Shattered by Kevin Hearne
Synopsis:
For nearly two thousand years, only one Druid has walked the Earth—Atticus O’Sullivan, the Iron Druid, whose sharp wit and sharp sword have kept him alive as he’s been 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.
Review:
Shattered is the 7th book in the Iron Druid series. This is Hearne’s most ambitious novel of the series yet. Told from Atticus, Granuaile, and Owen’s points of view (switching each chapter) sounds like it could be hard to follow, but it wasn’t hard at all – especially when I saw that each chapter had the corresponding animal that matched the speaker. This made it easier to follow the complex story – Granuaile in India trying to save her father, Owen learning about modern-day life, and Atticus with entirely too much going on.
This latest installment is fast-paced and full of wild adventure, clever characters, and humor. This is a must-read series for urban fantasy fans – with every manner of mythology rolled up into one exceptional series. Though each is mostly a standalone story, I highly recommend starting at the beginning.