Alright, folks. It needs to be said.
Kevin Hearne is a genius.
There! I’ve said it! While not all of you may agree with my labeling of Mr. Hearne’s intelligence, I find it quite appropriate. The concept of a druid who is over 2,000 years old, who is friends with vampires, werewolves, and witches, and has contact with many gods and goddesses in quite a few different pantheons… How did no one come up with this sooner?
In the third installment of The Iron Druid Chronicles, we find Atticus O’Sullivan ready to take on Thor, Norse god of thunder. Some of you may remember him from that movie that came out earlier this year. Well, according to the people that Atticus meets on his trip to Asgard, Thor isn’t really the nice guy that the stories make him out to be. In fact, he’s kind of a douche (Atticus’s term, not mine).
There is a lot that goes on in this book, and everything that happens made me so incredibly happy. I’ve been a little disappointed with these books, mostly because I was worried about character development. Hammered gave me everything I’ve been waiting for, and more. There is tons of back-story about Atticus, we learn about his friends Gunnar and Lief (the alpha of the Tempe werewolf pack and the vampire who controls the entire state of Arizona) and why they’re after Thor, as well as find out exactly what Atticus would do in a crisis. His apprentice, Granuaile, also does some growing in her abilities as a druid-to-be.
Hammered had me laughing out loud. Hearne has created a wonderful character in Atticus, with his snark, sarcasm, and boyish enthusiasm. Atticus has grown exponentially as a character, his appreciation and love for the people around him showing more and more often. For me, this creates such a real character; the ability to show the emotions that most people would hide when in a stressful situation creates someone three-dimensional. Atticus has truly taken on form and figure in this third installment.
All in all, I found this book to be highly enjoyable, both with the humor factor and the human one. If you enjoy characters with real heart, along with danger and fantasy, this book is probably for you. Though, I do recommend you start with Hounded, the first in The Iron Druid Chronicles. Additionally, if you’re waiting until there are a few more novels in the series before picking it up, have no fear! The fourth book, Tricked, is due out in April, 2012, so you won’t have too much longer to wait before you can devour four of these fantastic novels in one sitting.
Jennie Ivins
JC Kang
I agree with you. After reading Hounded and Hexed, I was ready to hang up the Iron Druid Chronicles if things didn’t pick up by the end of Hammered.
Suffice to say, things did pick up.
I loved the first book. I listened to it as an audible book. I probably would have enjoyed it had I read the book, but the narrator was fantastic. He really made the Atticus O’Sullivan come alive. I am looking forward to listing to the rest of the series. it is a great premise with a lot of very interesting situations.
Yes, yes, yes. I listened to the first two through Audible, and I LOVE the narrator so much! He has a fantastic voice, and does each of the character so, so well. 🙂