Review: Hammered

Hammered by Kevin Hearne
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #3
Rating: ★★★★☆

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.

I think this is the book that irrevocably hooked me in the beginning. Even the first time I read the series, I enjoyed the first two books, but GREATLY enjoyed this one. And that holds true on this re-read.

First, there aren’t the issues with women in Hammered that there were in the previous 2 books. I won’t go so far as to say that there’s a complete reversal, but at least the problem isn’t exacerbated. And there’s a couple of other things that happen in the story that made this one a whole lot better for me.

This book takes the classic fantasy track, and that might also have something to do with how much I enjoy it. There’s the travel, the bonding, the learning more about characters – I especially appreciated this. Not only did I get to delve deeper into Gunnar and Leif, but most especially into Atticus. And it makes his character make a lot more sense.

Seeing the history that shaped him into the person that he is today is making all the difference in my opinions on him. It makes him seem less all-powerful, and more relate-able.

I also really appreciate that, despite the fact that Atticus does come out on top (I mean what kind of series would it be if he were defeated at the end), that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good thing. The consequences of his actions, as he gets painted into a corner, with no good options, is supremely fascinating.

This was the book that I was looking forward to most, as it dealt most heavily with the Norse pantheon – my heritage – and I can definitely say it did not disappoint.