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kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
A short story, 8.3 in The Iron Druid Chronicles urban fantasy series, revolving around Oberon, an Irish wolfhound, and his Druid companion, Atticus.
My Take
I had really looked forward to reading this, as Oberon is my absolute favorite character in the series. Oh well. Oh, it’s funny, but I don’t know if it was too great a focus with Oberon’s perspective dominating with first-person protagonist point-of-view or if it simply wasn’t as funny as I was expecting.
I will say that Oberon cracked me up with his perambulations on the friendliness of an easy-access back door.
More fun is that quirk Hearne has of Oberon eagerly learning about culture, plants, and more — with food as incentive, of course, *more laughter* And Atticus’ conversation, ahem, with Detective Ibarra which will crack you up. Talk about evasive, lol. Poor girl.
Oberon doesn’t want to be outdone in the name parade, so he wants to be called Sir Oberon Snackworthy del Sausage Gravy von Bacon Slab-O’Boeuf. Mm-hmmm, read on for the reasoning behind O'Boeuf.
Hearne includes plenty of cultural references from Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, meat pie, Jane Austen, sausage, Oscar Wilde, sirloin, Mahatma Ghandi, bratwurst, Moby Dick, salami, Doctor Who, gravy, The Princess Bride, and more.
It’s all about love. Love of food. Love of poodles. And a strong sense of doing what’s right with Oberon pushing to solve the crimes.
I gotta say, it would be so much fun (and make life easier) if we could communicate with our pets. Although, maybe I wouldn’t like what my cats had to say…
The Story
When Oberon discovers that a prizewinning poodle has been abducted in Eugene, Oregon, he learns that it’s part of a rash of hound abductions all over the Pacific Northwest. Since the police aren’t too worried about dogs they assume have run away, Oberon knows it’s up to him to track down those hounds and reunite them with their humans. For justice! And gravy!
But if he’s going to solve the case of the Purloined Poodle, Oberon will have to recruit the help of a Boston terrier named Starbuck, survive the vegetables in a hipster pot pie, and firmly refuse to be distracted by fire hydrants and rabbits hiding in the rose bushes.
At the end of the day, will it be a sad bowl of dry kibble for the world’s finest hound detective, or will everything be coming up sirloins?
The Characters
Oberon, an Irish wolfhound is quite chatty thanks to a spell enhancement that allows him to mindspeak with Atticus. Naturally, his focus is all-dog. Atticus Siodhachan Ó Sueleabháín, going by Connor Molloy these days, is one of the last surviving Druids, 2,100 years old. Atticus’ lover, Granuaile MacTiernan, a.k.a., Clever Girl, is currently working as a barmaid in Poland so she can study with a coven. Orlaith is her female (and pregnant) wolfhound.
Earnest Goggins-Smythe, a software developer, is the owner of Algy, a.k.a., Algernon Oscar Bunbury Moncrieff Wilde, and Jack, a.k.a., Jack Frederick Oscar Worthing Chasuble Wilde, a Grand Champion poodle. Tracie Chasseur owns two English setters, Lizzie and Mr. Darcy. Mary Yarbrough is Tracie’s sister. Clive is her abusive drunk of a husband. Verity Boone-Sutcliffe has a Boston terrier, Starbuck.
Other kidnapped dogs include Ted Lumbergh’s Brittany spaniel, Ulysses; Julia Garcia’s Italian greyhound; Delilah Pierce’s French bulldog; and, the prim and vicious Gordon Petrie’s Airedale terrier, Queen Victoria Who Put Her Prince Albert in a Can.
Detective Callaghan is with the Eugene PD. The suspicious Detective Gabriela Ibarra is with Portland PD.
Owen Kennedy is the archdruid Atticus freed from time (Shattered, 7). Sonora is an elemental in Arizona. Brighid is First Among the Fae.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a cute take-off on Sherlock Holmes with the red, frizzy-haired Atticus adopting a pose in a brown wingchair, fingertips in thinking position, and a hard stare. Oberon sits on his left with an eager look while Starbuck is front and off-center with a quizzical one. In the background is a gloomy, sun-kissed grayed-out brown vintage wallpaper with photos of dogs — a poodle in particular — and Sherlock Holmes in profile. A fireplace mantel complete with owl, kerosene lamp, books, and figurines completes the scene. The title is left-aligned at the bottom left in a white distressed, grunge font while the author’s name is immediately below it in a deep clay color.
The title is what gets Oberon all het’ up, “The Purloined Poodle”, ‘cause y’all know how Oberon feels about poodles *eyebrow waggle*, um, the female kind…
My Take
I had really looked forward to reading this, as Oberon is my absolute favorite character in the series. Oh well. Oh, it’s funny, but I don’t know if it was too great a focus with Oberon’s perspective dominating with first-person protagonist point-of-view or if it simply wasn’t as funny as I was expecting.
I will say that Oberon cracked me up with his perambulations on the friendliness of an easy-access back door.
More fun is that quirk Hearne has of Oberon eagerly learning about culture, plants, and more — with food as incentive, of course, *more laughter* And Atticus’ conversation, ahem, with Detective Ibarra which will crack you up. Talk about evasive, lol. Poor girl.
Oberon doesn’t want to be outdone in the name parade, so he wants to be called Sir Oberon Snackworthy del Sausage Gravy von Bacon Slab-O’Boeuf. Mm-hmmm, read on for the reasoning behind O'Boeuf.
Hearne includes plenty of cultural references from Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, meat pie, Jane Austen, sausage, Oscar Wilde, sirloin, Mahatma Ghandi, bratwurst, Moby Dick, salami, Doctor Who, gravy, The Princess Bride, and more.
It’s all about love. Love of food. Love of poodles. And a strong sense of doing what’s right with Oberon pushing to solve the crimes.
I gotta say, it would be so much fun (and make life easier) if we could communicate with our pets. Although, maybe I wouldn’t like what my cats had to say…
The Story
When Oberon discovers that a prizewinning poodle has been abducted in Eugene, Oregon, he learns that it’s part of a rash of hound abductions all over the Pacific Northwest. Since the police aren’t too worried about dogs they assume have run away, Oberon knows it’s up to him to track down those hounds and reunite them with their humans. For justice! And gravy!
But if he’s going to solve the case of the Purloined Poodle, Oberon will have to recruit the help of a Boston terrier named Starbuck, survive the vegetables in a hipster pot pie, and firmly refuse to be distracted by fire hydrants and rabbits hiding in the rose bushes.
At the end of the day, will it be a sad bowl of dry kibble for the world’s finest hound detective, or will everything be coming up sirloins?
The Characters
Oberon, an Irish wolfhound is quite chatty thanks to a spell enhancement that allows him to mindspeak with Atticus. Naturally, his focus is all-dog. Atticus Siodhachan Ó Sueleabháín, going by Connor Molloy these days, is one of the last surviving Druids, 2,100 years old. Atticus’ lover, Granuaile MacTiernan, a.k.a., Clever Girl, is currently working as a barmaid in Poland so she can study with a coven. Orlaith is her female (and pregnant) wolfhound.
Earnest Goggins-Smythe, a software developer, is the owner of Algy, a.k.a., Algernon Oscar Bunbury Moncrieff Wilde, and Jack, a.k.a., Jack Frederick Oscar Worthing Chasuble Wilde, a Grand Champion poodle. Tracie Chasseur owns two English setters, Lizzie and Mr. Darcy. Mary Yarbrough is Tracie’s sister. Clive is her abusive drunk of a husband. Verity Boone-Sutcliffe has a Boston terrier, Starbuck.
Other kidnapped dogs include Ted Lumbergh’s Brittany spaniel, Ulysses; Julia Garcia’s Italian greyhound; Delilah Pierce’s French bulldog; and, the prim and vicious Gordon Petrie’s Airedale terrier, Queen Victoria Who Put Her Prince Albert in a Can.
Detective Callaghan is with the Eugene PD. The suspicious Detective Gabriela Ibarra is with Portland PD.
Owen Kennedy is the archdruid Atticus freed from time (Shattered, 7). Sonora is an elemental in Arizona. Brighid is First Among the Fae.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a cute take-off on Sherlock Holmes with the red, frizzy-haired Atticus adopting a pose in a brown wingchair, fingertips in thinking position, and a hard stare. Oberon sits on his left with an eager look while Starbuck is front and off-center with a quizzical one. In the background is a gloomy, sun-kissed grayed-out brown vintage wallpaper with photos of dogs — a poodle in particular — and Sherlock Holmes in profile. A fireplace mantel complete with owl, kerosene lamp, books, and figurines completes the scene. The title is left-aligned at the bottom left in a white distressed, grunge font while the author’s name is immediately below it in a deep clay color.
The title is what gets Oberon all het’ up, “The Purloined Poodle”, ‘cause y’all know how Oberon feels about poodles *eyebrow waggle*, um, the female kind…
killerkakez1224's review against another edition
5.0
Amazingly funny, true to form Kevin delivered in quick wit and enthralling prose.
jwoolley's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Oh Oberon, how I missed you! This novella was short, sweet, fun, and absolutely hilarious. Oberon is one of the best parts of the IRON DRUID CHRONICLES, and it was great for him to get his own story and "voice." The story was pretty basic and easy to read, but this had all the elements I love in an IDC story with Oberon. There were a couple places where I was literally laughing out loud. The jokes were stellar, and the mystery was actually really intriguing. The ending was a little out of the blue, but I thought it went well with Oberon's character. There isn't much to say about the characters (it's clear this is mostly fan service), but Oberon is Oberon. You can't not fall in love with that guy! If you love dogs, IDC, Oberon, or meat references, this is the novella you want to pick up. All hail Sir Oberon Snackworthy!
ogreart's review against another edition
5.0
I love the Kevin Hearne books! And the narration by Luke Daniels was hysterical!
sunnyanni's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
jfkaess's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars - I have to confess that Oberon is one of my very favorite characters in any fiction book by any author, Oberon is a dog, an Irish wolfhound, whose personality is a pure joy to encounter and the very best way to do that is through the narration of Luke Daniels. Yes, Oberon is a sidekick character in a fantasy book series whose main character is a druid who is over 2,000 years old. The series is fun and quirky, but it is Oberon who makes it so completely enjoyable. I recommend the series for fun, enjoyable story telling, but also as the way to encounter Oberon. Reading the series is ok, but it rises to a special level when you listen to it narrated by Luke Daniels. I should add that this particular book is a novella, not a full length book like most of the others in the series.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first spin off book from the Iron Druid series that is narrated by Oberon, everyone's favourite hound. He and Atticus find out that champion showdogs are being stolen after Oberon gets into a fight with an angry boxer whose dog companion is one of the missing. With pressure from Oberon, Atticus decides to investigate and starts by speaking to the people who have a dog missing.
As this is a novella I won't really be giving away much more about the actual plot but it is the kind of adventure that our heroes were going on when they were just a duo. It felt like a throwback to the times of high jinks when all they had to fear was dodging the odd angry God! It has murder, vanishing dogs, angry bears and suspicious police officers that are sure that Atticus is strange. With Oberon telling the story, there is constant humour including the merits of not trusting anyone who won't let you sniff their ass! Now there is advice that we can live by!
As this is a novella I won't really be giving away much more about the actual plot but it is the kind of adventure that our heroes were going on when they were just a duo. It felt like a throwback to the times of high jinks when all they had to fear was dodging the odd angry God! It has murder, vanishing dogs, angry bears and suspicious police officers that are sure that Atticus is strange. With Oberon telling the story, there is constant humour including the merits of not trusting anyone who won't let you sniff their ass! Now there is advice that we can live by!
crankyoldnerd's review against another edition
5.0
A fun short story narrated by the lovable wolf hound Oberon from the iron Druid universe.
If you like Oberon and Atticus, you'll love it. If you don't you don't.
If you like Oberon and Atticus, you'll love it. If you don't you don't.