Trapped is the fifth book in the Iron Druid Chronicles. It also represents a large step forward in the timeline as Granuaile finally completes her training as a Druid. While the previous books have all focused on a particular pantheon, Trapped shifts equal light upon the Norse, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Tuatha Dé Danann (the Irish gods). At first, Atticus and Granuaile have to dodge wrathful gods as they struggle to complete the binding process. But once that is completed, Atticus has to deal with his promise to the Norse gods to help them stop Hel and Ragnarok.
A lot of time passes in between Tricked and Trapped. It takes Atticus twelve years to train Granuaile, and all of it happens off page. When this story kicks off, the training has already been completed and she's reading for the binding ceremony to seal the deal. However that time span in between books isn't a complete void. Readers will definitely want to check out Kevin Hearne's eNovella Two Ravens and One Crow as it fills in some important events halfway through he time gap.
There is some cool stuff to look forward to in Trapped for long time readers. Perun, the Russian thunder god returns, as does Leif the ancient Nordic vampire. Newcomers include Loki, the Nordic dwarves and dark elves, Hermes and Mercury, as well as Theophilus, the oldest living vampire in the world. There are battles with the dark elves, Bacchus and his minions, a run in with Loki, and a full out battle in Hel against her draugar armies and her wolf brother Fenris. All of it builds up for the big show down against Loki and Hel, which is yet to come.
In comparison to the other books in the series, Trapped is on par with Tricked, but falls a little short of the first three novels. There was just something about Hounded, Hexed, and Hammered that hit on a higher level. There was more laughs, action and entertainment. But Trapped still throws in some humor and enough excitement to keep things interesting. Oberon still pops in with some hilarious dialog, and I really like Granuaile's progression. Yet the further Granuaile progresses, the more I feel Atticus regresses. He just doesn't seem to be growing much as a character. He's still childish at times and doesn't think very far ahead. Of course he is 2,100 years old, so if he was going to change any as a person, he probably would have done so already. Perhaps it's just an odd, unavoidable circumstance. Still, I would imagine there's more to Atticus' character that could be revealed, and as a reader, I'd like to see that head somewhere.
One thing that hasn't suffered any in the series is the crafty development of the plots, both short term and long term. There are a lot of plot threads in Trapped that get weaved around with promises of blossoming into something in the future. For instance Leif is still in the gray area between friend and foe, and Atticus predicts Leif may have an ambitious agenda of his own. The Morrigan is still playing a game against Brighid for control of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Plus there is finally some movement on Atticus and Granuaile's love life. Meanwhile some old story threads come back to bite Attiucs on the ass in the way of dark elves and dwarves.
Overall, I give Trapped a four out of five. It was an enjoyable read and entertaining addition to the series.
