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)

Fun

Entertaining, funny, narration was spot on, I enjoyed the bits of lore thrown in here and there.

Attempting to balance new age and old myth

This is one of the immortal of the ancient world attempting to make the best of it in the current one. The story starts out rather unimpressive immortals hidden in the South United States, a little mythology and the main character running a new age shop as a cover for the real magic. The story warms up and while not original in the gods chosen to cause trouble the author warms up to him material and provides reasonable excitement and warm characters you can root for.

One of My Favorite Audiobooks

Would you listen to Hounded again? Why?

Yes, I've listened to it 3 times already. The narrator's performance is perfect for the book.

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

The voice for his conversations with his dog Oberon are very funny!

Any additional comments?

I think it's hard to know how funny the book is based on the cover art. It is not just a book about a warrior with a sword. It is a very smart and witty book.

loved it!

when I was about 14 I fell out of reading really. this book however was able to.hold my attention from the start, have snappy yet not cheesy dioloug and gave just the right amount of lore and charter devolpment.
Story was awesome but mostly laid ground work through the book which was understandable ans enjoyed. highly recommended.

Action, Comedy, Magic, and a smidge of Romance

Loved the book! A pleasure to read with a delightful assortment of characters. I have read it 3 times and still enjoy it. The whole series is awesome.

best series I've read (heard)

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

My first review ever....
I cannot say enough good about these books. They get better and better as the story grows. The narrator is so creative with all the diffrent voice characters these stories involve. My absolutely laugh out loud favorite is Oberon. The writing for the main character's companion is this hound dog. Im sure for someone reading the book making there own voice for themselve there would be many diffrent variations. The narrator's choice of how he brings this character to life is probably one of the best things about these books in a audio format. You cannot help but laugh out loud knowing if your own dog was able to communicate with you this is exactly how it would be.

I can say that ive been at audible.com for a good while now with plenty of good books listened to. My favorite till now is this series. You won't regret these purchases.

This book reeled me into the series

I wasn't sure what to think when I started listening to this book and was amazingly surprised. I love the new age twist.

well told

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

the story really got me involved with the characters. And, you got you love this guys dog. Aticus steals the show

Lucky find!

What did you love best about Hounded?

I stumbled onto this looking for something new. I literally logged on and bought the next two books in the series after finishing the first one and am already queuing for the fourth due in March 2012.

This series really has a little of everything. The characters are relatable and the momentum of the story just keeps flowing so well that I wanted to finish this in a single sitting. You don’t need to be a hard core fantasy fiction fan to enjoy this one.

Topped with a great sense of humour this series often had me laughing out loud.

What other book might you compare Hounded to and why?

I definitely haven't read anything like this before.

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

I am not sure. The performance is excellent! It’s just more convenient for me to just switch on and listen than find the time to properly settle down to read.

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

Auberon (the dog)'s chirps had me snickering a few times.

Any additional comments?

Thoroughly enjoyed it! Can’t wait for the next one. Definitely a new fan!

Wish I was a Druid

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

Hot diggity dog!

What did you like best about this story?

The depth of the characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

ohmygosh.....too hard to pick one. So I guess any scene that Oberon is in.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Listended to all three of the books back to back. Can't get enough!