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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Possibly the best one yet. Atticus has pulled his old Archdruid out of a time island, and finds himself in the amusing position of being both mentor and guide to his former mentor, a man whose teaching methods involved a crack upside the head as often as anything else. Granuaille, meanwhile, is called away with her own problems, and gets to flex her skills on her own for the first time, going full druid (and then full ninja!) without backup. Oberon is getting tiresome and the new pup's language use issues are a bit over-played, but overall it was an exciting and entertaining story.
I love the way that Atticus finds himself at the real crux of his problems with the fae realm and the way that he and his former mentor must re-orient themselves in relation to each other. Owen is an earthy, old-world character, just as he's meant to be, and he's a good foil for Atticus and his looser, youthful spirit (despite his advanced age!)
Ganuaille is also fully realized and presents a voice that is incredibly distinct from both Atticus and Owen, really showing her youth and naivete at times as well as a temper that runs incredibly hot and sometimes causes her to act without thinking things all the way through or testing out a situation before she rushes in. In contrast to Atticus, who seems to test for traps and prepare for ambush with every step, Granuaille trusts her instincts and throws herself forward, sometimes with less-than-ideal results. But Atticus gives her the space and respect to deal with things in her own way, and although her approach and his are very different, she's a woman who can handle herself well. She's even got a bit left over to stand guard over the occasional druid-in-distress.
I love the way that Atticus finds himself at the real crux of his problems with the fae realm and the way that he and his former mentor must re-orient themselves in relation to each other. Owen is an earthy, old-world character, just as he's meant to be, and he's a good foil for Atticus and his looser, youthful spirit (despite his advanced age!)
Ganuaille is also fully realized and presents a voice that is incredibly distinct from both Atticus and Owen, really showing her youth and naivete at times as well as a temper that runs incredibly hot and sometimes causes her to act without thinking things all the way through or testing out a situation before she rushes in. In contrast to Atticus, who seems to test for traps and prepare for ambush with every step, Granuaille trusts her instincts and throws herself forward, sometimes with less-than-ideal results. But Atticus gives her the space and respect to deal with things in her own way, and although her approach and his are very different, she's a woman who can handle herself well. She's even got a bit left over to stand guard over the occasional druid-in-distress.
This was my first time listening to the series on audio. I kind of feel lukewarm. Atticus & Owens voices were good. But Oberon's was not nearly as I what I envisioned in my head. Plus the slipping between the narrator voice, G's & Atticus' was minor and lost me sometimes. Listening did help with getting through the mythology though.
Our dear Druid is up to his eyeballs in trouble again - though this time, he has more company than he anticipated. Ragnarok is still coming, the Tuatha de Danann are divided, Atticus ends up with unexpected company, and Granuaile has her own personal issues to attend to.
The more of this series I read, the more I come to appreciate the massive amounts of research and the deep respect for that learning that is evident in each book. Everything is woven in so seamlessly that it can be easy to overlook. For an author to create a world populated by just about every pantheon of Gods, and make it work so seamlessly (and with AWESOME stories) is truly a mark of talent. By the time a reader gets to book seven in almost any series, it's possible to see breakdowns - things that aren't as interesting any more, or where the main characters have changed to the point that they are no longer interesting. I'm so thrilled that this is not the case with these books.
And as a final note - if ever given the opportunity, I will have an Irish Wolfhound and I will name him Oberon. I will feed him bacon and sausage and laugh at the pithy things I will imagine he is saying to me. And my life will be immeasurably better.
The more of this series I read, the more I come to appreciate the massive amounts of research and the deep respect for that learning that is evident in each book. Everything is woven in so seamlessly that it can be easy to overlook. For an author to create a world populated by just about every pantheon of Gods, and make it work so seamlessly (and with AWESOME stories) is truly a mark of talent. By the time a reader gets to book seven in almost any series, it's possible to see breakdowns - things that aren't as interesting any more, or where the main characters have changed to the point that they are no longer interesting. I'm so thrilled that this is not the case with these books.
And as a final note - if ever given the opportunity, I will have an Irish Wolfhound and I will name him Oberon. I will feed him bacon and sausage and laugh at the pithy things I will imagine he is saying to me. And my life will be immeasurably better.
This was quite possibly my favorite book of the series so far. There are TWO TALKING DOGS NOW! And more Druids! Lots of laugh out loud moments, and a few teary ones as well.
Argh this book! For most of it, I was going to rate 3 stars, but then the end was super good.
My issue with this book, and the last book, is that the first 5 books are focused on Atticus/Oberon and that's how I like it. Now, 1/3 (if that) of the book is on them. NOT good. I'm not a fan of Granuaile. She and her story bore me SO much. UGH! I didn't like Owen at first, but he grew on me. Still, I want more about just Atticus / Oberon and what they are dealing with, not the POV of Granuaile / Owen.
If I could rate this book in parts, it'd be 2 stars for Granuaile's POV, 3 stars for Owen's POV, and of course 5 stars for Atticus. Wish the focus had stayed on him. Will finish the series out, but not as excited to see where things are going as I once was.
My issue with this book, and the last book, is that the first 5 books are focused on Atticus/Oberon and that's how I like it. Now, 1/3 (if that) of the book is on them. NOT good. I'm not a fan of Granuaile. She and her story bore me SO much. UGH! I didn't like Owen at first, but he grew on me. Still, I want more about just Atticus / Oberon and what they are dealing with, not the POV of Granuaile / Owen.
If I could rate this book in parts, it'd be 2 stars for Granuaile's POV, 3 stars for Owen's POV, and of course 5 stars for Atticus. Wish the focus had stayed on him. Will finish the series out, but not as excited to see where things are going as I once was.
So this is actually my favourite novel out of the series. I did not like Owen at the beginning until about two thirds of the novel, because I love it when characters are actually analysing past behaviour but not in a self deprecating way. And there was betrayal! And it was written well.
There is so much to like about this book. [Possible spoilers] Atticus' old arch druid, Eoghan Ó Cinnéide (Owen Kennedy) joins Atticus and Grainuaile alternating through the POVs of each chapter.
The book, like Kevin Hearne's prior books, is not just urban fantasy but an epic fantasy travelogue including such exotic places as Tempe, AZ, Santa Fe, Colorado, NM, Japan, the Himilayas, India, Tír na nÓg, etc.
I was concerned about visiting India because I get flashbacks to the 2nd Indiana Jones movie, "The Temple of Doom" and what a monstrosity that was. Not to worry. Much different.
Oberon is one of my favorite characters. He's probably what George Lucas was hoping that Jar Jar Binks was going to be, a comic side-kick. Oberon is no Jar Jar. And now there's Orlaith, Grainuaile's Irish wolfhound who's just learning to talk. It will be interesting to see her character develop in the next book(s).
Lots of cultural references: Game of Thrones ("You know nothing, Jon Snow"), Star Wars ("I know"), BBC's Sherlock (not the USA's Elementary), Princess Bride, and many others. There's even a reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet and a quote from As You Like It. Okay, there was a Walt Whitman quote as well.
There were new creatures to encounter. The Dabāva was a bit depressing. The Yeti were cool; their origins interesting; I'm glad they might be reappearing.
There were old enemies and new alliances ("Nine of the biggies").
There was some confused Christian theology: Jesus is not the Christian god. He's the Son of God. However, the author needed to treat all pantheons on an equal handed basis.
One of my favorite lines: "The garden of sarcasm is watered with impatience, and mine chose that moment to bloom."
There were (at least) 2 typos in this first edition Kindle eBook.
Altogether a very satisfying book. The Epilogue sets us up for the next book. I'm glad Kevin Hearne writes books faster than George R.R. Martin.
The book, like Kevin Hearne's prior books, is not just urban fantasy but an epic fantasy travelogue including such exotic places as Tempe, AZ, Santa Fe, Colorado, NM, Japan, the Himilayas, India, Tír na nÓg, etc.
I was concerned about visiting India because I get flashbacks to the 2nd Indiana Jones movie, "The Temple of Doom" and what a monstrosity that was. Not to worry. Much different.
Oberon is one of my favorite characters. He's probably what George Lucas was hoping that Jar Jar Binks was going to be, a comic side-kick. Oberon is no Jar Jar. And now there's Orlaith, Grainuaile's Irish wolfhound who's just learning to talk. It will be interesting to see her character develop in the next book(s).
Lots of cultural references: Game of Thrones ("You know nothing, Jon Snow"), Star Wars ("I know"), BBC's Sherlock (not the USA's Elementary), Princess Bride, and many others. There's even a reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet and a quote from As You Like It. Okay, there was a Walt Whitman quote as well.
There were new creatures to encounter. The Dabāva was a bit depressing. The Yeti were cool; their origins interesting; I'm glad they might be reappearing.
There were old enemies and new alliances ("Nine of the biggies").
There was some confused Christian theology: Jesus is not the Christian god. He's the Son of God. However, the author needed to treat all pantheons on an equal handed basis.
One of my favorite lines: "The garden of sarcasm is watered with impatience, and mine chose that moment to bloom."
There were (at least) 2 typos in this first edition Kindle eBook.
Altogether a very satisfying book. The Epilogue sets us up for the next book. I'm glad Kevin Hearne writes books faster than George R.R. Martin.