Ink & Sigil - Kevin Hearne

Ink & Sigil

By Kevin Hearne

  • Release Date: 2020-08-25
  • Genre: Contemporary
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 257 Ratings

Description

New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne returns to the world of his beloved Iron Druid Chronicles in a spin-off series about an eccentric master of rare magic solving an uncanny mystery in Scotland.

“A terrific kick-off of a new, action-packed, enchantingly fun series.”—Booklist

Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails—and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.

But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.

But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective—while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice’s death will take him through Scotland’s magical underworld, and he’ll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he’s to survive.

BOOK ONE OF THE INK & SIGIL SERIES

Don’t miss any of Kevin Hearne’s enchanting Ink & Sigil series:
INK & SIGIL • PAPER & BLOOD • CANDLE & CROW

Reviews

  • Great book

    5
    By Makeyoufeelok
    Huge fan of Kevin Hearne and this book did not disappoint
  • A solid hit!

    5
    By Fred4Ever2
    Had me laughing so hard I was crying. This is the type of writing that I loved so much in his Iron Druid series. Well done sir.! Warning: will make you want to run out and have a few sips of whiskey
  • What a lovely book!

    5
    By Lin29392
    It’s easy to read, great pacing, I like all the characters, and it even has some suspense in there too. The best part about it though is it reads in Glasgow Scotland accent, and as an American I thought that is so charming and creative I am writing this review. If you love the Scottish accent (Glasgow) pick up this book and try reading it out loud to yourself- it will make you smile.
  • A Terrific New Character in the Iron Druid Universe

    5
    By Jimbobsteiner
    I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review. Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne is a rollicking good read set in the same universe as was the Iron Druid series by the same author. You don’t need to read the Iron Druid series to thoroughly enjoy Ink & Sigil. The Pantheons are the same, and the Sigil Agents came about because of a shortage of druids. Aloysius MacBharrais is one of 5 global Sigil Agents, and the protagonist of Mr. Hearne's story. The agents exist to maintain the treaties between the various gods and humankind, at times having to kick the buttocks of demons, minor fae and the like, if they take advantage of (or dine on) humans. Al finds that his recently deceased apprentice was involved in a fae-trafficking ring, and it’s his job to set things right. This is a well-imagined world, and, unsurprisingly, given Mr. Hearne’s past work, the writing is spot on. Mr. Hearne throws in a wee bit of a challenge by writing the Scotland-based dialog like it sounds in Glasgow. It took a couple of chapters to get used to the dialog, but it totally worked in the story, and I’m now convinced I could order a whisky in any bar in Glasgow. Thanks to the writing and the characters living inside, this book was a joy to read. I highly recommend it. (Actually, I've already read the book twice!) Oh, did I mention the hobgoblin…
  • Fun read!

    4
    By fond of backgammon
    This was a super fun read! It’s set in the same world as the Iron Druid books but you don’t need to have any familiarity with them to enjoy this book. (You should read that series too though, Oberon is a very good dog 😁) I was lucky enough to get my hands on an eARC of this title and it’s been an awesome quarantine read. The author really excels in writing light escapist fantasy. They’re the equivalent of a silly action movie, no great classic of literature, but I’ve had a genuinely good time reading them all and they’ve all put a smile on my face. Put this on your to read shelf and preorder a copy!!
  • Wonderful start to a hopefully long lasting series!

    5
    By Sasmith361
    received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not read nearly enough books by Kevin Hearne, but I will definitely be rectifying that situation shortly. I first read Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles) many years ago after it first came out and I absolutely loved it, but for one reason or another never had a chance to finish the rest of the series. I was fortunate to get my hands on an early review copy of Ink & Sigil, which happens to be in the Iron Druid universe and has a quick nod to Atticus and Oberon, but otherwise holds its own quite nicely. I was drawn in from the first word. This book had awesome action, an intriguing plot, a mystery that will hopefully be solved as the series progresses, and most importantly amazingly nutty characters. I haven't laughed that long at a book in a long time! Can't wait for more.

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