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)

Reviews did not lie!

shorter than what I would normally read but definetly worth the purchaae. trust the other reviews

awesome

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

What other book might you compare Hounded to and why?
The Dresden Chronicles because of the use of Urban Fantasy and the witty writing

Which scene was your favorite?
any scene with Oberon

Any additional comments?
I am in LOVE with this series! Excellent writing is perfectly executed by Luke Daniels. I am SO glad that I am listening and not trying to pronounce these Old World words. Fast paced, funny, sound world creation and historical research, deep characters, fun and immersive. IT is hard to put these books down! If you like the Dresden Chronicles by Butcher or C. DeLint you will like these books. I greatly prefer this series t Dresden because they are more fun.
Dec 2019: I just finished listening to this entire series again and it is still as fun as the first read. GET THESE BOOKS

all hail Oberon!

love the story. love the characters, Luke Daniels is amazing at bringing the characters alive.

Great adventure

Narrator was great. All ready for second book. I love Oberon. Fun cultural references.

Wonderful

Awesome book!!! I loved it very much and am very sad the first book is over but glad there are 8 more.

not bad

not my thing personally. but i like how it goes for norse and Celtic mythology rather than your standard generic fantasy

A Suitable knock off

These days, with the Sabbaticals & the breaks between releases, The Dresden Files are the pinnacle of Fast Reading/listening, concerning occult pulp fiction; but you will need to find suitable reading to get you through between releases.
Iron Druid chronicles are suitable. The writing is not new, & follows the same formulas & pacing. But Hounded does lack ability to build as high to a stunning climax, instead building to a suitable satisfactory crescendo.
Some of the plot devices are derivative & lack proper development, as do some characters & the relationships that exist between Atticus & these beings.

But again, Dresden arrives about once a year or every other year with a new installment, & if you can’t have the original high at times, your cool pursuing a similar if milder overall trip with this series.
It’s pacing does hold your attention & it does become a challenge to put it down. So it earns those 4 stars.

Witty urban fantasy, well narrated

If you liked the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovich you might enjoy this also.
Contemporary urban fantasy set in Arizona.
Witty narrative with references to classic movies (like Star Wars) and Shakespeare. The plot skips along with hints and clues to keep the reader guessing as to the motives of the other characters while the hero and his dog aim to keep a low profile while surrounded by potentially hostile fae, witches, gods and other magical folks while trying not to alarm the locals.
The narration was great -accents not awesome, but he was consistent in his character voices and you could recognize the characters right away. The dog voice is brilliant.
I am buying the next book!

Mythology, Monsters, and a Talking Dog!

Hearne does an incredible job of taking the small bits we actually know about the ancient Druids and creating an entirely believable version of Druidry that serves as the underpinning of a compelling narrative. My only complaint is that the series ended way before I felt like there were no more stories to tell. I suppose it's always good to leave your audience wanting more, but dang, as the audience, I was really sad to know I wouldn't get to know what happened next.

great book

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great book
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greqt book
great book
buy this book
you will like it