So... Why do I Hate the Iron Druid Chromicles?

I like urban fantasy I adore the Dresden Files (it does have problems like being extremely male gazey)... so I got this series handed to me*, and, well, read the title of this thing. They assured me that I will like it... and I kinda sorta can see why as on the surface the two series are incredibly alike, but...

The trick with any book, but especially one narrated in the first person, is to create a protagonist, who keeps readers interested. So what is the difference between the two "witty" (matter of taste, one is nerdy jokes the other more groan worthy puns oriented) magical badasses that makes me like one and want to strangle the other? Well, Atticus is all Dresden's bad qualities without any of his redeeming ones.
Is Dresden a chauvinistic jerkass with a penchant of judging people by their looks? Yes. Asshole excuses one-o-one "Boys will be boys."
Is he an anti-human jerkass, who lets the supernatural forces murder around without doing anything? No. Well, Atticus is. Asshole excuses one-o-one "Might makes right".
It's OK. There is a place for books with anti-heroic or even villainous protagonists, but Atticus isn't one of these either because the books try really hard to sell him as an "average dudebro casanova" (Asshole excuses one-o-one "Boys will be boys" x2), 2000 years old obi-wan (Asshole excuses one-o-one "I'm I know better than a youngster, woman, etc."), and oh so heartbroken woobie with tragic past (Asshole excuses one-o-one "I can't help it I was hurt too"), all at once. Accompanied by lots of dog petting (occasionally literally**) to show how much he cares for his loved ones (Asshole excuses one-o-one "But my bestest friends are X!") while simultaneously his actions showing that he cares shit about his acquaintances casually murdering all the unnamed red shirts***, he occasionally even excuses them, or his own decisions causing countless deaths (or worse) (Asshole excuses one-o-one "See what you made me do!").

I think "Having their cake and eat it too" is the right expression.

All this combined with, well, Atticus being insanely powerful from the very first page so not losing much overall, create a really REALLY nasty case of Gary Stu.

The other problems with the series include:
- The supporting characters being extremely flat or Stu... or pretty much this comic: harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=… The only exception being the dog and the Irish Old Lady (she is at least a lovable national stereotype).
- The plot which is mostly dead predictable after it thew at you that books big background info.

The good things... well... I liked the world... while the gods running on belief and magic on belief and deals thought is hardly groundbreaking, but was a lot different to what I expected. (I frankly expected a Dresden Files knock off, which is kind of is, but at least not in this regard.)

I know this series is popular, and it's hard to find bad reviews of it... which scares me. Really really scares me. :scared:



* I managed to read the first 2,5 books. I don't know and don't want to know if it gets better later.
** He has one. Actually the dog is one of the more bearable characters.
*** He show remorse once or twice in the first book... so he compensated their families from the money he got by suing the police for things he too manipulated by magic. It's so nice when you can just push the responsibility to other unrelated parties isn't it?