Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated Hounded in Books

Mar 1, 2018  
Hounded
Hounded
Kevin Hearne | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.1 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
I just can't say enough good things about this book. It's well-plotted. There's an excellent cast of characters, and they develop in interesting ways. The world-building is wonderfully rich.

I have the same incredible, bubbly feeling that I did when reading the very first Dresden Files novel by Jim Butcher--gimme more! Fortunately, there are already three more books available in the series ([b:Hexed|9595650|Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles, #2)|Kevin Hearne|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320539847s/9595650.jpg|14482685], [b:Hammered|9595620|Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles, #3)|Kevin Hearne|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311632977s/9595620.jpg|14482655] and [b:Tricked|12700306|Tricked (Iron Druid Chronicles, #4)|Kevin Hearne|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1324455119s/12700306.jpg|16669362]) with a fifth (Trapped) on the way.
  
Released after book #5 in Kevin Hearne's 'Iron Druid Chronicles' (i.e. after [b:Trapped|8428140|Trapped|Michael Northrop|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395769555s/8428140.jpg|13291342]), this is actually somewhat unusual in that it does not take place after or during the events of the previous but before those of the next: i.e. this is NOT book 5.5.

Rather, this joins both [b:Clan Rathskeller|10324651|Clan Rathskeller (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #0.5)|Kevin Hearne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323223194s/10324651.jpg|15227090] and [b:Kaibab Unbound|11950840|Kaibab Unbound (The Iron Druid Chronicles , #0.6)|Kevin Hearne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323225105s/11950840.jpg|16912742] in being set before the first novel (i.e. before [b:Hounded|18404329|Hounded|David Rosenfelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382758931s/18404329.jpg|26038191]), set even before either of those two novels. As such, there's no Granuaile (sp?) in this one, with Atticus still living in Tempe and still in charge of his shop. Indeed, it's an item in that shop - the Grimoire of the title - that acts as the catalyst for this tale, which sees Atticus (and Oberon!) traveling to Egypt when said item is stolen from him for nefarious purposes.
  
T(
Trapped (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #5)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Book #5 in Kevin Hearne's 'Iron Druid Chronicles', this takes place 12 years after the events of [b:Tricked|106843|Tricked|Alex Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347400465s/106843.jpg|102982], and thus 6 years after the in-between novella [b:Two Ravens and One Crow|15728721|Two Ravens and One Crow (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #4.5)|Kevin Hearne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344336650s/15728721.jpg|21407171].

In this, Atticus's apprentice Granuaille has finally nearly finished her training, with a large part of the story dealing with Atticus's attempts to get some peace in order to do so: a peace that keeps getting interrupted by the gods and goddesses of various pantheons, a lot of whom bear a grudge against him for various reasons (with the end of the novel having Atticus trying to make amends for previous actions - personally, I felt this was a bit 'tacked on' - against the Norse pantheon)

Comic relief, as always, is provided by his Irish Wolfhound Oberon (who Atticus can mentally communicate with), providing a much needed dose of lightening to the proceedings.
  
H(
Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #6)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Book number 6 in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, this picks up almost immediately - like, immediately, immediately - after the end of the previous, with Atticus, Oberon and Granuaile all on the run from Artemis and Diana.

It also has quite an unexpected killing-off of a major character early on - in the first chapter or so - and an unexpected event roughly about halfway through.

As before, this is mainly told from the Point of View of Atticus himself, although there are the occassional parts of the story that are told from that of Granuaille.

With the chase finally ending up in England (more familiar to me), and with the introduction of what looks likely to become a new major character at the tail end of the story, I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes!
  
T(
Tricked (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #4)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Book no 4 in The Iron Druid chronicles this, I felt, is the weakest of the series so far.

I'm not sure whether that is because it comes after [b:Hammered|10443590|Hammered|Mark Ward|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328728608s/10443590.jpg|15348265] my choice for the best or because the main plot line of [b:Hounded|18404329|Hounded|David Rosenfelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382758931s/18404329.jpg|26038191], [b:Hexed|6372672|Hexed|Michael Alan Nelson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348584639s/6372672.jpg|6560286] and [b:Hammered|10443590|Hammered|Mark Ward|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328728608s/10443590.jpg|15348265] are finished, or even because of the unfamiliar (to me) Navajo setting, but to me, this just didn't gel as much as any of the previous three.

The plot has to do with Atticus dealing with the aftermath of his journey to Asgard in the previous novel, and the deal he made with Coyote to cover his tracks, with the big bad in this taking the form of two Skinwalkers rather than the Irish god(s) of the first, the Witches of the second or the Norse gods of the third.

It's not a bad read, just not my pick for the best of the series