Hammered by Kevin Hearne

I picked up this book because I liked the concept and I’m a big fan of Norse mythology. What I immediately enjoyed was the narrative voice employed in the story. I think it worked well with the character of Atticus O’Sullivan. However, my enjoyment of this novel did not last very long. This novel was flawed in many ways, and in the end I was barely able to get through this book.



For one thing, I thought there were too many characters and subplots. This novel could have used some trimming. The novel practically grinds to a halt when each of the characters that are going up against Thor have to give a narrative of why he dissed them. This was backstory overkill in a big way. The character of Atticus O’Sullivan was far too powerful for my liking. He kills the Norns and Sleipner, ancient characters thousands of years old with ease. It shouldn’t come that easily. My biggest complaint about the novel is Hearne’s interpretation of Thor. Thor has consistently been depicted as a noble character and great warrior, but according to Hearne he is a coward and basically an evil bastard. I have read much about Thor, so why should Hearne’s depiction override everything I already know? It doesn’t, and the story doesn’t work. In the end, I was rooting for Thor even though I knew he would lose. Ultimately, this novel didn’t work for me and I would advise skipping it.