Hexed

Publisher's Summary

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Listen to more Iron Druid Chronicles.

©2011 Kevin Hearne (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Authenticity, Humor and Brilliant Writing

Authors often use Celtic/Druidic/Pagan ideas, beliefs and characters in their writing as merely functions for a broader story manipulation, paying no 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.

54 of 58 people found this review helpful

These Are The Druids You're Looking For.

Looking for the perfect mix of humor and thrills with a twist? These are the Druids your looking for. Hexed and Hounded don't disappoint.

Hexed, the sophomore edition of The Iron Druid Chronicles, is nonstop fun and excitement. Atticus O'Sullivan is a modern day druid, the last of his kind. And lately the crazies have been coming out the woodwork. You would think that defeating a couple of Celtic Gods, exorcising a few demons, and killing half a coven of witches would earn a guy some R&R. Think again. Tempting Tempe, Atticus' little Arizonian oasis is starting to look ripe for the picking to some pretty nasty supernaturals.

A brood of German witches kick off the shenanigans by trying to curse O'Sullivan and the local coven. The murderous attempt is quickly followed up by a demonic straggler left behind by Aenghus Óg. Hearne keeps the pace swift with a visit from Coyote, who informs Atticus of a fallen angel preying on some very unfortunate high school students. Then there are the clergymen snooping around his bookstore, and the cops that just won't go away. But the honey-do list just keeps getting longer since some sin city Bacchants are in town and ready to throw down. Let's Party.

It would be simpler to cut and run, but Atticus has decided that Tempe is home, and he has an obligation to heal the land his prior nemisis destroyed. He's going to have to get help from some familiar characters and strike a few ill advised bargains to get through the nine circles of hellion relatively unscathed, though not unmolested. By the end you'll be wondering which battle was more brutal, golems and demon spawn filled witches, or a tussle in the sack with the Morrigan.

Hexed like Hounded was a witty well written book. There were some serious storylines happening here that could have easily gotten confusing. But Hearne's clever writing allowed for clarity while navigating through the fast-pasted and complex threads. I highly recommend the audio version of this book. The narrator , Luke Daniels, is excellent. Daniels does all the accents spot on, and must be a linguist with how well he speaks all the foreign languages. He really brings the words and characters to life. I think Hearne's biggest strength is the diversity and knowledge in the cultures and supernatural beings. The books seem well researched and work well together.

Maybe it's just me, but I find the succession of this series each consecutive month refreshing. A throwback to the serials of not so long ago. Yet, because they're so good, I swear the wait is still excruciating. Keep Them Coming Kevin.

22 of 25 people found this review helpful

Best Part of the Book is the Dog!

STORY (paranormal fantasy) - The cover art for this series might mislead you to think the story is about a warrior in some type of serious battle. Not so. It is light, witty and involves an ancient Druid named Atticus, who looks and acts like a college student. You could sum the whole book up by saying that Atticus constantly finds himself facing a new, different supernatural creature who tries to either cast him under a spell or kill him. He employs two vampire lawyers, owns a magical sword and has an adorable talking dog. He signs a peace treaty with a coven of witches and has a crazy sexual encounter with the Goddess of Death. He approaches the Virgin Mary for help killing an archangel and tells her, "Tell Jesus to stop in for a beer next time he passes through." You get it? Light, easy, fun.

Even though there is clever banter between characters and funny situations, this series isn't really my cup of tea. The constant conflict between supernaturals gets really old. I only listened to this second book because I'm in love with Oberon, his dog. OMG!!! He's so hilarious that he should have his own book. Unfortunately, he doesn't appear enough to hold my interest, so I don't plan to continue listening to this series.

PERFORMANCE - Awesome, wonderful, love him!!! He does everything great, but his portrayal of Oberon is absolutely PRICELESS!!!!

OVERALL - The story stands alone if you want to start the series here. Kids would love this book but there's quite a bit of cursing and some sex, so probably not a good idea.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Great fun

Even more cheeky, funnier and enjoyable than the first book. I was listening to this on the train and I almost lol'ed! Did I mention this series also has a Viking vampire and werewolf lawyers? I mean what is not to like?

If you don't mind some cliches like wise cracking sidekick, in this case a huge Irish hound named Oberon, and a main character who continuously gets hurt but keeps on ticking, I think you might enjoy this series, too. If you don't like books such as the Dresden series, this series might not appeal to you.

As for myself I think I'll be religiously buying this series from now on.

13 of 16 people found this review helpful

I'm hooked

Hexed is a witty well written book. There are several serious plotlines which could have gotten confusing, but, Hearne's brilliant writing allows for clarity while navigating through the complex threads. As always, Oberon gave funny commentary on what he observed; and, the widow Mc Danaugh also added to the humor. The narrator , Luke Daniels, is excellent. Daniels does a great job with the accents and bringing personality to the characters. These are books are well researched and work well in a modern setting. I'm coming to this series late so I have the good fortune to be able to download the next one and begin reading it as soon as I finish this one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

The Druid and the Nazi Witches

Yes really…Nazi witches. The Iron Druid saga continues with the excellent Hexed. I stumbled across the first in the saga and enjoyed it so much that I went straight on to part two. In this episode he switches up the featured protagonists, downplaying the entertaining werewolves somewhat, bringing in a vampire attorney and featuring good and bad witches. He also gives us less of his fabulous wolfhound, which is a pity as he was my favorite character in the first book. I also like the fact that our Druid hero actually enjoys his super powers.

It’s certainly entertaining fun, think Friends meets True Blood. There’s a marvelously wacky internal logic to the magic in the books. It’s especially entertaining that the Gods are as shallow, horny, conniving and selfish as the rest of us. Where the magical weirdness meets the secular police it gets especially fun. The scene where sex crazed demons on break from Las Vegas (where else?) run amok in a Tempe night club is just brilliant farce…if you have ever enjoyed Dorsey, Hiassen or Sharpe the mixture of sex, violence and insanity will be very familiar. Enjoy.

8 of 10 people found this review helpful

BONUS BODKINS

DEMON JUICE IS LIKE JAGERMEISTER TO GHOULS
Demons, Witches, Werewolves, Elementals, North American Deity, Vampires and more and that is just the first hour.

I THINK YOU SHOULD ENTER THAT STATEMENT TO WIN THE NOBLE OBVIOUS PRIZE.
There really is not much of a plot to this book. It is more like a bunch of short stories full of fighting paranormal entities, and full of ANIMAL HOUSE type of humor. Perhaps if you smoke some weed and than listen it might be pretty good. Sometimes the humor was cruel, such as getting two cops to beat each other up. All they did to earn this humiliation, was do their jobs. It came off as a THREE STOOGES episode. At times the book was too cute for adults. I agree with other reviewers. The Dog was the best part.

Luke Daniels does a great job, as usual.

69 of 92 people found this review helpful

The dog rocks!

I just finished this book and all in all it is a good book. Has a good story, easy to follow, and the narrorator is good. But to be totally honest, the dog 'Oberon' (sp?) alone in this book is worth the credit you spend. I don't know if this book was meant to be funny but the dog will make you laugh out loud! I will never look at a French Poodle again without laughing. (Not a spoiler alert, so don't worry.) I hope this series is as good as the first book, then I will not be disappointed.

10 of 13 people found this review helpful

The writing and the narration are phenomenal!

For centuries, Atticus has been lying low trying to stay under the Tuatha Dé Danann’s radar but after what went down in Hounded that’s no longer an option. Oddly enough, instead of lining up to kill him, the old Gods want to enlist his help to dispatch some of their own foes. Hexed is another action-packed installment in Hearne’s The Iron Druid Chronicles; full of demon hunting, manipulative Celtic goddesses and witchy magic. You can’t go wrong with this series on audio; both the writing and the narration are phenomenal. A definite must!

I love how versatile Luke Daniels’ narration is; he’s a pro at transitioning from one character to the next and does a great job of giving each of them a distinct voice with the help of accents, pitch and tone. I especially enjoyed his Coyote persona because he absolutely nailed the Southern twang and slower paced dialogue. His interpretation of Oberon never fails to bring a smile to my face and I think Daniels’ has Atticus’ POV down to a tee. I was relieved to hear him pronounce “Roosevelt” correctly this time around but he did botch “nocked” (as in an arrow) a few times which was a mild irritant.

The mythology, multiple plot threads and scheming characters help ensure that this book is never dull. There’s even a bit of sex in this installment, just probably not the fun kind you’re thinking of! Needless to say, the Celtic Chooser of the Slain and the Goddess of War’s tastes are anything but vanilla. However, she’s not the only Tuatha Dé Danann who’s vying for Atticus’ attention; Brighid, the Goddess of poetry, fire, and the forge also wants a piece of the druid pie.

Oberon still continues to be the star of this series; from his bath time adventures to his doggy humor, I just can’t get enough of his POV. As a dog owner I’ve often wondered what goes on inside their heads and these books do a great job of playing off of that. Atticus comes in second on my list of favourite Iron Druid Chronicles characters; I love how he can talk circles around practically anyone and, can often times diffuse a volatile situation with logic and reason. However, when all else fails there’s always Fragarach or in this case… RPGs!

Hexed combines intense action with quick-witted humour to create an entertaining experience that’s truly unique. Kevin Hearne and Luke Daniels are quickly becoming one of my favourite audiobook duos; together they transform Atticus’ story into an irresistible, full-bodied adventure.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Hexed: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 2

Only read this book if you want to be endlessly amused and entertained!!! I can't remember how many times I laughed out loud while reading this book. Once you meet Atticus O'sullivan (the main character, who you first meet in "hounded" the first book in the series) and his...um....friends. You'll be hooked!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

excellent series

Brilliantly read and brought to life by Luke Daniels, this is a witty and entertaining fantasy series, cleverly constructed and filled with interesting characters, not least Oberon the food-obsessed dog. The central character Atticus is an ancient but unaging druid - the last of his kind - whose survival into modern day America has relied largely on keeping his head down and staying under the radar of various gods and other supernatural entities only too keen to take him out.
Audible UK dropped these titles for a while, so I hope they get them back and fill out the series with the later entries and forthcoming novels