thewheelbarrow’s review of the last novel of this series reminded me that I had meant to check this out a long time ago when a few people reviewed the first in the series. Atticus Sullivan runs a new age bookstore and tea shop in Tempe, Arizona and looks like he is around 21 years old. In reality, he is a 2,100 year old druid and has been on the run from one man, the Celtic god of love, for about 2,000 of those years. Atticus and a few other supernatural beings (a vampire, a werewolf pack and a witch coven) reside in Tempe because it is out of the way from other supernaturals and an easy place to hide out. Unfortunately, Atticus underestimated the old gods because it turns out they know what the internet is, and his current alias and occupation are just a bit too close to his real name.
As in any fantasy novel, a side kick and large supporting cast is a requirement, and Hounded certainly delivered on those, introducing Oberon, the “talking” wolfhound (psychic link, not actual vocal abilities), the werewolf lawyers, the vampire Viking lawyer, an Irish widow, and a myriad of Irish gods, starting with the Morrigan, sometime ally of Atticus.
As many noted, this novel started out stronger than the original Dresden novel, Storm Front, though it will take at least another book for me to decide whether I am hooked or not. Nothing in here made me role my eyes so that bodes well, but I also can’t say that I am very interested in the potential love interest introduced in this novel and hope she either disappears or ends up being a better character than seen here.
Side note – so I realize that the man on the cover is actually rather attractive and has well groomed facial hair but one problem with reading on a Kindle is that I never see the cover after I start the novel. As a result, I kept imagining something not attractive in response to the “curly red haired goatee” description, and didn’t picture Atticus as the attractive leading man I am sure he was supposed to be …