Great New Urban Fantasy Series

[shibamistress]

This sounds like a good read....I think I'll have to try it. I'm a great fan of de Lint, and I also enjoyed the Toby Daye series, so I suspect I'll like this as well.

Off to put it on my wishlist!

[KevinHearne]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

That was a great idea - to give the ebook readers extra value for the price.

I've gotta give the credit for the original idea to my editors at Del Rey; I just happened to really like it. Understand that neither they nor I get any extra money for including these short stories with the novels; in fact, we're both down a little bit for it. I'm not getting extra royalties for the stories, and Del Rey paid for the editing and formatting and such.

The reason I enjoy doing this is that it gives me a chance to tell stories that wouldn't get told otherwise. In HAMMERED, Granuaile disappears for a good chunk of the novel (for an excellent reason, as you'll discover) and so the only way for me to tell what happened to her was to write a short story about it. The sad fact is, there's little room in the print world for supplements like that (or for short stories in general). But adding it onto an ebook is fairly cost efficient, aside from editing and formatting, and it allows me to do some things creatively that wouldn't be available in print format otherwise. That's why I'm excited about ebooks and think they're spiffy. Thanks again!

[Xanthe]

Just a reminder to those who are reading this series that the next book, "Hexed" will be released on June 7th. I almost never pre-order books, but I did for this one.

The blurb:

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex

I was checking out Kevin's website (very neat, BTW) and saw this link that explains the process of creating the covers for the series. I thought it was interesting: http://suvudu.com/2011/01/making-a-b...enes-look.html. I like that replica of Atticus' necklace that Gene Mollica had made. Now, that would be a cool contest prize!

There's also a link to a Google map of the various locations in "Hounded":
http://suvudu.com/2011/01/making-a-b...enes-look.html. I was surprised to find out that Rula Bula is a real pub in Tempe. ~visions of fans wandering in looking for Atticus~

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Just a reminder to those who are reading this series that the next book, "Hexed" will be released on June 7th. I almost never pre-order books, but I did for this one.

The blurb:



I was checking out Kevin's website (very neat, BTW) and saw this link that explains the process of creating the covers for the series. I thought it was interesting: http://suvudu.com/2011/01/making-a-b...enes-look.html. I like that replica of Atticus' necklace that Gene Mollica had made. Now, that would be a cool contest prize!

There's also a link to a Google map of the various locations in "Hounded":
http://suvudu.com/2011/01/making-a-b...enes-look.html. I was surprised to find out that Rula Bula is a real pub in Tempe. ~visions of fans wandering in looking for Atticus~

It's on my wishlist. Come on, June 7th!
I haven't been this excited about a series in a while. I am so glad we're not having to wait a year between books.

[Xanthe]

Just checked my Amazon account and "Hexed" has been shipped and it's at my post office. Hopefully they'll deliver it later today.

~doing a happy dance~

[redbees]

I have downloaded Hexed from Diesel(!!), and I hope I have the sense to begin reading in the morning, rather than now. I'm rather wishing I'd gotten a hard copy instead, but I have Hounded is in ebook form. Oh well. I'm just glad I can 'finally' read it. I've been waiting impatiently. I agree, we're lucky we don't have to wait years. The next one (3rd) will be released in July.

Have fun reading, Xanthe! I hope you get it soon, phenomshel!

[Joykins]

Oooh, it's out today! I pre-ordered so I'll just pick up my nook and start reading!

[Xanthe]

While I'm busy trying to squeeze in time to read "Hexed" (which I'm enjoying greatly, BTW), just wanted to give a head's up that the audiobook versions of "Hounded" and "Hexed" are currently on sale at Audible.com for its members at $6.99 and $7.83 respectively.

Amazon's currently got a promo for a free 30-day trial membership to Audible.com. It shows if you click on the Audible format link on the book's page:

Your Amazon-exclusive Audible.com 30-day free trial membership includes:

* This audiobook free, plus a bonus audiobook of your choice
*
30% off any additional audiobooks you purchase
*
A free daily audio subscription to The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal
*
Members-only sales and promotions

[ChrisHoward]

Just got the sample for Hounded. Looks awesome. Thanks!

[Pickering]

Book 2 was another winner... My favorite thing about this series is how it mixes so many legends into one world. Most urban fantasy I've read choose one mythos and stick to it, but this one combines them all!

It looks like the next book is coming out in July... Hopefully it's not the last one!

[Joykins]

_Hexed_ was awesome. Can't wait for _Hammered_. I'm hoping Thor will make an appearance!

[derrell]

I finished Hounded and Hexed this past weekend and enjoyed both of them. I'm a sucker for talking dogs and the back and forth between Atticus and Oberon does what few books ever do, make me laugh out loud. Really liked the bit in Hexed when Atticus, Brighid and Oberon are in the kitchen and Oberon tells Atticus to <Testify>.

Thanks Xanthe for posting a heads up about this series here at MR. I'll definitely be buying Hammered as well.

[Xanthe]

I finished "Hexed" and am happy to report that I enjoyed it just as much as the first book. Kevin Hearne has successfully avoided the sophomore curse; the story held my interest from beginning to end. There is just so much packed into it, that even though I just finished reading the book, I'm looking forward to listening to the audio version that I picked up from Audible. I laughed at the mental images of the witches, Atticus and the popcorn. Kudos too, to the author for showing the consequences when Atticus forgets to cover all the bases; some authors forget about that and their series lose their edge. I'm really looking forward to "Hammered" in July.

[Xanthe]

From Kevin Hearne's website:

Del Rey wants more Atticus!

Del Rey has signed me up for books 4-6 of The Iron Druid Chronicles, and I have YOU to thank for it! Thank you all so much for buying Hounded! If you hadn’t done so, then quite frankly, the series wouldn’t have continued. Much as a publisher may like a series or an author, they simply don’t make their decisions based on anything except sales, and since you not only bought Hounded but pre-ordered Hexed and Hammered, the business decision wasn’t hard for them to make. I am very grateful to you, because now I get to write more Atticus n’ Oberon! I assure you that it’s as much fun for me to write as it is for you to read!

The books will be called Tricked, Trapped, and Hunted, and I have outlined all three. Tricked is halfway complete; you can see my progress bar over to the right-hand side of the blog.

As you might expect, I won’t be able to deliver these to you in the next three months. The release schedule for these books will be a bit more like what you’re used to. I can give you extremely tentative release dates now, with the caveat that poo happens and the guarantee that I will keep you informed when I know something more concrete.

Right now we are looking at a May ’12 release for Tricked, a December ’12 release for Trapped, and a summerish ’13 release date for Hunted.

In terms of the entire series, the answer to your question is yes, I do intend to write more after Hunted, and I know how the series will end. But whether I get to finish it or not depends (again) on sales. There are plenty of promising series out there that never get finished, and rare is the case where the author was unable or unwilling to finish it; nearly every time, it’s because the bottom line wasn’t attractive enough on the business side. So again, I’m extremely grateful to you for embracing Atticus n’ Oberon. My flagon is raised in your honor, and if Oberon were here, he’d share his sausage with you! Cheers, friends!

John Scalzi has a bit of an interview on his website that tell of the conception of the idea of Atticus Sullivan:
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2011/05/0...-kevin-hearne/

[Joykins]

6 books! Whoohoo!