Hounded, Hexed, Hammered - The Iron Druid Chronicles Volume 1

I'll admit that when I first heard of Kevin Hearne, I thought that Barenaked Ladies' keyboardist was writing books now and got very excited. Different Kevin Hearne, but still an interesting book. I got my copy through First Reads, which is always fun too.

The thing I enjoyed most about Hounded is the magic system. I did have my own Druid phase in college, so that aspect appealed to me right away, but even aside from the historical roots, the magic system is extremely tight. It doesn't work all the time, and has a strict set of rules, making it entirely believable that you need a solid 2,000 years to master it. Hearne has an extensive knowledge of all sorts of mythology, and he doesn't take cheats around the characters he borrows, either. At times it feel like a few too many mythological creatures (witches, werewolves, vampires, Irish gods, Norse gods, fae folk, partridges in pear trees), but he does approach each character from a solid base of rules. That's neat. Irish wolfhounds are also neat, and I've always wanted one.

A lot of people compare this book to the Dresden Files, and that's easy enough to do. One thing that struck me though is that Harry Dresden is constantly in trouble and always starts out behind the gate. Atticus, on the other hand, always seems to be a step ahead and over-prepared. He kills two gods in this book and kisses three goddesses, even having sex with one just because she's board, From this standpoint, Atticus is a bit MarySue. He's so good at everything, all the ladies love him and all the dudes are jealous of him. I got a bit frustrated with that aspect, especially the fawning women angle.

I'm still interested to see where the story goes, and will likely continue the series when my own “to read” list gets shorter (which it will one day... I swear). If you like urban fantasy, but are a little tired of the noir detective trope, this is a great alternative. It's a fine popcorn read for the weekend.