Scourged by Kevin Hearne Narrator: Luke Daniels
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #9
Published by Penguin Audio on April 3, 2018
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 8 hours, 58 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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Unchained from fate, the Norse gods Loki and Hel are ready to unleash Ragnarok, a.k.a. the Apocalypse, upon the earth. They’ve made allies on the darker side of many pantheons, and there’s a globe-spanning battle brewing that ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan will be hard-pressed to survive, much less win.
Granuaile MacTiernan must join immortals Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen in a fight against the Yama Kings in Taiwan, but she discovers that the stakes are much higher than she thought.
Meanwhile, Archdruid Owen Kennedy must put out both literal and metaphorical fires from Bavaria to Peru to keep the world safe for his apprentices and the future of Druidry.
And Atticus recruits the aid of a tyromancer, an Indian witch, and a trickster god in hopes that they’ll give him just enough leverage to both save Gaia and see another sunrise. There is a hound named Oberon who deserves a snack, after all.
I am so thrilled to finally have had a chance to read the Iron Druid Chronicles. Thank you so much to Kevin Hearne for his participation in the Read-along and all my friends and reviewers. No doubt since Scourged is the final book there will be some spoilers.
Urban fantasy is a favorite. Usually, we see a main character build friends and allies and skills until the final battle. This felt that way. Atticus had his hounds, the fae, the werewolves, Coyote, the witches. He worked out agreements with the Norse and the Olympians and the vampires. He had his new apprentice, Granuaile and the return of his Archdruid Owen. Of course, he had his hound, Oberon and now, Starbuck.
Over the series, there were some great stories told with some alternate histories. The hounds particularly added to the humor and fun. There were battles and action. I enjoyed learning about druids and their connection to the earth, their magics and the other magic Atticus learned over the years.
I’m not sure if Atticus’ connections were weak because he spent years hiding and isolating himself or if his recent actions were thought to be so despicable. There’s certainly no excuse for what happened to Freya. But he did try to create peace with the witches, Fand, the Olympians and the vampires, achieving some success. He also brought fighters to the Norse side for Ragnorak.
Ragnorak was a disappointment for the big buildup it had. Some of that may be because Atticus and others were able to be recruited to the Norse side. Granuaile did a great job of coming in and making a difference.
I understood Atticus’ choice to try to keep Oberon and Granuaile alive. Sure, he discussed it with Oberon and not Granuaile. In that way, he made her decision for her, to try to save her life, and to not make her fight for his commitments or mistakes. View Spoiler »
View Spoiler » It was devastating and a sad way to end the series.
At least, we have the humor and mysteries of the Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries to carry things into the future.
Narration:
I love Luke Daniel’s narration. In fact, I choose to read books and series because he is narrating. He did an amazing job with all the different voices. Granuaile is the only one I found a little weird. The accents all sounded appropriate, not that I have the knowledge to know if they are accurate. I listened comfortably at 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Share your review/ thoughts on Scourged:
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The chat will be Sunday, December 3rd
COYER Challenge is adopting our Read-along. You can read about COYER and join that challenge or just the Facebook community chat HERE. On the Sunday after the review posts, they will host a FB room (like we do for COYER book club) at 12 PT, 2 CT, 3 ET and 9pm Europe, for a one hour chat. You do not have to join the COYER challenge to participate, only the Facebook group.
Here’s your to-do list:
- Enter the giveaways!
Interviews with Kevin:
2018- Nov 17: Black Gate Magazine interview
2019- May 22: Orbit UK Facebook
2020- Jun 5: Audible blog Kevin Hearne with Luke Daniels Youtube
2020- Oct 26: John Dewaine McKenna interview
2021- Aug 11: Grimdark Magazine
2022- Apr 26: Geek Girl Authority 9 reasons to revisit Iron Druid Chronicles
2022- Sep 19: Mysterious Galaxy virtual event
2022- Sep 22: Poisoned Pen Bookstore Youtube
Games:
Who said (enter the answer in the Rafflecopter, don’t put in the comments)
Who said “Well done. Whether you wanted a cookie for that or not, you’re going to get thousands.”
There are other options in the rafflecopter for you to enter discussion questions and quotes to share.
The quote for Who said “Yes no play squirrel happy gravy food!” in Besieged is Starbuck.
The villain was Coyote and Leif.
Observations and questions you shared from Besieged:
(Thank you so much for sharing!) If you can answer any of these questions, you can do so in a comment.
- Wasn’t real thrilled with Granuaile’s take on monogamy with Atticus. Not sure he felt the same.
- In the audio, it’s interesting to hear Atticus with his original Irish accent.
Quotes you readers shared from Besieged:
“Sometimes, there is gravy.” “You are so right Atticus. Gravy is our comfort and our joy.”
“I’m Dirk.” “Of course you are.”
“You leave me no choice but to deploy the puppy dog eyes. Atticus, these come with plus 10 charisma, and I’d have to roll a 1 on a 20-sided die to fail. You are helpless to repel this assault of cuteness and will agree to take me with you into battle as it was foretold in days of yore.”
“The tax code protects the rich, and lots of voting laws protect a white majority, and arbitration clauses protect corporations from getting sued when they rip people off…”
“Well, look, I understand if we can’t do gourmet, but no gravy? There’s no need to get primative, Atticus…Wait. So that means..that means the devils have never even had gravy?…You’re making me sad, Atticus! All those poor devils!”
“My plans rarely work out the way I want them to.”
“When a god says he’ll owe you a solid, unspecified, bonified favor, you need to take time to consider whether you might not be passing up the opportunity of a lifetime or, indeed, something that might preserve your life later on. Some favors, called in at the right time might equal a get-out-of-death-free card.”
“The road to hell is not, as they say, paved with good intentions. Mostly it’s crumbling stone, some rank weeds, and the occasional pile of dog sh*t.”
Oberon: ” I don’t get it. You guys look down on chimps for flinging their own poo, but you think it’s fine to fling other kinds of poo around? I mean, you get opposable thumbs and this is what you do with them.”
“…I should answer the call of nature first.” “Good call, then. We’ll reconvene after a few words from nature.”
Be sure to enter the giveaways!!!
Giveaway:
For US audio CDs of Hounded, Hexed and Hammered, and for Intl a $20 gift certificate from Better World Books. The giveaway is international, as long as Better World Books ships there free of charge (find that out here!)
Grand-Prize Giveaway:
For a US / Canadian winner, this will be a full set of SIGNED trade paperbacks by Kevin Hearne.
For an Intl winner, it will be $50 gift certificate from Better World Books. The giveaway is international, as long as Better World Books ships there free of charge (find that out here!)
Schedule:
We are doing one book every 4-5 weeks, posting on Fridays. We will have a review with the team here at Books of My Heart plus some of our friends.
Mar 3: Hounded – Stephanie @ Once Upon A Chapter
Mar 31 Hexed – Lillian @ Mom with a Reading Problem
May 5: Hammered – Jen @ That’s What I’m Talking About
Jun 2: Tricked – Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
Jul 7: Trapped – Rachel @ Waves of Fiction
Aug 4: Hunted – KC @ Books of My Heart
Sep 8: Shattered – Berls @ Because Reading
Oct 6: Staked – Sophia @ Books of My Heart
Nov 3: Besieged – Kimberly @Caffeinated Reviewer
Dec 1: Scourged – Anne @ Books of My Heart
Dec 16: Q & A with Kevin Hearne
About Luke Daniels
Luke Daniels has narrated over 250 audiobooks, has been the grateful recipient of thirteen AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has earned three Audie nominations. His background is in classical theater and film. Luke has performed at repertory theaters around the country, but now he resides in the Midwest with his pack.
About Kevin Hearne
Kevin Hearne lives with his wife, daughter, and doggies in Canada. Kevin hugs trees, pets doggies, and rocks out to heavy metal. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling series the Iron Druid Chronicles, the Seven Kennings trilogy that begins with A PLAGUE OF GIANTS, and co-author of the Tales of Pell with Delilah S. Dawson.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Oh wow the devastating sad way to end the series is a serious problem for me. But I know many friends who love this author and this series. Thanks for the whole shebang!
Well there is more in a spin-off series in the world and I hope it is more positive. I expected the war to be devastating and the title is a giveaway that things won’t be sunshine and flowers.
You totally need to read them, or listen. I regretted not buying this series in physical copies, but have bought the hardcovers to the new one… and they are SOOOO GOOD!!
I am so glad to have finally read this series and look forward to the rest of the books in this world.
It will be good to discuss this on Sunday. I actually ended up liking it a little more this time around and I think it’s because I’ve had time to take it all in AND I’ve read follow up stories. I also had similar feelings about Granuaile, but not as harsh. From my take this time around, I see her as immature and needing to grow. She’s so young compared to the others.
It’s true G is young but still you don’t do that to someone you share a home with in front of everyone else, after a devastating injury after everyone else in his world has been harsh with him. I do look forward to the chat.
I cried all over again. I have had such fun listening to the series again. I hope one day to meet Hearne.. and maybe have a drink and chat. Great review Jen.
Anne- thanks for hosting this.
I’m just sorry I hadn’t read the series in 2016 when I met him at NOLAStorycon, only Hounded I think and probably stupidly not on audio.
I hated the way Granuaille handled that issue with Atticus. I was devastated the way the aftermath came down so hard on Atticus, but I also felt it added emotional weight to a story steeped in UF. It felt finished, but I would still love to see a follow up where Atticus gets some of his own back particularly since he has earned some good after all he did.
Fab and insightful review, Anne!
Thank you Sophia. It’s a good series. I am planning to read the related series in the world with Ink & Sigil and Paper & Blood.
I totally agree with your spoilers, Anne! I also was disappointed with the final battle after such a lead up. Kind of a let down. I hated how everyone, even Atticus wanted to lay all the blame on him. My review says basically the same thing about Granuaile! I think I actually cried back when I read it. I would like to re-read and see how I feel about it this time around, especially since re-reading the other books in the series.
That’s why I do the Read-alongs. For me it’s either a new series I haven’t read or one I want to read all together instead of a book a year. I think we are on the same page about our feelings.
I did enjoy the book except for what happened to Atticus, and I’m glad I read the series.
Thank you Janie. I was so happy to have you join us in the Read-along. Your participation was really appreciated.
I read the spoiler bc I can’t help myself 😉
I always have to know too.