First Dangle and Other Stories

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

Archdruid Owen Kennedy and his sloth, Slomo, are off to see the world when Coriander, Herald Extraordinary of the First among the Fae, interrupts to ask for the tiny favor of solving a supernatural murder. That sets the pair off on a trail that leads from Granada, Spain, to London, England and then to Austin, Texas. Owen and Slomo will have to outwit an Irish goddess of wisdom, some nasty spriggans, and streak across the Kew Gardens to find the culprit. They're going to see the world after all - just not the way they thought.

This collection also includes other Iron Druid stories. "The Chapel Perilous" has long been a reader favorite and is finally recorded here by Luke Daniels for the first time. "The Naughtiest Cherub" is narrated by Loki and takes place directly before the events of Scourged, Book 9. "The Waters" is narrated by Granuaile and takes place after the events of Scourged. And "Friendly Emily" is a piece of science fiction that appeared in Fireside magazine.
 

©2019 Kevin Hearne (P)2019 Kevin Hearne

Please, please don’t go political!

Love the series! However, I will have to pass on future books if you intend to make them political. The last 20 minutes of this book was obnoxious and felt like a lecture from the uneducated.

Preachy and “woke”

If you like authors who spend time creating a character you can love to only end the series by vilifying them in a political “woke” style of feminism and all the while be preached to how horrible humans are in every way possible, then this book is for you. Otherwise, you’re better off letting this author fade into the distance.

Luke Daniels is far better than the story deserves

The stories are mildly amusing, but Luke makes them better. Without him, it's annoying political monolog. I miss the original Iron Druid that was a fun story. The only reason to get any hearne book is to hear the amazing performance Daniels has to put into them. The guy is one of the best voice actors.

Slomo Annoying

While I appreciate the literary device being used to rejuvenate Owen's attitude toward life, I do not like the character used to bring this about. Slomo may work on paper, but especially not in audio, at least for me. Owen's transformation from hard-edged, crass, and bitter to one appreciative of everything is too quick. I suppose Luke Daniels did the best he could with the written material but I think this was his weakest effort (on a character) yet. Listening to that slow whinny voice drove me nuts and I could not wait for Slomo to shut up. And for Owen to constantly have to give him energy to get things done faster seems dangerous for him - he might need that extra bit of energy during a key battle. Oberon is an outstanding character and one that still brings a laugh or smile to me when listening to him. Orlah (not sure of this spelling since I listen to the audio books), is a sweet character, befitting of Granuaile (I looked that spelling up), and Starbuck is OK as well, but Slomo, please NoMo. Give Owen a better companion.

Hearne + Daniels == Chapions

any time I listen to Daniels narrate a Hearne book it is well worth the money, and with a sloth as a Batman to Owens robin it's a winning combo!

As always, a delightful listen!

The match between Hearne and Daniels is perfect! Thank you again for poignant and humorous stories.

Iron Druid & Unrelated Political Short

Fans of The Iron Druid Chronicles will enjoy most (possibly all) the stories in this collection of shorts. The Iron Druid ones are very much in the vein of the rest of the stories (full length or short) in that series and as enjoyable as the rest of them are, but the unrelated short may disappoint Hearne fans with its rather blatant political stance and can be skipped for those who want to just hear Iron Druid related stories they may not have heard/read before.

Thanks for saving money in the future

i have bought many, many of your books both in print and here on Audible. This is the last one. Thanks for politicizing what was something that i really and truly enjoyed once. You screwed that up hard.

Too preachy even for this liberal

Loved the Slo-Mo story. Love Luke Daniels narration. But damn, Kevin, back off a bit with the heavy handed environmentalism. I read fantasy fiction to escape reality not be hit over the head with it. Skipped the last 2 stories after the first minute or so. Bummed.

Let me say something about Luke Daniels.

So, for starters I’ve picked books to listen to just because this guy is the narrator and Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles are only a drop in the bucket when it comes to the entertainment value this guy has brought to my listening life. I laugh out loud and my heart breaks listening to his performance for Kevin Hearne’s work. I said all that to say this, he must enjoy these titles as much as I do or more just by the voice acting he displays for each of the features in this series. His voices after the last story of First Dangle and Other Stories made me very aware of this. I always look forward to another feature by Kevin Hearne, I hope he continues to write great reads and I hope Luke Daniels continues to perform at such an amazing level.

Excellent return to the world of the Iron Druid.

I finished this anthology within a couple of days. I couldn't put it down. It's wonderful to experience the viewpoints of so many of my favourite characters and some who haven't had their POV narrated. What really makes this a five star anthology is the authors notes at the beginning of the stories to give some insight into the inspiration for them. All I can't say now is, more please!