Authors often use Celtic/Druidic/Pagan ideas, beliefs and characters in their writing as merely functions for a broader story manipulation, paying no ..Show More »attention to the actual mythological history of these characters and concepts. Mr. Hearne is one of only two authors I have discovered who has succeeded in bringing these elements together with authenticity, humor and plain ol’ excellent writing. (I guess that’s what happens when you have a degree in English Education!) And hats off to Luke Daniels for almost perfect pronunciation of those almost impossible-to-pronounce Irish names!

Speaking of Mr. Daniels, his dexterity with dialect is delicious. Through the first two books in this series, he accomplishes Irish (Southern), Tamil, Polish, Russian, American South Western, Scandinavian, “Dude”-ian, and Dog! I don’t know that there has been such a good of a match between author and reader since Jim Butcher and James Marsters.

This would be a mildly entertaining story if not for Mr. Hearne’s exquisite sense of humor. As it is, the book (and series) is an extremely effective, enjoyable, addictive and yes, entertaining, experience. There is a scene in this book where Oberon is trying to impress Atticus with his use of language in order to get a treat. It is brilliantly written and brilliantly performed, and I can’t remember the last time – outside of actual live theatre – that I have been so tickled with hysterics. It is classic, intelligently written, and truly comedic – an almost impossible task that has been achieved by Mr. Hearne. Two other humor points to mention: what Oberon learns from the story of the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and the author’s hysterical use of the word “ass” in many different contexts, will be burned in my Funny Bone Memory forever.

The last time a book made me randomly and breathlessly burst with laughter was David Sedaris’ “Me Talk Pretty One Day.” Expect the same thing to happen with you with this book.


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I really enjoyed the first two books in the series (and the narrator is excellent) with their mix of mythology, humor, and high-stakes paranormal adve..Show More »nture. Sadly, this installment was a let-down for me--it was oddly-paced, with lots of starts and stops, and it turned Atticus into a bloodthirsty jerk with a serious case of hubris.

There were some brilliantly funny parts (Atticus's conversation with Jesus, and Oberon's bacon latte riff), but the book just didn't work for me as a whole. For example, the story comes to screeching halt for three or four chapters as a several characters we've just met sit around a campfire and tell stories about how Thor done 'em wrong. I didn't know these guys, so that section really dragged, and it killed the forward momentum of the plot.

Also, Atticus is visited by several deities in advance of his ill-advised hunting party, and warned that killing Thor is a Really Bad Idea. But he shrugs off the warnings, and goes his merry way--and the predicted doom never materializes.

But the major problem I had with this book was that there wasn't anything real at stake for Atticus. He's made a promise to help his lawyers Gunnar and Leif in their attempts to assassinate Thor. Atticus himself has zero personal stake in the outcome--to quote a friend, he's like a guy who's promised to give his buddies a ride so they can rob a bank.

For being the one person in the "hunting party" without a personal grudge against Thor, Atticus causes an awful lot of collateral damage during his visits to Asgard, killing and maiming beings who never did him any harm and who were just trying to protect their turf. I finished listening to the book thinking that Atticus richly deserved whatever vengeance the surviving gods were going to wreak upon him.

I'm going to listen to the next volume in the series, in hopes that the author will regain his mojo, but I was pretty disappointed with this installment.


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With the exception of 2 other authors, I stay away from short stories written in between full length novels. They're never very good and I almost alw..Show More »ays walk away feeling hosed. They gloss over plot points and just aren't enough to satisfy. Thankfully this one was different. This was pretty good. It gives an explanation as to what happened to Odin after the last book. I was surprised that they recorded an audiobook over what was a 60-ish page short story. Surprised but not disappointed as I am going through Atticus withdrawal. They added the preview of the next book with this as well, I'd heard it before but listening to it again makes November seem like its so far away. Luke Daniels did a nice job. The first few minutes were weird because he was a little too dramatic, but it got better.

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This series captured me from the start and I have really enjoyed both the overall story and the performance of the narrator. However, in this book, a..Show More » trend that started to emerge in the last book becomes very evident - our 'hero' is tainted by evil. The question is if he has always been that way, or if this is something relatively new? He kills without cause, shows little remorse over causing death and destruction to thousands, and has pretty much screwed up the actual universe because of his own petty pride. As much as I liked him to start with, I am starting to hope he gets served up the punishment he deserves. Pretty odd direction for an author to take a reader, but I am still interested in the series.

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