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Paper & Blood: Book Two of the Ink & Sigil series by [Kevin Hearne]

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Kevin Hearne

Paper & Blood: Book Two of the Ink & Sigil series Kindle Edition

by Kevin Hearne (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

860 ratings

Book 2 of 2: Ink & Sigil

Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes book two of an “action-packed, enchantingly fun” (Booklist) spin-off series, as an eccentric master of rare magic solves a supernatural mystery Down Under!

There’s only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails, Al also has a unique talent. He’s a master of ink and sigil magic. In his gifted hands, paper and pen can work wondrous spells.

But Al isn’t quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters. So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia, Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery.

The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed, so Al is grateful his friends have come to help—especially Nadia, his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter. Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, along with his dogs, Oberon and Starbuck, Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia—and the supernatural world—can throw at them, and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries.

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291 pages
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English
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Del Rey
Publication date

August 10, 2021
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Books In This Series (2 Books)

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Ink & Sigil

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Ink & Sigil
Kevin Hearne

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Paper & Blood: Book Two of the Ink & Sigil series
Kevin Hearne

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From the Publisher

Praise for the Ink & Sigil series;fantasy;paranormal;thriller;geeky gifts;kevin hearne;urban fantasy

Review

Praise for Ink & Sigil

“Distinguished by its intricate and original magical system, charming dynamics among characters and strongly developed Scottish setting, Ink & Sigil places its irascible hero and memorable cast in a wide, fascinating world.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“A terrific kick-off of a new, action-packed, enchantingly fun series . . . delightful.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Immensely enjoyable . . . a great novel and a perfect example of how to launch a new series . . . Ink & Sigil is a great entry into Kevin Hearne’s fiction.”—SFFWorld

“Goodness, this book was funny, so funny. . . . What a unique, entertaining and complex protagonist . . . If you’ve ever been curious about the author’s work, this would be the perfect opportunity to jump on board.”—The BiblioSanctum

“A refreshing viewpoint into an urban fantasy setting [with] touches of humor and dynamic characters . . . Readers will be eager to see what happens next.”—Publishers Weekly

“Delightful! Hearne’s use of Scottish words and spellings . . . adds to the story’s singular flavor. The author includes plenty of shout-outs for fans of the Iron Druid series [in this] tale sure to draw in new readers.”—Library Journal

“Kevin Hearne takes the world he created in his Iron Druid series to a new gonzo level. Al MacBharrais may be his best character yet.”—Stephen Blackmoore

“You are in for a treat. Ink & Sigil is escape reading, and I loved every word.”—Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of A Longer Fall

“A delightfully grimy journey through the hidden underworld of Glasgow, Ink & Sigil vividly blends Kevin Hearne’s unique take on urban fantasy with the grit of Scottish magic.”—Adam Christopher, author of Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town

About the Author

Kevin Hearne is into nature photography, heavy metal, and beard maintenance. He likes to plan road trips and sometimes even takes them. He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, the Ink & Sigil series, and the Seven Kennings series, and is co-author of The Tales of Pell with Delilah S. Dawson. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

A Call from the Land Down Under

If you have to tell someone they’re going to die soon, it’s a good idea to buy them a whisky first. That way they can drink it or throw it in your face and feel a tiny bit better either way. It’s only polite.

Buck Foi thought about throwing his dram at me—his hand drew back, ready to strike—but he reconsidered and tossed it down his throat instead. It was getting on toward bedtime on a Sunday night. It might help him to sleep.

“How long have ye known this was gonnay happen?” the hobgoblin demanded. He had a new waistcoat on, a subtle black-on-black pattern that amused me. He would never admit it, but I think he was either trying to impress my manager, Nadia, or else he was impressed by her and emulating her fashion philosophy that all colors were excellent so long as they were black. The stated reason for wearing it, however, was that he needed to wear something appropriate to the Glasgow Necropolis, since we had gone there for a nice gothic sulk that morning while the organ droned in the nearby cathedral. It was a thirty-seven-acre city of the dead set upon a hill, populated by solemn mausoleums and weathered markers commemorating the lives of Victorian well-to-dos, and the gravitas it exuded did tend to make one feel that at least a nod to formality was required. Without walking it myself, I taught him the winding steps of the Old Way hidden in the grass between the graves, which would let him go to Tír na nÓg if he ever found it necessary. He already knew the steps to the Old Way in Kelvingrove but not to this one or the one in Virginia Court.

I replied to him via my text-to-speech app—the good one on my laptop, which at least sounded Scottish, albeit from Edinburgh instead of Glasgow. [Brighid told me about the curse shortly after you signed up to be in my service. We had more pressing matters to attend to at the time—a goddess trying to kill us and an utterly mad man-eating leprechaun and all that—so I waited just a wee bit.]

The hobgoblin teleported himself up to the kitchen island next to my laptop and waggled a pink finger in my face. He was only about two feet tall, so he liked to stand on the counter and look down at me instead of up when he had an important point to make. “That was a couple of months ago, ol’ man!”

[Aye, but I also wanted you to enjoy bottling and distributing Buck Foi’s Best Boosted Spirits. A nice soft time, a short span of happiness to enjoy and remember before I laid any more stress on you. Wasn’t that nice, giving away all that whisky to the Fae Court?]

“Aye, it was a good laugh.” His expression relaxed for a moment, recalling it. Two hundred bottles of ten-year-old whisky made from an honestly stolen barrel from the Highlands, given for free to the faeries and the Tuatha Dé Danann themselves. “Did ye know, MacBharrais, they composed songs in my honor on the spot? I mean, half of it was howled, because ma whisky kicked off an epic drunken orgy, but still: They sang me songs. I’m no a culture hero yet, ye know, not like Holga Thunderpoot, but it was quality all the same, and I think I have a legitimate shot at achieving that rare status someday if only I don’t die first.” He practically shouted the last two words, and I received a few wayward flecks of manic spittle. I cringed a little more than I might have a few years ago; echoes of the coronavirus pandemic bore heavily on everyone’s psyche, though hobgoblins were not known to transmit viruses to humans.

[I’d like you to live to achieve that status, believe me. Not just because I care about you, though I do. If I can get rid of these curses, I can talk without this app. I’ll be able to speak with people again for more than a few days or weeks without causing them to hate me. I’ll get my family back. And I can finally train an apprentice to replace me so I can retire. An apprentice that won’t die of a sudden accident, like you’re apparently fated to do.]

“Come on, now. There has tae be a way around this, right?”

[Several ways, yes.]

“How many is several, again?”

[More than two, I think, but less than a half dozen.]

“Three tae five, then. Let’s hear them, ol’ man.”

[One is that I die. I have to be honest: That’s my least favorite way out.]

“I understand.”

[Two is that the person who cast the curse on me dies. I like that much better, but, unfortunately, I don’t know who did this to me. Brighid said it might be someone with god-level powers, so even if we do find out who did it, killing them might be impossible.]

“That’s bitter news, so it is. Like fast-food coffee with no cream or sugar.”

[Three is that you leave my service, cancel the contract. There are risks to that, however.]

“Like wot?”

[Like the curse might still go off in any case, now that you’ve been exposed. There’s simply no way to know. But also, if I release you from your contract, you’ll need to return to the Fae planes unless you can get another contract to remain. I’m not sure you’ll be able to. I’m pretty certain none of the other sigil agents are in the market for a hobgoblin.]

“Hold on, now. I know the man in Philadelphia isnae—Eli whatsisname—because he made it clear he doesnae have use for hobgoblins. Plus he let his dog hump me while I was unconscious that time and he took pictures. Wot about the others?”

[Diego is extremely handsome and doesn’t like anything that distracts from that. He has his own personal gravity and doesn’t want anything to yank people out of his orbit. Shu-hua tends to avoid the company of men, and Mei-ling is so old that she thinks that I’m young and rash at age sixty-three. So: no. I’m the only one daft enough to draft a hobgoblin into service.]

Hearing it spoken aloud—that I was daft—caused an unexpected self-inflicted wound. Or, rather, tore the bandage off a wound that had not healed. The fact that I’d been so slow to discover the nature of my curses and completely missed the criminal activity of my last apprentice still stung. I was long past the time when I was supposed to have my shite together, yet I very clearly did not.

“So that’s all the options?” Buck demanded. “I’m boned like a fish on Friday?”

I couldn’t resist ribbing him. [Well, option four is that you die somehow completely unrelated to the curse, and then you wouldn’t have any worries.]

“Oh-ho.” He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Ho-ho-hooooh. The revenge I’ll have on ye for this will be written down, MacBharrais. Written down in the anals of history, it will, whispered in the dark as a warning to wee weans—”

[I think you meant to say annals. The extra n makes a small but vital difference.]

“Don’t interrupt me! The anals of history is what I meant!”

[That’s not even a thing.]

“It’s gonnay be! Sign me up for service and then tell me two months later I’m gonnay croak like a choir of bullfrogs? That shite belongs in the anals if anything does!”

[Okay. Let’s focus on how to fix the problem, shall we?]

“I thought ye basically said it cannae be fixed in any way that works out well for us.”

[We have a year to work on this. Every apprentice made it at least a year before an accident befell them. If we can find out who put the curse on me, we might find a solution.]

“How long have ye been living with it so far? Eleven years? What makes ye think ye have a shot at figuring it out now?”

[I’m properly motivated. I didn’t realize that there was a second curse killing my apprentices until Brighid told me so. When I thought I was the only one suffering, I could live with it, because I’m Scottish. Now it’s different because there’s vengeance—or at least justice—due for my apprentices. And saving you.]

The hobgoblin deflated and sighed. “Gods below, I could use a beer. Ye want?”

I nodded at him, and he hopped off the counter and disappeared from my view. But I saw the refrigerator door open, and then he nimbly leapt up to snag a growler of stolen ale. A few more leaps around the kitchen and he had a couple of pints set before us. He stood on a stool next to mine and grabbed his pint with both hands. It was quite nearly half his height.

“G’wan, then. Dazzle me with what ye have so far.”

[If we are looking at pantheons that are traditionally known for curses, the Olympians and the Egyptians were both known for bestowing curses upon mortals, and both happen to be in my territory as a sigil agent. I have no doubt annoyed them both just by doing my job.]

“But those each have, wot, fifteen gods or more?”

[Easily more.]

“Well, that’s sobering. But this should fix that.” He promptly drained half his glass at one go.

[There’s also the infernals. They quite enjoy a good curse.]

“Who are they?”

[It’s a catchall term for any of the demons in the various hells.]

“Why would they want tae curse ye?”

[I’ve killed a couple of them in my time. They might have had friends, if demons have friends. Not too clear on that.] --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08N6T74ZK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Del Rey (August 10, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 10, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5729 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 291 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #36,128 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #353 in Men's Adventure Fiction (Books)
- #564 in Men's Adventure Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #619 in Fantasy Adventure Fiction

Customer Reviews:
860 ratings

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Kevin Hearne

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KEVIN HEARNE hugs trees, pets doggies, and rocks out to heavy metal. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling series the Iron Druid Chronicles, the Seven Kennings trilogy that begins with A PLAGUE OF GIANTS, and co-author of the Tales of Pell with Delilah S. Dawson.

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4 star		22%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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GreasyLittleDog

Great story, but stop the woke hypocritical lecturing

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2021

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This series is good, this story is good, the writing is good, the world building is good. I would give this 5 stars if not for the woke liberal lecturing this author does in this book. It is totally hypocritical of a white male author whose main heroes are white men to lecture on the inane ideas of inherent white privilege and systemic racism. Also he actually lectures about the evils of capitalism while at the same time selling his novels on a corporate giant like Amazon (love Amazon, but clearly he is confused about who is helping him sell his books like a good capitalist). I still like the book, but wish he'd shut up on the woke stuff.

22 people found this helpful

Helpful

More Iron Druid than Al and Buck, but in a heavy-handed lecturing manner

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2021

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Summary:
The book barely linked to the previous book. The writing appeared rushed and not well developed, as if Hearne was trying to meet a deadline or just does not like the new characters very much. Also, there is a clear political message that is new to his writing.

I was expecting more world building and some interesting new characters. I really enjoyed the Iron Druid series so it was good to see the Iron Druid and his dogs again. But, it was done clearly at the expense of the other characters. I was also expecting typical humor of the Iron Druid series, but the book was very preachy about woke topics. If I wanted to be lectured to, I could find many other ways to have that done. I enjoy reading fiction books for creativity and escapism/change of scenery, not lectures. I only finished the book due to the Iron Druid. Otherwise, I would have stopped reading about a quarter of the way into the book.

I am afraid that Hearne keeps up with this style, this will be the last one of his books I purchase.

17 people found this helpful

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David

Great read if you think pandering social justice and wokism belongs in your favorite literature

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2021

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What a total disappointment after a patient wait since the last one of his i read, i am starting to wonder if i missed certain ingredients from his previous books because i never noticed the liberal wokeist social justice warrior propaganda be so lavishly spewed forth instead of actual plot twists and charchter development in other words i didnt appreciate being pandered to when i go to read a book i want to be entertained and intrigued not indoctrinated into the brave new left wing radical agenda thank you very much. I dont believe that crap has anything to do with fairy tales or mythology or druidry. If i need a dose of that i will watch msnbc or cnn or tune into anything produced in hollywood post 2017. Leave it out of story time, eh dude?

16 people found this helpful

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Alix

Excellent Read- Mild Possible Spoilers

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2021

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This was a great continuation of the series and we saw some old friends as well. Al is a great narrator, and the growing warmth between he, Nadia and Buck is not only well-written, but wonderful to read. I actually started the first book of this series over again to be able to reread this book again. I like that the sigil agents are humans with a human time span to work things out, but also get to interact with magic. Hearne’s world is immersive and reaching the end of this one was a bit jarring. I cannot wait to see what is next!

SPOILERS SORT OF

To those who are complaining about the “wokeness” of this book, Al works at a job where an understanding of power systems and power is necessary for his survival. Most of the entities he drafts contracts for could squish him like a bug. The fact that he would notice power systems wherever they exist is probably an occupational hazard. Pointing them out isn’t being “woke” whatever that means. It is being observant.

7 people found this helpful

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From Long Island

Good story; prefer NOT to be lectured to though

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2021

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I enjoyed the story and characters but too much not so subtle editorializing about social mores that seem out of character for a 60 something yr old Glaswegian Maybe a college professor of that age would have those thoughts but I don’t think Al’s history would lead to the positions the author places in his head. I recommend it but could see some bothered by it similar to how some resent Bruce Springsteen’s politics and avoid his music. I’m NOT capable of that either, I love me some Bruce.

7 people found this helpful

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Margaret A. Davis

Al goes to Australia to rescue fellow sigil agents lost in the mountains!

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2021

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Al MacBharrais, the Scottish sigil agent, goes to the rescue of fellow agents who have gone missing in the mountains of Australia.

This is a fine adventure, full of surprises and derring-do at every turn.

I also enjoyed seeing Atticus, Oberon, and Starbuck again. Atticus, of course, was the primary protagonist in the long-running Iron Druid Chronicles series and it is nice in this spinoff series to catch up with him again and see how he's doing after the final Iron Druid book Scourged.

Fans of the Oberon's Meaty Mysteries series will also enjoy hearing another story told in Oberon's inimitable style.

All in all, a very enjoyable outing in this second book of the new Ink & Sigil series. Definitely looking forward to many more in this terrific spinoff series!

Highly recommended for urban fantasy fans, mythology fans, series fans, and fans who enjoy a well told tale with plenty of action!

3 people found this helpful

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Mr. Inflexible

Big drop from the first one.

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2021

Verified Purchase

I really liked the first one. Enough so that I bought this one at full price rather than wait for a deal of some sort. Overall, I was disappointed in the book. Another of the author's characters, the Iron Druid, is involved. With the way the plot develops, it's hard to tell if he really wanted the druid in the book and then came up with a reason for him to be there, or if he had some cool things he wanted in the book and then realized the only way for the characters to get past those things was to add in his own deus ex machina. At some points I wondered if someone else had written sections of the book because it was so poor compared to the first one. The book did pick up towards the end. I am unlikely to buy the next book unless it is on sale or I find a paperback at one of those used bookstores.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Good dugs, action, and cheese wisdom

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

What a treat to join Al, Buck, Nadia, and Gladys again! Buck, our wise and wise-cracking hob friend is probably my favorite but each of the characters continues to grow and we are given more insight into their pasts, secrets, and what makes them tick. I'm a huge fan Mr. Hearne and my adult kids called me out on it earlier today when I shared a quote with them. Thanks for another story full of humor and wisdom. The juxtaposition of action and contemplation is magical.

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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KGBeast

Druiden-Siegelmeister-Crossover: doppelter Spaß

Reviewed in Germany on November 6, 2021

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Al MacBharrais ist weiter in seiner Werkstatt in Glasgow tätig, während er sich den Kopf darüber zerbricht, wer ihm die beiden lebensverändernden Flüche angehängt hat, die zum Einen Hörer seiner Stimme extrem wütend machen, weswegen er mit einer Sprachausgabe-App auf seinem Smartphone kommunizieren muss, und zum anderen bewirkt, dass seine Lehrlinge nach etwa einem Jahr durch Unfälle das Zeitliche segnen.

Da erreicht ihn ein Notruf eines Lehrlings einer Siegelagentin aus Australien, deren Meisterin und Mitschülerin verschwunden sind. Zusammen mit dem Kobold Buck Foi begibt er sich über einen 'alten Weg' nach Melbourne, wo er die angehende Kollegin trifft.

Die Ermittlungen zum Verschwinden der beiden Siegelagentinnen führen das Trio an den Rand eines Naturschutzgebietes, in dem fürchterliche schimärenartige Monster aufgetaucht sind - und auf dem Weg gabeln sie auch noch Als neue Mitarbeiterin Nadia auf, die ihrem Chef auf eigene Faust nachgereist ist.

Trotz dieser Verstärkung - und dem Auffinden eines Australischen Polizisten, der als einziger einen Angriff der Schimären auf seine Einheit überlebt hat - erscheint das Problem für die Gruppe unüberwindbar zu sein - bis Atticus, der Eiserne Druide mit seinen beiden treuen Begleitern Oberon und Starbuck auftaucht. Und eine scheinbar Verstorbene aufsteht und ihre Hilfe anbietet. Und wo kommt eigentlich Als Rezeptionistin auf einmal her?

Dieser Roman ist ein hundertprozentiges Crossover mit der 'Eisernen-Druiden' -Reihe und gerade in der zweiten Hälfte voller großer Überraschungen. Und nebenher ein paar netten Informationen über Nessie.

Ein schöner zweiter Teil, der auch Hoffnungen auf zumindest einen weiteren 'Eiserner-Druiden' -Roman macht. Allerdings sollte man die anderen Romane und den ersten 'Tinte-und-Siegel' - Roman schon kennen, um diesen richtig genießen zu können.

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Mark Simon

Oh dear, sad sequal

Reviewed in Germany on August 13, 2021

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I really liked the first one and it was a true classic with incredibly warm humour and great storyline. This one was ruined by the anecdotes, every few pages a completely weird anecdote turned up. In the previous book they were in occasionally but in this one I'm sure he'd run out of real storyline. So it was a few pages of great writing with good and eccentric humour and then off the book would go on a dumb little story with really old dumb jokes. First one ? Definitely buy it and read it, second one ? If there's a shortage of toilet paper then it could be useful. I'll read the first one again

Kindle Customer

Amusing and Action Packed

Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

Another great book. Lots of good jokes, and some interesting twists. I love that this book is a part of the Iron Druid universe where we can hear how he and the dogs are doing. Love the quirky characters and random references to pop culture and history.

Gord Msomething

Good story, annoying politics

Reviewed in Canada on August 18, 2021

Verified Purchase

The Ink and Sigil premise is quite an interesting approach to the magic in the modern world scenario, and I respect Kevin Hearne's story telling. The story gets sidetracked at times though, with the pointless politically correct lecturing the main characters keep spouting. The unfortunate effect on the story of this sanctimoniousness is, a good interesting start ends up becoming boring. I finished the second book more out habit then any real interest in the characters, and have no real interest if there's a third coming.

DLacey

Great Read

Reviewed in Canada on September 1, 2021

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The Iron Druid Universe continues to delight with interesting characters that have real emotions and some darn snappy jokes. Will continue to read any more that come. I like them almost as much as dogs like sausages.