Hounded

The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The first novel in the Iron Druid Chronicles - introducing a cool, new, funny urban fantasy hero

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old - when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power - plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish - to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Don’t miss any of Kevin Hearne’s phenomenal Iron Druid Chronicles novels:
Hounded | Hexed | Hammered | Tricked | Trapped | Hunted | Shattered | Staked

©2011 by Kevin Hearne. (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Hearne, a self-professed comic-book nerd, has turned his love of awesome dudes whacking mightily at evil villains into a superb urban fantasy debut.” (Publishers Weekly)

“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)

“Kevin Hearne breathes new life into old myths, creating a world both eerily familiar and startlingly original.” (Nicole Peeler, author of Tempest Rising)

Fantastic Narration!!

I've tried to read the Iron Druid Chronicles, but I could never get into it linguini heard the audio book. This is by far one of the best narration I've had the pleasure to hear.

Exceeded expectation. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Well written story. Excellent performance. I am getting the rest of the series.

Captivating and Thrilling

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

Yes, the narrator is talented. I loved how he made all of the characters come to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hounded?

Atticus's explanation of other life forms to the widow.

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

No, Mr. Daniels is an excellent narrator. His voice is captivating. I would love to hear more of his work. He is the male Loreli King.

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

Yes, the writer created a fantasy with a seamless storyline that held my interest.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait until the next installment, Tricked, is available through Audible.

Don't wait, just get it and listen to it!

This was one of the first books suggested to me by Audible. At the time I didn't have confidence in their recommendations. I was also put off by the label of "fantasy" and thinking that it was more like Lord of the Rings type of fantasy. While I've enjoyed that type of fantasy in the past, I was kind of burned out with that at the time. So I kept passing on it. Then a friend of mine told me to read it and I still let it pass. Then it showed up on one of Audible's lists again and I figured I should try it out.

Before the end of the first chapter I was kicking myself for not listening to it the first time I saw it. Almost every character in the book is likeable in some way, or at the very least respected/understood. But not only are the characters likeable they are properly developed and are used cleverly to enhance the story.

Hearne's description of settings and people are perfect for making the world feel real and yet not too much to feel bogged down.

The use of magic isn't used as a poor-man's plot device either (kind of a pet peeve of mine). There are clear rules for how it works in this universe and Hearne does an expert job of thinking through how it all works together and explaining it without sounding like a stale stereo instruction manual.

The plot moves along at a good pace and while there are plenty of breaks from the main plot, the interludes are just as entertaining (Oberon is quite possibly my new favorite character in all of literature!).

Naturally there are clever pop-culture references, but Hearne doesn't take the cheap way out. He is clearly a geek of the highest order (yes, that is a compliment) and it seems that Hearne isn't doing those for entertaining filler but also out of a love for the genre. Some other writers do it in a way where it seems like they're pandering for geek cred. But with Hearne it comes off as genuine and endearing as his characters.

But the narrator deserves some praise too. Luke Daniels does simply a fantastic job. In fact, he's probably a rival for Wil Wheaton in his mastery at bringing the characters to life. In this book Daniels is tasked with a variety of human, canine, gods and demons, some with specificly different accents. Daniels puts on a truly awesome one man show where each character's voice is distinct, regardless of age, race, gender, or even species. I don't know if they give out awards for narration but Daniels would be my vote simply for his "Oberon". I don't give out 5 stars often but my overall experience with this book was a "5" partly because Daniels performance was a "5".

Bottom line: stop thinking about, get it and listen. You'll be glad you did.

One of the best urban fantasy books

I like urban fantasy and this one is great. Love the narrator and his Oberon voice. Enough subtle humor to make it a pleasure to listen to.

Great Escape

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

Fun, Unexpected, mesmerising

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hounded?

The neighbour being willing to bury the dead guy.

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

Oberon, is a very amusing character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Where legends come to life

Love it!

Simple put this is an excellent read. I found it fun and entertaining. Mr. Daniels voice for the dog in the story alone is worth listening to the book! I found myself laughing out loud several times. I just wish the book was longer as I found myself wanting more. I will for sure be getting the next two books in this series and hopefully they will be as fun as this one was.

Hi-larious and Fun!

What did you love best about Hounded?

Atticus and Auberon's friendship has got to be one of the best and most entertaining I've ever had the pleasure to read. I absolutely adore that dog! Atticus is pretty fun as well. I am writing this review after listening to the entire series and I assure you its always a running gag that never gets old. I mean the supernatural story is almost a side act to the story of a crazy irish man and his dog. The story of the fae and druids is also really entertaining.

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

Laugh, laugh, and laugh some more. It was just really really fun. The author has really got a talent.

Any additional comments?

The narrator is awesome. I love how his character is more than a thousand years old and he sounds like a horny college kid half the time. READ this series if you want to be entertained with jokes and the story of Gods and alternate plains of existence.

Don't fear the cover art

Based on the cover art from this series, I was a little afraid it would turn out to be some sort of romance novel (which I do not read) with some sci-fi fantasy tweaks thrown in. Never fear, this is a solid fantasy series, with a very imaginative interpretation of real-world mythology and a good self-consistent set of rules for magic, gods, etc. They are action-packed with good character development, and very solid voice-acting in the audiobook version. I immediately continued with the rest of the series after reading this one. PS - If you are devoutly religious (regardless of the religion), you may not find it quite as enjoyable, as it certainly pokes fun at the idea of any one religion being correct.

NIcely Done!!!

Where does Hounded rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Definitly going to follow the story. Might even have to read up on the mythologies and gods again.

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

Since I listen to the books when I walk, I probably could have walked quite a while longer than normal. Yes, I would have loved to listen to it all in one go and I can see this becoming a re-listen and favorit.