Hounded--July Group Read--SPOILERS

[Theresa]

Ok to post spoilers here.

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[Jess]

I liked this other than the fact that someone was there to forewarn Atticus before every conflict. And yes, it still bothered me even knowing that he was being used as a pawn by just about everyone in the book.

[Roshio]

I really enjoyed this although there were moments that didn't sit well with me. I love Oberon but sometimes he got a bit annoying. Its kinda like a five year old who's cute at the start but after a while its like hush and let me concentrate. I also thought that everyone made a big deal about Bres and Aenghus Og and in turn I found it a bit too easy for Atticus to finish both of them off. They are meant to be gods. I already expected some kind of romance all through, so it was cool nothing really happened in that sense.
The thing I loved most was the fact that the book was based on Irish Mythology. I love mythology in general so this was a big bonus.
When I think back on it, the whole plot was a bit all over the place but its a fun read.

[Dawn]

I liked this one as well. I really did not know much about it going into it so that was probably a good thing.

I felt like a lot of this book was an info dump. Sort of like Hi I am Morgaine and I am a goddess but no need to fear me because I am a friend well sort of actually I will promise not to kill you and let me remind you of our history together. The other thing that was odd to me was he was the only Druid. I kept wondering what happened to the rest and how long have they been gone.

I really liked the world building it was very original. I am looking forward to the next one I am hoping it will be more story and less information.

[Roshio]

Yeah I wondered about the fact that he was the only Druid as well. I guess its used to emphasise the fact that he's quite powerful.

[Contrarius]

Just a note -- the "only Druid" stuff will be explained further in Hexed and especially in Hammered. :)

[Dawn]

Contrarius wrote: "Just a note -- the "only Druid" stuff will be explained further in Hexed and especially in Hammered. :)"

That is really good to know because I was like where are the rest are they hiding LOL

M wrote: "I really enjoyed this book as well. I will be reading more. I felt that things... resolved themselves too easily (is that possible?). Boom, he mets the god, he fights the god, he defeats the god. I..."
Yep I know exactly what you mean. I did like the widow though she is old and lonely he is old and lonely

[Sandra]

I enjoyed this one a lot. I can see what everyone is saying that things definitely did resolve too easily, I'm not sure why but it didn't bother me. I did listen to the audio as opposed to read it, and the narrator was very good so this may have made things like the info dump be less tedious.

The widow and Oberon were definitely my favorites. And while I liked the introduction of and twist with what's-her-name-bartender, I also agree with Roshio that I'm glad they didn't force a romance. The apprenticeship will be interesting and I hope that's present in the next book.

[Jamie (JK)]

Read this book last month or so and it's.... alright. I feel like there's just way too much in one book and that events just happen too soon. I'd rather have gotten to know these initial characters more before seeing an apprentice for one. That and the sex is annoying. It's not overly descriptive like a lot of other UF, but it's still there and just... so randomly placed.


I've read the second book in the series as well and it feels much the same to me. Just a whole lot of stuff happening for one book.




Also, for some reason I get an anti-American vibe in these books. o.O It's weird.

[Sandra]

I agree there was a lot going on, and some of it did escalate and resolve too quickly. I'm not sure where you got the anti-American vibe though. Was it because of his descriptions of his different customers ad the stoner college kids? I took that more to reflect the generational difference and the change in perspective with regards to magic in the modern world compared to his 2 millennia.

[Brandt]

I think the books were to short to carry the plot, it's like he had a checklist of things that needed to happen, and then just rushed them through..

The "gods" was also unimpressive, not at all godlike or powerfull.. That's a general problem in the series, especially in Hammered, where he totally rapes the entire norse mythology on their own hometurf..

I didn't get any anti-american vipes, but then - i'm not american, so i dont really got any defences up against that.. There is of course the old lady who definately favorst the irish, but old ladies are often racists, and she seems to hate Englishmen more than Americans..
Coyote is of course anti-american, but considering he is the god of the indians, can you really blame him ?

[Jamie (JK)]

There's probably nothing of the sort in the books, aside from Coyote but that is his character... I dunno, it was just a couple spots. I usually don't even care about that kind of stuff it just seemed weird at the time of reading. I think, Sandra, that you are right about some of the things coming up are just a way to show the difference between Atticus and this generation.

[Betsy]

I enjoyed Hounded. It was a lot of fun. I will definitely read the sequels.

-But I wasn't a fan of Oberon either. Funny at first but the speech for Oberon was a bit too vernacular or something. Thought it lost some of the mystery of what's so great about dogs. Loyal, smart and grateful. I get what KH was going for with the poodle joke at the end but it just wasn't funny. Cuz one of the things that's so great about dogs is that they love everything. Thought poodle thing might be a cheap joke a human might make, not a dog. Right?! (I mean, what dog would stop to think or comment at all if a dog in heat were in front of him) (Oberon is no mouse, right JK?)

I don't think the plot was particularly well thought out but it was still a lot of fun. Loved the way he handled the goddesses. Too funny.

I did like Atticus a lot. Lot of potential for the story to continue and get better.

[Jamie (JK)]

No dog will come close to being Mouse. Ever. I almost felt like that's what Hearne was going for in this though.

[Betsy]

(I agree, JK! Side note: 6 days!)

I'm hoping he gets better with Oberon in the next 2. Anybody read those yet? Should I keep going?

[Jamie (JK)]

Maaan, this last week is going to kill me.


I've read the second book in this series and, honestly, I thought it was just more of the first book. Way too much stuff happens, stuff isn't developed as well as it could be, and so forth.

[Brandt]

the third book, hammered, is a bit different..
He is out exploring the world of the Norse mythology with a team of vengeful hit-men ..
But it's by no means better than the others.. Some new characters are introduced and some are removed (which means a serious turn of the overall feel of the books)..
but when you boil it down to the bone it's the same as usual, all the gods are out to get Atticus, and Atticus outsmarts them without being particularly smart...

[Roshio]

Brandt wrote: "the third book, hammered, is a bit different..
He is out exploring the world of the Norse mythology with a team of vengeful hit-men ..
But it's by no means better than the others.. Some new charac..."

ah that's what gets me, he is the one person able to outsmart them all. I'm tempted though due to the presence of some Norse Mythology.

[Brandt]

If you like Norse mythology you wont like Hammered, you get the feeling, when reading it, that Hearne have just done and a quick research on wikipedia on it, and then decided to rape the hell out of it...

[Lisa O.]

Just finished Hounded and really enjoyed it. I thought the action and his sense of humor were just great, I didn't want to put the book down. I was really worried about him talking to his dog. I read A Kiss Before the Apocalypse were he talks to his dog, and couldn't stand it. But, I actually liked Oberon. He had a sense of humor and was actually somewhat useful, helping Atticus with the fight against the Giants. I can understand some of the other complaints about the book, but overall I thought it was a great, really fun read.

[Dejsha]

I finished the book and though it got a rough start for me, when it ended, I went and bought the second book. It is a first book for the author and I think that when he finds his writing "feet" he will be amazing! I think that it is a fun book and a nice new voice and new idea in the urban fantasy genre.

[Enjee]

This was one of my favorite books this year. It was nice to get #2 Hexed and #3 Hammered just a few months later.

[Fangs for the Fantasy]

I have read the entire series and I must admit that I am totally Kevin Hearne fanpoodle. I love the way he writes and he had me laughing out loud. Plus it's not every author in this genre who can make some really cool political commentary and have it fit so well into their story.

[Michelle]

got this book a bit too late for last month's discussion, but for the most part, I agree with a lot of what's already been said.

Oberon was fun but quickly got to be more than a bit too much - i mean, Atticus says he worked a spell to be able to speak with the dog, not that he gave the dog human intelligence, but somehow we keep ending up with a dog-shaped teenage cartoon sidekick. yeah, I know it's my own personal quirk, but I'm a veterinarian, so silly anthropomorphism drives me nutso, and the poodle breeding joke at the end fell flat.

there's a whole lot going on in this book, from witches to gods to other pantheon's gods to werewolves...like the author threw everything at the wall to see what would stick. still, for its occasional silliness, it was a fun read, and I'll check out the next one if the library orders that one, too.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I just finished this recently, and I agree with some of the complaints that others have stated - Atticus, in general, seems way too over-powered and I never got any real sense of peril from the story. Also, I liked some of Oberon's one-liners, but I agree that, overall, his thought patterns and intelligence weren't animal enough.

Here's my full review - but it pretty much all boils down to those two things, and I just wasn't all that impressed with it.

[Rich]

Well at first I was rooting for the bad guys. The lead seamed like a bit of a turd. I liked the dog though. Eventually the lead became a little more sympathetic and I liked the dog.