BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Showing posts with label Hearne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hearne. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Bea Reviews Shattered by Kevin Hearne

Publisher: Del Rey
Series: Iron Druid #7
Format Read: hardcover
Source: the library
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe*/OmniLit | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Acclaimed author Kevin Hearne makes his hardcover debut with the new novel in his epic urban fantasy series starring the unforgettable Atticus O’Sullivan.

For nearly two thousand years, there was only one Druid left walking the Earth—Atticus O’Sullivan, the Iron Druid, whose sharp wit and sharp sword kept him alive while pursued by a pantheon of hostile deities. Now he’s got company.

Atticus’s apprentice Granuaile is at last a full Druid herself. What’s more, Atticus has defrosted an archdruid long ago frozen in time, a father figure (of sorts) who now goes by the modern equivalent of his old Irish name: Owen Kennedy.

And Owen has some catching up to do.

Atticus takes pleasure in the role reversal, as the student is now the teacher. Between busting Atticus’s chops and trying to fathom a cell phone, Owen must also learn English. For Atticus, the jury’s still out on whether the wily old coot will be an asset in the epic battle with Norse god Loki—or merely a pain in the arse.

But Atticus isn’t the only one with daddy issues. Granuaile faces a great challenge: to exorcise a sorcerer’s spirit that is possessing her father in India. Even with the help of the witch Laksha, Granuaile may be facing a crushing defeat.

As the trio of Druids deals with pestilence-spreading demons, bacon-loving yeti, fierce flying foxes, and frenzied Fae, they’re hoping that this time . . . three’s a charm.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Quote-Tastic #52 Three Gods, Two Druids, and A Selkie Walk Into A Bar


Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

This scene from Shattered by Kevin Hearne had me laughing so hard, I was wheezing. It's silly and yet Perun has a point, the American expression really makes no sense. Warning, swearing ahead!



Perun, who had been waiting patiently after managing to wear Oberon out, broke into a wide grin and boomed, "Is settled, then! Let us go into this town at bottom of mountain and get shitbuttered."
Our collective jaws dropped and stared at him (Who knew jaws had eyes for staring? :D ~  Bea). "Excuse me?" I said.
'is this not word? How you say someone is drunk?"
"Oh, you mean shit-faced."
P:erun threw up his hands, thoroughly exasperated, "How is shit on face any better than my word? And why would English-speaking peoples ever think that putting shit on face is like drinking good vodka?"
"Well, I'm not here to judge-"
"Good. Then we go get shitbuttered."

Friday, July 18, 2014

The Friday 56 #33 Shattered by Kevin Hearne


This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join in the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.


I'm reading an urban fantasy,  "Shattered" by Kevin Hearne. This is one of my favorite series, a perfect blend of mythology, urban fantasy, action, drama, humor, and excellent story-telling. The quote is from page 56 in the hardcover.


Laksha darts into the house to retrieve what I suppose must be called her exorcism kit, along with my  staff, and to offer a hurried farewell to the family. I squat down next to my hound and scratch behind her ears, trying to think of something that might hold a stronger psychic signature of my dad than the shattered remains of that clay vessel.


Monday, July 22, 2013

Review of Carniepunk, an anthology

Publisher: Gallery Books
Format Read: eGalley (I was about 2/3 of the way done when the pub sent a finished print copy)
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads:
A star-studded urban fantasy anthology featuring bestselling authors Rachel Caine, Rob Thurman, Seanan McGuire, Jennifer Estep, and Kevin Hearne, whose stories explore the creepy, mysterious, and, yes, sometimes magical world of traveling carnivals.

The traveling carnival is a leftover of a bygone era, a curiosity lurking on the outskirts of town. It is a place of contradictions—the bright lights mask the peeling paint; a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away from the direction of the Barker’s seductive call. It is a place of illusion—is that woman’s beard real? How can she live locked in that watery box?

And while many are tricked by sleight of hand, there are hints of something truly magical going on. One must remain alert and learn quickly the unwritten rules of this dark show. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns—or maybe some magic of one’s own.

Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed, Carniepunk is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban fantasy into the bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and vivid new magic.  

Bea's Thoughts: 

I'll do my usual anthology process and give a mini-review of each story. I was excited about this anthology as it has a mix of authors I love, authors I've been wanting to read and one I hadn't heard of before. All the stories involve carnivals to one degree or another, but the punk aspect is vaguer and missing completely from some of the stories. I've marked my favorites with an asterisk.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Review of Hunted by Kevin Hearne

Publisher: Del Rey
Series: The Iron Druid #6
Format Read: eGalley
Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Buying Links:  Barnes & Noble | Amazon* | The Book Depository*
* affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:
*CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR EARLIER BOOKS*


 
For a two-thousand-year-old Druid, Atticus O’Sullivan is a pretty fast runner. Good thing, because he’s being chased by not one but two goddesses of the hunt—Artemis and Diana—for messing with one of their own. Dodging their slings and arrows, Atticus, Granuaile, and his wolfhound Oberon are making a mad dash across modern-day Europe to seek help from a friend of the Tuatha Dé Danann. His usual magical option of shifting planes is blocked, so instead of playing hide-and-seek, the game plan is . . . run like hell.
Crashing the pantheon marathon is the Norse god Loki. Killing Atticus is the only loose end he needs to tie up before unleashing Ragnarok—AKA the Apocalypse. Atticus and Granuaile have to outfox the Olympians and contain the god of mischief if they want to go on living—and still have a world to live in. 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Quote-Tastic #8


Anna at Herding Cats & Burning Soup has created a new weekly meme. Want to join along?

  Click on the link above. Anna is posting hers on Mondays, as am I, but you can choose any day of the week that works for you. Leave me a link in your comment and I will check out your quotes!

Today's treasure is from Hunted by Kevin Hearne. I love this series so much. Picking a quote that didn't reveal anything important was a challenge but this one should make you laugh. :D

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

ARC Review of Trapped by Kevin Hearne

Publisher: Del Rey
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #5
Format Read: eGalley
Release Date: November 27, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

After twelve years of secret training, Atticus O’Sullivan is finally ready to bind his apprentice, Granuaile, to the earth and double the number of Druids in the world. But on the eve of the ritual, the world that thought he was dead abruptly discovers that he’s still alive, and they would much rather he return to the grave.

Having no other choice, Atticus, his trusted Irish wolfhound, Oberon, and Granuaile travel to the base of Mount Olympus, where the Roman god Bacchus is anxious to take his sworn revenge—but he’ll have to get in line behind an ancient vampire, a band of dark elves, and an old god of mischief, who all seem to have KILL THE DRUID at the top of their to-do lists.

Reviewed By: Bea

Quote:
 "They were once merely Druids, you say. The Tuatha De' Danann."
"Yes, but they were skilled in their own magic even before that."
"How did they become gods? What powers did they accrue when they did?
"They became gods once people worshipped them as such. They became vessels for Celtic faith, tuning forks for our yearnings, keepers of our hopes and prayers. And the powers they gained were those assigned to them by worshippers. Manannan Mac Lir was not a psychopomp until people thought he was; he was only a Druid with some extra powers in the sea."....
"Godhead transcends generations and requires the concerted belief of a large number of people." ....
"The connection is that there are clearly some powers and processes in the universe we simply don't understand yet. They are ineffable-for now. I don't know how it's possible for Gaia to have a magical nature. And the Tuatha De' Danann cannot tell you how, precisely, they gained the powers of gods on top of the powers of Druids. But they  can tell you they didn't always possess them. Some grew slowly, and some were discovered abruptly. And it's no different with any other gang of gods....the smart ones will tell you they're not sure how they got the gig they got and they don't remember creating humanity, much less the world. For most of space and time, they weren't there; and then, one day, they were, complete with a small but hopefully growing collection of praying humans."....
"Nobody has the answer, do they?" she asked quietly.
"No. I'm sorry."
Bea's Thoughts:

I love this series, I don't ever want it to end. Hearne takes mythology and Druidry and brings them to the modern world in stories that are full of action, humor, religious and philosophical discussion, pop culture references, a little romance, strong plotting and in-depth characterization. All but one have been four and five star reads for me (over on goodreads since I don't use ratings here.) I gave this one four stars.

Life is rarely dull with Atticus around, especially as he tends to speak without thinking first. It's that tendency that gets him into so much trouble. His words have unintended consequences and then he has to to try to clean up and make amends. For the most part, Atticus is a live and let live guy; you leave him alone and he'll leave you alone. But if you mess with something or someone that matters to him, he gets involved. Between that and his speak first, think later tendency, he winds up in many adventures. He's an honorable man and always repays his debts.

Those debts come calling as he's trying to finish up the last stage of Granuaile's Druid training.They are constantly interrupted, there are numerous assassination attempts on their lives, and finding out who is responsible and the connections amongst everything going on is one heck of a roller coaster ride. Along the way, Atticus and Granuaile hang out with a sea god, see Amelia Earhart (and oh boy, was Granuaile NOT HAPPY about that), Atticus finally admits he's attracted to Granuaile, they meet new elementals and oh yes, they go to Hel. :D

Hearne winds up some storylines from earlier books, advances others and introduces new ones. I was a bit concerned when I first found out that this book takes place twelve years in the future, but it wasn't a problem at all. For most of the book, they are out in the wilderness or off in other planes of reality. The few times Atticus and Granuaile are in the modern world, Hearne keeps the details vague enough that it feels current but not stagnant.

The pace is fast, the plot convoluted but tightly woven, it's a nearly perfect story. "Trapped" is an excellent addition to the series and I'm counting down the days to the next one. Now, go to your favorite book store or book site and buy this book. 

Some favorite quotes:
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Irish wolfhounds are the ultimate accessory for humans."
"So they've decided you're a tad easier to kill. Nothin' personal, y'see. It's not your fault that your life is in the way of their personal ambition." "Silly of me to be offended, then."
Dark tangles of hair, groomed by static or maybe playful kittens, provided stark chaotic frames for pale symmetrical faces.
People go into sporting goods stores ostensibly to prepare themselves to get closer to nature, but, in fact, every time they buy another plastic doodad, they're doing just the opposite.
"You sent in the clowns?" I said into the phone.
 Druid's Log, July 15: Dark elves are not only quick and efficient killers but creative and pyrotechnically inclined ones. (I love the Star Trek reference and it's not the only one in the book.)
 I beamed at him. "You're my favorite sea god, you know." "Aw, get your nose out of me arse. Just make life interestin' as ye promised." (That of course is something that Atticus has no trouble doing.)
Really, go pre-order the book NOW!

I received an eARC from the publisher for review.