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)

Great characters

enjoyable plot, however it's the characters where this book shines. Each character seems like someone you could bump into on the street. love it can't wait to listen to the next book.

Completely Hooked

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

Snarky, non-stop adventure

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the odd references and the different types of characters. They just all mixed so well even if they didn't play well together. I've never had so much fun listening to a book.

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

Oberon. I want an Irish Wolfhound now.

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

Yes, I've listened to it twice. The stories are great for solitary road trips and to prevent road rage in traffic.

Slow burn with a great payoff

The performance was awesome, that's all I have to say on that.

I lost count of how many times I burst out laughing while listening to this, so if we're just going on enjoyability, 10/10 would read again! But the story itself needed some work. It started out being a fairly monotonous series of cause and effect events, but around halfway through, it really picked up, got more complicated, and finally drew me into the plot. I'm hoping the next book in the series has more in common with the second half than the first.

A Fun Listen!

What did you love best about Hounded?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, both the story and the performance.

What did you like best about this story?

I don't usually choose supernatural books, but the reviews of this one appealed to me. It's very funny without having to reach for laughs.

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

His performance was spot on, the characters really came to life with his performance.

Any additional comments?

It's an easy and fun listen that you can tune out and jump back into without missing a beat.

Surprisingly effective mix

Would you listen to Hounded again? Why?

I would definitely listen to it again and plan on listening to the rest of the series as well.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hounded?

The main character's interactions with his elderly Irish neighbor lady were usually interesting and at times pretty surprising. Someday I hope to have a friend who would be willing to help me bury a body if needed. ;)

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

I was initially put off by his choice of voice for the dog... but it grew on me. It was very distinctive and added a lot of flavor to the scenes he was in.

Dresden files and this series so far are my favs

the characters are rich in detail and personality, the story is so well told I find myself neglecting to concentrate on work. this is high praise I have listened to alot of books and this held my attention the whole way through.

Loved it!

It took me a little bit to start putting it all together but it was entertaining throughout. A good read that I would recommend to anyone. Looking forward to book two.

Fresh Concept

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

Yes. Fresh concept for urban fantasy. It is hard to find urban fantasy that is not completely wrapped around vampires and werewolves.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character is, of course! But I have to say, I liked the dog too. I can see many listeners on the fence about the dog, but my opinion was he was great comic relief.

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

Yes. Luke always does a nice job.

GREAT

This series is awesome, can’t wait for the fourth book to come out. The concept is original and very entertaining. These tales are sure to please.

Shorter than i wanted but very entertaining.

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

The story is great, and i know the phoenix area well so having familiar streets and cities might be a bit bias on my part. But there is a good deal of action. And the story is interesting and entertaining. Luke Daniels does a great job reading the voices are very different and dont sound forces most of the time. The only down side is i wish it was longer....and the druid seems a bit too epic. There is a lot of interaction with gods in the series and wile it works well with the story it just seems a bit too much absolute power. Our hero is far from indestructible and almost dies a lot but the first name basis with several gods is a bit much. Do not get me wrong this does not hurt or weaken the story at all and this is fantasy after all. I recommend this series highly if your into magic and action. P.S. The dog is the coolest.