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 great romp of a listen

Is there anything as satisfying as a well paced, easy listen with engaging characters? This is one of those. With plenty of pop culture, mythology and historical references to boot.

Excellent

Kevin Hearne writes a fantasy novel about a 21 year old (that is 21 Centuries old), Druid, named Atticus, and his Irishwolf Hound, named Oberon.

The story is wrapped around a Celtic God, named Aenghus, who wanted his sword back. Atticus, who is happy in his quiet life, helping his neighbors and running his tea shop. Suddenly witches and fairies and the most beautiful witch have entered his life wanting to warn him that Aenghus is coming for him & the sword. Problem is that they each have spells attached to them or wish to cast a spell on Atticus..

Good news is Atticus has lawyers to help him out. They happen to be a vampire and werewolf.

The writing is clever tongue in cheek humor. I'm not big on talking animal stories, but Oberdon is hilarious.

I highly recommend this book.

Nerds take note!

If you have nerdy interests at all you will like this series. I was on the search for a modern fantasy series - not the paranormal romance that seems to be everywhere now - and this series was an unexpected find. There are laugh out loud moments, smart characters, and an engaging, fast paced plot. This is the first book in the series, and I plowed through the first three in one weekend - buying the next as soon as I was done with the one before. Had to wait a few weeks before book 4 came out - I was biting my nails every day in anticipation! The best thing is that one night I was listening out loud in bed, and my boyfriend got sucked in too - he doesn't listen to audio (would much prefer to be on his computer or playing a game) but started laughing at the characters and we had to go back to the beginning. Now we're listening together - his first audio experience! Nerdtastic writing, and the narrator does a great job with voices for unusual characters. I will never be able to look at an Irish Wolfhound now without hearing Oberon's voice in my head.

Brilliant narration, and a fun storyline!

I enjoyed it immensely. Best character by far is Oberon. Luke Daniels brings him to life so well!!!!!
Good storyline, nice twists, and no downtime to get bored in. I will be listening to the rest of the series! (Mostly because of Oberon.)

Fun story even better w/ Luke Daniels's narration

What did you love best about Hounded?

Oberon and the whole story/universe

Any additional comments?

Luke Daniels does a wonderful job with this series. He handles all the different languages (Gaelic, Polish, Norse) with no trouble. You can tell he's having as much fun reading this as we are listening. I absolutely love his voice for Oberon the Irish Wolfhound.

Good start

Took the performer a little time to hit a good stride but I grew to like his cadence after awhile. Enjoyable story line and rich mythos references. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Hilarious, exciting light-reading!

What did you love best about Hounded?

This book is hilarious. Let me say that again, hilarious! It's a light-hearted tale of swords and sorcery set in modern day Arizona that pits a two-thousand year-old druid against a Celtic God who's out for revenge. The premise may be incredible, but the characters and plot are not. Atticus' voice is snarky and humorous and combines the mundane and the magical in a seamless blend. Bonus points for the narrator who makes the characters and story come alive.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Atticus' dog Oberon was easily my favorite character. He was so expressive and funny.

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

Luke Daniels makes the dog, Oberon come alive in such a way that I never would have reading the book on my own.

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

A tale for the ages.

Any additional comments?

If you're in doubt, get this one!

Light, Fun and Kinda Cute

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

This was a fun book to listen to. I enjoy the fantasy genre and while this is not a book of the calibre of George R R Martin or Abercrombie, it was still delightful to listen to.

Great start to an entertaining series!!

Clever writing, engaging story line, good character development lots of humor and very good narration! All the basics for a good listen.

The series is probably filed under Young Adult and possibly written more for male listeners but my 12 year old daughter loves the series! There is some mention of sex and nudity but nothing graphic or inappropriate. The author has slipped in lots of jokes only a Gen-X-er would get, which gives me the chance to explain some pop-culture references to my daughter.

We are both listening to the series and enjoy asking each other "How far are you now?" The narrator does a great job bringing the characters to life. We randomly blurt out, in our very best Oberon the dog voice "Sausages?!" to which Dad looks at us like we are crazy, and we burst out laughing!

We are on book 4 in the series and I realized I should probably rate and review what we have listened to so far. I totally recommend the series to adults and young adults alike. It's not my typical read, I tend toward erotica, paranormal, military/war, murder mystery, and syfi. I love this series and so does my daughter!

Great story, loved the dog.

What did you love best about Hounded?

The narrator. Luke Daniels brought the characters to life and filled them with humor. Narrators can make or break an audio series for me. If I'm not hooked in the first book then I'm not going to listen to the next. I'm definitely getting book 2.

What other book might you compare Hounded to and why?

Dresden Files. Same genre, similar characters.

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

Oberon - that dog made me laugh out loud!

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

Never underestimate a druid.