Scourged: A weak ending to a great series

Scourged by Kevin Hearne

Scourged (2018)is the ninth and final novel in Kevin Hearne’s IRON DRUID CHRONICLES. This has been a great series and I have looked forward to the release of each book as well as all of the related novellas and short stories. The IRON DRUID CHRONICLES is especially wonderful in the audio versions (Random House Audio) performed by the fabulous Luke Daniels. I’m absolutely certain I enjoyed them even more in audio than I would have in print format.

Scourged begins with Oberon, Atticus’s adorable canine familiar, helpfully giving us a quick but detailed recap of the story so far. (Thanks, Oberon!) Then we get down to business. Ragnarok is finally here and Loki is letting loose all sorts of chaos all over the earth. Atticus and his supernatural colleagues (e.g., Granuaile, Owen, Coyote, Flittish, Laksha, the Morrigan) each have their parts to play in the impending war. During the story they are usually fighting outbreaks of Loki-inspired evil on various fronts in different parts of the world. Atticus, at least, doesn’t plan to survive. The story ends with some things tied up and others not. Some readers may be disappointed that everything doesn’t turn out perfectly for Hearne’s characters, but I admire him for surprising us this way.

As I said, I loved this series, but Scourged was my least favorite book in the IRON DRUID CHRONICLES. Part of the problem is that once the outbreaks start, they feel random and relentless. That is probably what Loki intended, but it doesn’t make for the best story. Atticus is over here dealing with this monster, Owen is over there dealing with that monster, Granuaile is somewhere else dealing with some other monster…. it’s chaotic and not particularly exciting. Then there is the unsubtle way that the characters frequently lecture us about the evils of greedy humans (read: white men) that feels so teachy. I’m not objecting to the sentiment (though I found it over the top at times), but just the messagey-ness of the story.

But the biggest problem with Scourged is that the best part of this series (ask anybody!) has always been the bond and interaction between Atticus and Oberon. They are so funny when they’re together and their love for each other is endearing. It’s what makes the stories so much fun to read. However, in Scourged, at the moment of his greatest personal peril, Atticus (for good reason) decides to leave Oberon at home when he goes off to deal with Ragnarok. Atticus is not nearly as entertaining when Oberon is not around. This is a huge disappointment and I feel certain that this is not just my personal opinion, but that nearly all of Hearne’s readers will agree with me on this. (Though it may be especially noticeable in the audio version because Luke Daniels does such a great job with the back-and-forth banter between Atticus and Oberon.)

So, yeah, I was disappointed and sometimes bored with Scourged. Nevertheless, I feel confident recommending the IRON DRUID CHRONICLES to readers who love urban fantasy, especially when it involves Norse mythology, or to readers who love books with animal familiars. I expect (and hope!) that Hearne will continue to write more stories about Atticus and Oberon since he has a spin-off series called OBERON’S MEATY MYSTERIES (also performed by Luke Daniels) that’s been successful. I will not be missing a single one of them.