Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

2011, Del Rey

Series: Book 1 of the Iron Druid Chronicles

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Rating

Synopsis: Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

The Good: Hounded is different than any other urban fantasy I've ever read and that's impressive. A male protagonist, a druid at that, is just the type of unique viewpoint that makes this novel something special. Being mind-melded (of sorts) to his dog is an interesting twist as well. There's action and adventure and humor throughout this novel - making it a very engaging, fun read.

The Bad: Hounded is occasionally a little too wordy, a little too muddled, and a little too heavy handed with the attempted humor to be the perfect start to a series.