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Atticus O'Sullivan, the last of the Druids, finds his peaceful life in Arizona shattered by the arrival of an angry Celtic god who wants Atticus's magical sword, forcing Atticus to call upon some unlikely allies for help.Tags
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by binarydude
by al.vick
LongDogMom Similar style and humour, as well as excellent urban fantasy and supernatural mystery.
Member Reviews
Two things made me crave this book in my hands before its release in late April/early May--first the protagonist, Atticus, sounds like my kind of guy. He's brash, he's sensible and he taunts gods and goddesses like their nothing more than playground bullies. His tactful, but not truly, reverent attitude towards those beings is part of his charm. The second is that the excerpts I've read have made me eager to read more. Normally excerpts from authors I don't know make me interested, but not eagerly anticipating. They tend to be too short so I don't get a good feel for the character.
Not so with Atticus!
Admittedly my other reason was I was eager to see how all the pantheons of deities interacted and most especially the Celtic lore. I was show more happily ready to read, spot a deity I only cursorily know, look them up and then go back. Hearne didn't make me need those encyclopedias though, he gives a very good accounting of these deities without having Atticus run around playing Exposition Man.
In truth I appreciated the fact that Atticus was neither too modern nor too archaic in his speech and mannerisms. He balanced the line well; he managed to adapt many of the customs he grew up with to modern day and picked up the speech patterns of the modern world well. He was practical where others expected him to be foolish (given his words) or reckless (given his actions). It never got tiring to see when it dawned on people that hey Atticus is a clever one.
On occasion descriptions got to be a bit tedious or redundant--Hearne doesn't need to tell us, every single time, what's going on with Atticus' tattoos. Or that he has to be barefoot to channel his power. I understood--Atticus is on land, thus he's barefoot'ed, thus he's very powerful. I did find the descriptions of his charms, as well as the fact that he bound Iron to his aura, to be fascinating. It took him centuries, of a magical practice of his own devising, which makes me wonder how some of the trial and error steps went.
Other than Atticus I had a definite love for Morrigan--so sly and blunt and arrogant. Oberon, Atticus' faithful irish deerhound companion was a hoot. At one point he wants to be just like Ghengis Khan and demands a horde of french poodles.
Hounded was a joyride. The fight scenes were thrilling, Atticus was a charmer and lest I forget all the mythology...its like mythologist dream come true. The acknowledgment of the various Pantheons have for each other, but also the snide comments they have, had me grinning. show less
Not so with Atticus!
Admittedly my other reason was I was eager to see how all the pantheons of deities interacted and most especially the Celtic lore. I was show more happily ready to read, spot a deity I only cursorily know, look them up and then go back. Hearne didn't make me need those encyclopedias though, he gives a very good accounting of these deities without having Atticus run around playing Exposition Man.
In truth I appreciated the fact that Atticus was neither too modern nor too archaic in his speech and mannerisms. He balanced the line well; he managed to adapt many of the customs he grew up with to modern day and picked up the speech patterns of the modern world well. He was practical where others expected him to be foolish (given his words) or reckless (given his actions). It never got tiring to see when it dawned on people that hey Atticus is a clever one.
On occasion descriptions got to be a bit tedious or redundant--Hearne doesn't need to tell us, every single time, what's going on with Atticus' tattoos. Or that he has to be barefoot to channel his power. I understood--Atticus is on land, thus he's barefoot'ed, thus he's very powerful. I did find the descriptions of his charms, as well as the fact that he bound Iron to his aura, to be fascinating. It took him centuries, of a magical practice of his own devising, which makes me wonder how some of the trial and error steps went.
Other than Atticus I had a definite love for Morrigan--so sly and blunt and arrogant. Oberon, Atticus' faithful irish deerhound companion was a hoot. At one point he wants to be just like Ghengis Khan and demands a horde of french poodles.
Hounded was a joyride. The fight scenes were thrilling, Atticus was a charmer and lest I forget all the mythology...its like mythologist dream come true. The acknowledgment of the various Pantheons have for each other, but also the snide comments they have, had me grinning. show less
HOUNDED is a great start to an urban fantasy series. Atticus O'Sullivan is trying to live peacefully in Tempe, Arizona, with his wolfhound Oberon. But since he is the last Druid and is holding a magic sword that a very angry Celtic god wants back, a peaceful life is not in his near future.
Atticus has to call on all his 2100 hundred years to juggle Celtic gods, Polish witches, and demons. I liked the world that was created by Hearne. I liked the idea that Atticus is using 21st Century tactics including lawyers and lawsuits in his defense. I especially liked that his lawyers were werewolves and vampires.
Atticus' relationship with his wolfhound Oberon and his elderly neighbor Mrs. MacDonagh help to humanize this very powerful magic user. show more I enjoyed the way he kept up with current pop culture while maintaining his heritage.
I can't wait to read more books in this series and have lots to go. Book 7 was just released on June 17. This book had a similar feel to the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. Fans of that series should also enjoy this one. show less
Atticus has to call on all his 2100 hundred years to juggle Celtic gods, Polish witches, and demons. I liked the world that was created by Hearne. I liked the idea that Atticus is using 21st Century tactics including lawyers and lawsuits in his defense. I especially liked that his lawyers were werewolves and vampires.
Atticus' relationship with his wolfhound Oberon and his elderly neighbor Mrs. MacDonagh help to humanize this very powerful magic user. show more I enjoyed the way he kept up with current pop culture while maintaining his heritage.
I can't wait to read more books in this series and have lots to go. Book 7 was just released on June 17. This book had a similar feel to the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. Fans of that series should also enjoy this one. show less
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: 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 show more 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.
My Review: The Doubleday UK meme, a book a day for July 2014, is the goad I'm using to get through my snit-based unwritten reviews. Today's prompt, the 28th, is to discuss your favorite animal in fiction. Who else could it be but Oberon the Wolfhound?
Let me start with this:
Now, I ask you. Can a normally-constructed reader of any but the grimmest and least amusant of books fail to see the humor in that?
I am on record as being no fan of phauntaisee nawvelles with their styoopid Misspelynnges and Random capitaLizations to indicate magjickq is in Use. So I approach each recommended genre book with, well, trepidation. (I'm stretching for polite words that mean "strenuous desire to insult author, publisher, and recommender.") So these couple of ladies here on LT tag-teamed me, beat my head into the mat, kicked my nose through the back of my head, and started breaking bones I can't operate without until I got this book and read it.
Yeah. That.
The more observant of my readers will have noted the four-star rating above. This was not in the least a foregone conclusion, even with the chuckles and the muffled hoots the book provided. I am not any kind of a fan of straight-people sex, having memories of same that range from boredom on the high end all the way down to horror. Three stars is the most I'll give anything with more than a token window-dressing of girl-sex. Yes, I know lots of people do it, but it's icky and I don't want to hear about it. That fourth star?
Okay, Hearne. I'm gaffed through the gills. Yes, my mouth still fills with nausea-water at the sex, but you've hit The Nerve. Wry and funny? Yes please. Handsome, tattooed, and Irish? TRIFECTA! Twenty-one hundred years old and talks like a lamebrained kid? Well...
And now we're on a different plane of storytelling.
In the voice of the character, the author explains why anachronism is alive and well, and does so with a level of character development that shows something I don't get very often in any book: Respect for the reader. "I'm telling you a story about an immortal magical being who lives in the armpit of creation, USA, voluntarily, and needs to blend in as much as possible. Here is how it's done, why it's done, and what you can expect from the character."
Not only is the fourth star secured to the sleeve with tiny, tough stitches, but the sale is made for book two and book three. Of seven (I think), mind you, but still that's more than I'd even *dream* of doing absent this surprising development.
As Atticus himself said, “Winning ugly is still winning.”
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. show less
The Publisher Says: 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 show more 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.
My Review: The Doubleday UK meme, a book a day for July 2014, is the goad I'm using to get through my snit-based unwritten reviews. Today's prompt, the 28th, is to discuss your favorite animal in fiction. Who else could it be but Oberon the Wolfhound?
Let me start with this:
There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and foremost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius. It invariably goes like this: Someone shrugs off the weight of his cultural traditions, ignores the baleful stares of authority, and does something his countrymen think to be completely batshit insane. Of those, Galileo was my personal favorite. Van Gogh comes in second, but he really was batshit insane.
Now, I ask you. Can a normally-constructed reader of any but the grimmest and least amusant of books fail to see the humor in that?
I am on record as being no fan of phauntaisee nawvelles with their styoopid Misspelynnges and Random capitaLizations to indicate magjickq is in Use. So I approach each recommended genre book with, well, trepidation. (I'm stretching for polite words that mean "strenuous desire to insult author, publisher, and recommender.") So these couple of ladies here on LT tag-teamed me, beat my head into the mat, kicked my nose through the back of my head, and started breaking bones I can't operate without until I got this book and read it.
When you're in the middle of a killing field and the fucking Chooser of the Slain tells you to do something, you do it.
Yeah. That.
The more observant of my readers will have noted the four-star rating above. This was not in the least a foregone conclusion, even with the chuckles and the muffled hoots the book provided. I am not any kind of a fan of straight-people sex, having memories of same that range from boredom on the high end all the way down to horror. Three stars is the most I'll give anything with more than a token window-dressing of girl-sex. Yes, I know lots of people do it, but it's icky and I don't want to hear about it. That fourth star?
Monty Python is like catnip for nerds. Once you get them started quoting it, they are constitutionally incapable of feeling depressed.
Okay, Hearne. I'm gaffed through the gills. Yes, my mouth still fills with nausea-water at the sex, but you've hit The Nerve. Wry and funny? Yes please. Handsome, tattooed, and Irish? TRIFECTA! Twenty-one hundred years old and talks like a lamebrained kid? Well...
I have been around long enough to discount most superstitions for what they are: I was around when many of them began to take root, after all. But one superstition to which I happen to subscribe is that bad juju comes in threes. The saying in my time was, "Storm clouds are thrice cursed," but I can't talk like that and expect people to believe I'm a twenty-one year-old American. I have to say things like, "Shit happens, man.”
And now we're on a different plane of storytelling.
In the voice of the character, the author explains why anachronism is alive and well, and does so with a level of character development that shows something I don't get very often in any book: Respect for the reader. "I'm telling you a story about an immortal magical being who lives in the armpit of creation, USA, voluntarily, and needs to blend in as much as possible. Here is how it's done, why it's done, and what you can expect from the character."
Not only is the fourth star secured to the sleeve with tiny, tough stitches, but the sale is made for book two and book three. Of seven (I think), mind you, but still that's more than I'd even *dream* of doing absent this surprising development.
As Atticus himself said, “Winning ugly is still winning.”
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. show less
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 show more 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.
I bought Hounded in an airport. I’d seen a lot of buzz about the book online but my book-buying budget is small this summer and with so many upcoming releases by my favourite authors, I was willing to wait for Hounded to show up at the public library. But then I was waiting for a very long plane ride and didn’t have a thing to read so I figured that was a good enough excuse to invest in Kevin Hearne‘s first published novel. (The next two novels in the series come out in June and July so it could be an Atticus-filled summer for me.) But enough about how I ended up reading Hounded and more about the actual content of the book…
Atticus O’Sullivan is a great protagonist. Having lived for 2,000 years, he’s full of wisdom and magical know-how but he’s also youthful in spirit (and body, thanks to special herbs he brews up). Atticus has a great sense of humour that counters the potential gravitas of being the only Druid left in the world, on the run from an angry god. He also has an awesome wolfhound named Oberon who also provides a lot of comic relief, for both Atticus and the reader. The combo of Atticus and Oberon would win over even the least enthusiastic reader, which I definitely was not, since I finished the book before I got off the plane. And if that’s not enough, Atticus’ interactions with his widowed neighbour should bring a smile to your face.
Plot-wise, Hounded is great. There are characters who seem like random folks in Atticus’ life but end up being central to the storyline, there are some great twists and godly machinations, and there are some truly awesome fight scenes. And all of this is set against a really cool background. Kevin Hearne’s done a great job of building a neat world in Tempe, AZ, where there are witches, werewolves, and vampires, all sort of doing their own thing. I also love that the author is using Celtic mythology as the main focus of the novel, though gods from other pantheons are also mentioned and will likely figure into things down the road, if I’m not mistaken.
In some ways, Atticus reminds me a lot of Remy Chandler. They both have super powers of sorts, they both have an adorable dog companion with whom they communicate telepathically, they’re both going their own way, and they’re both subject to the whims of more powerful beings, whether they like it or not. They’re also both rare male protagonists in the overwhelmingly female world of urban fantasy — and well written to boot. But what really separates the two is the Atticus fully embraces the life he has, running his shop, pretending to be a 21-year-old, while doing his best to survive whatever’s thrown at him, which includes a goddess who wants answers and sexual favours at the beginning of the novel. Remy, in contrast, has a lot more sorrow in his life. (You’ll hear more about this soon, as I’ve just finished reading Remy’s second adventure, and it’s a doozy.)
I think I’m going to have to run out and get Hexed now. *sigh*
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* * * * * * * * * * * * *
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 show more 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.
I bought Hounded in an airport. I’d seen a lot of buzz about the book online but my book-buying budget is small this summer and with so many upcoming releases by my favourite authors, I was willing to wait for Hounded to show up at the public library. But then I was waiting for a very long plane ride and didn’t have a thing to read so I figured that was a good enough excuse to invest in Kevin Hearne‘s first published novel. (The next two novels in the series come out in June and July so it could be an Atticus-filled summer for me.) But enough about how I ended up reading Hounded and more about the actual content of the book…
Atticus O’Sullivan is a great protagonist. Having lived for 2,000 years, he’s full of wisdom and magical know-how but he’s also youthful in spirit (and body, thanks to special herbs he brews up). Atticus has a great sense of humour that counters the potential gravitas of being the only Druid left in the world, on the run from an angry god. He also has an awesome wolfhound named Oberon who also provides a lot of comic relief, for both Atticus and the reader. The combo of Atticus and Oberon would win over even the least enthusiastic reader, which I definitely was not, since I finished the book before I got off the plane. And if that’s not enough, Atticus’ interactions with his widowed neighbour should bring a smile to your face.
Plot-wise, Hounded is great. There are characters who seem like random folks in Atticus’ life but end up being central to the storyline, there are some great twists and godly machinations, and there are some truly awesome fight scenes. And all of this is set against a really cool background. Kevin Hearne’s done a great job of building a neat world in Tempe, AZ, where there are witches, werewolves, and vampires, all sort of doing their own thing. I also love that the author is using Celtic mythology as the main focus of the novel, though gods from other pantheons are also mentioned and will likely figure into things down the road, if I’m not mistaken.
In some ways, Atticus reminds me a lot of Remy Chandler. They both have super powers of sorts, they both have an adorable dog companion with whom they communicate telepathically, they’re both going their own way, and they’re both subject to the whims of more powerful beings, whether they like it or not. They’re also both rare male protagonists in the overwhelmingly female world of urban fantasy — and well written to boot. But what really separates the two is the Atticus fully embraces the life he has, running his shop, pretending to be a 21-year-old, while doing his best to survive whatever’s thrown at him, which includes a goddess who wants answers and sexual favours at the beginning of the novel. Remy, in contrast, has a lot more sorrow in his life. (You’ll hear more about this soon, as I’ve just finished reading Remy’s second adventure, and it’s a doozy.)
I think I’m going to have to run out and get Hexed now. *sigh*
http://ireadgood.wordpress.com show less
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/04/early-review-hounded-by-kevin-hearne.html
There’s a letter from Tricia Pasternack, a Del Rey editor, in the beginning of the Advance Reader’s Edition of Hounded, by Kevin Hearne. In it she describes something called the Kevin Hearne Effect, the rather magical feeling you get when one first starts Hounded, and that continues until the last page. When I started Hounded, I immediately knew exactly what she was talking about! Atticus O’Sullivan is a 1,200 year old Druid (biologically 21) who’s put down roots in Arizona and is living peacefully until a series of attacks shatter his quiet existence. You see, an ancient foe wants something Atticus has, and won’t show more stop until he gets it back.
Hounded is told from Atticus’ point of view, and what a delightful voice! Wry, witty, and charming, Atticus is my new hero, and in Hounded, we’re lucky enough to accompany him as he and his friends plan a showdown with this powerful foe. And what friends! Kevin Hearne has created an amazing cast of supporting characters, but my favorite by far is Oberon, Atticus’ Irish Wolfhound that he can communicate with using his mind. Oberon is a sweet, scene-stealing pleasure, and (at the risk of dating myself), reminds me quite a lot of Einstein, the canine with human intelligence in Dean Koontz’s Watchers. The banter between Atticus and Oberon made me laugh out loud, and Oberon is almost as big of a presence as Atticus! Add to that a death Goddess named Morrigan, the huntress Flidais, a vampire and a werewolf (both Atticus’ lawyers), a elderly, feisty neighbor that helps Atticus more than once, a coven of witches who may or may not have Atticus’ best interests at heart, a sword that is the source of Atticus’ problems, and you you’ve got the recipe for one of the best books of the year! In Atticus’ world, the Gods are alive and well, and aren’t afraid to make themselves known. Norse, Christian, Indian, you name it, they all exist, and if you have a love of Celtic myth, this is the book for you. The magic system is fascinating and unique and it’s obvious the author put quite a bit of time and research into exploring the history of Druids and Druid magic. Inevitable comparisons will be made to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, and to me, that’s a good thing! I got to geek out a little with this one too, because there’s lots of references to Star Wars and other awesomeness! In a sea of female urban fantasy heroines, Atticus and his crew are a breath of fresh air! Fans of fantasy and urban fantasy will eat this one up, and the good news is that you won’t have to wait for books 2 and 3 to come out. Hexed and Hammered drop in June, and readers will be lining up to get their hands on them! Hounded is a series debut that is absolutely not to be missed! Keep an eye out for my reviews of Hexed and Hammered, coming soon! show less
There’s a letter from Tricia Pasternack, a Del Rey editor, in the beginning of the Advance Reader’s Edition of Hounded, by Kevin Hearne. In it she describes something called the Kevin Hearne Effect, the rather magical feeling you get when one first starts Hounded, and that continues until the last page. When I started Hounded, I immediately knew exactly what she was talking about! Atticus O’Sullivan is a 1,200 year old Druid (biologically 21) who’s put down roots in Arizona and is living peacefully until a series of attacks shatter his quiet existence. You see, an ancient foe wants something Atticus has, and won’t show more stop until he gets it back.
Hounded is told from Atticus’ point of view, and what a delightful voice! Wry, witty, and charming, Atticus is my new hero, and in Hounded, we’re lucky enough to accompany him as he and his friends plan a showdown with this powerful foe. And what friends! Kevin Hearne has created an amazing cast of supporting characters, but my favorite by far is Oberon, Atticus’ Irish Wolfhound that he can communicate with using his mind. Oberon is a sweet, scene-stealing pleasure, and (at the risk of dating myself), reminds me quite a lot of Einstein, the canine with human intelligence in Dean Koontz’s Watchers. The banter between Atticus and Oberon made me laugh out loud, and Oberon is almost as big of a presence as Atticus! Add to that a death Goddess named Morrigan, the huntress Flidais, a vampire and a werewolf (both Atticus’ lawyers), a elderly, feisty neighbor that helps Atticus more than once, a coven of witches who may or may not have Atticus’ best interests at heart, a sword that is the source of Atticus’ problems, and you you’ve got the recipe for one of the best books of the year! In Atticus’ world, the Gods are alive and well, and aren’t afraid to make themselves known. Norse, Christian, Indian, you name it, they all exist, and if you have a love of Celtic myth, this is the book for you. The magic system is fascinating and unique and it’s obvious the author put quite a bit of time and research into exploring the history of Druids and Druid magic. Inevitable comparisons will be made to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, and to me, that’s a good thing! I got to geek out a little with this one too, because there’s lots of references to Star Wars and other awesomeness! In a sea of female urban fantasy heroines, Atticus and his crew are a breath of fresh air! Fans of fantasy and urban fantasy will eat this one up, and the good news is that you won’t have to wait for books 2 and 3 to come out. Hexed and Hammered drop in June, and readers will be lining up to get their hands on them! Hounded is a series debut that is absolutely not to be missed! Keep an eye out for my reviews of Hexed and Hammered, coming soon! show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Sometimes I come across a novel that should be perfect for me - an interesting premise, a genre I typically love, potentially fascinating characters… it should have the makings of a real winner. And then all that amazing promise fizzles with every turn of the page.
Unfortunately, that’s what happened with HOUNDED. I should have loved it. I wanted to love it. Instead, I was at times bored, annoyed, and frustrated. Not to mention, I rolled my eyes way too often while reading.
The characters were lackluster overall. Atticus is supposed to be several centuries old, but he comes across as seriously clueless about anything that really matters: women, relationships, even religions that aren’t part of his particular pantheon. You’d think show more anyone who’s lived through a few centuries would learn a thing or two about other people’s cultures. And I quickly got fed up with him wanting to sleep with just about any woman he came across - mostly incredibly powerful Goddesses who apparently have no one better to get it on with than this guy. It’s as though the author took every guy’s Bond fantasy and transferred it to Atticus: magic, women, violence - a frat boy’s perfect read. Plus, Atticus is practically invulnerable, and he knows it. He scoffs in the face of any threat that comes his way, and then when he battles these supposedly super powerful gods and their minions, he takes them out without breaking a sweat.
And let’s talk about the many - many, MANY - deities who kept popping up at every opportunity. They were all one dimensional, self-centered and uninteresting. I mean, these are Gods and Goddesses with entire mythos built up around them, and they were all such bores! I wanted to like Oberon, I really did, but his dialogue exchanges with Atticus were so juvenile they made me roll my eyes pretty far into the back of my head.
I also got super frustrated by the fact that it was so incredibly easy for Atticus and his friends to hide the evidence of massive battles that often took place right in the middle of a city street. How convenient then that no one ever drove, walked, or rode by - and that on the occasion someone noticed something, the problem was easily solved with a literal flick of the wrist and muttering some magical mumbo jumbo.
Maybe I’m simply the wrong audience for this book, but I just couldn’t get into it at all. show less
Unfortunately, that’s what happened with HOUNDED. I should have loved it. I wanted to love it. Instead, I was at times bored, annoyed, and frustrated. Not to mention, I rolled my eyes way too often while reading.
The characters were lackluster overall. Atticus is supposed to be several centuries old, but he comes across as seriously clueless about anything that really matters: women, relationships, even religions that aren’t part of his particular pantheon. You’d think show more anyone who’s lived through a few centuries would learn a thing or two about other people’s cultures. And I quickly got fed up with him wanting to sleep with just about any woman he came across - mostly incredibly powerful Goddesses who apparently have no one better to get it on with than this guy. It’s as though the author took every guy’s Bond fantasy and transferred it to Atticus: magic, women, violence - a frat boy’s perfect read. Plus, Atticus is practically invulnerable, and he knows it. He scoffs in the face of any threat that comes his way, and then when he battles these supposedly super powerful gods and their minions, he takes them out without breaking a sweat.
And let’s talk about the many - many, MANY - deities who kept popping up at every opportunity. They were all one dimensional, self-centered and uninteresting. I mean, these are Gods and Goddesses with entire mythos built up around them, and they were all such bores! I wanted to like Oberon, I really did, but his dialogue exchanges with Atticus were so juvenile they made me roll my eyes pretty far into the back of my head.
I also got super frustrated by the fact that it was so incredibly easy for Atticus and his friends to hide the evidence of massive battles that often took place right in the middle of a city street. How convenient then that no one ever drove, walked, or rode by - and that on the occasion someone noticed something, the problem was easily solved with a literal flick of the wrist and muttering some magical mumbo jumbo.
Maybe I’m simply the wrong audience for this book, but I just couldn’t get into it at all. show less
This one kept popping up in my Amazon “also bought” lists, so I figured I’d give it a shot. It’s an urban fantasy with ancient Irish gods, fairies, and druids fast forwarded to the twentieth century which has picked up its share of modern supernatural guys along the way.
The protagonist is a druid named Atticus. Well, that’s what he’s calling himself these days, since not many folks in modern Arizona can handle his original name from sometime in the BC range. He runs an occult bookstore and tea shop, selling crystals and tarot cards to the wannabes and the occasional arcane text to the real practitioners. His lawyers (a vampire and a werewolf) keep him out of trouble – or at least try – but there’s not much they can do show more about his god problems.
And what would those be? Well, it seems he stole a sword in an epic battle a few thousand years ago, and its self-proclaimed “rightful owner” has been hunting for it ever since. Now those efforts have shifted into high gear, and Atticus is getting tired of hiding. Throw in a few witches and the occasional incarnation of Death (some sexy, some not so much), and it’s a regular menagerie of the supernatural.
By and large, I liked it, and I might continue reading the series. I suppose my only complaint is that the magic seemed too easy. That may just be the result of this druid’s thousands of years of practice, but for just starting into the series, he was a little too accomplished for my taste. It’s not that I require all my magical heroes to start off as neophytes, but it’s nice seeing them stumble and survive during those early years. It makes them seem more human rather that arrive as demigods on page 1. show less
The protagonist is a druid named Atticus. Well, that’s what he’s calling himself these days, since not many folks in modern Arizona can handle his original name from sometime in the BC range. He runs an occult bookstore and tea shop, selling crystals and tarot cards to the wannabes and the occasional arcane text to the real practitioners. His lawyers (a vampire and a werewolf) keep him out of trouble – or at least try – but there’s not much they can do show more about his god problems.
And what would those be? Well, it seems he stole a sword in an epic battle a few thousand years ago, and its self-proclaimed “rightful owner” has been hunting for it ever since. Now those efforts have shifted into high gear, and Atticus is getting tired of hiding. Throw in a few witches and the occasional incarnation of Death (some sexy, some not so much), and it’s a regular menagerie of the supernatural.
By and large, I liked it, and I might continue reading the series. I suppose my only complaint is that the magic seemed too easy. That may just be the result of this druid’s thousands of years of practice, but for just starting into the series, he was a little too accomplished for my taste. It’s not that I require all my magical heroes to start off as neophytes, but it’s nice seeing them stumble and survive during those early years. It makes them seem more human rather that arrive as demigods on page 1. show less
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Author Information
67+ Works 22,457 Members
Kevin Hearne is a native of Arizona. He graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and now teaches high school English. He is the author of the popular The Iron Druid Chronicles Series. His title, Scourged, made the bestseller list in 2018. (Bowker Author Biography)
Kevin Hearne is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Hounded
- Original title
- Hounded
- Original publication date
- 2011-05-03
- People/Characters
- Atticus O'Sullivan (Siodhachan Ó Suileabháin); Oberon (Irish wolfhound); Aenghus Óg; The Morrigan; Flidais; Granuaile MacTiernan (show all 14); Radomila; Laksha Kulasekaran; Hallbjörn "Hal" Hauk; Leif Helgarson; Malina Sokolowski; Mr. Semerdjian; Kate MacDonagh; Gunnar Magnusson
- Important places
- Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona, USA; Tír na nÓg
- Dedication
- Look, Mom, I made this!
Can we put it on the fridge? - First words
- There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and foremost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Only five?
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- Reviews
- 299
- Rating
- (3.94)
- Languages
- 6 — English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 31
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 18
