Besieged: Stories from The Iron Druid Chronicles

Besieged by Kevin Hearne is a collection of nine short stories set in the world of the Iron Druid series. These tales focus on recurring characters from the series, from Atticus to Archdruid Owen, to Perun, a thunder deity. Each story is prefaced by a notation placing it within the Iron Druid Chronicles timeline.

Written with Hearne’s customary wit and humor, Besieged follows Atticus to ancient Egypt, the Western US Gold Rush, and even the depths of Xibalba itself. There are a few stories focusing on Granuaile, Owen, and even an immensely amusing one about Perun. I loved the (not so) subtle chastisement in ‘Gold Dust Druid’ towards people who post reviews on a book before it’s even released. I’ve come across plenty of reviews like this by people who didn’t read an ARC, or who read one and ignored that it’s not the final copy. The same story had a reference to a fellow urban fantasy writer too. I spat my tea when I red that part.

Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was reviewed for the San Francisco Book review.