Besieged: Book Nine of The Iron Druid Chronicles (Short Stories) (The Iron Druid Chronicles)

by Kevin Hearne

In the ninth installment in Kevin Hearne’s New York Times bestselling Iron Druid Chronicles, the ancient gods are still wreaking havoc today in this hilarious, action-packed collection of original short stories featuring Atticus O’Sullivan.

In ancient Egypt, Atticus agrees to raid a secret chamber underneath the library of Alexandria, dodging deadly traps, only to learn that on-site security includes two members of the Egyptian pantheon.

At a Kansas carnival, fun and games turn to murder and mayhem, thanks to soul-snatching demons and flesh-craving ghouls luring visitors into an all-too-real house of horrors.

In olde England, striking up a friendship with William Shakespeare lands both Atticus and the Bard in boiling hot water with a trio of infamous witches.

During the Gold Rush, the avatar of greed himself turns the streets of San Francisco red with blood and upsets the elemental Sequoia. Atticus may have to fight fire with fire if he’s going to restore balance.

More, you say? Indeed there is—including bogeymen, vampire hordes, wrathful wraiths, and even a journey to the realm of the dead. Prepare to be besieged with ten tantalizing tales—not to be missed, never to be forgotten.

Don’t miss any of The Iron Druid Chronicles:
HOUNDED | HEXED | HAMMERED | TRICKED | TRAPPED | HUNTED | SHATTERED | STAKED | SCOURGED | BESIEGED

• ISBN10: 039918175X
• ISBN13: 9780399181757
• Publish Date: 27 March 2018 (first published 11 July 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Cornerstone
• Imprint: Del Rey
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780399181757

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Atticus, Granuiale, and Oberon are enjoying a quiet evening around the campfire at their Colorado cabin when Oberon and Granuiale beseech Atticus to tell them a story. I loved the setup and clear indicators Hearne gave us as to where each story falls in the Iron Druid Chronicles timeline. This book encompassed the following novellas #4.1, 4.2, 4.6, 4.7, 8.1, 8.2, 8.6, 8.7, 8.9.

• THE EYE OF HORUS-  This short story predates the Druid Chronicles stories and takes place before Atticus was the last Druid. Aricus is speaking with an old English dialogue and I had fun listening to Luke Daniels' interpretation of his accent. This tale takes us to ancient Egpyt where Atticus agrees to steal an artifact for a god in exchange for a favor later. For fans of the series, this story offered a rare treat and answers how Atticus came to learn of things that allowed him to in essence become the Iron Druid. Eep! Feral cats, angry gods and more await you in this most excellent tale. 5 cups


• GODDESS AT THE CROSSROADS- Shakespeare fans will love this tale, as Atticus shares his encounter with the great playwright and explains his distrust of witches. I loved how Hearne weaved Atticus's influence and regarding the play Macbeth. Humor, demons and more await you in this tale. 5 cups


• THE DEMON BARKER OF WHEAT STREET - I was glad to see this tale originally published in  Cariepunk anthology. This takes place during Granuiale's training and shares a trip the trio took to Kansas so that she could check on her mother. They end up at a carnival and the story quickly turns dark. Demons, ghouls and an angry elemental offered an engaging if not gory tale. Oberon, of course, stole the show on more than one occasion. 4 cups


• GOLD DUST DRUID- This was such a fun tale that takes place during the gold rush in this western short. An elemental seeks Atticus's help with a demon and soon he is carrying a cane and posing as an English detective of sorts and joins forces with the local sheriff. Suspense, greed and Oberon's interruptions with star ratings of the tale had me giggling aloud. A clever tale that showcased Atticus's skills. 4.5 cups


• THE BOGEYMAN OF BOORA BOG- We are treated to the story of how Owen came to be Atticus's teacher. He is relating the tale to Greta during pillow talk. I really enjoy Owen and liked hearing about his past. Someone or something is kidnapping children along the bog's borders and what Owen discovers shakes him. During this time he hs a chat with the Morrigan and we see some foreshadowing. 4 cups


• CUDDLE DUNGEON - Perun, the Slavic God of Thunder and Flidais visit a sex club where Flidais assumes the role of Dom. This was an interesting tale delivered from Perun's perspective. While Perum assumes they are having fun to spice up their love life it appears Flidais has other plans at it will cost her. 4.5 cups


• BLOOD PUDDING-  We are in Poland with Granuiale as she trains with the witches and bartends. An encounter with a stranger soon has her working with Leif to eradicate a vampire nest. While Granuiale sometimes annoys me, I give the girl credit for her dating criteria. 4 cups


• HAUNTED DEVILS- I loved this story. This story takes place after, Staked but before Scourged the final book.  The elementals ask Owen for help saving a species and he takes his apprentices along with him where they bump into Atticus and Oberon. Greta is none to pleased, but the tale itself was fascinating and involved a virus and ghostly spirits. I loved the growth Owen made in this story regarding Atticus and shed a tear at his words. 4.5 cups


• THE END OF IDYLLS-  The Morrigan warns Atticus that Ragnorak has begun. This prompts Atticus to send Oberon home, but before he does he shares the story of his first companion.  I love how Hearne ties stories together and this one references Big Foot. The conversation between Oberon and Atticus was touching and the story a sad one. 5 cups

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[EBookObsessed]

I love the Iron Druid Chronicles and these were fun shorts.

Back with a full review. See more at http://EBookObsessed.com

[Beth C.]

I've been a huge Iron Druid fan since I got an ARC of the first book. Since then, it has remained one of the few series that I will buy a new book right away. Besieged takes those beloved characters from the books and uses them to tell a few short stories that open new doorways into the worlds inhabited by these characters. While I'm not usually a short story fan, these felt comfortable and familiar, and any story with Oberon is guaranteed to make me smile.

I think my favorites were The Demon Barker of Wheat Street, The Bogeyman of Boora Bog, and the bittersweet The End of Idylls. But honestly, I enjoyed most of them, though I felt that Cuddle Dungeon felt a little...out of place. The characters are great, but they didn't seem to fit into this particular book, as the rest of the tales concerned the main characters. Picky, I know.

Overall, I will miss the Iron Druid series as it comes to a close, but I look forward to whatever else Kevin Hearne may have up his sleeve. Maybe some more tales such as these...

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

4.5 stars

I love these kinds of anthologies. The little insights into these stories adds so much to a series. The author is able to include little tidbits that don’t seem to fit into full-length novels.

The Eye of Horus
This is a fun story which tells about how Atticus becomes a druid. Atticus is to steal an Egyptian artifact. The best part about this story is that Atticus is telling the story to Granuaile and Oberon. Oberon is a great source of comic relief.

The Demon Barker of Wheat Street
This is a story with Granuaile, Atticus and Oberon at a carnival in Kansas (in Granuaile’s home town). The quickly learn that the freakshow is more than they bargained for.

Goddess at the Crossroads
This was a fun story with Atticus and how he met William Shakespeare. It is also about how Shakespeare came up with those witches he wrote about in Macbeth.

Gold Dust Druid
Atticus tells the story of people summoning demons during the Gold Rush in San Francisco. The best part of this story is Oberon’s constant interruptions. Oberon’s commentary might be part of the reason this is the longest story in the collection. LOL

Cuddle Dungeon
This story is told from Perun’s POV. He and Flidais go to Cuddle Dungeon in Edinburgh. It is a BDSM dungeon. Perun has no idea what this place is and Flidais doesn’t give him much details. I think I left this story with the same thoughts as Perun.

The Bogeyman of Boora Bog
Owen tells the story of how he became Atticus’ archdruid.

Blood Pudding
Granuaile tells the story of her encounter with vampires in Poland (of which they were supposed to have left, per the treaty with Leif). There are some vampires that feel that they don’t have the follow the treaty because they don’t acknowledge Leif’s leadership. I really liked the bar patreon that Granuaile has at her bar. He didn’t startle easily, that’s for sure.

Haunted Devils
Owen is contacted by the elemental Colorado for the elemental in New Zealand. There is something weird going on in the area that is affecting the Tasmanian Devils. Owen takes Greta and his apprentices to heal the creatures and figure out what is causing the issue in the first place. It was great to see Greta and Atticus being civil with each other. I also liked seeing Owen with the children.

The End of Idylls
I think this was my favorite story (even though it is the shortest story in the collection). Atticus tells Oberon the story about Faolan (the wolverine that Atticus bonded with and kept for an extended time). I really enjoyed the story. But what I loved most was Oberon’s comments to Atticus at the end. I love Oberon.

Narration
Luke Daniels did another amazing job with the narration of this book. There are a lot of characters in this series, many with difficult accents and he nails them all. There are even different accents for Atticus as he changes his identity in different stories. I love how he told the intro of each story in the voice of a different character.

**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[littleread1]

yessss.