Iron Druid Chronicles

The Iron Druid Chronicles is a series written by Kevin Hearne.

Genre and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy

Brief Series Description or Overview[]

The series is set in our world (the first couple of books are set in Tempe, Arizona) where supernatural creatures exist, such as witches, vampires, werewolves, as well as various gods and goddesses from various mythologies. The series is told in the first-person point-of-view of Atticus O'Sullivan (aka. Siodhachan O Suileabhain), a Druid who owns and runs an occult bookshop called Third Eye Books and Herbs, as he gets embroiled in the day-to-day struggle of Gods, Goddesses and other supernatural creatures. ~ Goodreads | The Iron Druid

Books in Series[]

Hounded (2011)
Hexed (2011)
Hammered (2011)
Tricked (2012)
Trapped (2012)
Hunted (2013)
Shattered (2014)
Staked (2016)
Scourged (2018)

Shorts, Anthologies and Guides[]

0.4. "The Grimoire of the Lamb" (2013) ~ Novella
0.5. "Clan Rathskeller" (2010) ~ Free
0.6. "Kaibab Unbound" (2011)
3.5. "A Test of Mettle" (2011) ~ Free
4.5. "Two Ravens and One Crow" (2012) ~ Novella
4.6. "The Chapel Perilous" in Unfettered anthology (June 21, 2013)
4.7. "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street” in Carniepunk (2013)
7.5. "A Prelude to War" in "Three Slices" (2015)
"The Purloined Puddle" (2016)
"Besiged" anthology (2017)
- "Blood Pudding" in "Besiged" anthology (2017)
- "Gold Dust Druid", in "Besiged" anthology (2017)
- "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street" extended edition, in "Besiged" anthology (2017)
- "Cuddle Dungeon", in "Besiged" anthology (2017)
- "Haunted Devils", in "Besiged" anthology (2017)
- "The End of Idylls", in "Besiged" anthology (2017)
- "Goddess at the Crossroads", in "Besiged" anthology (2017) and "A Fantasy Medley 3" (2015)
- "The Bogeyman of Boora Bog", in "Besiged" anthology (2017)
- "The Eye of Horus", in "Besiged" anthology (2017)
"Two Tales of the Iron Druid Chronicles" (2015)
- "Kaibab Unbound"
- "A Test of Mettle"

World Building[]

Setting[]

Tempe, Arizona
Ireland

~ A Map of Hounded - Google Maps

Places:

Tír na nÓg: Where the Fae live
Mount Olympus: home of the Greek pantheon of gods
Asgard: In Norse mythology, the capital city of the Norse gods—one of the Nine Worlds; the country of the Norse gods; where Valhalla is located
Tuba City, Arizona:
Flagstaff:
Utah:
Colorado:
New Mexico:
India:
Iceland:
Scandinavia:
Uncertain: Kayenta, Moralltach, Fragarach, Tyende Mesa

Supernatural Elements[]

Druids, magic users, vampires, werewolves, Irish wolfhound, elementals, fae, witches, shape-shifters, magic swords, Druidic tattoos, Celtic god, Hindu witch, Valkyries, frost giants, sorcerer, archdruid, dark elves, exorcism, yeti, flying foxes, Ragnarok, shifting planes, frozen in time, Asgard, Russian demon hunters, sorcerer’s spirit, telecommunication, preternaturals, Barghests, Loki, Morrigan, Rakshasas, alchemy, , , ,

Gods, Goddesses: The Morrigan, goddess of death, Thor, Loki, Artemis, Diana, Olympians, old god of mischief, Roman god Bacchus,

Mythologies: Celtic mythology, Norse mythology, Greek mythology, Native American mythology, Hindu Mythology,

Glossary:

Fragarach, the Answerer: Atticus's magical sword
Tuatha De Danann: the Fae—need oak, ash, and thorn to make their journey into the mortal world
Aenghus Óg: supposedly the god of love—bitter Fae enemy
Four Druidic tattoos of Atticus: he can shift into wolfhound, sea otter, owl, and stag
Elementals: spirits embodying the five elements—as a Druid, Atticus can communicate with the five elementals. The elementals love Druids, and Atticus is the last Druid on earth, they will do almost anything to help him.
The Morrigan: Goddess of war; Chooser of the slain. Takes the form of a battle crow or beautiful (often naked) woman. Pale-complected with dark hair.
Esurient: Hungry, greedy
Coyote: Navajo trickster god
Skinwalkers: bloodthirsty desert shapeshifters
Flidais: wily and untrustworthy goddess of the hunt;
Goddesses of the Hunt: Artemis, Diana, Flidais
Ragnarok: AKA the Apocalypse
Asgard: Norse plain
Yggdrasil: aka The World Tree; The giant ash tree that links and shelters all the worlds
Gullinbursti: Thor's chariot
Einherjar: The fallen Vikings who dwell in Valhalla
Barghests: monstrous, semi-spectral black dogs with fiery eyes.
Rakshasas: demonic being from Hindu mythology—among the demons who taught Laksha Kulasekaran much of her magic, and are described as exceedingly cruel, having "nothing delightful to share"
Vetalas: ghost-like beings from Hindu mythology—spirits inhabiting corpses and charnel grounds. These corpses may be used as vehicles for movement (as they no longer decay while so inhabited).

Organizations:

Sisters of the Three Auroras: Coven of witches
Hammers of God: An organization of mixed faiths who use Kabbalistic sorcerers as their shock troops. They're extremely radical and end up doing more harm than good.

World[]

Atticus O'Sullivan is an ancient Druid—actually the last Druid in existence. In the modern world, he takes the form of a tall, dark, and handsome man in his early twenties. Atticus has owned a bookstore in Tempe, Arizona, for about 20 years. Arizona is the perfect place for a Druid trying to hide himself from the Tuatha De Danann—the Fae—who need oak, ash, and thorn to make their journey into the mortal world. Arizona's deserts aren't friendly to oak and ash trees, so Atticus feels fairly sure that he's safe from his bitter Fae enemy, Aenghus Óg, who is supposedly the god of love. In this world, the supes wear glamours to disguise their actual appearance. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction

Protagonist[]

Atticus has the ability to shape-shift into any of the four animals depicted in his Druidic tattoos, which completely cover his body: wolfhound, sea otter, owl, and stag. He uses swords that are imbued with magic, and he wears a cold iron amulet and a bear charm from which he can pull magical power. As part of his Druid heritage, Atticus can communicate with the elementals (spirits embodying the five elements)—particularly the earth elementals. The elementals love Druids, and since Atticus is the last Druid on earth, they will do almost anything to help him and his friends.

As the series moves along, Atticus has serious problems with various gods, goddesses, and/or preternaturals that force him to ask for help from other gods, goddesses, and/or preternaturals. His rescuers ask for favors in return for their aid—always putting Atticus into confrontational situations with even more gods, goddesses, and/or preternaturals. This soon becomes an unending, wicked spiral that causes Atticus to lose control of the peaceful life that he has created for himself in Tempe. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction: Kevin Hearne: IRON DRUID CHRONICLES

Sidekick[]

Oberon — Wolfhound — sidekick to Atticus — Atticus has extensive mental conversations

Characters[]

Characters	What	About
Atticus O'Sullivan	Druid	Last of the Druids, now living in Tempe, Arizona
Oberon	Wolfhound, Sidekick	Atticus's Irish wolfhound, and companion; Atticus has extensive mental conversations
Granuaile	Bartender	Rúla Búla pub
The Morrigan	Goddess of death:	form of a battle crow; nude woman
Flidais	Goddess of the hunt	Has utter command over all beasts. Red, disheveled hair
Aenghus Og	God of love	brother of Brighid
"Hal", Hallbjorn Hauk	lawyer; werewolf	Atticus' lawyer; second of the pack;
Emily	witch	Youngest witch in the Tempe Coven
Granuaile	Bartender	Pronounced "Gran-u-wale," Bartender at Rúla Búla pub
Perry Thomas	Atticus' employee
Katie MacDonagh	Widow neighbor	Widow who likes to sit on her front porch drinking Tullamore Dew. Speaks Irish with Atticus. Atticus does yard work for her once a week. Hates the British.
Leif Helgarson	Icelandic vampire	one of Atticus' lawyers
Laksha Kalasekaran	Indian Witch	currently disenbodied
Brighid	Goddess of poetry, fire, the forge	Wife of Bres, sister of Aenghus Og.
Malina Sokolowski	Tempe Coven witch	Polish. Appears to be in early thirties
Gunnar Magnusson	Werewolf	alpha male of the Tempe Pack
Carlos Jimenez	Police detective	from Phoenix
Conn	Previous owner of Fragarach	Atticus stole the legendary sword from him
Bres	God of agriculture	husband to Brighid, former High King of Ireland
Mr. Semerdjian:	Atticus's nosy neighbor
Dr. Snorri Jodursson	Werewolf	part of the Pack. Surgeon for Pack and other non-humans in Tempe
Radomila	Witch	Leader of the Tempe Coven
Granuaile:	Atticus' apprentice druid
Coyote	trickster god	Native American trickster god
Bacchus	God of wine	God of wine, orgies and madness
Roksana:	Witch
Waclawa:	Witch
Kyle Geffert:	A homicide detective
Perry Thomas:	One of the people who work at Atticus's shop
Malina Sokolowski	witch	Leader of the Tempe witch coven
Baba Yaga	Russian witch

To expand the chart, right-click or (Control Click on a Mac), choose add row.

Author[]

Kevin Hearne

Website: Kevin Hearne | Official Site
Genres: Urban Fantasy,

Bio: Kevin Hearne is a native of Arizona and really appreciates whoever invented air-conditioning. He graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and now teaches high school English. When he's not grading essays or writing novels, he tends to his basil plants and paints landscapes with his daughter. He has been known to obsess over fonts, frolic unreservedly with dogs, and stop whatever he's doing in the rare event of rain to commune with the precipitation. He enjoys hiking, the guilty pleasure of comic books, and living with his wife and daughter in a wee, snug cottage. ~ Kevin Hearne - FF

Contributors[]

Cover Artists[]

Artist: Gene Mollica — Source: Bibliography: Cover: Hounded
Making a Book Cover: A Behind-the-Scenes Look | Suvudu

Other Contributors:[]

Audio Book Narrator:
- Luke Daniels (for the US)
- Christopher Ragland (for the UK market)
- — Source: Goodreads | The Iron Druid Chronicles series page
Editor: — Source:

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Random House — Book Page: HEXED by Kevin Hearne, Excerpt
Publisher: Del Ray—Fiction Book Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne, Del Rey
Bk-1: ISBN-978-0-345-52247-4

NOTE: The Iron Druid Chronicles is a series of urban fantasy novels, written by Kevin Hearne and published by Del Rey Books.[1] All the books including short stories have recorded Audiobooks narrated by Luke Daniels (for the US) and Christopher Ragland (for the UK market).

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE BLURB—Hounded (2011): Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer. Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil. ~ Goodreads | Hounded

✤ BOOK TWO BLURB—Hexed (2011): Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II. With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex. ~ Goodreads | Hexed (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #2) by Kevin Hearne

✤ BOOK THREE BLURB—Hammered (2011): 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. Goodreads | Hammered (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #3) by Kevin Hearne

✤ BOOK FOUR BLURB—Tricked (2012): Druid Atticus O’Sullivan hasn’t stayed alive for more than two millennia without a fair bit of Celtic cunning. So when vengeful thunder gods come Norse by Southwest looking for payback, Atticus, with a little help from the Navajo trickster god—Coyote, lets them think that they’ve chopped up his body in the Arizona desert. But the mischievous Coyote is not above a little sleight of paw, and Atticus soon finds that he’s been duped into battling bloodthirsty desert shapeshifters called skinwalkers. Just when the Druid thinks he’s got a handle on all the duplicity, betrayal comes from an unlikely source. If Atticus survives this time, he vows he won’t be fooled again. Famous last words. Goodreads | Tricked (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #4) by Kevin Hearne

✤ BOOK FIVE BLURB—Trapped (2012): After twelve years of secret training, Atticus O’Sullivan is finally ready to bind his apprentice, Granuaile, to the earth and double the number of Druids in the world. But on the eve of the ritual, the world that thought he was dead abruptly discovers that he’s still alive, and they would much rather he return to the grave. Having no other choice, Atticus, his trusted Irish wolfhound, Oberon, and Granuaile travel to the base of Mount Olympus, where the Roman god Bacchus is anxious to take his sworn revenge—but he’ll have to get in line behind an ancient vampire, a band of dark elves, and an old god of mischief, who all seem to have KILL THE DRUID at the top of their to-do lists. Goodreads | Trapped (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #5) by Kevin Hearne

✤ BOOK SIX BLURB—Hunted (2013): For a two-thousand-year-old Druid, Atticus O’Sullivan is a pretty fast runner. Good thing, because he’s being chased by not one but two goddesses of the hunt—Artemis and Diana—for messing with one of their own. Dodging their slings and arrows, Atticus, Granuaile, and his wolfhound Oberon are making a mad dash across modern-day Europe to seek help from a friend of the Tuatha Dé Danann. His usual magical option of shifting planes is blocked, so instead of playing hide-and-seek, the game plan is . . . run like hell. Crashing the pantheon marathon is the Norse god Loki. Killing Atticus is the only loose end he needs to tie up before unleashing Ragnarok—AKA the Apocalypse. Atticus and Granuaile have to outfox the Olympians and contain the god of mischief if they want to go on living—and still have a world to live in. Goodreads | Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #6) by Kevin Hearne

✤ BOOK SEVEN BLURB—Shattered (2014): 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. ~ Goodreads | Shattered (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7) by Kevin Hearne

✤ BOOK EIGHT BLURB—Staked (2016): When a druid has lived for two thousand years like Atticus, he's bound to run afoul of a few vampires. Make that legions of them. Even his former friend and legal counsel turned out to be a bloodsucking backstabber. Now the toothy troublemakers—led by power-mad pain-in-the-neck Theophilus—have become a huge problem requiring a solution. It's time to make a stand.

As always, Atticus wouldn't mind a little backup. But his allies have problems of their own. Ornery archdruid Owen Kennedy is having a wee bit of troll trouble: Turns out when you stiff a troll, it's not water under the bridge. Meanwhile, Granuaile is desperate to free herself of the Norse god Loki's mark and elude his powers of divination—a quest that will bring her face-to-face with several Slavic nightmares.

As Atticus globetrots to stop his nemesis Theophilus, the journey leads to Rome. What better place to end an immortal than the Eternal City? But poetic justice won't come without a price: In order to defeat Theophilus, Atticus may have to lose an old friend. ~ Goodreads | Staked (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #8) by Kevin Hearne

✤ BOOK NINE BLURB—Scourged: Goodreads | Untitled (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #9) by Kevin Hearne — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

First Sentence[]

Hounded: There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and foremost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius.
Hexed: Turns out that when you kill a god, people want to talk to you.
Hammered: According to popular imagination, squirrels are supposed to be adorable.
Tricked: The best trick I ever pulled off was watching myself die.
Trapped: You know those spastic full-body twitches you get sometimes when you're almost asleep and your muscles want to play a practical joke on your brain?
Hunted: It's odd how when you feel safe you can't think of that thing it was you kept meaning to do, but when you're running for your life you suddenly remember the entire list of things you never got around to doing.
Shattered: Recap: Atticus O'Sullivan, born in 83 B.C.E. as Siodhachan Ó Suileabháin, has spent much of his long life as a Druid on the run from Aenghus Óg, one of the Tuatha Dé DAnann. / Chapter One: Few things trigger old memories so quickly as authority figures from our youth.
Staked: Accident into a vampire's heart, bloodsucking finish to him.
Scourged: