Early Review: Hounded

Kevin Hearne
Urban Fantasy
289 pages
The Iron Druid Chronicles #1
First 50 pages
Del Rey Spectra


Synopsis:
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 sexy 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.




Review:

I'm about to use every cliche saying known to man, so prepare yourself.  "breath of fresh air" "good to the last page" "non-stop thrills" "looking for a good time?"  Ok, that last one comes off kinda wrong, but it still holds. Kevin Hearne has stepped into the Urban Fantasy genre with a fresh face, Atticus O'Sullivan, a slew of supporting characters {all worthy of their very own series}, an entertaining plot, and a hilarious side-kick... because every great hero needs a jaunty side-kick.


Atticus O'Sullivan is nothing short of a stud.  After 2100 years he's molded into my the ideal man, with his charm, wit, and intellect.  His tales of Van Gough and his run-ins with Shakespeare sprinkle in interest regarding his past, but If you're worried that a character who's older than Christ might not come off in this twenty first century world, you shouldn't. Atticus will quickly capture your interest with his debonair personality, but his fight-scene skills will stand up against any modern day hero.  His character takes everything in stride, which in-turn makes the story easy to enjoy yourself. Easily said, Atticus O'Sullivan is a hero worthy of your interest.


The thing I was most surprised about was how much I laughed throughout the book.  Hearne delicately balanced, what could have been a heavy story of Druidic lore who's hero has over 2100 years worth of history under his belt, with continuous chuckles from this smitten fan.  Whether it be with Atticus' conversations with his Irish greyhound, Oberon, who obsesses equally over sausages, little french poodles, and personifying Genghis Khan, and quotes Wizard of Oz, or whether it by one of the many other hilarious secondary characters.  My favorite secondary character might have to be the 80+ year old Irish widow, Mrs MacDonagh, who goes to church "mellow" and makes statements like "Have y'buried the fecking teabag already?" and "Yer a good lad, Atticus, mowin' me lawn and killin' what Brits come around."  I was just so delighted that the story was as humorous as it was adventurous.


Hearne's writing flows perfectly and easily sweeps the reader away to Atticus' world.  He makes creating an interesting and entertaining book seem effortless, and you'll be surprised with how quickly you'll fly through the pages.  Reading a story told through a male's point of view was refreshing and I can't wait for the next two installments, due out late Spring.


Bottom Line:  I haven't had this much fun with a story in a long time.  This series starter should be enjoyed by every fantasy reader out there.  'Nough said.


5 stars


***looking to get your hands on a copy of Hounded?  Come back tomorrow for a chance to win just that***