Hammered (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #3) in Around the World in 80 Books

Mar 07, 2012 Janet Whalen rated it really liked it

This book was a fun romp introducing some lesser-known gods and culture heroes, all of whom have a grudge against Thor, thundergod of the AEsir, the Norse Pantheon. Many reviews about this series have complained about its treatment of women. This is a guy series. Written for guys, about guys, by a guy. In the world of modern fantasy, which has become nearly synonymous with supernatural romance, its a bucket of gatorade dumped on your head. Yeah, the Macho can be a bit over the top, but at least This book was a fun romp introducing some lesser-known gods and culture heroes, all of whom have a grudge against Thor, thundergod of the AEsir, the Norse Pantheon. Many reviews about this series have complained about its treatment of women. This is a guy series. Written for guys, about guys, by a guy. In the world of modern fantasy, which has become nearly synonymous with supernatural romance, its a bucket of gatorade dumped on your head. Yeah, the Macho can be a bit over the top, but at least there is no swooning over Jimmy Choos. If you want magical mayhem not cluttered by a character who can't decide who should be her boyfriend, but is unapolageitically badass, this is good stuff. If you don't like the paucity of strong female characters, there are plenty other books for you to enjoy. Our hero, the last real Druid, a ridiculously powerful dude, hooks up with a Vampire, a Werewolf, Perun, the Russian Thundergod, A Finnish wizard/culture hero and a Taoist Immortal. Their plan: bust into Asgard, kill Thor and run. Warned by Jesus over beer and miraculous quantities of fish and chips that this is a really bad idea, which is seconded by Morrigan, the Celtic War Goddess and lover of our Druidic protagonist, our panpantheonic team goes ahead with their plan for mayhem. Much collateral damage sets the scene for a war amongst gods, demigods, monsters and not quite mortals from everywhen and where tho break loose in the next book. Author does great reseach about the lesser known characters such as Vainamoinnen, the Finnish hero. As our tactical squad prepares for their invasion, we a treated to a Canterbury Tales interlude. The Vampyr's Tale, The Alchemist's Tale, and so on provide fine backstory on the unfamiliar characters, and help tie this beach book to the wider tradition of English Literature. The characters also enjoy spontaneous Shakespeare quote sparring, hardly a game of macho lunkheads. I think this is great stuff, getting better with each book, and can't wait for the next installment in the series. ...more

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