Franklin. I’ll be honest, I don’t usually get into Torgersen’s writing, but he does highly entertaining work in the setting of MHI.
“Friday Night Wights” by LawDog starts as a run-of-the-mill vampire stakeout (hehe) at a truck stop, which then goes sideways, hard. LawDog’s professional background comes through in his writing so this is the perfect playground for him.
And finally, “Pater Monstrum” by Mike Massa took us all the way back to ancient Rome, long before monster-hunting was a well-defined science. A soldier named Sextus Bassus (we got to have a brief conversation with his ghost in Monster Hunter Siege) has to fight a monster that threatens trade routes.
There are thirteen stories in all. They were all entertaining to varying degrees, that said I didn’t think they were all bangers. Some of them were decent-to-good, and a couple of them didn’t do it for me. In the aggregate I felt like the overall collection from Monster Hunter Files #1 was better, but my favorite stories in #2 were superior. Your mileage will vary.
In the end, it’s a worthy entry in the ongoing MHI collection, and there’s enough variety to scratch plenty of itches for readers of different stripes. If you’re familiar with the characters, setting, and softer political undertones of Monster Hunter in general, you know what to expect here.
Content Warning
Same goes for profanity and violence, etc. The stories didn’t all have the same quantity of swear words or brutality, but it’s there throughout.
Who is it for?
Fans of MHI, and perhaps even readers who haven’t tried MHI yet. The broad variety would give a new reader plenty to sample, and would leave you with Easter eggs to discover later as you get into the main series.
Why buy it
I think the stories I mentioned above make it worthwhile, but if you’re having a little bit of sticker shock at the hardcover price, by all means wait until the paperback comes out. Like I said, I don’t think they were all belters, but there are 13 stories in here, they’re going to appeal to readers to different degrees.