The Grimoire of the Lamb – Kevin Hearne [Audio Review]

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“The Grimoire of the Lamb” is a prequel (#.4) to the Iron Druid Chronicles series by Kevin Hearne. This urban fantasy novella was published in audio format in 2013 by Random House Audio.

The Grimoire of the Lamb cover novella by Kevin Hearne

Grimoire of the Lamb-Amazon Link
GoodReads link

Quick Review: Excellent narration, lots of fun to listen to because of the detailed worldbuilding, likable characters, and lots of action.

Blurb: There’s nothing like an impromptu holiday to explore the birthplace of modern civilisation, but when Atticus and Oberon pursue a book-stealing Egyptian wizard – with a penchant for lamb – to the land of the pharaohs, they find themselves in hot, crocodile-infested water.

The trip takes an even nastier turn when they discover the true nature of the nefarious plot they’ve been drawn into. On the wrong side of the vengeful cat goddess Bast and chased by an unfathomable number of her yowling four-legged disciples, Atticus must find a way to appease or defeat Egypt’s deadliest gods – before his grimoire-grabbing quarry uses them to turn him into mincemeat.

 

Jen’s Review of “The Grimoire of the Lamb”

*This is a slightly edited review that first appeared on my old blog Books That Hook. I listened to the book via a download from the public library.

 

Atticus O’Sullivan receives a phone call from a man looking for a particular rare book, which Atticus refers to as the Grimoire of the Lamb because it appears to contain recipes for foods made with lamb.

Atticus tells the man that he must meet him in person. A few weeks later, the man shows up in Atticus’ bookstore. Atticus doesn’t want to sell him the book. The man isn’t going to take “no” for an answer. Unfortunately, Atticus doesn’t know the man possesses magic that can break Atticus’ earth-based bindings, and the man is able to get away with “The Grimoire of the Lamb.”
Atticus and his Irish Wolfhound, Oberon, travel to Egypt to track down the man and the book. While there, they are attacked by cats because Atticus is an enemy of the Egyptian cat goddess, Bast. Centuries earlier, he stole a book from her. She wants it back. Atticus strikes a deal with Bast so he can focus on his real problem, which is retrieving the grimoire before the man can do anything horrible with it.
Atticus locates the man’s home, rescues a boy, and more.

I got a huge kick out of the narration. It was excellent! I loved the voice the narrator used for Oberon. (For those of you who haven’t read this series, Atticus can hear Oberon) The Irish Wolfhound is probably the best character in this series.

This novella was a fun, exciting, trip with lots of danger and laughable moments. I always enjoy Atticus’ inappropriate thoughts.

I liked that there was a system of magic that could take Atticus by surprise. Maybe a 2000 year old Druid who has had previous run-ins with Egyptian gods and goddesses should be better prepared to deal with their magic, but I appreciated Atticus’ shortcomings.

I also liked how we learn more of Atticus’ past. He’s not always been a good guy. I think that makes him a more interesting character.

At first, I was disturbed by the fight scene with the cats. Although I know cats can be dangerous, I didn’t like hearing about cats being thrown around. However, when Atticus told Oberon to try not to kill them, it made me feel a little better.

“The Grimoire of the Lamb” is a great addition to the Iron Druid Chronicles series.

Even if you’ve new to this series, you can read or listen to this story and understand what’s going on. Some people might not like Atticus’ personality, but they’d probably relate to his efforts to protect humanity.
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (A)

About Jen Schaper

In addition to being a book blogger, I am a mother of three children, a retail backroom coordinator, and a wannabe writer (when I make time to do it).
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