Read All About It: Hammered

Welcome to the review of the book I accidentally read first but should have read third! It was interesting to bgo back and read the first to novels, having read this one, and it helped me put this universe in context with the rest of the series. Don't make my mistake, kids. It makes more sense when you start at the beginning!

Watch out for one major spoiler, because it's hard to talk about this book without mentioning it.

Image Source: goodreads.com

Atticus is a good character. He's definitely not perfect, as I said before, and his flaws make him intriguing and realistic.

In Hammered, Atticus's debts to several of his friends and allies have come due, and he has to travel to the plane of Asgard to fetch some golden apples and take down the Norse god of thunder, Thor, who has been pissing people off for millennia.

Thor is a dick in almost every iteration of his character, saving (usually) the Marvel edition, but in this universe, he is solidly a dick. Many, many people are hell-bent on killing him, or rather, getting Atticus O'Sullivan to kill him for them. Because of his previous accomplishments in Hounded, Atticus is a sought-after, credited god killer, and he's not quite sure how to deal with this new status. So, he accompanies his favorite vampire and the alpha of his local werewolf pack, and sets off to Asgard to fight the god, picking up some more helpers along the way.

This book sets up an avenue for the rest of the series that I'm curious about--the coming of Ragnarok. It is repeatedly spoken about in hushed tones--and is the reason Thor is still alive. Now, with Thor dead, the pantheons are reeling, and left wondering just who is going to get them through the end of the world when it does come for them (spoiler alert: I think it's gonna be Atticus).

There weren't as many women in this novel as I'd have liked, again. This seems to be a common theme in Hearne's novels--there's either a lot of them, and they're all sexualized, or they're ignored. We hear about Granuaile a little bit at the beginning, and she seems to be progressing in her training, but the only other women who hold serious positions are goddesses, involved in the battle and in keeping Atticus alive.

So, again, Hearne's treatment of women is problematic. There are, again, a few elements that save the book--magic, werewolves, vampires, gods getting their comeuppance, but it could have been better. I feel like I'm reading the rest of the series to see if it improves in its treatment of women, but I am still enjoying the rest of these novels for their urban fantasy elements mixed with its cavalier treatment of ancient religions and traditions.

This novel is a good continuation of the series, and it does set up what I think is the plot for the next few books. I'm committed to finishing this series now, so I'll get there! It might take me a while, but I hope you join me on the adventure!