Hounded

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Critics

• HOUNDED

  Atticus O'Sullivan has made himself a nice little life in Tempe, Arizona. He is far away from his Celtic roots and all the baggage he's managed to accumulate in two thousand years. He's annoyed a few people, most of them decidedly not human. Tempe is ... (read full critics)

  reviewingtheevidence published on Sun, 13 Nov 2011

• Book Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne Share

  Page turners. Bubblegum. Brain candy. However you categorize fun, creative fiction with a flair for sarcasm and humor, there's always a need for it. Though I love how Hearne has worked in the whole faerie/gods/supernatural angle as well as vampires, ... (read full critics)

  blogcritics published on Tue, 20 Sep 2011

1 Review

• *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

  

  Must read for readers of Urban Fantasy

  ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

  Atticus O'Sullivan or Sidohachan O' Suileahain as he was once known, is a 2000 year old druid in a 21 year old's body. Chased by Celtic Gods and the Tuatha De Dannann because he has in his possession a magical sword called Fragarach which can cut through ... (continue)

  ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

  Atticus O'Sullivan or Sidohachan O' Suileahain as he was once known, is a 2000 year old druid in a 21 year old's body. Chased by Celtic Gods and the Tuatha De Dannann because he has in his possession a magical sword called Fragarach which can cut through anything, he faces many adversaries in this tale of adventure set in the Arizona desert.

  His main adversary is Aenghus Og the Celtic god of love who's hellbent on having the sword, but as the story progress you begin to wonder if he can trust anyone other than Oberon the dog with whom has a mental bond. Og isn't cupid by any means and is downright nasty is his pursuit of Atticus and Fragnarach. The story encompasses all sorts of supernatural entities from the fae to werewolves, vampires and witches and reader is often left wondering which is the most dangerous and who will turn on Atticus next as they turn from page to page in this exciting story.

  I debated between a three and four stars on this one because while the ending did tie things up nice and neat, there was something about it that didn't leave me feeling fulfilled. However that could have just been me having to stop every three paragraphs and yell at my sons who'd just gotten home from school and weren't behaving. I decided to give Hearne the benefit of the doubt and blame my not being pleased with the ending on the fact that I was angry at my boys and went with a four stars.

  The story is written in the first person in Atticus's voice and for some reason reminded me of the old television show Saved By The Bell. Obviously the two aren't similar in plot, but if you were a fan of the show you'll remember the times when Zack who was a likable troublemaker would speak to the audience in monologues about what was occurring. Atticus's voice and attitude was very similar to that of the lead character in that long forgotten television show. He's a likeable smarta## who doesn't have to go looking for trouble because it's always banging on his door.

  You can tell the Hearne put a lot of research into his debut novel, however the need to make sure his readers understand Celtic mythology and history slow his pacing down a bit in the beginning of his novel. He info-dumps quite a bit in the beginning and while I appreciate that he didn't walk into writing about this blind, I think there could have been a better way to import the information to the reader than putting it in long drawn out paragraphs. It's mostly only done in the beginning and after you get further into the story you quickly forget about the small text book like portions you suffered through in the beginning to get to the real story. If you're a reader like me who's put off by sections of fiction like that I advise you to keep reading because I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

  While my favorite character was his dog Oberon that in this story can talk in Atticus's head and therefore served as wonderful comic relief, I loved the way Hearne created the characters in this tale of adventure. You could never tell for sure which side any of his allies were on, his main humanish friends are his werewolf and vampire lawyers that charge him for their time and this wacky Irish widow down the road, that mellows out her Sunday church sermons by drinking so much whiskey before she goes that she doesn't remember what's been said. Each character was well fleshed out with unclear motives that left you guessing and little quirks that enamored you to them.

  Overall the story is a must read for fans of urban and paranormal fantasy. It is for the most part faced paced and once you get past the shaky parts I warned you about in the beginning you won't want to put it down until you read its conclusion.

  Is this helpful?

  Jenn Donnelly said on May 28, 2011 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (15)
  • 5 stars
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• English Books
• Others 304 Pages
• ISBN-10: 0345522478
• ISBN-13: 9780345522474
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Pub date: May 03, 2011
• Also available as: Audio CD

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