Shattered

April 20, 2015
The thing about binding yourself with iron to help keep angry fey off you is that it tends to annoy them even more. Druid and action hero Atticus O'Sullivan seems to have a knack for annoying fey, and a few odd gods and goddesses as well. In this fast moving, kick-ass seventh Iron Druid Chronicles installment (following 2013's Hunted), Atticus is running from a very peeved Loki, while Fand of the Tuatha Dé Danann definitely doesn't like the iron binding. Now that Atticus's apprentice, Granuaile, and his recently reawakened Archdruid are helping him, it appears that the immortals are picking sides. The question is, will those who back Atticus outnumber those who'd like to see him pulverized? Hearne brings plenty of action and entertainment as the intrepid druids hop from Colorado to Japan to Tír na nÃg, rounding up their partisans in preparation for an upcoming epic battle. Agent: Evan Goldfried, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

June 15, 2014

More than 2,000 years of age, Atticus O'Sullivan was accustomed to being the oldest Druid on the planet. The Morrigan (the Irish spirit that escorts the dead) hid Atticus's teacher, Owen, on an island of slow time, and as this seventh volume in the popular urban fantasy series (after 2013's Hunted) opens, Atticus has brought Owen back and is trying to acclimate his mentor to the modern world. He hopes Owen can help him to find out which of the Tuatha de Danaan still wish to kill him, but he has never lacked for enemies. One of these foes might also be behind the plot that lured his apprentice and lover, Granuaile, to India, using her father as bait. VERDICT This darker series entry might suffer a bit from having too many antagonists as well as abundant points of view. The heart of the book remains Atticus and his slightly goofy telepathic wolfhound, Oberon, and while the mix of Irish, Norse, and even Vedic pantheons is intriguing, it leaves the series scattered.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2014
The seventh book in the Iron Druid Chronicles starts with a handy summary of the story so far, allowing the uninitiated reader to jump right in. Atticus O'Sullivan is the last Druid and has survived more than 2,000 years of fighting with gods from every imaginable religious and mythological source. This particular volume is set in the modern world, but one where every pantheon of gods and demons is realand a potential threat. Atticus has managed to train an apprentice who has now become a full-fledged Druid in her own right, and he has awoken his former teacher, an archdruid from ancient Ireland. The funny, razor-sharp wit that the author uses to bring Atticus to life, and narrate the difficulty that the archdruid has in integrating with the modern world, brings to mind the likes of Spider Robinson's Callahan series and Gordon R. Dickson's Dragon Knight stories. As Atticus is gearing up to fight with Loki, perhaps with the help of the archdruid, his former apprentice is off trying to save her father from a malevolent sorcerer's spirit that has taken up residence in his body. Plenty of action, humor, and mythology keep this book fun and interesting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)