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*This is my review of the entire trilogy, and there are some minor spoilers*

I'm a sucker for a good muli-pantheon tale. I think Sandman did it best, but Gaiman's reprisal with American Gods was also good. Thus I was excited to check out this trilogy.

Hounded, the first book, was a breezy book, entertaining enough, but its flaws grew as the series continued. The second and third book felt padded and stretched. With better writing and editing, they could (should) have been one book. This was made even more clear when a bevy of new characters showed up and told their stories. It worked for Chaucer, but felt out of place and forced here.

The pacing isn't enough to sink this ship, however. The main problem I have with the series is the utter difficulty in believing Atticus. It's fine to have a 2000-year old being, but he should act like he isn't just another guy. Connor Mcleod, for instance, (a similar character) is kind of odd and still in his heart a Highlander.

There was nary a page that didn't break the narrative flow with some poor prose or unbelievable situation. There are more examples than I can list, but here are some of the flaws.

A running gag is that Atticus (and the Widow) hate the British. The terminology is sloppy. The British include the Welsh and the Scots, and no one hates the Welsh. What Atticus means is that he hates the English. But even this attitude is anachronistic. Atticus is from a non-united Ireland, centuries before it, or England, was a country. If Atticus has a loyalty, it would presumably be to one of the five counties of Ireland.

Atticus frequently sounds like Kevin Hearne talking to us. His many cultural references are hard-to-believe and will date the books something fierce within the next 10 years. Worst of all, at least in my opinion, is when he talks of "squeeing" from meeting Neil Gaiman. This is shoddy character-building.

He's also way too uptight to have been an ancient Celt. Though he "cavorts" with Goddesses, attractive women make him act more like Cliff Clavin than a man who lived for two millenia. He is traumatized from seeing two Giants "cavorting." Though he is an ancient Celt, he is more excited to meet Jesus than the gods of his (or any other) pantheon.

Some of the worst writing is when he teaches an ancient vampire how to speak in slang. Poorly conceived, it's embarrassing to read.

Equally bad, Atticus and several other dieties/demigods/super powerful beings, all of whom are at least 100 years-old, act as homophobic as high-school boys. None of them are originally American, but all of them share the same thought at one point: "does this make me look gay?"

Hearne is frequently the anti-Chekov. He solves many of the problems with an element he introduces in that very scene. I would have to go into some major spoilers to elaborate, but it's something that happens far too frequently. The scale of things are quite strange as well: a werewolf or a vampire is as strong as a god.

Though I finished the trilogy, they have become the worst books I've ever finished. Again, the idea, the set-up, is interesting. But the execution is just horribly inept. I wouldn't recommend these books to anyone.