Book Review: "Hounded" by Kevin Hearne

Hounded by Kevin Hearne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Hounded" by Kevin Hearne introduces readers everywhere to Atticus O'Sullivan, a regular bookstore owner, tea drinker, hound-walking, 2,000 year old Druid. No, that is not a typo; he really is 2,000 years old! It seems that when the rest of the druids died out, Atticus found a way to survive, and he's been surviving every since.

Mr. Hearne creates a believable world in this book, gradually explaining things as the narrative goes so a reader never feels left out. And that takes some serious work, because on top of druids, "Hounded" features Celtic gods, witches, werewolves, and vampires. But never once did I think to myself, "Seriously? What's going on here?"

Mr. Hearne also presents believable characters; I felt like I could hold a conversation with Atticus or Oberon (his Irish wolfhound). The dialogue for the Widow MacDonagh sounds Irish, while Oberon sounds like a teenager and Atticus alternately sounds young and so very old (depending on how hard he is working to fit into modern society). Kevin Hearne is definitely a master at creating voices for his stories.

The plot of this first book in the Iron Druid series is quite simple; Atticus is hiding from Aengus Og, the Celtic god of love and a real jerk. After running for centuries, Atticus decides to make a stand. It's a simple decision, and yet the ramifications of this decision still effect him 7 books later.

I love this particular series; every book brings new adventures, personal growth, and interesting people. I cannot recommend the Iron Druid series enough, so I suggest you grab a copy of "Hounded" and prepare to spend several hours reading. :-)

This book earns a sold 5 our of 5 stars.

View all my reviews