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Hounded by Kevin Hearne Narrator: Luke Daniels
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #1
Published by Brilliance Audio on April 19, 2011
Genres: Mythology, Urban Fantasy
Length: 8 hours and 6 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Bought
Purchase Links: Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Chirp, Audiobooks.com
Goodreads
The first novel in the Iron Druid Chronicles - introducing a cool, new, funny urban fantasy hero
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 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.
Don’t miss any of Kevin Hearne’s phenomenal Iron Druid Chronicles novels:
Hounded | Hexed | Hammered | Tricked | Trapped | Hunted | Shattered | Staked
Hounded is book one in The Iron Druid Chronicles series by Kevin Hearne and narrated by Luke Daniels.
I picked up this audiobook back in 2020 on sale and meant to start the series then, but I’m a mood reader and I just never got around to it. Last (2023) year, Books of My Heart put this series back on my raider when she had her read-a-long. I meant to join in, but life happens, so here we are. I started the new year with Hounded and was enamored.
I loved the male POV, Oberon who cracked me up, and the narrator who brought it all to life. The story was a wonderful blend of old Celtic mythology and modern adventure.
I’ve only read one other sereis written by a male author. It takes some getting used to the change, but I can say that I enjoy the different perspective. It’s refreshing.
Hearne does a wonderful job blending new and old together and a splendid job developing Atticus’ character. I enjoyed the blend of modern 21 year old occult shop owner and the ancient druid that he is. The story is full of Celtic gods, fantastic mythology and epic battles. What I loved the most was Oberon, Atticus Irish wolfhound who brings humor and levity to the storyline.
The plot is complex and engaging. There’s a stream of baddies as the story unfolds. It’s a complex mix of chess when dealing with the various gods and goddesses. Atticus finds himself in the middle of things and of course the goddesses can’t seem to leave him alone.
Audio: Luke Daniels plays Atticus and all the characters featured in this novel brilliantly. I loved his POV for Atticus and Oberon. He captures the essence of the storyline and the characters bringing them to life. And, my favorite parts were the dialogue between Oberon and Atticus. The author had me smiling many times.
Hounded is a stellar fist installment and I’m looking forward to listening to more in The Iron Druid Chronicles. I highly recommend listening to The Iron Druid Chronicles.
Rated: 4 Stars
Was this review helpful? If so, please consider liking it on Goodreads (Angela)!
** 2024 COYER Challenge: Audible sale on Feb. 28th 2020 priced at $5.95 (currently $22.83 as of writing this post)
About Kevin Hearne
Kevin is the NYT bestselling author of the Iron Druid Chronicles, as well as The Seven Kennings, an epic fantasy trilogy, and the Tales of Pell, a humorous fantasy series co-authored with Delilah S. Dawson. INK & SIGIL, a new urban fantasy series set in the Iron Druid universe, will be out in 2020.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2024 Audiobook Challenge
- 2024 COYER Chapter 1: Winter Rules from January – March
- 2024 Goodreads Challenge
- 2024 The Backlist Reader Challenge
Yes, this series has an interesting feel that’s got some unique aspects. I’ll look forward to seeing what you think as you work your way through.
Thanks Sophia for visiting. I’m looking forward to listening on in the sereis.
If you read the whole series be sure to try to read the novellas as they add a lot. They can be hard to get as some are in anthologies but they are great. #3-4 of the meaty mysteries for example are in anthologies so people don’t always notice them. But they are Atticus and Oberon which I love. The audios are Audible only and that can be challenging since they won’t be at libraries.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll keep that in mind. Ya, it’s hard to find some of the anthologies, novellas, or shorts at the library. Thanks for visiting!