Hounded by Kevin Hearne - Audiobook Review #7 - Disco Reads
Disco Reads, An Audiobook Review
Sometimes, you just need a little humor to go with your stor. While this has some of the best plot I have seen in a long time, where it really shines is humor. I found myself randomly bursting into cackling in public because of this book. Beware of the funnies.
Hounded - Kevin Hearne
Read by Luke Daniels
The Story
From the book jacket:
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.
This one's fairly unique.
I am not sure I have ever heard of a 2100+ year old Druid as a main character. Kevin Hearne does an amazing job of taking jabs at every possible deity he can in this series, and the results are spectacularly funny. The snark, the sarcasm, and the slap-stick, they are all here to keep you entertained while he weaves a tale of trickery and douche-baggery among the Gods and mortals.
For me, the best part was his trusty sidekick and companion. His dog Oberon, an Irish Wolfhound, is hilarious. Yes, the dog can talk to him via druidic magic and it makes from some amazing one-liners. This series alone is worth reading further into, just so you have the background necessary to understand the joke behind the 'Starbucks Prophecy' he spouts off in a later book.
Trust me, it's amazing.
The Narrator:
Luke Daniels
The happy-go-lucky nature of Luke's voice lends itself well to this college-age looking, almost hippie-like Druid. He also does a wonderful job of imitating a female voice, and the voice of Oberon is priceless.
Very good work from this one.
In Summary:
Irreverent and entertaining. A must read for anyone who needs a good series of books to fill in between other books.
Rating - 9/10 - The dog makes everything better.
Thanks!
Hello @discordiant
Stories like this no longer sound strange to me since I have been exposed to the Harry Potter series. Over here things about Magic have always had negative vibes.
But the western culture have found ways to weave entertaining content from such once fearful things.
The dog one liner reminds me of Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Only Rocket the racoon understands what he says, i still find it strange that such a creature was voiced by Vin Desiel .
Great review. Following you for more
@ogochukwu
I had never considered how some of these concepts might be seen in other countries, but it's a good point. This is more a magic of the earth, of the spirit of a place of nature providing the main character with ability as part of an agreement for him protecting the earth. It's a pleasant thought.
Oberon, the dog in this story, makes a lot of pop culture references and jokes that might not extend beyond Western cultures, but they are hilarious to anyone that understands them.
hmm this sounds right up my alley. druids, gods, one liners, myth. and yes, the dog does make everything better ;)
Honestly, I love this series. I think you would get a kick out of the sarcasm and what-not.
Sarcasm is right up my alley. looking it up in library downloadable library as we speak.