Audiobook review: Shattered by Kevin Hearne
Shattered opens with the exciting addition of Atticus’s arch-druid, Owen, fresh off one of the time islands and unaware of the millennia that have past. As Atticus and Oberon work to acclimate Owen to the twenty-first century, Granuaile takes her own Druidic journey, heading to India to meet up with Latcha and save her father from a demonic possession.
I loved my re-listen of Shattered! I honestly forgot that so much happens, remembering just a few parts here and there. It was exciting to listen to; however, it did get confusing at times. Shattered is shared from three separate POVs (Atticus, Granuaile, and Owen) and two different POV tenses (Atticus in past tense, while Owen and Granuaile are present tense). Additionally, there are time lags and overlaps between the different narrators which left me scrambling at times to keep up.
I loved the addition of Owen, Atticus’s arch-druid, who is actually younger than Atticus (even tho he looks older) by a couple millennia. Atticus helps restore his body to a more youthful state and acclimate him to the modern times. His POVs add additional comic relief and thoughtful insight to the tale. Allowing the pair to come to terms over their past filled a void I didn’t realize was there. Watching teacher become student was humbling for both.
The first time I listened to the story, I spent a lot of the book fretting for Granuaile; however, knowing the outcome allowed me to sit back and really take in her journey. Not since the battle with the Norse pantheon in the quest to end Thor has there been such violence and destruction in the Iron Druid Chronicles. The overall stories of the mysterious Tuatha Dé Danann chasing Atticus AND Loki’s intentions for Ragnarök, seem to take a backseat in this one… at first. But then the pieces of the puzzle slowly lock into place until BAM! two huge reveals and a lot of forward momentum. In fact, the events are so huge, that there will be impacts from the revelations for a long time.
Narration: Luke Daniels continues to surprise and amaze me with his consistently strong narration. Not only has he mastered the voice for Atticus, Granuaile, and Oberon, but his wealth of accents for all creatures great and small is astounding. He seems to fit each character’s personality with a slight inflection here and there, or an outrageous accent when called for. While I’m not quite certain I like the three points of view over just having Atticus narrate, I do love the additional voices of Owen and Orlla. However, Mr. Daniels changed his narrator voice for Granuaile (I checked), making it less soft and feminine. This caused some confusion for me between her parts and Atticus, especially when I’d been away and came back to the book in the middle of a chapter. He also introduced a new voice for Loki (appropriate to the storyline), but I felt it had a lot of Oberion in it.
While Shattered has some dark moments, I enjoyed the counterbalancing humor, provided most notably by Owen, and the careful introspection from all three Druids. The book brings forward some significant revelations, and it’s good that Atticus and friends are looking inward as they plan their next steps.
My Ratings
Story: A-
Narration: A-
Jen
About the Book:
For nearly 2,000 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’ 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.
Author: Kevin Hearne
Narrator: Luke Daniels
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #7
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audiobook Release Date: June 17, 2014
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
Source: purchased
Audio Speed: 1.7x