Hounded by Kevin Hearne

 

Atticus O'Sullivan appears to be a twenty-one year old man who owns and runs a New Age bookshop in Tempe, Arizona.  But looks can often be deceiving.  Atticus is actually over two thousand years old and he is the last Iron Druid.  He was involved in the battles of yore and has been on the run for centuries from his enemies.  Tempe has been a refuge but there are signs that his enemies have finally tracked him down.

This time Atticus decides to stay and fight rather than run.  He has some help.  He has an Irish wolfhound who is his closest companion.  He has the help, usually, of The Morrigan, a crow in form who is the Irish Chooser Of The Slain although her support is always questionable as she can change in the blink of an eye.  The first of the Fae is on Atticus' side but only because they share a common enemy.  He has a tentative relationship with a local coven of witches but Atticus doesn't trust them at all.  He does trust his lawyers, a werewolf who does the day work and a vampire who takes the night shift.

But his enemies are powerful.  The Irish God of Love has hated Atticus for centuries and has chased him across the world.  He wants to become the ruler of the Faes and knows he will have a better chance of that if he can eliminate Atticus first.  He also has entry to the demons of hell and can call on them in a fight as well as his own witches.  Can Atticus survive this latest challenge?

Kevin Hearne has created a memorable character in Atticus.  He is a native of Arizona so he gets the locale perfectly.  His writing style is light and humorous and the reader will fall in love with Atticus and his wolfhound.  This is the perfect first novel in a series; it can be read as a stand-alone tale without cliffhangers but it's so delightful that the reader will be interested in reading more of Atticus' adventures.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.