Kevin Hearne (Ink and Sigil) sends aging sigil agent Al MacBharrais and Buck Foi, his gleefully crude hobgoblin sidekick, Down Under in the Iron Druid spinoff series' merrily offbeat, strangely heartwarming second installment.
When two fellow magic sigil agents disappear, Al and Buck back-burner their investigation into their own deadly curse and travel to Australia to rescue them. The apprentice of one missing agent accompanies them, as the pair face off against bizarre chimeric monsters, causing Buck to wonder aloud, "What came first, the turtle dragon spider or the egg?" While trying to identify the source of the monsters and reach the missing agents, the heroes encounter an ancient death goddess in the body of an emergency services worker, team up with the legendary Iron Druid, and find out that Al's Canadian receptionist, Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite, has powers far greater than talking hockey.
Readers who haven't read the previous book should have no trouble jumping into the story, and Iron Druid fans will appreciate the amount of time devoted to the druid and his hounds. Although the distraction of the missing agents keeps Al from making much progress toward lifting his curse, this urban fantasy road trip builds new depth in the relationships among its characters. Hearne's comfort in this established world shows as he smoothly alternates between fast-moving, wise-cracking action scenes and embedded short stories told by the characters, which illustrate the novel's central theme: "Ye always have tae fight the monsters, no matter where they are." --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads