Hounded

The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

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

©2011 by Kevin Hearne. (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Hearne, a self-professed comic-book nerd, has turned his love of awesome dudes whacking mightily at evil villains into a superb urban fantasy debut.” (Publishers Weekly)

“A page-turning and often laugh-out-loud funny caper through a mix of the modern and the mythic.” (Ari Marmell, author of The Warlord’s Legacy)

“Kevin Hearne breathes new life into old myths, creating a world both eerily familiar and startlingly original.” (Nicole Peeler, author of Tempest Rising)

Kevin Hearne is an excellent storyteller

Look Daniels narration is unsurpassed in this unique telling of an exquisite tail. Kevin Hearne is an absolute genius in my opinion

fun and lots of action

I listened to both Hounded and Hexed of the Iron Druid Chronicles. They were both action packed and at times very funny. I did agree with one of the characters who wondered how Atticus (the Druid) could have lived so long and attained so little maturity.(this is my interpretation, not an exact quote.)But he did remind me me of a 13 year old at times. I decided in a pinch he was able to muster up a great deal of wisdom and exceptionally good judgement and having not met any druids who can count their age in the thousands I think he basically came together as uniquely beliveable. Oberon, his dog was my favorite character. He was also the smartest.

Love the Series

Listened to all in this series. Can't wait for the next one. The fantasy premises are absurd (aren't they all in the fantasy genre?), but it's all good fun. Oberon the dog is hilarious. Luke Daniels performed this to perfection. My criteria for a great reader is acting ability, able to create distinct voices for characters that enhance the author's work, and good comic timing. Daniels gets an A+.

For someone new to this genre….

Usually I write a review after each book in the series; however, this time I wanted to read all the books in the series before writing an honest review. I would recommend this series to anyone thinking about venturing to another genre of books. The series is easy to follow and introduces the idea of other beings immortal and mortal into the world we live in now. I love this series because I feel like I am in an alternate reality in my time. I don’t have to try to think about what the world around me looks like because I already know, instead I am focusing on the characters as they develop and the story that the author is trying to tell.

About the author’s style.

Kevin Hearne has definitely earned a loyal fan for life with this series. His writing is humorous but what makes it even better is the fact that the humor is based on everyday tidbits that a vast majority of people can catch on to without thinking too much on the punch line. A good book is one that leaves you wanting more, and without a doubt this series proves that Hearne can spin a tale. It took me about 3 weeks to listen to Book 1-7 and every time I would get to the end, I would think about taking a break to absorb the story but I found myself purchasing the next listen. By the end of my listens, I was on Hearne’s website trying to get an idea on when the next book will be released.

About the narrator.

There are few narrators who can bring a book to life and Luke Daniels is most definitely in that league. His ability to bring each and every character to life was magnificent. I particularly appreciate his narration of Oberon; if dogs could speak then I can imagine they would sound just like this. I think a challenge for any narrator would be transitioning to another gender, so for Luke Daniels to not only narrate a female character but to make sure the accents are in place and keep up with who sound this what… well I applause him for doing a wonderful job. If anyone can narrate the roles of 9 witches, a dog, an apprentice, a vampire, a god and a werewolf (just to mention a few) and keep track of these roles book after book without a glitch here and there then I would love to have you give this a shot. In my opinion, if Luke made a slight error here and there I would not fault him because for one, I did not notice it and second, it was so minor that it did not take away from the overall performance.

About the series.

This is the story of the last remaining Druid Atticus who has spent nearly 2000 years on the run from a god and his best friend Oberon. Atticus has decided to make a stand at last and face whatever comes his way. As the story pricks up we meet the different people in Atticus’ life that will each play a role later down the line on this new course of Atticus’ life. Each book is an adventure and introduces us to new aspects of this alternate world. There are heartbreaking moments but there are also triumphant moments. The great thing about this series is that each book is unlike the previous. The conversation is entertaining and the story is wickedly fun. Maybe it’s me but I like an antagonist who is hard to destroy and this is definitely something the series offers. While the story is told from Atticus’ perspective he did not win every battle by himself and as such making the story that much more interesting.

There are a couple of short stories in this series as well. I took the advised of a review and started on Book 1 and then circled back to .4 and 0.6, 3.5 stories. I recommend this especially if you are new to the genre or this author. Trust me, you will not be missing out on sections of the book but doing this.

My recommendation.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is just getting into urban paranormal. I think it is a book that will connect with a wide age group. I listened to majority of the series with my 11 year old with a few exceptions where I felt it would raise more questions from her then I would like to answer at this time. I should clarify that there is no graphic content in any of the books but it is rather implied (some of it is rather hilarious) and as such it is just one of those books that one would have to use personal judgement on whether to expose a younger audience to it. I did get my older brother, who is 40 yrs., old to listen to some of the books and he thought it was interesting. Each book is well worth a credit but if you are like me and treasure each credit, if you have amazon prime, you can get a few books at a reasonable price in print and audio and save that credit for later.

fun listen

My husband and I listened to this all day, it was a frigid cold day and we just huddled on the couch and listened to the whole book. It was a good listen and a great way to spend a lazy Sunday. If you enjoy Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher and enjoy a bit of Druid, vampire, werewolf, witchy fun this book is for you.

very good read!

I loved it, the narrator was fantastic, the characters were unique and I have to say my favorite is the dog!

I was hooked from the start

One of my favorite audiobooks of all time. A great urban fantasy. Very funny, great action, and a great group of characters. Please read this so I am not so lonely in my fandom. Spread the word, the iron druid chronicles is awesome!

AWESOME

If you could sum up Hounded in three words, what would they be?

This story was action packed and I liked the fact that the story was very easy to follow. The main character Aticus I connected with him right away along with his wolfhound Oberon.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the plot of the story and the fact that the author gave you enough about Aticus to keep the story going and you never get confused about what is going on.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

He is a great reader. The only thing is in my mind Aticus has a Irish accent..lol

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

not sure

What fun!

Any additional comments?

Loved it - at first it seemed to be just another ancient-mythical-beings-in-modern-times book (which I just found out is called URBAN FANTASY), but I was captivated by Oberon the wolfhound and then just let myself be carried along by the story. This book has everything: Action, humor, a little romance, and a talking dog. How can you go wrong?

The narrator struck the perfect tone. I was glad to see that Mr. Daniels narrates the whole series. I'll be reading (or listening to) the whole series

Love the dog!

Would you listen to Hounded again? Why?

Eventually I will listen again, the story kept my interest and has humor.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Irish Wolfhound makes me laugh!

What about Luke Daniels???s performance did you like?

Great job.

Any additional comments?

I liked it well enough to get t.he next book in the series