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)

I LOVE THIS SERIES

I am totally addicted to this series and I think my favorite part may be when Oberon talks. It is exactly how I would imagine a dog communicating, well maybe a little more intelligently than I imagine, but I love this particular insight to the story. Atticus makes me want to spend 12 years learning arcane languages and spells to be a Druid too.

Keeps getting better!!!

Story as well as narration is absolutely amazing I'm glad I found this series is enjoyable Oberon is so cool dialogue really awesome.

Not bad, just not my favorite installment.

I am having a ball listening to the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. The narrator, Luke Daniels, does a fantastic job with all the voices, especially Oberon, the Irish wolfhound and Perun, the Norse thunder god. Being a fan of cultures, I’ve always liked stories of the Celtic, Greek, Roman, and Norse pantheons, so it’s fun to see them all come to life and interact in the petty and political ways they do in the myths.

However, I have to admit that I struggled with Trapped. I’ve listened to it twice and just didn’t get caught up in it as much as I have the others. I’m not sure why, exactly. Maybe I miss the bookstore, Hal, and the Widow MacDounagh. Maybe it’s because Atticus, Granuaile, and Oberon spend the book running from place to place so the story never feels “settled.” Maybe it’s because I just want to smack Atticus upside the head for being a dufus.

In Trapped, LOTS of people come gunning for Atticus: Baccus, the svartálfar, a contingent of greek vampires, Artemis and Diana, Loki and Hel. In every case, Atticus is being hunted because of something stupid he did in the past. One would think that after living SO long, one would learn how to take the long view of things. But nooo. Not Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the druids.

Atticus is NOT the last of the druids by the end of the book, thank goodness. After twelve years, Granuaile finally becomes a full druid and does she ever kick ass! I think Granuaile is my new hero.

Because I could, I jumped right into Hunted and I’m already caught up in that one pretty hard. Now I’m just hoping my favorite redheads both come out of their latest predicament alive. I did notice that Granuaile is NOT on the cover of Hunted! 8-O

Good story

Kevin Hearne has great ideas. he executes them fairly well. but he slips some details and parts that would really flesh it out into a great story. his books need to be longer in order to fully get enjoyment out of all his ideas. I almost feel robbed of the rest of a great story.

Kevin Hearne = best narrator ever

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

I'm not sure I would have read every print book in the series . . . but I was DYING to for each new book in this audible series to become available . . . Kevin Hearne is the best reader. Ever.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

This particular book didn't feel finished.

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

The main character. And then the dog.

Any additional comments?

I've coached an award winning competitive speech team for 15 years. I use Hearne's voices as examples of character development.

Without Iron Druids Chronicles is just meaningless

My life has become just time passing between each new book in “The Iron druids Chronicles”. I try to pass the time by practicing lots of bacon puns, and a fair share of self deprecating humor. Unfortunately nothing seems to do the trick! Most other novels are just empty books, when compared to the banter between Atticus O’sulivan and his faithful dog Oberon.

When I finish this book my body will start to shake from the withdraw, and I will begin to sink into a deep depression until the next book. I am beginning to believe that this addiction could be unhealthy. So what ever you do, unless you want your life to be meaningless do not read this book! The good news is I am forming an “Iron Druids Chronicles support group”, for others out there that need support in this addiction. Hello my name is ________ and I am an Iron Druids Chronicles addict!

A bit slow but still great

Any additional comments?

This book was a bit slower than usual and not as interesting however it was still great. I'm loving this series

Best Audio Series!

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

Absolutely! I was sent an advanced copy of the book for review, but about 10% through I knew I had to use one of my precious credits to get the audiobook.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oberon, not only do I think he is the funniest character, but come on a talking dog?

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

Luke Daniels does an amazing job with each of the characters.

Any additional comments?

I was actually sent an advanced copy of this book for review, but about ten percent through I knew I had to use one of my precious audible credits and get the audio book. Luke Daniels has done an amazing job with this audio series and it has by far become my favorite to listen to. The story itself is so much fun, from the beginning Atticus is thrown into another instance where his mouth has brought doom upon his head. With excellent comedic timing both by Kevin Hearne and through the narration of Luke Daniels along with the fast paced action this is a great read. If you are a fan of any mythology Kevin Hearne has you covered this entire series covers ancient Gods from Norse to Christian each with their own unique personality that the author has brought to life in a remarkable way and Luke Daniels furthers this with his dramatization. The only thing I didn’t like was that Luke Daniels changed the voice of Atticus’ mentor whom he frequently has arguments with inside his mind, this book he wasn’t as high pitched and sounded much more serious than he has in the previous books, not bad just not as funny. This is by far one of the best audio book series and one of the best story lines I have come across I cannot wait to see where Kevin Hearne will take us next.

A little too much like a video game

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

I had a long car ride and it contained lots of action and not much deep thought to remember story lines and characters. It was great for a day of driving!

Would you be willing to try another book from Kevin Hearne? Why or why not?

I think I'll give this series a rest for a while. The story line, while entertaining in the first few books, is too much like a quest in a video game form the 90's... Find the special sword, kill bad guy with special power, hide from other bad guys in secret passage under a mountain... I think I've been there before.

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

Listened to several other iron druid books, outside of that, I'm not aware of any

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

No

Oberon voice FTW

I think I listen to these just for the narrator's Oberon voice.

the story is fun too, doesn't feel like it follows a conventional plot, which can be jarring at times, but I enjoyed the book all the way through