Shattered

The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 7

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Acclaimed author Kevin Hearne makes his hardcover debut with the new novel in his epic urban fantasy series starring the unforgettable Atticus O’Sullivan.

“[Kevin] Hearne is a terrific storyteller with a great snarky wit. . . . Neil Gaiman’s American Gods meets Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden.”—SFFWorld

For nearly two thousand years, only one Druid has walked the Earth—Atticus O’Sullivan, the Iron Druid, whose sharp wit and sharp sword have kept him alive as he’s been pursued by a pantheon of hostile deities. Now he’s got company.

Atticus’s apprentice Granuaile is at last a full Druid herself. What’s more, Atticus has defrosted an archdruid long ago frozen in time, a father figure (of sorts) who now goes by the modern equivalent of his old Irish name: Owen Kennedy.

And Owen has some catching up to do.

Atticus takes pleasure in the role reversal, as the student is now the teacher. Between busting Atticus’s chops and trying to fathom a cell phone, Owen must also learn English. For Atticus, the jury’s still out on whether the wily old coot will be an asset in the epic battle with Norse god Loki—or merely a pain in the arse.

But Atticus isn’t the only one with daddy issues. Granuaile faces a great challenge: to exorcise a sorcerer’s spirit that is possessing her father in India. Even with the help of the witch Laksha, Granuaile may be facing a crushing defeat.

As the trio of Druids deals with pestilence-spreading demons, bacon-loving yeti, fierce flying foxes, and frenzied Fae, they’re hoping that this time, three’s a charm.

Don’t miss any of The Iron Druid Chronicles:

Hounded

Hexed

Hammered

Tricked

Trapped

Hunted

Shattered

Staked

Scourged

Besieged

©2014 Kevin Hearne (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[Kevin] Hearne is a terrific storyteller with a great snarky wit. . . . Neil Gaiman’s American Gods meets Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden.”—SFFWorld

“[The Iron Druid books] are clever, fast-paced and a good escape.”—Boing Boing

“Hearne understands the two main necessities of good fantasy stories: for all the wisecracks and action, he never loses sight of delivering a sense of wonder to his readers, and he understands that magic use always comes with a price. Highly recommended.”—The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

Great Series

I have read every book in the series multiple times, aside from the final book which im on my way to now on my... oh gosh its gotta be the 7th time ive read thru this series. I love everything about it and have 0 complaints. A lot of other reviews say they don't like the characters added in but I think everyone of them are perfect in what they bring to the story.

a good story or rather a continuation of one.

the story flows nicely, plenty of twists, but it seemed to be over too quickly as i listen while I'm at work.

Love Oberon

I was suprised to read several reviews that said unkind things about this book. I was relieved to find them drained of truth well before the end of this one!

Another great Atticus and friends tale

I absolutely love the Iron Druid chronicles! Can’t get enough. I hope they never end!!

Good but Weakest of the Iron Druid Chronicles

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

Action
Revelations
Searching

If you’ve listened to books by Kevin Hearne before, how does this one compare?

Of the Novels and Novellas, this is the weakest.

While there is plenty that is done right, good action, and the bringing of Owen Kennedy into the storyline, the story sections told from Granuaile's perspective, in her voice isn't really necessary. Not that 'important' things don't occur, but it doesn't merit the emphasis it seems. Rather it slows things down and sidetracks much. Then, putting it in present tense, as opposed to Atticus's past, while maybe done for an artistic/storytelling reason, just adds to the jarring of the story. Her POV worked very well in Hunted and seemed necessary. Here, it does not.

Owen Kennedy's perspective is done that way as well, but as he's now in the present, 2000 years lost, it makes more sense. And his perspective seems to add to the story, add to the main character, Atticus, and is just far more interesting compared to Granuaile.

Also, I enjoy Oberon and his observations a lot. But it's becoming too much of a good thing. Where is was heroic and added pertinent observations, that has faded to the background in favor of sidekick humor and over the top sausage theory stuff.

Finally, it seems that tearing down Atticus and his competence is a route to allow other characters to step forward and come into their own. He gets some buildups, but more in the opposite direction.

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

Although some of the voices seem to have drifted, it's understandable as there are so many, and keeping them distinct. Which he does well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions. I did laugh at some of Oberon's commentary.

Any additional comments?

I think the addition of Owen Kennedy to the story is the best part of the novel.
For plot reasons, the author had to separate Granuaile and Atticus communication, and the cellphone made this hard. Letting them run out of battery power...then when they get to a plug, for example, not making a call, seemed odd.

This is a really good novel, and excellent narration, I think that it just slips from what I've come to expect.

I think it is a novel that while moving things forward, and has some major revelations, is also focused on setting the pieces in place for the anticipated final two novels in the series.

Big Message In This Book

“… I was sure Manannan felt it too—the crushing questions of how we got to this place and whether we could have avoided it, where we went wrong, and whether we would ever learn how not to cock up other people’s lives in the course of living our own.”

Most of the books in the Iron Druid series have been pure entertainment for me; I’ve not thought much about any major theme the author might be addressing. But Shattered is different; its theme hit me very hard, making it the most emotional book of the series so far for me.

The the quote above summarizes the message I’ve taken from this book: how do we live our own lives while doing as little damage to others as possible. Though Atticus is a good guy – for the most part thoughtful, kind, and generous – he occasionally does some stupid things that have big negative consequences for other people. Sometimes he doesn’t have to do anything at all to bring pain or death to those he knows and loves; who and what he is endangers anyone he’s close to.

It’s not just Atticus who brings bad things to those he loves; in this book, we are shown several examples of the unintentional impact many characters have had on others.

There are unintended consequences for everything we do; if we are lucky, those consequences are neutral or even good. Many times, they are bad and do something to insult or damage someone else. We may not even be aware of what we’ve done. Is it even possible to live in such a way that minimizes these consequences? Some forethought and impulse control would certainly go a long way, but I don’t think we can ever avoid negatively affecting others. If one tried, one would be totally incapable of acting, imagining all the things that could possibly go wrong for someone else. The only way not to impact someone or something is to not exist.

Which brings us to the idea that all people and all things are interconnected. That seems a very druidic way of thinking, and thus appropriate for this series. If we go one step further, I imagine we would have to consider how many of the bad things in our lives are the unintended consequences of the actions of others. And since we can’t avoid those consequences ourselves, we should probably learn how to forgive others and live in a state of grace.

Ug! This sounds so heady and mature for something I intended to “read” for escape and entertainment. But apparently this student was ready for the message, and the teacher appeared in the form of this book.

Speaking of the book, you probably want to hear something about it rather than about my personal challenges. ;) As always, kudos to Luke Daniels for some amazing narration. Dude, I can NOT imagine how speaking like Owen didn’t damage your voice. Were you hoarse for days? The addition of Orlaith, Granuaile’s new hound, is beautiful and touching. And thought it might take a while for the reader to figure out why Atticus, Granuaile, and Owen seem to be telling three different stories, it will make sense in the end. Shattered is an appropriate title for this book in many ways.

Another masterpiece

I've been reading and loving The Iron Druid series since Kevin Hearne first introduced Atticus O' Sullivan. I wasn't as fond of Granuaile, her emoting and preaching get really irritating, but she redeemed herself a bit in this book with her fierce fighting style. And I must say I do love Atticus's arch Druid. A wonderful read, or if you listened to Luke Daniels magical performance on audio as I just did...it's a marvelous listen!

THIS NEEDS TO BE A TV SERIES!!!

Why hasn't this been pitched as a series for prime time? Character growth is perfect

Awesome!!

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

Oh yeah. Luke Daniels is FANTASIC with reading this series

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shattered?

All of it! The yetis, Loki, the big battle, even the epilogue.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't have a favorite. I like all of it.

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

Enjoy this awesome movie. Its awesome and you will like it. But probably watch the first of the series first.

Fantastic series, but I missed Atticus

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

give me more

Who was your favorite character and why?

Atticus, he is the series

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

both

Any additional comments?

This is a great series and I can see where the author is going where he wants to with his characters, but I prefer the books to center around Atticus. I missed him in this one, he didn't get enough air time.