Review: Hounded

Hounded
By Kevin Hearne

First published: 2011 by Del Rey
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #1

Read: 1–14 May 2012
E-book

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

Description
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. (Goodreads)

My thoughts

This was such a fun book to read! It's fast-paced and witty and kept me clicking the next button late into the night. I haven't come across any books featuring Irish mythology before, and it made for a nice change from the usual vampires and werewolves, though the latter do exist in this story as well.

Atticus is a great main character. Despite his old age and his powers, he never comes across as arrogant or condescending; rather the opposite. He has learned to adapt to the time he's living in, and his voice - the book is told in first person - is very much 21th century. His witty comments made me laugh out loud frequently, and the conversations with his Irish wolfhound Oberon are especially hilarious. Oh yeah, and he can do some pretty cool magic.

The minor characters - and there are quite a lot of them - are all very interesting, especially the Celtic gods who all seem to be after Atticus for one reason or another. The action is practically non-stop with lots of twists and turns. The story is a bit gory at times and there is some swearing, but unless you're really squeamish that shouldn't detract from the experience. And it certainly was a thrilling experience - I can't wait to continue the series to see what trouble Atticus will find himself in next.

Bottom line:
If you're looking for a fresh, fast-paced and fun urban fantasy, I can definitely recommend Hounded.

My rating:

The Iron Druid Chronicles:

1. Hounded (2011)
2. Hexed (2011)
3. Hammered (2011)
4. Tricked (2012)
5. Trapped (2012)
6. Hunted (2013)

Visit Kevin Hearne's website to learn more about the series!