Review: Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Hammered (The Iron Druid Chronicles #3) by Kevin Hearne
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 2012

The Iron Druid Chronicles
0.4. Grimoire of the Lamb
0.5. Clan Rathskeller (Goodreads review)
0.6. Kaibab Unbound (Goodreads review)
1. Hounded
2. Hexed
3. Hammered - Paperback | Kindle
3.5. A Test of Mettle (Goodreads review)
4. Tricked
4.5. Two Ravens and One Crow
5. Trapped
6. Hunted
7. Shattered
8. Staked
9. Besieged
10. Scourged

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
Ink & Sigil
1. Ink & Sigil

Oberon's Meaty Mysteries
1. The Purloined Poodle

Kevin Hearne
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Thor, the Norse god of thunder, is worse than a blowhard and a bully—he’s ruined countless lives and killed scores of innocents. After centuries, Viking vampire Leif Helgarson is ready to get his vengeance, and he’s asked his friend Atticus O’Sullivan, the last of the Druids, to help take down this Norse nightmare.

One survival strategy has worked for Atticus for more than two thousand years: stay away from the guy with the lightning bolts. But things are heating up in Atticus’s home base of Tempe, Arizona. There’s a vampire turf war brewing, and Russian demon hunters who call themselves the Hammers of God are running rampant. Despite multiple warnings and portents of dire consequences, Atticus and Leif journey to the Norse plain of Asgard, where they team up with a werewolf, a sorcerer, and an army of frost giants for an epic showdown against vicious Valkyries, angry gods, and the hammer-wielding Thunder Thug himself.

My Thoughts: Holy... what? I mean... all the... and then the... and OMG! ATTICUS! Man, I totally love this guy! He's all badass when he needs to be and then he can be all peaceable and stuff, too. Plus, he has tattoos. Y'all know what a sucker I am for guys with tattoos, right?

I love love LOVE that we got to see why Thor is considered a douchecanoe by most of the outside world. For the record, he is. He really has his douchery down to a science and he's not afraid to let all the lesser gods (and supernatural critters) know it. He's pissed off some powerful people in his day and they're not going to let him get away with it. I mean, sure, some of them took a good thousand years to be in a position to go up against him, but THEY ARE COMING FOR HIM, DAMMIT!

There were a few happenings this time around that absolutely killed me. Atticus is a smart guy, people should listen to him more often. It does make me a little wibbly that he, Oberon, and Granuaile have plans to go on the run, btw. I like Tempe. I like the people that he's accumulated into his orbit. I understand his reasoning behind why he needs to leave -- having an angry pantheon gunning for you and yours does not make life easy -- but... I'll miss the bookstore and ALL THE THINGS. (For the record, this is something Atticus is planning for although it hasn't yet come to pass. I'll have to see how things turn out in the next book. Maybe I'm bemoaning all this for nothing.)

This series has unequivocally become one of my favorites. It's fast-paced, full of subtle twists on familiar legends (Thor, you douche!), and is full of characters that draw you in and hold you captive. I am so willing to keep playing in my favorite #NakedDruid's world that it's ridiculous.