What do you think?
Rate this book
The Iron Druid Chronicles #4.4
Carniepunk: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street
The ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan gets more than greasy corn dogs and flat soda when he visits a carnival in Kansas to which his apprentice, Granuaile, drags him. He runs across a barker with a strange power over the crowd: attractive women leave their men and disappear into an unmarked tent, never to be seen again, and the men wander away, forgetting that they ever had girlfriends or wives. When Granuaile falls under the barker’s influence and enters the tent, Atticus isn’t about to forget it and move on. He and his Irish wolfhound, Oberon, pursue her and discover the horrifying secret to the carnival’s success.
60 pages, Audiobook
First published September 8, 2014
97 people are currently reading
2548 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Hearne
75 books12.8k followersKevin is the NYT bestselling author of the Iron Druid Chronicles, as well as The Seven Kennings, an epic fantasy trilogy, and the Tales of Pell, a humorous fantasy series co-authored with Delilah S. Dawson. INK & SIGIL, a new urban fantasy series set in the Iron Druid universe, will be out in 2020.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
February 4, 2016
Something ghoulish and nasty this way comes!
Carniepunk: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street by Kevin Hearne is a short story in Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, which is my favorite urban fantasy literary narcotic.
Atticus, Oberon and Granuaile are in Kansas where Atticus has a tremulous relationship with the local plains earth elemental.
While there the group tries to have some fun at a carnival and all Hell breaks loose (sorry for the cheesy pun, could not help myself).
Fighting demons and imps and ghouls seems old hat to the old druid.
Much fun for the urban fantasy crowd, Kevin Hearne has got something pretty cool going on.
Carniepunk: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street by Kevin Hearne is a short story in Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, which is my favorite urban fantasy literary narcotic.
Atticus, Oberon and Granuaile are in Kansas where Atticus has a tremulous relationship with the local plains earth elemental.
While there the group tries to have some fun at a carnival and all Hell breaks loose (sorry for the cheesy pun, could not help myself).
Fighting demons and imps and ghouls seems old hat to the old druid.
Much fun for the urban fantasy crowd, Kevin Hearne has got something pretty cool going on.
August 5, 2016
3.5 Stars
Cool little short featuring Atticus, Oberon & Granuaille.
Cool little short featuring Atticus, Oberon & Granuaille.
March 26, 2018
Actual rating: 3.00
April 20, 2020
This was OK, but nothing about it got my blood running. I've read the first few books of the series & some short stories. What I always liked best was the humor & interaction of characters. This lacked that. It was just a fight with a foregone conclusion. Meh.
September 10, 2017
now i really don't want to go to a carnieval
June 29, 2023
Taking place shortly after the events of Two Ravens and a Crow and chronologically six years after the events of Tricked while Atticus, Granuaille, and Oberon are in hiding after they faked their deaths.
The Demon Barker of Wheat Street is a standalone adventure in the series. Atticus and Granuaille go to the carnival during the Kansas Wheat Festival. Something hinky happens when they enter an exhibit of horrors. Atticus notes the danger first when he spots a demon is the barker and imps are compelling humans. Granuaille and Oberon are in danger and, wouldn't you know it, he's got a ticked off regional earth elemental who is still smarting from a previous visit when he called the Midwest plains "boring".
Nice, well-developed shorty that delivered a visceral adventure and showcased the closeness of Atticus and his companions. Oberon was a crack-up as usual. Worth it for fans of the series to fit this quick-listen in. Kirby Heyborne did a great job.
The Demon Barker of Wheat Street is a standalone adventure in the series. Atticus and Granuaille go to the carnival during the Kansas Wheat Festival. Something hinky happens when they enter an exhibit of horrors. Atticus notes the danger first when he spots a demon is the barker and imps are compelling humans. Granuaille and Oberon are in danger and, wouldn't you know it, he's got a ticked off regional earth elemental who is still smarting from a previous visit when he called the Midwest plains "boring".
Nice, well-developed shorty that delivered a visceral adventure and showcased the closeness of Atticus and his companions. Oberon was a crack-up as usual. Worth it for fans of the series to fit this quick-listen in. Kirby Heyborne did a great job.
June 28, 2018
This was a re-read! Atticus, Granuaile and Oberon visit a carnival and go in the Tent of Terror!
August 14, 2022
Meh, not bad but however much I try (very little), I just cant get interested in Fantasy/sci-fi stuff.
September 29, 2014
Book Review by Sharon Powers.
Well...not really a full-fledged book review--more like a short story from Kevin Hearne. This story, CarniePunk: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street, is from Kevin Hearne's The Iron Druid Chronicles. The story is set in the chronology six years after Tricked (book 4) and some two weeks after the Iron Druid novella, Two Ravens and One Crow.
Atticus, Oberon and Granuaile are back in Kansas to check on how Granuaile's mother is doing. Finding the mother not in town, due to the fact she has gone on a Carribean cruise, Atticus and Granuaile and Oberon head out to the carnival to have a little fun.
Without giving everything away, you probably already know they are going to land in trouble of one kind or another... yup, they do. After getting "conned" by the carnie at the milk bootle booth they head over to the side shows. Entering, a tent they get in way over their head.
Well, it wouldn't be a good Iron Druid story if Atticus didn't come close to losing his life--or Granuaile, now that she is with him. And, of course, Oberon, the hero dog comes to the rescue, too.
This is a delightful, short story in the Iron Druid order of things. If you've read other Kevin Hearne books, this one is typical of his usual style. If not, you really should read his earlier books (I love them.). I think I would read these books just to hear more about Oberon--what a lovable wolfhound!
Thank you for taking time to read this short review of a short new story by Kevin Hearne. For me, it was worth the $.99 price.
Many happy pages of reading...
Sharon Powers.
Well...not really a full-fledged book review--more like a short story from Kevin Hearne. This story, CarniePunk: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street, is from Kevin Hearne's The Iron Druid Chronicles. The story is set in the chronology six years after Tricked (book 4) and some two weeks after the Iron Druid novella, Two Ravens and One Crow.
Atticus, Oberon and Granuaile are back in Kansas to check on how Granuaile's mother is doing. Finding the mother not in town, due to the fact she has gone on a Carribean cruise, Atticus and Granuaile and Oberon head out to the carnival to have a little fun.
Without giving everything away, you probably already know they are going to land in trouble of one kind or another... yup, they do. After getting "conned" by the carnie at the milk bootle booth they head over to the side shows. Entering, a tent they get in way over their head.
Well, it wouldn't be a good Iron Druid story if Atticus didn't come close to losing his life--or Granuaile, now that she is with him. And, of course, Oberon, the hero dog comes to the rescue, too.
This is a delightful, short story in the Iron Druid order of things. If you've read other Kevin Hearne books, this one is typical of his usual style. If not, you really should read his earlier books (I love them.). I think I would read these books just to hear more about Oberon--what a lovable wolfhound!
Thank you for taking time to read this short review of a short new story by Kevin Hearne. For me, it was worth the $.99 price.
Many happy pages of reading...
Sharon Powers.
June 17, 2018
My review has nothing to do with the story and everything to do with Oberon, the Irish wolfhound. I love you Oberon!
August 7, 2025
This great short story is part of The Iron Druid Chronicles. I've read the first two books in this series, as well as a few other short stories, so it was good to catch up with Atticus.
The druid, Atticus, his apprentice, Granuaile, and the Irish wolfhound, Oberon, are in Kansas because Granuaile is hoping to catch a glimpse of her mother. They don't see her, but end up in the middle of a demonic problem...
Great story! It's an interesting and gnarly standalone tale set in this intriguing world. Lots of freaky demonic characters, plenty of unsuspecting humans, and a lot of magical action.
Atticus is such a cool character and so is Granuaile. Not to mention the adorable and always hilarious Oberon.
Yeah, I really enjoyed this!
The druid, Atticus, his apprentice, Granuaile, and the Irish wolfhound, Oberon, are in Kansas because Granuaile is hoping to catch a glimpse of her mother. They don't see her, but end up in the middle of a demonic problem...
Great story! It's an interesting and gnarly standalone tale set in this intriguing world. Lots of freaky demonic characters, plenty of unsuspecting humans, and a lot of magical action.
Atticus is such a cool character and so is Granuaile. Not to mention the adorable and always hilarious Oberon.
Yeah, I really enjoyed this!
October 2, 2019
A cute nice Atticus story
September 13, 2014
How do you get people to choose to go to Hell? Well, make it a theme-park ride and don't tell anybody the door to Hell is real until it's too late. So sets the stage for Atticus and Granuaille, months into her training and well before she becomes a full druid. There are laughs aplenty, with most of the best lines given to Oberon, and yet there is, in pure Hearne style, a gravity to the story that adds to the overall series. Here we see Granuaille for the first time employ her martial skills and learn what it is to face, as a potential druid, the forces that would hurt others. An important and character-rounding story to tell.
February 16, 2015
Its no secret, I love the Iron Druid series and one of the main reason is because of Oberon, Atticus' trusty sidekick, hero in his own right, Irish wolfhound dog. And a huge part of that is not only the hilarious dialogue written by Kevin Hearne but also the pure genius narrative delivered by Luke Daniels in the audiobooks. Unfortunately this novella was not narrated by Luke. No offence to Kirby Heyborne the new narrator, but no one does Oberon like Luke.
The only other let done on this was the fact that it was a novella and not a full novel. Can't wait for the next instalment. I hope Luke is back too
The only other let done on this was the fact that it was a novella and not a full novel. Can't wait for the next instalment. I hope Luke is back too
November 9, 2014
I did like the story and while the narrator was not bad.....the voices were just so wrong....oberon did not sound like he should.....but that is not the fault of the narrator, like I said he did a good job but to me Luke Daniels is the many voices of the Iron Druid series
February 28, 2016
A quick listen to get me back in the mood for The Iron Druid series, it was good but bot great. As a short story, it was certainly short and lacked some of details I thought that would make it feel more complete. That said, I love the short stories that fill in the timeline between the main novels.
November 16, 2014
Fun little story by one of my favorite authors. Glad it was finally packaged by itself.
January 23, 2016
While I am not an eBook fan, OK I really hate them, I couldn't resist reading this one from my favorite Urban Fantasy series. Highly recommended
January 26, 2017
A good short story in the Iron druid storyline.
January 25, 2018
Short story published in Carniepunk.
You can never trust a carnie, especially when you're a druid visit Kansas, a state with a very unhappy elemental.
You can never trust a carnie, especially when you're a druid visit Kansas, a state with a very unhappy elemental.
July 26, 2018
have been reading Kevin Hearne’s since 2012. His first series is called The Iron Druid Chronicles and this short story is part of that series. I have attempted to write reviews for this series but I love them so much that I am not sure how I would handle my audience rejection of them. I think I have evolved as a reader and blogger at this point in my life and I am ready to share.
Let’s start with the main character, Atticus O’Sullivan, who is the last living druid. Atticus along with his apprentice Granuaile MacTiernan and his loyal Irish Wolfhound, Oberon, are visiting Granuaile’s hometown to check in on her mother who thinks she is dead. They come across some pretty shady things happening at the freaks tent and proceed to try and defeat some demons, imps, and ghouls and hopefully save some human life at the same time.
I may be a little biased here because I love everything Kevin writes. This short was no exception. The characters come to life and his storytelling captivates his readers from the get-go. I am not including a review of the audio recording because I am a devoted Luke Daniel’s fan and in my view, no one can be the voice of Atticus or Oberon but Luke Daniels. Since this short was part of an anthology of various authors I assume this is why they went with a different voice actor. Thus, my review would not be a fair one. I do have to say that my students did like his reading though.
Let’s start with the main character, Atticus O’Sullivan, who is the last living druid. Atticus along with his apprentice Granuaile MacTiernan and his loyal Irish Wolfhound, Oberon, are visiting Granuaile’s hometown to check in on her mother who thinks she is dead. They come across some pretty shady things happening at the freaks tent and proceed to try and defeat some demons, imps, and ghouls and hopefully save some human life at the same time.
I may be a little biased here because I love everything Kevin writes. This short was no exception. The characters come to life and his storytelling captivates his readers from the get-go. I am not including a review of the audio recording because I am a devoted Luke Daniel’s fan and in my view, no one can be the voice of Atticus or Oberon but Luke Daniels. Since this short was part of an anthology of various authors I assume this is why they went with a different voice actor. Thus, my review would not be a fair one. I do have to say that my students did like his reading though.
January 2, 2023
Read: January 1, 2023
Title: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #4.6
Author: Kevin Hearne
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal
Rating: 3.5/5
Review:
Ignoring the plot holes, female representation, and the descriptors of some of the characters in this novel… I have to say that I enjoyed this story the most out of the series.
I realize that it is perhaps the shortest of all the installments and the one most disconnected from the main story line, but it was perhaps the most well written as well.
Hearne’s pace seemed to work well with the grotesque imagery he paints in the minds of his readers allowing for a disturbing picture that will no doubt remain for a long while. The story itself was also original even within the iron druid series.
Quotes:
N/A
Title: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #4.6
Author: Kevin Hearne
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal
Rating: 3.5/5
Review:
Ignoring the plot holes, female representation, and the descriptors of some of the characters in this novel… I have to say that I enjoyed this story the most out of the series.
I realize that it is perhaps the shortest of all the installments and the one most disconnected from the main story line, but it was perhaps the most well written as well.
Hearne’s pace seemed to work well with the grotesque imagery he paints in the minds of his readers allowing for a disturbing picture that will no doubt remain for a long while. The story itself was also original even within the iron druid series.
Quotes:
N/A
January 30, 2023
This is a dark fantasy short, taking place right after Two Ravens. Not quite horror, it's still much darker than the usual stories -- Caniepunk is an anthology about the dark side of carnivals, for those with Coulrophobia.
---
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
---
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
June 17, 2023
Atticus, Granuaile, and Oberon visit small-town Kansas and uncover a horror show from hell. Six years after faking her death, Granuaile is worried about her mother, so they go to Kansas to do some covert spying on the older woman. They stop to visit a carnival and notice no one seems to be having fun. Then they notice an unnamed tent where... people seem to be exiting and exhibiting strange behavior. SO they go in and split up to explore the two different routes- Heaven or Hell. Naturally the Hell route has something terrible in its path.
I didn't think this was a great story, but does show that Attitcus actually does seem to dislike something to the point of fear- and probably needs more of it.
I didn't think this was a great story, but does show that Attitcus actually does seem to dislike something to the point of fear- and probably needs more of it.
November 10, 2025
This was a fascinating mini book. It had a lot packed into a short story. On the premise of going home to see her mom from a distance, Granuel and Atticus go to the town where she grew up. Mom is on a vacation, but they visit a carnival and get caught up in a grizzly interaction with a group of demons who are killing people at the fair. It is a riveting story and I really enjoyed it. My only criticism is the tone of Oberon is very different from what it is in the rest of the stories. He sounds more like Leaf Helgerson or Atticus lawyer than the Oberon we have come to know. He sounded dry and board. This was an early story and I wonder if Hearne was still working out the tone of the character. As an author, it was interesting to see. Still loved the story.
December 20, 2021
Read this story as part of the Carniepunk anthology, so I haven't read anything else in Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, but if it's anything like this short story, I'll have to look into it, because I really enjoyed this story! Hearne's writing is fantastic, the plot was interesting & engaging, and I found the characters well-fleshed out despite the short time I spent with them and their world. I especially loved Atticus's talking dog, Oberon... Normally I'm more of a feline person, but Oberon's commentary was hilarious and heart-warming. Also, despite the title of the story, it took me a while to realize the carnival barker was a literal demon, lmao. Fun stuff!
July 13, 2019
More Iron Druid short fiction. This is a bit more "normal" territory, and I liked it a bit more than Two Ravens and One Crow. Oberon is present! The gang goes to Kansas to check on Granuaile's mother, surreptitiously, of course, as Granuaile is meant to be dead. Mom's away, but they find plenty of trouble anyway. Not challenging...just a fun read.
July 19, 2017
Scary, quick and great
There are no more books for me to read; I have completed everything out there at this time of review. But this story was fun because it was a jump into the past to read a bit about the main characters before Atticus had completed training his apprentice. A good story.
There are no more books for me to read; I have completed everything out there at this time of review. But this story was fun because it was a jump into the past to read a bit about the main characters before Atticus had completed training his apprentice. A good story.
September 14, 2017
Not bad but I can't help but feel that ever since Granuaile has become such a big player, the story just hasn't been the same. I loved, no, I adored the first couple of books where it was mostly Atticus and Oberon and their shenanigans. Now... eh. I'm still curious about the main story, where it's headed, so I do want to continue it but I'm losing interest fast.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews