Pretty good, but with reservations

This is a compilation of 3 stories. Here is my breakdown..

The first story is from the Iron Druid series. If you haven't read the Series do not start with this as you will have no idea what is going on. This story is very good as I would expect from Kevin Hearne but with one major issue. The problem is that this is not really a novella as advertised. It is more like the first few chapters of the next novel. It's still really good but not a complete story by a longshot.

It takes off from the end of the last book and stops abruptly with no closure whatsoever. Unlike Two Ravens and One crow which had a distinct beginning, middle and end this is just a beginning and middle with a brief pause and no closure. That is very frustrating since you really wind up wanting to know what happens next. It is still worth the credit, though.

Good news is Luke Daniels did the narration so the voices are the same we are used to hearing. The last novella (in Carnie punk .. don't bother with) had a different person reading and it messed the whole thing up for me. Also, the author's Granuiale POV is much better than in previous books. I think he is starting to figure out how to write from her point of view. Other than that it is great to hear from Kevin Hearne. I hope he doesn't spend too much time writing Star Wars books and stays with this series.

The second was about a character named Criminy Stain. It seems to be from an ongoing series as well. The story was good and while quite a different world had a writing style that is very reminiscent of Anne Rice. The only real drawback was that if you haven't read the series this is based on there is a lot unexplained. Still I could follow it and it kept my interest. The main character is a bit of a douche which made it less enjoyable but still not too bad. The narrator did a good job and definitely added to the quality of the story.

The third story by Chuck Wendig really did not capture my interest. The narrator did a decent job but the story didn't pull me in me at all. I am glad I heard this story as I almost bought a book in this series a few weeks ago. Hearing this one saved me from wasting a credit.

So, 2 out of 3 stories were good. That's better than what most anthologies manage and if you are an Iron Druid fan you will want this one just to get a head start on the next book. The 3rd story combined with the lack of a strong finish to the Iron Druid story lead to the lower scores for story. All 3 had good narration in my opinion. If you follow any of these series this is worth a credit. If you are new to all 3 I'd pass as you will just be confused.

32 people found this helpful

2 Out of 3 the Redux

Like most reviewers, I found the first 2 stories to be enjoyable, but could not maintain interest in the third story for very long. The problem isn't the writing, it's more that the third story doesn't seem to fit with the other two in terms of ethos. It could be argued that the Kevin Hearne and Delilah Dawson stories are also very different in character, but somehow the feel is the same. All the stories are good, I think. If the last story had been a part of a different grouping, it might have been easier to connect. I just haven't made myself go back to listen to the third to verify if my hypothesis is true. Anyway, love both Kevin Hearne and Luke Daniels (and Oberon, of course).

8 people found this helpful

Nice nibble

Excellent nibble of cheesy bits. Haven't heard of the other two others, I was here for the iron Druid and Oberon! Found out I may like a full wheel of Dawson and or Wendig. Great listen, great narrators!

4 people found this helpful

2 out of 3 were great

Any additional comments?

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly
NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4
REVIEW:
I listened to this one on audio and loved every minute of two out of three of these stories.
A Prelude to War: Read by Luke Daniels
As always the combination of Kevin’s words and Luke’s voice takes me right into the IDC world. Love love love hanging with Atticus. Love Oberon (and yes Oberon I know you did it!!!). And of Granuaile is on her own journey at the present time. But I love that A Prelude to War sets up for the next book in the IDC. I for one can not wait.
Off to Toronto we go......

Not My Circle, Not my Monkeys: Read by Alex Wyndham
This was my first read of Delilah S Dawson and my first listen to Alex Wyndham. The combination of these two make for an awesome story that I didn’t want to end. I loved Criminy Stain I can’t wait to read more of Mr. Stain.

Interlude; Swallow: Read by Julia Whelan
Interlude: Swallow I just could not get into. I am not sure if it was the writing, the narrator or the point of view. But it just didn’t grab me.

Disclaimer:
I purchased this audiobook from Audible.com and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

3 people found this helpful

Loved the Druid; couldn't stand the others

I know the iron Druid series is quirky and eclectic and that's why love it... But the other two stories in this series of short books were unnecessarily dark, lacking any of the humor of the Druid series... and I wonder why they were bundled together. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one and couldn't stand the other two

6 people found this helpful

Listen to "A Prelude to War", skip the rest.

I'm giving this four stars for the Iron Druid Chronicles story, "A Prelude to War" in this collection. Hopefully, it'll tide me over until Kevin Hearne finishes "Staked".

The other two were . . . meh. If I were to rate them each I'd give "Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys" two stars and "Interlude: Swallow" one star.

2 people found this helpful

Good stories

I bought this for the kevin's book. I enjoyed it. I didn't know the other two, I ended up really enjoying Delilah's short story. But just could not get into Chuck's book. I am not saying its bad I just don't know the character and it didn't draw me in.

2 people found this helpful

Great Druid; Interesting #2 story; #3 not for me

Any additional comments?

Bought the book for the Iron Druid. I enjoyed it and hope it is a "prequel" to the next full book as it left questions to be resolved. The 2nd story was a new author to me; I liked it and looked for other works. The last story was not to my taste, hence the 4 star rating.

2 people found this helpful

2 out of 3 ain't bad

1st- excellent- 2nd - very good- 3rd so bad I only got through 5 minutes. Worth it for the first 2

5 people found this helpful

3 Stories, 3 Different Styles, 3 Series?

I expected 3 stories in the Iron Druid Universe, this is not that kind of anthology. Each story seems to be a slice from a different series. The stories are not interconnected, and the genres differ. None of the stories are bad, but it's unlikely that anyone is a fan of all 3 genres/writing styles.

The First story is an Iron Druid story, and is just what you would expect, and a nice read set immediately after the previous book. Same author, same narrator, same enjoyment.

Not My Circus... unlike many others, I wasn't so much of a fan for a few reasons.
The setting is a Victorian era Carnival with a vampire fantasy/mystery/romance genre.
The narrator was excellent!
The story was simple but not bad.
The main character was annoyingly pompous (a douche is a great description), but had likeable qualities.
I didn't like the writing so much, but ironically, the light romantic portions seemed to be written the best (I'm not a romance fan, so I was surprised).

Interlude... unlike many others, I kind of liked this book.
This is clearly an existing series, though the mythology doesn't conflict with the mythology of the Iron Druid series, like the 2nd story.
It's a modern era supernatural crime genre, and it is grim and and gets a little gruesome.
The Narrator was very good!
The story was interesting, but there is some important backstory that could have helped, though it's referenced enough so you're not confused.
The main character was pretty realistic, and not the 'stupid to let the plot unfold' type.
The writing jumps between the present and past, so you it keeps suspense wondering how you got to the present.

I'm a fan of the 1st and 3rd genres, but I'll admit this was a weird combination of books.

1 person found this helpful