Druids died out centuries ago… didn’t they?

At the start of Hounded, an ancient druid, who goes by the name Atticus O’Sullivan, has his life turned upside down by visits from the Morrigan and Flidais, goddess of the hunt, warning him old enemies from the Irish Tuatha De Danann know where he is and are coming for him. Supporting Atticus in his fight for survival are his lovable wolfhound Oberon, an elderly neighbour, a voluptuous bar maid, the ghost of an Indian witch, a vampire and a werewolf. The plot builds nicely with interesting turns until the team face off against new and old enemies in the final battle.

Hounded, written in first person, past tense point of view, is the start of the Iron Druid Chronicles. The book is set in modern day Arizona and includes themes of survival, friendship, and history. The main character is an ancient druid who runs a small occult book store and tea room.

This is a slightly formulaic urban fantasy, but there are enough new twist and turns for it to be quite an enjoyable read. My only criticism is that there are places where Atticus and the story have a slightly misogynistic tone. Although this is in keeping with his ancient persona, hopefully it’s something the author uses to develop Atticus’ story arch through the series.

I feel this book will appeal to readers who enjoy magical realism and mythology based fantasy novels.

Four out of five coffee beans from this reviewer.

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Published by Orbit Little, Brown Book Group