Hexed

Doughty Druid

This book gets a steely 5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes for being a superb sequel, having laugh out loud writing, and characters that the reader can truly care about.

This series has become one of my top 5 series, I just love so much about it. The characters and story are refreshing because it has characters and themes that are common yet used in unexpected ways. Take religion, if you read this series you will see and hear about a plethora of gods and goddesses from across many cultures. I like that there are all these religious figures still out there in the world but some just appear more often than others.

The setting is the same as the previous book and you get to find out even more about the large cast of characters. I liked show more seeing more of Atticus’s nighttime lawyer, Leif the vampire and Granuile his new apprentice.

The side characters in this book are fleshed out really well. The interactions between Leif and Atticus are great especially when he tries to help him with his word phrasing so he doesn’t sound as old as he actually is. Granuile (who’s name I can’t for the life of me pronounce) is seen more in this book and shown to be quite savvy to all the weirdness of witches, police problems, and learning all manner of information on what druids can do. It would be interesting if Atticus and Granuile had a relationship because you can tell he’s interested, on the other hand though Atticus has a well known weakness for pretty women and she is technically his student.

Many of the best lines in the book are said by Oberon, the Irish wolfhound. Seeing how he and Atticus interact is a lot of fun and also makes me hope that Kevin Hearne never has any plans to kill him off like so many other authors, movies, and TV shows do with beloved pets. I actually found myself tearing up a bit at the point in the book when you find out how old Oberon is and how much Atticus looks out for him.

If you thought Atticus had problems in in Hounded then you are in for even more carnage when you read Hexed. There’s gods, goddesses, good witches, bad witches, a tall priest, a short rabbi, and even more magic and fighting. The book is also chock-full of humor, I actually had to stop reading the book at work because I didn't want people to think I was a weirdo laughing to myself all alone in the library.

The endings of this book and the one before it are great because they both end on a funny note. Ending at a funny line or situation is to me much more preferable and unexpected then having a cliffhanger that makes you want to throw the book out the window. Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy, magic, or really stupendous male main characters. I for one am very happy that the third book has been released and plan to read it as soon as possible. I look forward to reading more about Atticus’s world and whatever else Kevin Hearne writes in the future. show less

Perhaps it's because they were published in quick succession, but this -- the second novel in the Iron Druid Chronicles -- struck me as almost identical to its predecessor, warts and all. There are a few changes here: for example, Hearne has eased off on weaponry descriptions and picked up a habit of describing every item of clothing in a person's outfit instead. It's a strange alteration -- and a strange choice for extended description in this genre -- but at least now I know that our main character, a disguised Druid multiple millenia old, has an appreciation for fashion.

Forgive the tone -- I should say that I am enjoying this series, in between flashes of irritation. There are clever lines and saucy hounds and some very powerful show more female characters, which I appreciate. At the same time, however, there is just so much that could easily be better here, which I think is why I harp on the details so much. The potential of Hearne's storytelling is very good -- he has a smart sense of interaction, pinpointing the ways that a multi-pantheon world might work and the relationship quirks that might develop between deities and other beings of different myths and faiths. I like the sass and irreverence at work most of the time.

Unfortunately, all this potential is still mired in some bad habits and -- something that I noticed this time in particular -- a main character who is both limited (emotionally stunted might be a better phrase) and entirely too powerful. Atticus acts and speaks like an Irish frat boy much of the time, even when it isn't necessary for his modern-day "camouflage", which can get wearing after a while. I like the character's basic idea, but the references to female body parts and beer seem a little thick. On the other hand, I am not male, so it's possible that these cultural details appeal to a specific demographic of Hearne's audience. The fact that Atticus is -- by this second book -- equipped with not one but two badass magic swords, protected by an awesome Druid amulet that no one else gets, has healing powers and is unkillable anyway, however, just seems like laziness. It's hard to get engaged about the peril your character is in when said peril is clearly not mortal.

After all this, you might think I had set the series aside, but the interesting thing is, I've already started the third book. Clearly, there is enough there to keep me reading, if only to see if Atticus every really gets his butt kicked. I get the sense that this book and its brother volumes are best suited for a certain group of teenage males, but I think it works too for fantasy fans who really want to just turn off their brain for a few hours -- sort of like going to see the newest comic book movie. As fluff goes, Hearne's novel has some things going for it. I'll see if it manages to get anything else going in the next book. show less

Hexed by Kevin Hearne is the second in the Iron Druid Chronicles. It was another highly entertaining read. And so funny! Events pick up just days after the big show down at the end of book one. Atticus has had time to mostly heal and is now dealing with the fallout of those events. There's the matter of cleaning up the few demons that escaped and a group of Bacchants from Las Vegas has come to town to (literally) tear up the local club scene. Plus a new group of witches is in town, ones Atticus has run into before on the German side of WWII. He's decided to do something he never thought he would - sign an nonaggression treaty with the local coven of witches. Perhaps with a little help from his friends he can get it all taken care of and show more start healing the land.

Oberon is hands down my favorite character. He gets some of the best lines. The conversations between Oberon and Atticus had me laughing out loud. The fact that he speaks telepathically making it so that almost no one else can hear which causes Atticus to attempt to keep a straight face during conversations adds to the fun. It's also neat that the author gives Oberon a "theme" for each book.

Hearne is starting to branch out and mix in other mythologies. The Native American god Coyote makes an appearance and lives up to his trickster ways. Eastern European witchcraft lore is further explained. He even manages to work in the Virgin Mary and some Kabbalah. Everyone from all the pantheons hates Thor which I'm pretty sure is a set up for book 3 since it's titled Hammered. My least favorite part is when the two Celtic goddesses make their appearance. They just didn't fit very well into this book's plot for me so I'm sure that's also a set up for something in the future.

Again I listened to the audio book narrated by Luke Daniels. His performance continues to be top notch. As long as they keep Daniels as the voice actor I'll be continuing this series on audio. show less

A group of evil women that cast spells and a group of evil women that eat people descend upon the town. A lone (male) druid orders his subordinate female apprentice to be his alibi while he and some other men kill the evil women. He does get the help of other women, but they are psychotic and/or violent and/or thieves and/or utterly untrustworthy.

The Maenad sections seemed to detract from the pace of the book, but without them the book would be 8 chapters long. The cultural references were toned down a bit, thank God. I have to admit I laughed my ass off when he talked about katana-wielding grognards. However, Atticus does absolutely dumb or mean-spirited things all the time, for no reason, and often to his detriment. While I show more appreciate a desire to give the protagonist flaws, it just isn't believable that a being that is 2100 years old can make these instant, insightful observations and clever plans....and then do something utterly idiotic out of nowhere, because it is needed for the plot. show less

I'm enjoying the Iron Druid series and feel Hexed lives up to the promise of Hounded. I find them both to be fast, engaging reads, with a host of interesting characters, from the main ones to the minors. Hexed has a load of action, perhaps too much, but it's largely appropriate, as a couple conflicts are fall-out from Hounded, and the new one involves an invading witch group. I enjoy the complexity of Atticus, from his seemingly extreme distrust of witches, to his committed friendship with his wolfhound, to new details we learn about him during WWII. Oberon, his hound, continues with his clever remarks and provides quite a few laughs.

I really enjoy the earth magic Atticus uses and feel its a different angle on the road to power and show more magic systems. I find it interesting that he seems to feel restoring life to the forest destroyed in Hounded is so important, but unfortunate that he gets minimal time to do so in Hexed. I look forward to learning why he hasn't recreated a druidic grove and what the implications will be.

I know some feel like he is too powerful, but ultimately, he is supposed to have two millennia to refine and gather his power--that's a whole lot of time. I also believe Hearne is using the terms "gods" much like the Greeks and Norse did--immortal members of a pantheon of deities, but certainly not all-powerful or all-knowing. Understanding that helps make it clear how Atticus can beat a "god." I also feel his tips to the goddesses about amulet making help give the impression of how time-consuming some of that learning can be.

As a matter of fact, that leads me to one of my only quibbles with the series, in that Atticus "feels" and acts so young--a little too contemporary. Reactions to attractive young mortal women seem to encourage the sense of youngness, in that he is very embarrassed by his reaction to his apprentice. There is a section in Hexed that deliberately deals with language "updating," and Atticus giving hints to another long-lived entity. But he generally seems and acts like a contemporary, spending very little time meditating/ experimenting/ practicing, and mostly maintaining his business, socializing with the neighbor and going for runs with Oberon. In short, he feels and acts like a young modern soul.

Nonetheless, his story is engaging and the cast of side characters are fascinating. I plan to continue the series and will undoubtedly put it on auto-buy. show less

I thought there was a lot of potential in the first book of this series, and I am happy to see it is expanded on in Hexed. Here, a coven of evil witches makes a move on Malina’s territory, which also happens to be Atticus’. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the followers of Bacchus have also dropped into town to unleash chaos via uninhibited orgies, there’s a fallen angel killing high-schoolers and everyone wants Atticus to kill Thor. Just another day in the life of a druid.

The first book disappointed me because everything came to Atticus; someone would conveniently tell him what he needed to know so he never had to be proactive. Thankfully, that is not the case here. The book is very fast paced since there are so many fires for show more Atticus to put out. This means he has to plan, negotiate and work out how to tackle each crisis. There was a lot of planning involved, with Malina’s coven and Leif, plus the return of Laksha. There’s also a lot of humor here, specifically from Atticus’ knowledge and appreciation of pop culture. I love that he’s trying to teach Leif how not to sound like a stuffy vampire!

I did have a couple of issues with the book. The Morrigan and Brighid both make appearances that go on too long and serve no purpose to the current plot. And, a noticeable amount of the book is taken up with setting up the next book, which will no doubt deal with Thor (and everyone wanting him dead). I don’t mind some build-up for the next book; but it should come near the end, and not at the expense of the story currently being told. However, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story and I do look forward to the next installment.

Overall, a nice improvement over the first book with some character growth and expanded cast. Recommended to fans of urban fantasy. show less

As good as the first book. The pop culture references and the "lessons" in pop culture keep cracking me up. I am still fascinated by the varied belief systems Hearne sticks in his books. I also like that for the most part, each book can stand alone; though there is a chronological order to the series.