Hounded

Executive Summary: An alright, but not spectacular debut that is helped by how short it is. There are hints of possibility here to develop into a better series at least.Audio book: This is the first book I've listened to by Luke Daniels. At first I didn't like him much but her grew on me. He seems pretty good at accents, I'm just not sure I like his normal reading voice though. I did really enjoy his voice for Oberon however.Full ReviewI've had several people tell me this is a great series, especially as a fan of the Dresden Files. I got a good deal on the first book from audible recently so I finally checked it out. Since this is comparison I hear a lot, I figure I'll give my a review as a sort of compare and contrast for anyone else out there whose loves Dresden and are considering these books.I'm a little underwhelmed. I always tell people to give Dresden a few books before it really gets good. Maybe that will be true here as well. Both have a snarky protagonist who can do magic and fights overwhelming adversaries. I don't enjoy the humor in this one nearly as much. [a:Jim Butcher 10746 Jim Butcher https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1205261964p2/10746.jpg] has me laughing out loud at least several times during a novel. This one I chuckled internally a few times, but that was it.There are several other similarities that seem to be taken right from the pages of the later books of Dresden. I'll put them in spoiler tags so as not to spoil anything from either series, I consider both minor at this point but better safe that sorry: a dog sidekick and an attractive young female apprenticeThere are differences however. Atticus has fully embraced technology. He runs his own business and sells things online as part of it. This would be a problem for Harry. Atticus is very old and the last of his kind (that we know of anyways). Harry is considered young for a wizard.The big highlight for me was Atticus's dog Oberon. I think Mr. Hearne does a good job portraying dog-like thoughts, or at least what I would guess them to be.I found myself bored for at least the first 25% or so, but somewhere along the way I ended up enjoying it enough that I snagged the sequel on another daily deal from audible. I hope to see some growth in the second book or I may stop there.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Keeping this brief so I can catch up on other things, I posted a few quick thoughts about the book previously – and that still covers most of my thoughts:

It took no time at all for this book to grab me, and another 15 pages for me to fall in love with this. Right off the bat we get a solid action sequence, get the basics of our hero's magic system, and meet a goddess. Not a bad start–it helps a lot that Atticus' personality and charm comes through right away and draws you in.

Then we get a talking dog. Technically a dog (Oberon the Irish Wolfhound) that can communicate telepathically with Atticus, but why get picky? Oberon's snarky, smart and pop culturally savvy–he runs a close second behind Harry Dresden's Mouse for coolest pooch in Urban Fantasy. I'd be willing to read a book that's nothing but Atticus and Oberon hanging out.

Throw in a helpful werewolf pack, a friendly vampire, a troublesome local coven, and a fight with an ancient Celtic deity and you get yourself a dynamic intro to what seems to be one of the best Urban Fantasy series around.

even

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The Iron Druid Chronicles

Atticus O'Sullivan is a 2100 year old Druid, the last of his kind. He lives in Arizona with his dog (whom he talks to) and his problem is that he has a big beef with a god over an ancient sword.

The story is as exciting as it sounds, but my main problem is of course, that Atticus is over 2000 years old. Nothing phases him. All kinds of magical creatures want him dead, but he doesn't care as much as he should because he's seen some shit. This made it hard for me to really get invested in the book, even if it was enjoyable enough (and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny). He's also pretty powerful with some powerful friends, and I never really felt there was anything at stake.

Oberon is pretty cool though, even if the narrator's voice for him was kind of over the top sometimes that it was sometimes hard to take seriously.

Edit Jan. 24, 2016:
On re-reading with an idea of what to expect, I like it better. You just have to accept that 2,100 year old druids have god-like powers and will be able to take care of anything that comes at them. Easily.

Several of my friends really love this series, but I just couldn't get into it. I've blocked most of the details from my mind in order to maintain my sanity, but I remember thinking the plot was rather ridiculous and just got worse.

This is a fun, fast-paced Urban Fantasy that has all the usual hallmarks of the genre, but adds a nice touch with the Irish Mythology into the mix. I also greatly enjoyed Oberon, Atticus's Irish Wolfhound - definitely a highlight. I didn't find that I absolutely loved this book, but I did enjoy it for a bit of light escapism, humor and action. It will be fun to see where the series goes from here and see, if like the Dresden Files, it improves with each book.