Hunted

Hunted, book six, is the last Iron Druid Chronicle I'm going to read for awhile.  I know that book seven, Shattered, is out now (it came out about a week ago).  But I would like to go and read some other things in the immediate future (plus that will hopefully bridge the gap between books seven and eight, whenever eight comes out, a bit better).  So with that in mind, I'm going to be giving tons of spoilers in an attempt to record (and help me remember) the story thus far.

Hunted really started with a bang!  It starts exactly where Trapped left off - after defeating Fenris, Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile were doing a "druid world tour," checking out the world and all the ways to Tir Na nOg.  But when they returned to Europe, Diana and Artemis, the Roman and Greek immortal goddesses of the hunt, are lying in wait for them.  The Morrigan appears and battles the two goddesses of the hunt, buying Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile time to run away.  But as she is fighting them, she also talks with Atticus.  It's a moving, beautiful conversation (the Morrigan confesses she loves Atticus and that she was trying to change her ways but discovered that being a goddess made that impossible).  The conversation is abruptly cut off when she dies.  Yes, the Celtic goddess of death is killed in battle.

From that point, Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile must flee across Europe.  Following the Morrigan's last instructions, they are running as fast as they can to England; according to the Morrigan, getting to Hearne's Forest is the only version of events where Atticus manages to live.  Along the way, they are being attacked by vampires, Svartalfar (dark elves), and an arcane life leech.  The gods have decreed that this is a contest between Atticus and the goddesses of the hunt, so no other gods are able to directly interfere.  Of course that doesn't stop Neptune and Poseidon  from stirring things up when the party has to swim.

Also along the way, Atticus gets shot in the head.  Granuaile and Oberon believe him to be dead and bury him in the earth; luckily his untested soul catcher charm works, keeping his soul in his body until he is healed.
Once they make it to Hearne's Forest, they become the guests of the ghost, who helps them deal with the Olympians.  While they cannot be killed, Atticus was able to dismember them with his sword (he traded Moralltach for Fragarach from Manannan in the previous book) and them "store" them in the earth.  He uses this to catch the two goddesses and force Jupiter and Zeus to come down and speak with him.  From here they are able to settle their differences, meaning the immortal gods will no longer be after Atticus.

After this point, Atticus goes to confront Midhir, a member of the Tuatha De Danann whom he believed was orchestrating these events.  When he arrives, he is nearly killed by some very hungry fairies (he calls them pie-mouths), discovers Midhir dead, and has to get by a manticore who was left to kill him.  This was a really long chapter, made doubly so because he was almost torn apart by the pie-mouths and couldn't heal (and was literally shambling around Midhir's house).  He learned that Midhir was high up in the conspiracy against him, but clearly not the leader.

One last thing: Loki was running around too.  On the run through Europe, Lokie showed up in Poland.  Atticus bargained with Malina's coven (who has relocated to Poland) to charm him - in return he would clear Poland of vampires.  Loki managed to get free, but before he did any major damage, his daughter, Hel, brought him to her world.

Oh yes, and as a parting gift, Atticus went to the time islands and discovered his arch-druid was very much alive.

So that was the events of Hunted.  It wasn't my favourite Iron Druid book, but it had some pretty crazy moments.  I'm looking forward to Shattered when I eventually go and read it.

Trapped

So here we are with the fifth book in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, Trapped.  Trapped takes place twelve years after Tricked and about six years after those short stories ("Two Ravens and One Crow," "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street" and "The Chapel Perilous").  Most of the world believed Atticus was dead, giving him the time he needed to train Granuaile.  But train her he did. And now as they're searching for a good place to bind Granuaile to the earth, the Tuatha De Danaan have discovered that Atticus is still alive.  And unfortunately they're not the only ones.  Word has gotten out to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, merrymaking and ritual madness.  Bacchus swore he would kill Atticus back in Hexed.  And as one of the Olympians, Bacchus is truly immortal.

Unfortunately for Atticus and Granuaile, a new druid can only be bound to the earth on the Eurasian Plate (meaning only in Europe).  And something has closed off all the routes from Tir Na nOg to Europe except one; that one exception is Greece in the vicinity of Mount Olympus. So now Atticus will have to bind his apprentice under the very noses of the Roman gods, all while the entire world realizes that he is actually still alive. 

Trapped was an incredibly good read.  And with gods, vampires, and dark elves (of the Norse variety) all hunting after Atticus, Trapped really kicked things up a notch from Tricked.  The ending (particularly the epilogue) really made me excited to read book six, Hunted - I can't wait to start it (which I'm doing right now)!

The Chapel Perilous

After loving "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street," I decided to read "The Chapel Perilous" before jumping into Trapped. Since "The Chapel Perilous" is available on Kindle, I started reading it right after finishing writing my review of "The Demon Barker" (but I went to a friend's house soon after, so I didn't finish reading it until now).

"The Chapel Perilous" takes place after the other two short stories (according to the author's note, it's four years before Trapped). Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile are taking a break from training to go camping. They're sitting around the campfire and ask him for a story. And so Atticus tells them about when he recovered the Holy Grail as Sir Gawain. Of course, it wasn't known as the Holy Grail at the time, but was Dagda's Cauldron, which was never emptied of food. Atticus was sent to retrieve the Cauldron by Ogma of the Tuatha De Danann. The cauldron was stolen by a Pict, who had hidden it beyond the Tuatha De Danann's sight. And so he journeyed into the realm of the Fisher King to retrieve it.

While not as good as "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street" and "Two Ravens and One Crow," "The Chapel Perilous" was still very interesting. I learned a bit more about Atticus's history and the Tuatha De Danann, so in my mind this was definitely a story worth reading!

The Demon Barker of Wheat Street

As I mentioned last time, I bought the Carniepunk anthology on my Kindle to read Kevin Hearne's story "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street."  I didn't really want to buy the anthology because I'm really only interested in Kevin Hearne's story, but since it's currently the only place to get it, I sucked it up and bought the whole anthology.

"The Demon Barker of Wheat Street" takes place a couple of weeks after "Two Ravens and One Crow."  Even though Granuaile has faked her death, she wanted to see how her mother was dealing with things.  So Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile find themselves in Kansas.  While there, they attend a local wheat festival which includes a carnival.  Seeing a large crowd gathering by a dwarf on stilts who is selling people on his freak show, they get curious and head in.  But the freak show isn't at all what it seems - and Atticus has his hands full saving his hound, his apprentice, and the many innocent victims of this ghoulish attraction.

I absolutely loved "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street."  This story alone was well worth what I payed for Carniepunk!

Two Ravens and One Crow

After finishing Tricked, I decided to follow along with Kevin Hearne's chronology and read "Two Ravens and One Crow" next.  Luckily it was available on Amazon as a Kindle Single, so I snagged it from there.

"Two Ravens and One Crow" takes place six years after Tricked.  Atticus has finally had the peace and quiet to focus on Granuaile's training.  But Atticus's peace and quiet is shattered by the Morrigan's arrival, who demands that he come with her.  For one thing, he needs the tattoo on the back of his hand healed (and has needed it healed for the last six years, since the final battle with the skinwalkers left it damaged).  But the Morrigan also arranged a meeting with a certain god who most definitely wants Atticus dead...

"Two Ravens and One Crow" was a fantastic novella.  I'm really glad I read it (and am now looking forward to "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street," which I ended up buying as well).

Tricked

Last night I finished reading Tricked, the fourth book in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles.  Tricked was a bit different from the previous books because Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile have left Tempe, Arizona.  Atticus bargained with Coyote; Coyote would shapeshift into the druid and die convincingly (to trick the Norse and other gods into thinking Atticus is dead), and Atticus would help Coyote out with a project.

The project sounds pretty straightforward: convince the earth to move some gold into Navajo territory.  But Coyote neglects to mention that his gold mine is in skinwalker territory; Coyote wants Atticus to help deal with them as well.  Meanwhile, Atticus checks in with his werewolf lawyers.  They tell him that politics have changed in the (local) vampire realm.  So Atticus arranges to meet with Leif to see how the vampire is doing after almost dying in Valhalla (and to find out what's going on with the vampire politics).  There's trickery and betrayal all over the place in this fourth installment in the Iron Druid Chronicles!

A friend warned me that Tricked wasn't as good because there aren't many of the characters from the first three books in it.  But I still enjoyed it all the same.  I'm looking forward to reading "Two Ravens and One Crow," as well as the fifth book, Trapped, soon!

A Test of Mettle

I actually read "A Test of Mettle" a few days ago.  Originally I wasn't going to blog about it, but then I changed my mind.

"A Test of Mettle" actually takes place during Hammered.  This is what happened to Granuaile while Atticus was heading off to Asgard.

Granuaile was sent to help the elemental Sonora clear the East Verde
River of invasive crawdads.  But Flidais and Brighid decide to administer the Baolach Cruatan (the Dangerous Trial) with no warning to her.

This was a really short story which is available for free on Kevin Hearne's website.  It was fun to get Granuaile's perspective before I start reading Tricked.

Hammered

There seems to be a hold war going on at the library for Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles.  I managed to get my hands on Hammered pretty quickly, but I only got it for a week (which wasn't a big deal seeing how I read it in two days).  I may have to wait a few weeks for the fourth book, Tricked (but we'll see!)

Hammered begins roughly where Hexed left off.  In exchange for Laksha's help in killing 12 of the Bacchants, Atticus has to steal one of Idunn's apples from Asgard; the apples preserve the gods' youth, and so Laksha wants one for herself.  Atticus also promised to help the vampire Leif kill Thor in exchange for some more help, and so the druid is treating the apple-snatching mission as a reconnaissance one as well.

Unfortunately things go horribly wrong right off the bat.  Using a hidden entrance into Asgard (which bypasses both the Bifrost Bridge and the god Heimdall) and befriending Ratatosk, the guardian of the back way, Atticus is attacked by the Norns upon entering Asgard.  The Norns accidentally kill Ratatosk and try to kill Atticus, but he slays them with Moralltach (Aenghus Og's sword).  From that moment on, Atticus knows he has to hurry; once the other Æsir discover the Norns are dead, they will start looking for their killer.  

Atticus manages to get the apple without incident.  But on his way back to his escape route, he discovers Odin and some Valkyries are chasing him.  He manages to get away (and is happy to realize that the Valkyries' death powers do not work on him thanks to his amulet).  

Back in Arizona, Atticus makes plans to leave town, knowing that thanks to his adventures in Asgard (and the planned killing of Thor), there are going to be a LOT of people and gods after him.  After making all of the arrangements, he meets up with Leif and Gunnar.  The three of them make their way to Siberia (where the backdoor to Asgard is located on our plane), where they meet up with the remaining three members of their group: Vainamoinen (a Finnish folk hero), Zhang Guo Lao (an immortal wizard) and Perun (the Russian Thunder god).  Together, the six of them recruit the help of the frost giants, then storm Asgard (even though both Jesus and the Morrigan have warned Atticus to abandon this foolish plan).

Just before Atticus and company meet the frost giants, they sit around a fire and tell each other stories to strengthen the bonds between them (this is so Atticus can move them all between the planes).  This was my favourite part of the entire book.  All five of Atticus's friends tell the story of why they want to kill Thor.  Hearne's writing here was absolutely amazing: all five characters spoke in their own voices and had very compelling (yet different) reasons for wanting to kill Thor.  I think my favourite was Vainamoinen's story; he befriended a sea monster, which Thor showed up out of nowhere and killed.  I really wish these five stories were available as standalone short stories on Kindle or something because I would love to reread them all.

Hammered was, in many ways, a very different book from the previous two in the Iron Druid Chronicles.  My one complaint was that there weren't a whole lot of women in the book (his apprentice Granuaile is in it for a bit, as is the Morrigan and Mrs. MacDonagh).  But no one in the group who wants to kill Thor is a woman).  Other than that though, I really enjoyed it.  And now that Atticus is on the run once again, I can't wait to see where book four takes him!

Hexed

I've had Hexed out from the library for a few weeks now.  I planned on reading it sooner than this, but got distracted.  But then someone put the book on hold, so I made a point of reading it before it was due back!

Hexed takes place a few weeks after Hounded.  Atticus has been working with the remaining witches, led by Malina Sokolowski, trying to create a non-aggression treaty that both parties will be happy with.  He's also been trying to deal with the demons that got away when Aenghus Og opened the portal from Hell. 

But when he and the remaining witches are targeted by a powerful hex, Atticus goes looking for answers.  Another coven of witches, die Tochter des dritten Hauses (aka the hexen) are looking to move into the territory now that half of Malina's coven was killed during the fight with Aenghus Og.  Their powerful hex managed to catch one of Malina's coven unawares, killing her; Malina and the remaining witches are now stuck in their homes, unable to come outside of their protections.  That wouldn't be so bad except that they'll be unable to drive off a group of Bacchants who are also on their way, or help Atticus fight off a fallen angel at Coyote's behest.  Plus the werewolves can't help him as per their Alpha's instructions (he doesn't want to lose any more members of his pack after helping fight Aenghus Og), and the vampire is upset because Atticus won't help him kill Thor.  So Atticus has his hands full!

Hexed was just as much fun as Hounded.  I can't wait to get my hands on Hammered!

Hounded

A friend from work recently recommended Kevin Hearne's Hounded to me. She told me it was a fast and fun read. And then a couple of other people started recommending it to me as well so I had to read it. I wasn't originally planning on it, but I started the book yesterday and finished it earlier today - definitely a fast read!

Hounded is the story of Atticus O'Sullivan, the last of the Druids. He may look to be 21, but in reality he's 21 centuries old. Atticus has possession of a magical sword called Fragarch, the Answerer, which can cleave through any armor. Of course, a magic sword like that is bound to attract trouble. And in Atticus's case, that trouble is the Celtic God Aenghus Og, who has been hunting for Fragarch (and therefore Atticus) for centuries.  Currently, Atticus is living in Arizona with his Irish Wolfhound, Oberon (who has a penchant for movies and French Poodles). When Atticus isn't shape shifting and hunting with his dog friend, he's running an occult bookstore and tea shop. Of course this idyllic lifestyle is shattered with Aenghus Og tracks the Druid down and starts sending all manner of creatures after him in an attempt to get the sword.

And then there's the matter of the other Tuatha De Danaan, who keep visiting and making Atticus's life interesting. Unfortunately it's never really clear whose side they're on (except maybe the Morrigan, who has been helping Atticus stay alive all these years mainly to piss off Aenghus Og!)

Luckily Atticus isn't alone in dealing with all of these complications. Along with the sword and Oberon, he's got both a vampire and a werewolf lawyer helping him out, plus the cute barmaid who just happens to have an ancient witch living inside of her head.

All in all, I have to agree with my friends: Hounded was both a fast and excellent read.