by Jesus Ibarra

Information on how to enter to win a copy of Tricked at the end of this review.

The fourth book in Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid chronicles picks up where the third book left off: Atticus O’Sullivan on the run avoiding the gods of Asgard that want to kill him in retaliation for killing Thor. Atticus, the last living Celtic Druid, decides to hide out with his Indian god friend Coyote in the Arizona desert until the heat dies down. Unfortunately for him, Coyote is a trickster god which means Atticus now has to contend with possibly worse problems like skin walkers (shape shifters).

As a refresher, this book series takes place in a world where all the world’s religions present and past have some truth to them. All the different pantheons of gods and goddesses exist and have existed in their own planes and can cross into the mortal world. Jesus even makes an appearance in book three, Hammered. Atticus, as the last Celtic Druid, has had the luxury of meeting a lot of them given that he is a little over two thousand years old.

The main plot of this book follows Atticus and his apprentice trying to hide out from the gods that want to kill him, and trying to get rid of the skin walkers that Coyote has charged him to kill, add to that some vampire politics, and you have yourself a fast-paced urban fantasy novel.

I sometimes lament that to get into a series you have to get past the first book or even the second book in order for it to get really good, and sometimes the flaws overcome the books and you have to get out. That does not happen to this book or series. If anything, the first book was pretty good, and this book is just leaner, meaner, and more awesome.

The main character, Atticus, is incredibly witty, charming, and badass, and the plot itself is quite good. I love that this book pretty much sets up what Atticus has to do in the beginning then it’s just him and his friends trying to pull off the impossible. I love the pop culture references and the overall mythology of the series in terms of how it deals with real life religions. Again, it is incredibly refreshing to see an amazingly powerful character that actually uses his power, and instead of shoe horning a plot device to depower him, the author just throws in better, stronger, and more nefarious enemies and obstacles. That is good writing and storytelling. The supporting cast and examination of Celtic mythology is also fun and intriguing. Kevin Hearne’s writing a style and prose just add something to narrative that makes it even more enticing. What I mean by that is once you start this book you do not want to put it down.

Now you can read this book even if you haven’t the others because, although it’s the fourth in a series, it is completely accessible. I read book two and three before book one and really you didn’t miss a lot. However, I do recommend reading all of the author’s books in order because it is just a tiny bit more satisfying. Read this book, Tricked, then pick up the first three so you can get the full experience of this awesome narrative.

Check out the previous titles in this series on the author’s website.

To enter to win a copy of Tricked, simply email KRL at kingsriverlife[at]gmail[dot]com with the subject line “Tricked”, or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 12, 2012. U.S. residents only.

Jesus Ibarra is 19 years old and an ongoing contributor to our Teen Talk section; with a love of all media, he’s always on the lookout for the best finds.