Read All About It: Staked

We continue with Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, and I'm afraid that I must announce there won't be another novel in this series out until July 11th, and while I am tentatively considering doing a group review of the various novellas in the series that Hearne has published, that won't come for a while. Here's the last taste of my reviews of the Druids until July!

There are plenty of sausage, laughter, and clever solutions in this novel, but it was also one of the most painful for me. I've fallen in love with these characters, and I shed a few tears whenever things went badly for them. Hearne's latest novel is a masterpiece of this universe, and I love how far we've come from the first part of this series.

Image Source: goodreads.com

The eighth book in Hearne's mythic-driven series picks up after a small interlude (there's a novella in between books seven and eight that bridges the gap between the two and introduces a character in Staked, so I recommend you check it out), and soon all of our heroes are split up, chasing their own missions and accomplishing their own tasks. Atticus is struggling to deal with his vampire problem, which threatens to overwhelm the last three Druids and finish what the vampires themselves started in Roman times. Granuaile is determined to be free of Loki's mark, learn a new language, and finally start on her own journey to help Gaia. Owen has decided to start a new Grove with Greta, and begin training more Druids. Each has a purpose, a special weapon, and the drive to succeed where the previous generation was unable to.

This one broke my heart a little. I have a soft spot for Hearne's werewolves, and a lot of crap happens that wouldn't have happened if Atticus hadn't been drawn into a lot of violent conflict with vampires. Because of this, Atticus loses an old friend, and it's not a clean break. There's a lot of good things that happen for most of the worlds, but it's not great for anyone, and even the Druids are left with a little extra tension and a few loose threads.

We once again read from the three perspectives of Atticus, Granuaile, and Owen, and it's just as great as the last one. Each has their own set of problems, and they're separated until the very end of the novel when the final showdown comes up. There's a varied cast of new and old characters, drawing from previous novels and even old enemies of the Druids, which pulls together various strings of the narrative while opening up for the sequel--because an enemy has escaped, and they don't have the information to deal with it yet.

Staked is fast-paced, witty, and packed with action that defies belief as well as death-defying stunts, wounds, and goddesses. If Hearne's sequel, Besieged, follows the trend, it will be the best one yet.

Enjoy some sausage, and make sure you save some for Oberon and Orlaith--they're gonna need it.