I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Hammered
by
Kevin Hearne
urban fantasy in Paperback edition that was published by Random House on July 5, 201 and has 310 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Hounded, Hexed, Tricked, Trapped, Hunted, "Two Ravens and One Crow", Shattered, Besieged, "The Purloined Poodle", Staked, Kill the Farm Boy
Third in the Iron Druid Chronicles urban-fantasy series revolving around the lone surviving Druid, Atticus O’Sullivan, who is getting ready to head outta town.
My Take
Hooo, boy, I don’t see how Atticus could have gotten out of it, but I don’t think he shoulda done it. Jesus and the Morrigan both warned him against it. Yeah, Thor more than deserved it. Naw, the encounter with the Hammers of God is a bit too easy. As was Jesus’ intervention.
Atticus is too funny. Between the interjections of Shakespeare, the references to Star Trek, Dr. Who, Stargate SG-1, “Nuke” Laloosh, etc., the commercial jingles — “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t” — and the contemporary slang, you will laugh yourself silly! Then there’s the contemporary references about ancient beings such as
“There’s a reason Bath & Body Works doesn’t have a line of products called Huge F*cking Squirrel.”
Oh man, for those of you who enjoy your beer, have a good one handy when you read about Mag Mell Ale, a “voluptuous brew, quite mouthy, with a smooth yet grainy foundation and a bodacious, provocative finish that couples a whiff of wanton peaches with the innocence of a virgin.” And, it’s free.
Atticus makes a good point in one of his discussions with Oberon about sharing his Immortali-Tea tea mix with the children he’s had over the centuries. That unless one is prepared for immortality, it is no gift.
As much as I enjoy the various stories about why each man/god hates Thor, some of them, well, some of them just don’t cut it for me. At least not enough for the danger that Zhang Guo Lao’s insecurity and Perun’s pride put themselves into. Gunnar? Okay, he has reason to be pissed off although I’m not sure it’s worth putting his life in danger. The only two whom I think have good enough reason are Leif and Väinämöinen.
All I can say is, I sure hope Hearne doesn’t take too long to come up with Hammered, 4!
The Story
After the events in Hexed, 2, Atticus has a couple of promises to fulfill: getting a golden apple from Idunn for Laksha and helping Leif and Gunnar kill Thor. (Leif has promised that three more men, gods really, will join them in their hunt for revenge.)
Escaping with the apple is simple if a bit complex. Preparing for Thor means leaving Tempe, Arizona. Forever. Once the gods find out what Atticus has done, they’ll all be after him.
On this fateful journey, Atticus begins to realize just how he got into this mess. Knowing people. Making friends. Wanting to help them, save them. Now, Detective Geffert is suspicious, a Bacchant escaped so Bacchus will soon know where the last living Druid is located — and Atticus’ taunting of Idunn and Bragi, and the Hammers of God have a warped view of his associations. Even without this trip of vengeance, trouble awaits Atticus back in Tempe.
The Characters
Siodhachan “Atticus O’Sullivan” Ó Suleabháin is a 2,100-year-old Druid, the last surviving one. With an earth-based magic, Atticus has set up a nice life for himself with an occult shop in Tempe where he sells custom tea mixes, herbs, books, and other occult paraphernalia. The forms into which he can shift include an owl, a stag, and an otter.
Oberon is his Irish wolfhound able to communicate telepathically with Atticus. I do so enjoy Oberon’s observations! The conversation they have after Atticus picks Oberon up from the Widow’s cracks me up.
“‘The cats are beginning to get used to me,’ he complained. ‘They’ve managed to notice that in all the times I’ve barked at them and chased them, not once have I killed them. I haven’t even bitten them. So now they can’t be bothered so much as to raise their hackles at me. It’s depressing. No, you know what it is? Emasculating.'”
Guanaile is Atticus’ apprentice, and she refuses to leave him. She is determined to become a Druid no matter how dangerous. Widow MacDonagh is a neighbor and friend whom Atticus realizes how much he will miss.
Atticus made a promise to Laksha Kulaskearan, a centuries-old Indian witch, to fetch one of Idunn’s golden apples for her. It’s just exhausting having to continually switch bodies to maintain life.
Leif Helgarson, a vampire, and Gunnar Magnusson, a werewolf, both have some major issues with Thor. They extracted a commitment from Atticus in Hexed to help them take down the thunder god down. Hal Hauk, another werewolf, is in line to become the Tempe Pack alpha if Gunnar does not return.
Rabbi Yosef Zalman Bialik returns with the Hammers of God to destroy Atticus.
Zhang Guo Lao, an alchemist, appears to be an ancient Chinese man, wispy beard and all, with moves like Chow Yun Fat in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and a very useful knowledge of pressure points. Väinämöinen, a Finnish wizard, can cast a seeming using music that Odin’s crows, Thought and Memory, cannot see through. Perun is an Icelandic thunder god with a very useful amulet for all the boys.
The Cover and Title
Atticus is swinging Fragarach like a baseball bat on this cover while wearing his necklace and a sea-green tunic. The background is a blue-green with touches of bronze — it looks like engraved metal — with a major flash of light behind his head. Near the bottom “The Iron Druid Chronicles” are embossed on a metal disc that could be a belt buckle holding together a belt of runes.
The title sums it all up. Atticus and friends are going up against Thor and they intend for him to get Hammered.
