Title: Hounded
Author: Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Magic, Mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 18th August – 15th September 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: <May I have some tea, then?>

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona running an occult bookshop and shapeshifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbours and customers think this handsome, tattooed Irishman is about twenty-one years old when, actually, it’s twenty-one centuries. Atticus 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 the sword, and he’s been after Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down and Atticus will need all his powers – plus a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of lawyers, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good, old-fashioned Irish luck – to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

This story was kind of fun and brilliant. It was filled with action, humour, and my favourite think of all – mythology. In particular, Celtic mythology and the practices of Druids. Don’t get me wrong, the wit and the wonder of the story are thing that I completely love. But it is just all that much better when it’s partnered with some great magic and mayhem. This is one of those books that definitely ticked all of my happy boxes.

Although I’ve always felt a little drawn to Celtic folklore and Druidry, I’ve not really had much exposure to it. So it was nice to not only experience a new folklore / mythos in a book, but to learn so many, many things along the way. I always love when a new fantasy aspect works its way into my reading list. Sadly, I don’t have any of the other books on my shelves… so now I have to wait to throw myself headfirst into this series again, much to my chagrin.

I’ve read a lot of books with great sidekicks. But, I must admit… Oberon has GOT to be my absolute favourite. He is funny, cute and has the exact voice that I imagine my big dog would have (the little one would be WAY more sassy). I love that the sidekick is a dog that can communicate, but rather than giving him a lot of human traits, he’s doglike in all of his desires and drives. I actually bought this book because of the short story The Naughtiest Cherub, which kind of features Oberon in some ways. After all, any series which features a massive dog as a cheerful and happy sidekick and companion… that’s going to make me incredibly happy.

To further enhance my love of this story – Hearne manages to take a lot of the traditional paranormal creatures I tend to come across in many of my fantasy books. But, then he’s added some more Celtic and druidic characters. Including some of the Tuatha De Danan. I love that there is such a heavy Irish tilt to this story, one that I just can’t stop thinking about and quite honestly, just can’t quite get enough of.

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

Title: Clan Rathskeller
Author: Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #0.5
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Magic, Mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 10th July 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Free online short story
Publisher: Kevin Hearne
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Or me, if you want to get fussy with the definition.

This is short story that takes place ten months before the events of “Hounded”, the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles, coming 2011 from Del Rey.

This is a fun short story. One that had me laughing and giggling all throughout. Particularly the fact that it’s gnomes pretending to be humans pretending to be elves. Or something along those lines. A little bizarre. A little unique. And just generally enjoyable and funny.

While I was reading this, I did read a lot of the sentences out to my partner. He was confused about what I was reading, but even my little titbits made him laugh. There is just something very satirical and fun about Hearne’s writing that makes me itch to dig out Hounded.

This was a great short story. One which helped to not only whet my appetite for the Iron Druid Chronicles series. It also introduced some of the characters that I’m sure are likely to be a major part of the series (such as the lead character and his trusty sidekick). And now… now I just have to finish a few books before I start a new one…

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Grimoire of the Lamb
Author: Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #0.4
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Magic, Mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 13th July 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: I backed out of the cage and left the door open, speaking to him from freedom.

There’s nothing like an impromptu holiday to explore the birthplace of modern civilisation, but when Atticus and Oberon pursue a book-stealing Egyptian wizard – with a penchant for lamb – to the land of the pharaohs, they find themselves in hot, crocodile-infested water.

The trip takes an even nastier turn when they discover the true nature of the nefarious plot they’ve been drawn into. On the wrong side of the vengeful cat goddess Bast and chased by an unfathomable number of her yowling four-legged disciples, Atticus must find a way to appease or defeat Egypt’s deadliest gods – before his grimoire-grabbing quarry uses them to turn him into mincemeat.

As with the other two Iron Druid Chronicles short stories that I’ve read. This was humorous, funny and something that I really enjoyed. Partly, Oberon managed to carry a lot of this. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a scene in a story as much as his outrage at running from Bast’s cat minions. There was something ironic, funny and a little bit witty about such a moment. Which perfectly sums up this entire short story.

I love that Atticus has a rare books bookshop. And that in this bookshop, there are a series of grimoires that have a lot of potential to really screw things up for the world. The fact that the grimoire that takes centre stage in this short story was thought to be just a series of lamb recipes… like I said, I found this a very humorous book. One that had me giggling throughout.

There was a great mix of mythologies in this. There was Atticus’ Druid nature and ties to the earth. Then there were all of the Egyptian deities running around helping to cause havoc. Definitely a pantheon that I found a little intimidating. Particularly with Hearne’s focus on the more bloodthirsty aspects of this mythology… now I am actually going to start reading Hounded…

Image source: Goodreads