Hammered, by Kevin Hearne

Format: Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published: July 5, 2011

Publisher: Del Rey

Back cover blurb:

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.

My review:

Slower, more serious and downright sad in places, but still another great effort from Mr Hearne. The first third progressed really slowly for me, but once Atticus returned to Tempe and Jesus arrived on the scene it was all action until the amazing end.Although there were many sad parts, especially as the men out to kill Thor told their stories as part of their male bonding, and at the final showdown, the usual humour was still evident. Jesus – who looked like the Old Spice guy – had some great lines, and I loved Atticus trying to explain to Leif about “squeeing” in the presence of Neil Gaiman.

Leif is fabulous, as always, and when he told his story I really felt for him. Of course when he engages in word play with Atticus he is at his best. Oberon wasn’t in this book so much, but his riff on “bacon lattes” and the R&D department at Starbucks had me laughing out loud. Hearne also has a wonderfully inventive mind for rude epithets – I particlarly liked “monstrous f*ckpuddle”.

The ending had a chilling twist and, as the next book is called Tricked, I fear Atticus may now be in some serious trouble. I hope Leif will return to help him.

My rating: 4.5/5