Kevin HearneCritiques

Light, fun urban fantasy. What's not to like? Hot guy with an appreciation for strong women does battle with supernatural evil. Runs a bookshop, quotes Shakespeare when's he's ticked off, and keeps company with a charming wolfhound named Oberon who's a sucker for sausages and French poodles. I like that the southwestern US setting isn't just window-dressing; Atticus lives there for specific reasons and it's well tied in to the plot.

Second in the series. Like the previous one, don't try to think about it too much...just be entertained by the dialogue and characters. The plot is a bit scattered and episodic; parts of the story seem to just be there to set up the next book.

(4.0 Stars)

Nice collection of short stories.

(4.0 Stars)

Great little adventure to further develop the characters

-BIll

Took me a little bit to get into this book for some reason, but once I did they would kill somebody off (spoiler). It's a bit of a slog to follow this party from start to finish. But if you can get behind just reading a fun little fantasy book, you'll have a fun time.

A book draws Atticus back to Egypt where he is very much not welcome, and into a confrontation with followers of crocodile god Sobek in a secret lair. The ease with which everything is accomplished is thinly disguised by a "close" fight at the end. Now why did I read this?

Short and sweet. Do not read ahead of #1 A Plague of Giants. It is a nice read inbetween, though.½

This book made me laugh out loud in sheer delight more than once. A kick-ass Druid, his sidekick wolfhound, witches, werewolves, gods, demons and a retiree sounds like a huge mess, but Mr. Hearne manages to turn it into a fast-paced, very clever series opener.

Although I knew that everything would turn out alright-there's none of the soul-wrenching darkness in some UF, I still loved the ride that it took to get there. The magic worked for me and to anyone who might complain that Atticus had too much power, I'd point out that he's been around for 2000 years, he'd be incompetent if he had less.

The world that Atticus lives in is big enough to handle any number of sequels as well as a spin-off or two for a couple of characters. All in all, it reminded me just how fun UF can be when done right. Not everything has to be doom, gloom and angst.

I loved Atticus O'Sullivan. He has the right amount of snark, cheerfulness and the arrogance of being around for a couple of millennia. I wondered if I could introduce him to Kate Daniels; I think they'd end up great friends.

I enjoyed this book enough to put the writer on my instabuy list, and can't wait for books two and three which will be coming out later this year.

Favorite line: Did she think I was some sort of lame-assed neo-Druid mucking about with holly branches and mistletoe?

How much did I like it? I pre-ordered the next two.

What happened?! I was enjoying the hell out of this book--right up to the last sentence. Wha...? The cliffhanger (seemingly mid-sentence) ending ruined the whole thing for me. Heavy sigh.

Writers, why do you do this? I can't think of one author that I read on a regular basis that has such a weak writing style that they need to rely on this most irritating of trends. I just don't understand it.

It also took away any enthusiasm that I had for reviewing this book so I'll leave it with my favorite quotes and a general grade. My quotes may indicate some of the glee experienced while reading; this review indicates how I felt about the ending.

Favorite quotes/highlights from Kindle:
I looked upward and had difficulty focusing on anything much, due to severe squirrel turbulence.
Note: Best line ever.


Note: Gotta love Oberon

It’s bloody difficult to concentrate properly when you’re dying of renal failure and all your brain can do is squeal.
Note: Ya think?

Overall: C

Good, but only half a story and stopped halfway thru with a serious cliffhanger.

WTF! I will have to look at previous books in the series to see if I have had the same complaint. 1. This is an obvious 1/2 book. I expect the 2nd half to be published next year, yes? 2. Because of #1 it was a horrible cliffhanger.

Anyone who follows me knows how much I loathe cliffhangers. They're a trick and a cheat. You should trust your story and talent to bring readers back, not this shite! Take a look at Seanan McGuire and Ilona Andrews--that's how you write a long running series and finish each book.

I'm done with the Iron Druid series until it gets an ending.....the cliffhanger totally soured my whole experience of the book.

I liked this one much more than some of the previous entries, and thank god, no cliffhanger ending

Added this to auto-buy on my series list. Nicely done!

Oh, much better (IMO) than the previous book. While Atticus is still banging from death at ever turn like a drunken blind man in traffic, this book just seemed more 'Atticus'-more true to the character. Oberon was totally hilarious and their settled in relationship was a marked contrast to the getting-to-know-you relationship with Granuille. I was really hoping at one point that she would be Atticus' HEA, but after this book I don't care. Hearne has done such a stellar job with Atticus' relationship with Oberon that you don't feel like Atticus is missing anything.

In fact, now that I've thought about it, the relationships that Atticus has had in the series so far is one of the things that I like about the series and is seldom found in urban fantasies. Atticus is not a kick-ass loner with no close relationships living dark, solitary and on the edge. He is more like a regular guy who can do all of these extraordinary things. He has a lightness of spirit that isn't usually in urban fantasy.

I'm back to grinning about this series and looking for the next one. I may even start it over from book one.

A thrilling conclusion? Not quite. There are some... not lengths, but distractions in there, that draw attention from the action. Lots of touchy-feely stuff that's supposed to show the heroes as all-too-human but mostly just slows things down unnecessarily.½

Maybe Kill the Farm Boy will become dramatically funnier after the first couple of chapters, but I'll likely never know.

I've off and on been enjoying this Dresden-Lite series. Like much hero-based lit, the protagonist's powers can creep to ridiculous levels. Mortals facing deities is always silly. Ending a series in Ragnorak is silly too. Even so, the author managed to hit a reset at the end that might allow for enjoyable short fiction in this milieu.

Glad this is winding down.

How do you know it's a fantasy book?
Because socialism works!

Well, yeah... plus a few woke things in there, but that's okay, because it does not supplant the story as a whole. The story is awesome, I finished the book in just a few days.

What a read. A bard comes to a town and tells stories every day. This way even the many viewpoint characters don't confuse me. Very well done.

The worldbuilding is easy-going, doesn't take too many complex concepts at once, the action sometimes happens between the stories more than in the stories themselves.

Hearne has started a truly epic fantasy here...½

Fun read that fills in some gaps

I am enjoying the Iron Druid Chronicles immensely, this additional background information fulfills this addiction nicely. This short ebook contains two short stories. The first occurs before “Hounded”. I am glad to have read the second story - “A Test of Mettle” - right after finishing “Hammered” as they occur at the same time.

All in all two quick and fun reads.

I am in two minds about this read. I thoroughly enjoy Author Hearne and his world built around Celtic mythology. Moving from Ireland to Scotland did nothing to diminish my enjoyment. The issue I have is, the world building has been done in the Atticus and Oberon books, nine or so in number. I do not know if this story truly stands apart from those enough to ensorcel a new reader who does not wish to go through that much initiatory reading.

I think, on balance, you know yourself best...read the story, because it is really, really fun to do, or wait until you are caught up on the kind of world this is. Mythology based fantasy reads are certainly popular enough that they are not fresh to your eyes. If you enjoy the idea of the Fae and the gods interacting with mere humans, and exacting prices from those humans for their patronage, this story will delight you.

I am sorry to say I didn't like this at all. Ok, that's not quite true, it had some really good moments. But overall the story is a disappointment. For one, Oberon is missing for most of the book. Then Atticus gets himself onto a collisions course with fate. Fine, no problem, but I didn't like the ending at all, there is hinting of bad things to happen, then they actually happen, and then the book ends. This was too unfinished or too to-be-continued-in-another-book, especially for this kind of series. This is quite simply not the kind of series where a cliffhanger like this ends with fits. I am going to ask friends if it gets better again before I continue. I don't like this!

Funny. Love the dog.

Quite funny.