So, I’m part Irish. I’m also part Scottish, which makes for a wicked bad temper and an inability to quit even when everything is screaming that I’ve lost. But it also makes me curious when I run into Irish or Scottish books of fiction, which is what made me pick up Hounded by Kevin Hearne. (FYI, I’ve read like … all of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon on the main basis that it was dealing with Scots.)
Overall I enjoyed the book. It was funny, it had a different outlook on Druids and gods and things, and it had a dog. (I’m a sucker for pets.) In fact, I think Oberon the dog was my favorite character in the book. Atticus was just too … “I’ve got control here even when it looks like I don’t” … for me. I never really felt like he was in danger.
In fact, I was more worried about his dog. But then again, I sort of got the feeling that Atticus was more worried about his dog than he was about himself, too. Until the part where the Earth was quasi-destroyed by an overambitious love-god and Atticus got all Druidic and grouchy about it. And if he was going to get that touchy about it, I would have enjoyed watching him do some gardening or something, showing the connection he had to the Earth and all that.
I imagine that it wouldn’t really be cool to watch a hot guy in Celtic tattoos do his gardening for several pages, but the dude was so busy killing giants or getting hit on by seductive goddesses that he really didn’t do much Druidic. He drew his power from the Earth, true, but that just wasn’t enough for me.
And … yes … I was slightly annoyed at the werewolves and vampires making a showcase on the pages. Honestly, I’m happy that other people are happy reading about the undead and pack animals’ masquerading as people, but it’s just not for me. (As horrible as this sounds I really can’t understand the appeal of the undead. I’ve always equated it as some weird form of necrophilia.)
Thus, as much as I enjoyed Oberon the dog and his amusing comments, I can’t give the book more than three or four stars on the meter. But don’t let that bother any of you. If you like vampires and werewolves and witches, or if your Scottish-Irish like me, then you should give the book a chance.
AJMaguire 