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)

A roaring good time.

Would you consider the audio edition of Hounded to be better than the print version?

n/a

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hounded?

I love after Atticus's story to his dog about Genghis Khan that for the rest of the book the Oberon wanted to gather the hoards and get his harem of poodles. Also the part were he kills the man in front of the widows house was hilarious.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

when everything continued to get worse as Atticus realised that everyone was playing/using him for their own plans.

Any additional comments?

Loved it. It is full of adventure and comedy from Atticus's character to the comments of his friends it is a great book, and though I don't have it in print now I am going to buy it soon to add it to my collection of books.

Wasn't sure I'd like it; now I'm addicted

What made the experience of listening to Hounded the most enjoyable?

Oberon the dog cracks me up... wonderfully written and enjoyable!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oberon the dog.

Have you listened to any of Luke Daniels’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A - but Luke Daniel's perfomance is excellent and a perfect fit for the ambience of the story.

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

I do believe this will become a film and the tag line could be,

Any additional comments?

Simply an easy, relaxing and enjoyable read.

Wonderful listen

Would you listen to Hounded again? Why?

Yes. Good story. Humour. Different from any book I have read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hounded?

The conversation between Atticus and Brieth.

Which character – as performed by Luke Daniels – was your favorite?

The dog, Oberon.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. unfortunately I could not.

Any additional comments?

This was a wonderfully good book to listen to. Luke Daniels performance was great.I most definitely intend to check out the other books in this series.

Great Book, Will come back to it again and again!

My Fiancé introduced me to these books and I can't get enough of them! Luke Daniels Brings Atticus to life! the humor is modern, funny and will make you laugh. Being a native to Arizona, naturally the constant setting in familiar places helped me to place it better. It's a wonderfully hilarious retelling of classic myths and modern fantasy and humor. And being a massive lord of the rings nerd, the periodic references to lotr cracks me up each time.

I highly recommend this book!

Awesome Story, Hilarious and informative.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would gladly recommend this book to a friend. It was great listening and instantly went out and bought the next one to continue with the story. The person reading is awesome, his voices he used and the tones were great and kept me

What did you like best about this story?

The humor, the story itself, the person reading it. Hard to pinpoint just one thing.

What does Luke Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

If that was the person reading it then excitement, believability and the ability to lose myself totally in the listening instead of growing tired from eyestrain.

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

A modern Merlin for real??? not sure, I'm lousy with that kind of thing

Any additional comments?

absolutely would go see it in the movies but not sure that a movie would be as good as the person narrating it made it....

Entertaining story with a delightful sense of humor compounded by Luke Daniels narration

Very good twist on the old gods and things that we use to scare children for those with a somewhat twisted sense of humor

Fluffy urban fantasy

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

Druid Harry Dresden

Any additional comments?

If Atticus O'Sullivan was a wizard instead of a druid, his name would be Harry Dresden. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Hearne seems to have a sincere man-crush on Jim Butcher. If you are a fan of The Dresden Files, Hounded should suit you.

What a treat!

I purchased this book in one of the "buy 2 books with 1 credit" sales and this was the book I choose to go with the book I really wanted. It turns out that I enjoyed this "free" book so much more than I had anticipated. I often use the sales to try out new authors, and I was certainly not disappointed by my choice this time.
I loved this book! Although I have not purchased the other books in the series "The Iron Druid Chronicles", I intend to do so in the future. I was very impressed by Kevin Hearne's writing, as well as the excellent narration by Luke Daniels.
Some of my favorite humorous segments involve Atticus, the druid, and his Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. One of Atticus's talents is the ability to "mind-speak" with his dog and the conversations between them are hilarious. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed those parts so much I have gone back and listened to them numorous times.
I don't think you will be disappointed if you purchase this book. I highly reccomend it.

YES, YES, YES!

A book I never knew I wanted. Kevin Hearne has crafted a classic. The characters are great and the overall story is a unique one to me at least.
The world's last druid who has survived for centuries and his mentally talking dog are definitely a good start to a book. Then learning that all of the myths, deities and belief systems are real adds to the story and world. The interactions between the main characters and his friends sucks you in and keeps you laughing.
This is definitely a change of pace magic fantasy book that will refresh your senses and mind.

Great Book

I really enjoyed this book and think I found a new series that is going to keep me entertained for hours.