Shattered is the seventh novel in The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne.

If you haven’t read any of this series, allow me to give you a good overview without spoiling to much.

The Iron Druid Chronicles are about Atticus O’Sullivan, the last druid on earth. He has survived for well over 1,500 years through running and hiding whenever he has been found. He has been nicknamed the iron druid through the painstaking process of binding iron to his very aura. This makes his very touch deadly to the fairies that have been hunting him all this time.

Each book in the series deals with how Atticus handles getting found out and the fallout from each action he takes to maintain his life and freedom. This ranges in dealing with the local werewolf pack that helps him with his finances to the various deities of other pantheons.

If you haven’t read the other books in this series, I recommend reading them before you continue reading this as talking about it will spoil the previous books to a certain extent.

You have been warned.

Shattered picks up with Atticus facing the loss of The Morrigan and the discovery that she had placed his Arch-druid on to the slowest of the time islands. The rescue of owen, the arch-druid in question, brings the total number of druids to three. This is both an unexpected boon and an added headache. Another druid provides a way for Atticus to gain intelligence on the fae and the Tuatha that he would have been unable to get on his own. The downside is that he must now acclimate an irascible druid not known for being sociable or open to education.

Shattered gives the reader three different points of view. We get the perspective of Atticus to which we are accustomed. We also follow the story of Granuaile, Atticus’ former apprentice and current lover, as she tries to discover what has happened to her biological father. Finally, we are treated to Owen’s perspective on all that has happened and what his particular part is to play in this modern world.

Needless to say, there is a lot going on in this book. Hearne does a good job of keeping the story moving without you ever feeling like your lost with so much happening. The transitions do not always link together directly but each follows a thread that you can see being played out in each of the other character’s stories. A lot of the action in this book is character growth that doesn’t necessitate the big tent pole battles and chases that have been showcased in previous books. Here you get quiet moments between the main characters and even supporting cast that makes each of these characters even more endearing.

I think my favorite part of the book is the ending. No, I’m not going to spoil it. Let us just say that Hearne treats us to something that has been missing in the last few books and it is much appreciated by me.

If you haven’t read this series, I recommend picking it up so that you can get to shattered. Each book is an easy and fun experience that leaves you wanting more. If you start at the beginning, you can binge on some enjoyable urban fantasy that takes the idea of pantheons and puts a neat spin on the idea.

Oh, and for those of you that like a rating system of some kind, I would give Shattered 4 out of 5 stars.