The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
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New York Times Bestselling author Kevin Hearne brings all the world’s mythical gods to life in a modern-day setting with his The Iron Druid Chronicles. I absolutely devoured every book, story, and novella in this series, loving every minute. It’s one of my favorite book series, making Hearne one of my favorite authors. It’s also a finished series, which makes it easier to recommend to others. While readers will inevitably have books they liked better than some of the others, I feel it’s safe to rate the entire series with five stars given that I never wanted the story to end, and will miss these characters dearly.
A spoiler-free series summary:
Two-thousand year old druid Atticus O’Sullivan has been hiding from the Irish gods ever since he stole an enchanted sword named Fragarach. He’s the last of the ancient druids, but instead of doing his duties, he’s been managing an occult bookshop in Tempe, Arizona. When those gods find him, Atticus decides to fight. On his side are The Morrigan (the Irish Chooser of the Slain), Brighid (First among the Fae), his vampire lawyer, and his loyal Irish wolfhound, Oberon. The adventures of Atticus and Oberon are dangerous and span the known world, as well as the Nine Fae Planes. They’re also engaging and quite amusing at times.
As a main character, Atticus is flawed, and his antics get him in deep water a lot of the time. As he struggles to fix one problem, he usually ends up in another conundrum, which propels Atticus from one book to the next. There is a satisfying resolution to each book, and the choices made in one book usually cause the next future conflict. This continuation makes it easy to read through all the stories, and Hearne’s storytelling style is humorous. Hearne also adds beautiful recaps as needed, titled “The Story So Far,” so readers get a quick reminder of what’s happened along the way.
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The Iron Druid Chronicles includes ten books, three short stories printed individually, ten short stories printed in a collection, and eight novellas, which the author recommends reading in the following order:
Short Story: “The Chapel Perilous.” A frame story; though the frame is in between books 4 and 5, the meat of the story is set in 6th century Wales. Available singly in most of the world, or in the anthology called Unfettered. Audio for this story is included in the audio edition of First Dangle and Other Stories.
Novella: Grimoire of the Lamb, set four years before book 1. Now included in print and ebook at the end of the trade paperback edition of Hexed. Available in audio too.
Short Story: “Kaibab Unbound,” set two weeks before book 1. Included in print and ebook at the back of the trade paperback edition of Hounded. Audio included in Two Tales of the Iron Druid Chronicles.
Book 1: Hounded
Book 2: Hexed
Book 3: Hammered
Short Story: “A Test of Mettle,” set during the events of Hammered. Included in print and ebook at the end of the trade paperback edition of Hammered. Audio included in Two Tales of the Iron Druid Chronicles.
Book 4: Tricked
Novella: Two Ravens and One Crow, available separately in audio, but now included at the back of Tricked in print and ebook.
Book 5: Trapped
Book 6: Hunted
Book 7: Shattered
Novella: A Prelude to War, available in audio in the Three Slices anthology. Included in print and ebook at the end of Shattered.
Book 8: Staked
Novella: The Purloined Poodle, the first of Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries, available in ebook and audio.
Novella: The Squirrel on the Train, the second of Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries, available in ebook and audio.
Book 9, Short Story Collection: Besieged, Ten stories that together comprise the length of a novel, four which are from Atticus’s past that fill in some blanks, and six that take place after the events of book 8 and transition into Scourged.
Book 10: Scourged
Novella: The Buzz Kill, the third Oberon’s Meaty Mystery, now included at the back of Scourged in print and ebook. Audio is available in the anthology Death & Honey. This story picks up a few months after Scourged.
Novella: First Dangle, in the Iron Druid collection First Dangle and Other Stories. Available only in ebook and audio.
Novella: The Chartreuse Chanteuse, in the anthology Canines & Cocktails.
From there we transition into the new series, Ink & Sigil, set in the same world.
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It was hard reading the last story knowing there would be no more adventures of Atticus and Oberon, but Hearne’s new series of books based in the same world as the Iron Druid’s is just as engaging, and familiar characters make appearances.
The Ink & Sigil series takes place about a year after Scourged, and I highly recommend it, as well. The last book, Candle & Crow, is the author’s last book in the world of The Iron Druid.
Overall, The Iron Druid Chronicles and the Ink & Sigil Series are highly recommended by this reader. Let me know if you’ve read any (or hopefully ALL) of them.
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The audiobooks of The Iron Druid Chronicles are narrated by Luke Daniels, who does an amazing job of bringing Atticus and Oberon to life. I’ve listened to them all more than once.
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Visit the author’s website and subscribe to his newsletter at wordsandbirds.ink.
Worlds of Mayhem 