Book 38: Hounded

Title and Author: Hounded, by Kevin Hearne

Illustrator: none
Publisher: Del Rey, an imprint of Random House
Published: 2011
Genre: fantasy
Target Audience/Age Group: adult
Part of a Series? Yes
Will the Reviewer Keep It In His/Her Library? Yes
First line: There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and foremost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius.

Another book accomplishes the publisher's purpose. I laughed so hard while reading Hounded that I bought the sequel before I'd finished it. Kevin Hearne creates as real a world as the one Kim Harrison created. Her books are set in Cincinnati, Ohio; the Iron Druid lives in Tempe, Arizona. The main characters in both books are people you'd like to know and have as a friend. You can see yourself living in their worlds.

Atticus Sullivan's world is inhabited by gods from every pantheon, including those whose worshipers are few. He has managed to survive the Roman purge of Druids and every other threat since his apprenticeship ended. That makes him more than 2000 years old. He apparently knows Jesus and his mother Mary. His lawyers are a werewolf-vampire team. He has a very intelligent Irish wolf hound and a wonderful little old Irish lady friend.

The Irish gods are blood thirsty and uninhibited. One of them has been trying to kill Atticus for centuries and this book chronicles the final showdown. There are witches, a whole coven of them, and a pack of werewolves. Even a pronunciation guide to help the reader read it out loud.

I couldn't wait to read the second book. I'm on the third now and enjoying every page. It is a really entertaining series and I was very disappointed to find our local library did not have any of them.

I can't wait to find out why everyone hates Thor.