Trapped

The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 5

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

In the fifth novel in the New York Times bestselling Iron Druid Chronicles, two-thousand-year-old Druid Atticus O’Sullivan will at last bind a new Druid to protect the earth—but first he must go toe-to-toe with the Roman god Bacchus, the Norse pantheon, and an ancient vampire, all hell-bent on ensuring his demise.

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

The downside to faking your own death is that people tend to get upset when they find out they’ve been had. In Atticus O’Sullivan’s case, they’re upset enough to come after him to make sure he dies for real this time. Yet he can’t remain in hiding anymore: He has to bind his apprentice, Granuaile, to the earth so that she can become the first new Druid in centuries.

But the Roman god Bacchus wants mortal revenge for a slight against him, and he proceeds to act on the principle that Atticus should hate his life until it can be ended. Members of the Norse pantheon aren’t particularly pleased with Atticus either—especially one who had languished in darkness, slowly going mad, and is now free to work his mischief again.

On top of that, an ancient vampire, who’d like to remove Atticus and Granuaile as threats to his kind, is working on his own plan for their destruction.

Forced to work at the base of Mount Olympus, Atticus and Granuaile must survive the three-month process of her binding and escape the many traps set for them. It’s fortunate that they have Oberon the Irish Wolfhound on their side—but is one good dog going to be enough to see them through it?

Don’t miss any of The Iron Druid Chronicles:
HOUNDED | HEXED | HAMMERED | TRICKED | TRAPPED | HUNTED | SHATTERED | STAKED | SCOURGED | BESIEGED

©2012 Random House Audio (P)2012 Kevin Hearne

Critic reviews

"It may be possible that Hearne and Atticus are the logical heir to Butcher and Dresden." (SFFWorld)

“Celtic mythology and an ancient Druid with modern attitude mix it up in the Arizona desert in this witty new fantasy series.” (Kelly Meding, author of Chimera)

“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)

great book, it's the 4th time I've listened to it.

this is a great book, it has everything. romance, comedy, and magic. I love the whole series

Stunning, As Ususal

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

YES, infinitely so. Even if it were not for the stunning and masterful performance given by Luke Daniels, the prevalence of words, phrases, and names in other languages (especially the Gaelic ones) make this far easier to listen to than to read.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

The vast number of voices and the consistency he brings to his characters. They really are alive when you're listening, and given the sheer scope of the cast of characters in this series the fact that they all have their own voices is impressive beyond belief.

Read the series

So far (book 6 of 10) this has been an amazing experience! Expertly written, engaging characters and a story that isn't easily forgotten. Do yourself a favor and read them all.

Loving the reader and the series!

Lots of quick witted humor mixed in with action and adventure! The reader really makes the story come alive.

Hearne sticks another landing.

I feel like Mr. Druid (What the Native American trickster god dubs Atticus O'Sullivan) is an old friend. I'm fond of his demeanor and "iron age world view". That being said, I also disagree with a few of the choices he is starting to make. This causes a new and refreshing development at this phase in the relationship. Sometimes I feel he lets a bit of socialization from the modern age seep into his decision making process too much and I want to slap my forehead while at other times I feel he's a bit more callous than I feel he has any right to be. Regardless I imagine myself (quite reflexively) reacting to his decisions in my mind as if I were there and part of his little circle. Not only am I now questioning certain decisions as he makes them, but I'm revisiting past actions and wondering if maybe they weren't quite the best options WE could have taken. I feel even more part of the group, still deeper connected. Maybe in spite of this questioning, but most probably due to it.

Plus... Oberon.

The only reason I didn't find the performance to be on par with previous Luke Daniels/Iron Druid readings lies in Daniels' slight alteration in pitch and tone for our hero. It grated on me for the first couple hours of the reading (and is solely responsible for the loss of a star in my rating). After that, however, I didn't even notice the difference and all was well. Daniels emotes with his voice. This is a very difficult feat and I've not often stumbled upon it whilst listening to my 100-odd audio books. That he can nail a few accents and passably imitate others is a sweet, sweet cherry on an already luscious cake.

The reason I took a star off for story and overall ratings is simply that the book felt rushed to me. Hearne has gotten to the point in this series where he has so much going on he really needs to write more per novel or try to accomplish less with each novel. He spent the first seven hours of a nine hour recording setting things up and breezing through a few not entirely trivial matters that were made to feel trivial. I would say it feels like the first half of what should have been a two part novel, but it actually feels more like two thirds of a full novel that had random pages of nearly-but-not-quite superfluous bits ripped out.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the continuation of the series greatly and I still enjoy Luke Daniels' narration. I will keep supporting both this author and this talented reader. It's not often you find such a great duo.

Not my favorite, but still awesome

What made the experience of listening to Trapped the most enjoyable?

I have become quite addicted to this narrator's versions of Hearne's tales. He has fully developed these characters!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Trapped?

When the characters FINALLY become independent as the binding completes.

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

Oberon, of course.

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

This one wasn't extreme for me.

Any additional comments?

I didn't find this as strong as Hearne's earlier books, however to be fair, the bar is quite high for me as I love his characters and style.

Solid continuation of story arc

It's 12 years later and the repercussions of the iron Druid's actions are coming to roost.

The only knock I would give this performance would be Oberon's voice given by the narrator.

Another Great Adventure with Atticus O'Sullivan!

Kevin Hearne does it again. Another great adventure with Atticus O’Sullivan! The only draw back to this audiobook was the fact that Luke Daniels narration sounded different. The voice of Atticus wasn't the same as the previous 4 books. Do I recommend this title? Of course I do! I love the humor and wit Kevin Hearne gives the voice of his characters. Oberon cracks me up. Start with book one if you haven't already. Be sure and warn anyone around you who are unsure you're listening to an audiobook that there may be spontaneous moments of hilarity.

Great series and this one beats the last.

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

Funny,Intelligent, Action.

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

Laugh, laugh, laugh, Oberon is a hoot. I love the voice of that dog. He has the best one liners and I like the way his mind works. His relationship with Atticus is fun to listen to and even better now that Grommuel (sp?) is apart of it.

I want more of Oberon!!!!!

Love the story -miss Luke Daniels

Would you be willing to try another one of Luke Daniels’s performances?

I loved the series the most when Luke Daniels either remembered what each character sounded like and read with enthusiasm and heart instead of whoever is reading now. This guy sounds like a graduate of the talking-head school of elocution with every sentence weighted for posterity. Kevin. . .get Luke Daniels back, please!