44. Kevin Hearne Discussion

[Philip Overby]

Closing in on 50 authors from the original list (100 of the Best Fantasy Authors according to Reddit). Number 44 is Kevin Hearne best known for his fantasy series The Iron Druid Chronicles. These have been recommended to me before in the past and they sound interesting enough. The comparisons to the Dresden Files must be unavoidable in some ways, but I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Anyone read Kevin Hearne's work?

 

[Steerpike]

Read the first Iron Druid book and wasn't really impressed, so I never picked up the second. May be that they get better, though.

 

[Philip Overby]

Have you ever read the Dresden Files books? Do you find them to be similar in anyway? I never read any of Hearne's work, although people used to recommend him to me in the past.

 

[Steerpike]

Yes, I've read a lot of the Dresden Files. I felt like Hearne's first book was a bit of an imitator and not as good.

 

[TWErvin2]

I've read and enjoyed the Iron Druid Chronicles, especially Hexed (the 2nd novel in the series) and Tricked (the 4th).

I believe there will be nine novels total, not counting the two novellas. There is a lot of action and each novel has its own story arc while building toward a the end conflict.

While you can pick up a novel relatively early in the series (out of order) to begin, later in the series it wouldn't be recommended.

I think what works best is the variety of characters and their interactions, from a Viking vampire to Coyote, a Native America god, each working for their own purposes and goals, that are often at odds (or at least certainly not congruent) with what the main character (Atticus--the last living druid) hopes to accomplish, or at least survive.

I will say that I was somewhat disappointed in the last installment, Shattered. The switch to Granuaile's POV I think weakened the story and in maintaining interest. Also since the novels are written in first person POV--with Atticus written in Past Tense and Granuaile in present tense, makes it even more at odds. Some of it might be the exceptionally high standard I expect, and while I didn't care for Hearne's method to relay the story, from reviews there are a lot of readers who did, leaving me in the minority related to that concern. I could say more but that would include significant spoilers.

That said, I would even more strongly recommend the audiobook versions (narrated by Luke Daniels). He does an excellent job with the characters and voices, adding additional depth to the adventures and tales told.

I did a guest post over at the Indie Book Blog a while back discussing this aspect in more detail, if you might be interested: Kevin Hearne & Luke Daniels: A Great Pairing for the Iron Druid Chronicles