Review - Skin Game - Jim Butcher - Dresden Files

Title: Skin Game
Author: Jim Butcher

Would you be surprised if I told you I didn't like a "Dresden Files" novel?

Well, you should be!  Because it ain't happening!  If someone tells you that, they are pulling your leg.  It just hasn't happened.  And it didn't with Skin Game, Jim Butcher's latest.

In fact, just the opposite.

Listen, have you ever been reading a novel and suddenly you find yourself wanting to cheer?  I mean, really, opening up your mouth, pumping your first, and yelling "YES!"

I happened to me in Skin Game.

Four times!

I know a friend who, well, let me quote him "finds Dresden's constant self-flagellation a little tiring."

Jon, I know what you mean.  I really do.  But as I said in my comment back, every hero needs to have a flaw or two, and Harry Dresden beats himself up over bad things that happen.  I can assure you, he grows as the novels progress, but I also can tell you he slips back into the pattern sometimes.

And in this novel?  Man!  Well, there's this scene between Harry and an old friend.  And his friends, be assured, have noticed the same thing.  And this particular friend is just not going to let Harry get away with it.  Anyway, I hope I haven't already said too much.  Cheer number one is not related to magic, or action -- it's related to friendship and personal growth and Butcher being aware of how readers might react to the flaws which make Harry who he is.  It's priceless.

Anyway, like every Dresden novel, bad things will happen unless Harry faces an impossible situation and finds a way out of it.  What makes this novel a particularly interesting episode is that it's essentially a "caper" in which Harry has to become part of a team to pull off a heist.  That's not even close to the best part of the impossible mission, but I will not spoil this for you.

I had to buy this book on my Nook so I could carry it easily on my extensive travels this fall.  I'm certainly glad I did.  But despite the fact that I have borrowed every book in the series to this point, and that I own an electronic copy of this installment, I am soon going to have to buy (or receive as gifts) every Dresden Files novel -- so that I can loan them out.  Really.  These are good.  They are fast reads, and they have a life of their own.  I can't wait for the next one.

But I have to!

Review - Cold Days - Dresden Files - Jim Butcher

Title: Cold Days
Author: Jim Butcher

Do you know why a good book series is so captivating?  Read Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books from the beginning, and you'll find out.

Start with Storm Front, and before too long, you will be caught.[1]   You will want to read the next book, as soon as you can.  You will get lost in the stories.  You will get frightened, you will laugh, you will cry, you will be upset by the things that happen to the characters you get to know, you will be amazed, amused and impressed.  You will never be disappointed, and you will never want to stop.

And why?  Why does this happen?

Because Jim Butcher creates characters who have life.  Certainly, Harry Dresden soon becomes a person you feel you know, as you follow his story through his own words throughout the novels.  But it doesn't even come close to stopping there.  Like all people with a life, Harry has people in that life.  And those people, necessarily appear in Harry's story because, just like your best friends are there for you when you need them, Harry's friends are, for him.  And, just like your friends, Harry's friends have lives of their own.   Your friends grow and change and do great stuff and stupid stuff and it affects them, and by affecting them it affects you.  And the same happens with Harry and his friends.

Look, from a fantastic fiction viewpoint, Jim Butcher has created a mythos which is remarkable.  His world of magic and horror, sitting believably right within our normal world, fits together so well, you'd think he was around back when all these myths about vampires and faerie were created -- or rather, when we normal mortals first encountered them and decided they must be myths.  Seriously, the skill and imagination it took to work holy swords and Norse gods and Native American monsters into one mystical whole -- it's amazing.

But that's not what makes you want the next book so badly.

It's these characters, and the changes they undergo.  It's how they handle the trials put before them; how they are damaged; how they persevere.  It's seeing changes happen, and knowing that the characters can never go back to the way they were in the "good old days" of previous books, because, after all, change happens and we just have to move on.

In Cold Days, Harry Dresden undergoes more change.  It's a given.  It happens in every novel. People change as life moves on.  It happens.  We're never exactly the same people we once were, because life happens, and we change.  And in Harry's case, while we can't imagine the change before we start reading, it makes perfect sense as the story unfolds.  And at the same time, as Harry's latest, most critical adventure takes place, the people and beings around him are also changed - forever.

I have told you basically nothing about the plot of this book.  That's intentional.  If you haven't read any Dresden books, very little I said would mean much.  And if you have read them, but haven't reached this point yet, I am not about to spoil things for you.

What I'm saying is if you haven't read them yet, but you like great characters and an author who knows how to handle them, and if you can stomach some horror, you should get a copy of the first novel and start reading.

And if you've started reading the Dresden Files but haven't gotten to Cold Days yet, well, wow.  I envy you!  Keep reading!  It's so worth it!

===================

[1] I bet, by the time you make it through Summer Knight (book four) you will realize you are into something special.   It happened for me with book three, Grave Peril.

Review - Ghost Story - Dresden Files - Jim Butcher

Title: Ghost Story

Author: Jim Butcher

In telling the stories of Harry Dresden, professional wizard, author Jim Butcher has had the chance to deal extensively with many different types of supernatural creations, weaving a complex and believable mythos.  The series is long, though, so Harry has had a chance to encounter several kinds of supernatural entities many times over.  Yet, really, the only novel which had dealt with ghosts -- one of the quintessential horror elements -- was Grave Peril, way back in book three.  This is novel 13 of the Dresden Files.  It was time for Butcher to give us a deeper examination of the world of ghosts and spirits, and in Ghost Story, he delivers -- Dresden style.

Once again, I am somewhat tied down by my attempts to avoid spoiling things for people who have never read the books, but I can assure you that in this book, as in every preceding installment, Butcher has found a way to advance the continuing story of Harry and his friends, while forcing them to deal with extremely dangerous situations, and allowing us to get an even deeper understanding of how Butcher's world exists beside our own.  Harry faces challenges he has never faced before, not least among them is being forced to accept the transformations his friends have undergone, because of his actions and his relationships with those he loves.

But if that makes Ghost Story sound like a Jodi Picoult novel, you're missing the point: Butcher finds a way to put "real life" into a thrilling supernatural adventure mystery.  And he does it Every Time.  He did it again.

Love these books!

Review - Side Jobs - Dresden Files - Jim Butcher

Title: Side Jobs
Author: Jim Butcher

As you know by now, I am a fan of the Dresden Files novels. Aside from another novel about Harry Dresden, Professional Wizard, what would be a good book for a Dresden Files lover?

How about a book with short stories in the Dresden universe?

That's what Side Jobs is.

Author Jim Butcher has written several short stories for various anthologies, in which he fills in gaps of time which take place between the novels.  For most of these stories, he gives a bit of depth to secondary characters.  Most of the time, but not all of the time, the stories are written from the standard "Harry Dresden first person" point of view, but for a couple of them, where it made sense, Butcher put us in the mind of one of those other characters.

In almost every case, the stories in Side Jobs added interesting details to characters we have grown to appreciate, and often to love.  While these stories are not necessary for understanding or enjoying the novels, I will say that, for most of them, they add flavor and explanation that added to my appreciation of the universe Butcher has created.  And, since Butcher clearly indicates the placement of the stories within the timeline of the novels, it would be easy for a relatively new reader to insert those stories in the correct places, as long as the reader has the patience to put Side Jobs down again when he or she reaches a point where the next story takes place after a novel which has not been read.

That's what I had to do.  I started reading Side Jobs after Turn Coat, but before Changes, and the final story in Side Jobs takes place after Changes.  I put Side Jobs aside for a while.  It was the right decision.

Now, in every review of every Dresden novel, I have been unreservedly positive about every Dresden story Butcher published.  So this review contains something new: a less-than-enthusiastic reaction to a story.

And yet.

And yet, I am impressed.  Why?

The very first entry in Side Jobs, "A Restoration of Faith," is highly unusual, in my experience.  Jim Butcher had never published this first story before, and he freely admits, in its introduction, that it was not good enough for publication.  It was his first attempt to write a story about Harry Dresden, shortly after he started trying to write for a career.  It was rejected as not good enough; Butcher agrees; I agree.  As I said, it's highly unusual, in my experience, for an author to show his own less-than satisfactory work.  Butcher is, in a sense, quite courageous to do so.

I read the story, at first, knowing that the author recognized its failings, but hoping he was just being modest.  Nope.  While the story contained the core concepts which would become Harry Dresden and his world starting in the first novel, Storm Front, the writing was unsatisfying.  It's strange to see cool concepts (fighting a troll under a bridge is cool) poorly executed in books, because we readers tend to be the beneficiaries of fully vetted, fully edited work.  We see less-polished results on episodic TV, because of the speed at which such fiction needs to be produced, I think, but in books, there is an expectation that quality will win out.

I guess, in a sense, it's really good to see Butcher's first failed attempt to write Dresden.  Aspiring authors can see that a good idea can be poorly written.  And here we have a comparison point: we can take "A Restoration of Faith" and compare it to later work, such as that first novel, and identify the ways in which the short story does not work, while the novel does.  And then, if we'd like, we can also compare those to other short works in Side Jobs.

I'm going to be honest here: in my view, these are excellent additions to the universe, but they are not as complex or intense as the novels.  It's not much of a surprise, really, when you take into account the prefaces for the stories, in which Butcher tells us why he wrote each story.  But in this format, you just can't generate the complexity of a novel.  And, being in the same world, requiring that the story fit in, it's not as if you're going to get a story which treads entirely new ground, so they are not the sort of thing that is going to win a head-to-head competition against the stories which show up in anthologies of the "Best Of" variety. But they are plenty good for what they are: inserted short pieces about Harry Dresden because Butcher knows his characters and his world.  But, as stand-alone stories,

I still love the stories.  I really do.  And if you are, like me, a fan of the Dresden Files, this collection is a must-read.

But when all is said and done, give me a Dresden Files novel.  That's where the true genius of Jim Butcher is on display.

Review - Changes - Dresden Files 12 - Jim Butcher

Title: Changes

Author: Jim Butcher

 

Here where we are: eleven novels had been written Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard.  Throughout those novels, we have seen Harry deal with many dangerous supernatural dangers, from vampires to demons to necromancers to fairies.  As we've watched him, he has met, and we have come to know, many people -- and many non-people -- who have become the relational fabric of his life.  And, as we have walked alongside Harry, a flawed but honorable man, we have become very familiar with his surroundings, his moral code, his intense desire to remain his own man, and, yes, his apartment and his car.

Well, now the twelfth book in the series appears.  The title alone, Changes, tells us to expect something new.  And in the first paragraph, things change.  And then, throughout the remainder of the book, they keep changing.

 

As the changes occur, the danger grows, and Harry has to reach out to his friends; in fact, to almost every friend he has ever had, and even some enemies.  You know, because "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."  In the first Dresden book, Harry had no family and has precious few friends, but by book twelve, he has learned a bit more about his past and he has developed relationships which bind him to others in ways both normal supernatural.  

 

Meanwhile, the dangerous political intrigue between groups of Wizards, Vampires, Fairies and others has been building the background, and now, just when Harry doesn't need the distraction, just when Harry has to find a way to help a helpless little girl, these global dangers insert themselves into his life again, forcing Harry to decide between the needs of the many, and the needs of the few, or the one.  It's a common theme in heroic stories, I realize, but it feels fresh and new and terribly personal as we follow the path Harry Dresden is forced to take.

I have stopped speculating whether each of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books could be read in a stand-alone form and enjoyed.  I suspect that each of them could, but at this point it just doesn't matter.  No, wait, it does!  Why?  Because if you have never read a Dresden novel, and you think this one sounds fun, you should not read it!  Why?  Because so much of the fun, so much of the emotion, so much of the tension in this book has been building through the previous eleven installments, that you simply do not want to deprive yourself of the huge payoff this book brings.

This book is a book for the lovers of the Dresden Files.  I clearly count myself among them.  Bravo, Mr. Butcher.  Bravo!

Review - Turn Coat - Dresden Files 11 - Jim Butcher

Title: Turn Coat

Author: Jim Butcher

As the eleventh book of the Dresden Files begins, our favorite wizard detective, Harry Dresden, comes face-to-face with something he has been suspecting for several installments now -- there is treachery in the White Council.  And if the most powerful wizards in the world are not safe, then neither are Harry, the people he cares for, or for that matter, all of humanity.

A master of the thriller, Jim Butcher again puts his hero, Chicago's only professional wizard, into the middle of tremendous danger which flows like a swollen river, so fast we believe Harry Dresden might drown.  In fact, with the return of the TV series "24" for its ninth season, it occurs to me that Turn Coat, like many of the Dresden Files, is often driven by imminent danger and a fast-approaching deadline -- accent on the "dead."

Many supporting characters who have surrounded Dresden in past books are called upon again, in each case critical to the story Butcher is telling, in many cases developing as characters in their own rights. I was very happy to see Toot-toot!

Harry Dresden always seems to be faced with the choice between doing what he knows is right, which will almost undoubtedly mean his death, or doing what is expedient.  Harry is a flawed hero, but he's definitely a hero.  And it's constantly entertaining to see how the story plays out, and the prices which are exacted for doing the Right Thing.

Review - Small Favor - Dresden Files 10 - Jim Butcher

Title: Small Favor

Author: Jim Butcher

This is the tenth book in the Dresden Files, and if you have been reading my reviews of this book series, you know I eat them up, with relish.  Small Favor is another wonderful meal.

As usual, we find Chicago's only professional wizard immediately in danger.  He's attacked by some creatures from Faerie who you will recognize from the fairy tales you heard as a child -- but in Jim Butcher's world, they are nastier.  Much nastier.  

Of course, that's hardly an appetizer.  In comparison to the rest of what's on the menu, it's a glass of water.  Soon, Harry finds out the local crime lord is missing, and while this might seem like good news, Harry almost immediately gets told he must find him, and rescue him if possible.  Why would Harry do such a thing?  Well, sometimes you a presented with an offer you can't refuse -- especially if, like Harry Dresden, you have made powerful beings upset.

Before long, Dresden is working with Holy Knights, his best friend in the Chicago police department, and a vampire.  He's not only trying to save the crime lord (if Harry can find him, of course) but also racing the clock to keep the world from being plunged into chaos by some of the oldest evil in Creation.

This is a thrill ride.  The story flows perfectly from all the previous mythology, and adds to it. But we're not focused on that -- we are too caught up in the danger facing Harry and his friends.  We get confused with them, we feel the pain Dresden encounters as he gets attacked again and again.  And as the end approaches, we don't know how it will turn out.  Through all the courses of this fantasy horror meal, Butcher delivers a completely satisfying experience that fills us up, but also makes us look forward to the next meal.

Review - White Knight - Dresden Files 9 - Jim Butcher

Title: White Knight

Author: Jim Butcher

Book 9 in the Dresden Files finds our professional wizard, Harry Dresden, suspected of killing off less powerful members of the magical community.  Of course, from his first-person account of it, we know he is not the culprit, but many of those in his magical community resist his help because, really, this guy is dangerous, and an outcast.  Tall, dark and hermit-like -- that sounds like a killer, right?

Again building within the milieu he started way back in Storm Front, author Jim Butcher weaves together several ongoing plotlines with this excellent new mystery.  He brings back several characters from previous adventures, and forces Dresden to deal with the consequences of his actions.

One of the hallmarks of good thriller writing is to place your hero into seemingly impossible situations, and then have him emerge in ways which seem completely plausible, given the world in which he lives.  Butcher does that in this book -- in spades!  Fast-paced, but also introspective, White Knight is a fine addition to the series.  It might not be The Best installment, but that's like saying Filet Mignon is not The Best steak.  It's still plenty good, and I would not turn it down.  If you liked previous Dresden novels, you will like this.  And, you will need to read it.  Important Stuff Happens.

'Nuff said.

Review - Proven Guilty - Dresden Files 8 - Jim Butcher

Title: Proven Guilty

Author: Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is a professional wizard.  By the eighth book in the series, we’ve gotten to know him.  So we know, when the teenage daughter of Harry’s best friend calls on him for help, Harry is going to answer the call.  Her problem?  Her boyfriend is accused of a violent murder at a Horror Convention. 

A Horror Convention!  What a great setting for the beginning of a mystery which will involve many of the key players in the Dresden Files novels to this point.  We get the White Council (the ruling body of Wizards) and we get the Carpenter family, headed by one of the Knights of the Cross.  We get the backdrop of the Red Court Vampire war with the Wizards, and another view of the constant struggle between the Summer and Winter faeries.  We get Detective Karrin Murphy, and we get Bob the Skull, and we get Thomas, the White Court Vampire.  And it all combines to be one of the most dramatic episodes in this series.

Additionally, we get to know the structure of Magic and magical society in more detail.  Butcher does a great job of building on the depth of his milieu each novel.  We get to see new kinds of magic, new spells, and old spells used in new ways.  It’s very clever.

As I was reading Proven Guilty, I kept imagining this story being brought to film.  I don’t know if author Jim Butcher thinks consciously about the adaptability of his stories to film, but in this book, more than any other, I kept saying “Oh, I could see this on the big screen.  I want to see this on the big screen!”  Butcher has a great vision for his mixture of the real world with the magical world, and I would love to see that done with the kinds of SFX possible today.  But he also has built some wonderful characters, who have very realistic depth, and I would love to see those characters brought to life by good actors.  (And, yes, I think Leah would be perfect for the role of Molly.  You know, as long as all the piercings could be make-up.)

This story had me tense with worry.  It had me cheering with excitement.  And it had me tearing up with emotion. 

Seriously, folks, if you’re an adult who truly enjoyed the Harry Potter books, you really ought to try the Dresden Files.  Sure, Dresden is a little darker, and is mixed more with the “real world.”  And, yes, it’s a bit more adult – though the swearing is minimal, I can only think of one scene in the eight books I’ve read so far which can truly be called a “sex scene.”  The rest of the “adult” content is suggestive, rather than explicit, and it often shows Harry resisting distracting temptations in order to do the Right Thing.

Harry Dresden is a hero we can understand, a hero who can sometimes frustrate us, but ultimately a hero we admire.  Never more than in Proven Guilty.

Review - Dead Beat - Dresden Files - Jim Butcher

Title: Dead Beat

Author: Jim Butcher

The seventh book in the Dresden Files series pits wizard Harry Dresden against his own kind – but these wizards use a dark magic dealing with the dead – necromancy.  And the stakes are as high as they have ever been, for if Harry fails, not only will he and his friends suffer, but the world may have an evil god to contend with.

Author Jim Butcher continues the story of Harry Dresden by bringing a few loose ends from past stories into Harry’s life and forcing his protagonist to examine the motivations and rules which govern his life and work.  Harry has been tempted to use dark powers before, and he has made more than one deal with “the wrong sort.”  But as the mortal world and the preternatural world intersect more and more, his temptations grow. 

And as they grow, so do the obstacles in his way, and so, we hope, does his power to defeat them.

Fast-paced and thrilling, these books keep delivering.

Review - Blood Rites - Dresden Files - Jim Butcher

Title: Blood Rites
Author: Jim Butcher

A good friend of mine is inherently opposed to “character-driven plot.”  In his view, authors take the idea of “character-driven” to the extreme, and spend all their words describing character relationships at the expense of the ideas which are the most interesting parts of stories.  Now, let’s be clear – this friend likes science fiction, horror and fantasy.  He’s not interested in reading “Literature” – largely because Literature tends to focus so heavily on characters.  But, in his opinion fantasy, horror and sci-fi (especially sci-fi!) should center their stories on the concepts which the author has found uniquely creative enough to include in such stories- the “hook” so to speak.

I tend to agree, though I am far more willing to accept a well-written sci-fi story which shows how characters can influence, or be influence by, those “hooks.”

So, why do I mention this as the start to my review of Blood Rites, the next novel in the “Dresden Files” series?

As I mentioned in my review of the very first Dresden book, the author has created a creative, believable way to mix magic into our world, and he has set up Harry Dresden as a man with a history.  He does not lay out every facet of magic, nor of Harry, in any single book, but build both over time.  Each book has had at least one “hook” in each categrory: the magical world, and Harry’s life.  From my perspective, two of the most  enjoyable features of each of these books has been how inventive the magic hooks are, and how much we care about Harry and his life as the personal hook happens.

Well, Blood Rites does both of these, several times, and ties them together so well that this might be my favorite of the novels so far.  We learn more about vampires and specific types of magic than ever before.  We see Harry deal with some of his most basic motivations and relationships.  And they are all tied together.  They make sense, they drive the story, and the conclusions are unforeseen, but completely consistent.

Bravo!  You should not start the series with this book.  But if you happen to find that one of the preceding books is not specifically your cup of tea, I hope you won’t let that deter you from continuing on, because this book?  This book is worth reading all the others to set the stage for the story told in Blood Rites.

Review: Death Masks - Book Five of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Title: Death Masks
Author: Jim Butcher

By now, as I am reviewing the fifth book of the "Dresden Files" series by Jim Butcher, I expect most of you already know the following:

• Harry Dresden is a professional wizard, who makes a living as a "private investigator" of sorts, taking cases which deal with "magic" of one form or another.
• I have liked every one of these books I've read so far.

Shall I just write a review saying "Ditto" and be done with it?

Doesn't seem fair.  So here's a bit more to whet your appetite for the story.

Once again, Harry is approached at the beginning of our story, to help someone dealing with a request which is out of the ordinary.  This time:  Someone has stolen the Shroud of Turin -- the holy relic which was supposedly wrapped around Jesus after his death, and before his resurrection.

As I mentioned in my review of Grave Peril, one of the things I like about the world of magic and horror which author Jim Butcher has created is this: he incorporates religion and faith by treating it as something with power similar to the power of magic.  For this reason, the Shroud is powerful, though Dresden doesn't know what power it has, or what someone might do with it.  Nevertheless, he has been hired to find it, so he sets himself to the task.

Again, as in Grave Peril, Harry Dresden gets help from a Holy Knight, his friend Michael.  We had learned, in previous books, that there are three of these Knights, and so I was happy to be introduced to the others.

In any event, the case is confusing, with many sets of beings interested in the Shroud, and all of them seemingly interested in bringing Harry's life to a gruesome end.  We also get to add into this mix the return of Harry's girlfriend, Susan, who has been missing for a while -- for very good reasons, which I will not spoil for you if you have not read the other Dresden books.

The action is intense, the descriptions are concise (my preference) yet sharp, and the characters are wonderful.  And the mystery?  Excellent!  The books are getting grittier as Harry's life gets more complicated (by now, there is a war going on between wizards and vampires, so that complicates life for our hero) and Butcher handles the multiple storylines very well.

For anyone interested in fantasy, who does not mind a bit of horror, I cannot recommend this series more highly.  Very inventive; very fun.

Review: Summer Knight - Book Four of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files

Title: Summer Knight
Author: Jim Butcher

The fourth book in this extremely entertaining series which might be described as noir horror fantasy.  Harry Dresden, professional wizard, has encountered many things in his previous three books, including ghosts, vampires and werewolves.  He has also had a few encounters with the faerie world, since his Godmother is one of them.

Harry is in trouble with the White Council, the order of wizards which has the power to, among other things, turn Harry over to the Vampires, who have reason to want Harry dead.  In order to prevent this, Dresden must solve a mystery involving the extremely powerful Summer and Winter Faerie, whose eternal seasonal struggles reflect themselves in the seasons of the mortal world.  While on the case, Harry encounters trolls, changelings and his own past.  And, of course, the fate of the mortal world is in the balance.  As Harry says: "well, then, no pressure."

Author Jim Butcher continues to flesh out the remarkable world of his universe, which includes both our normal mortal surroundings and the lands and population of the supernatural.  He introduces many characters, most of whom spend at least some time on Harry's list of suspects.  The cast does get a bit confusing for its size, but the story is fast-paced and exciting.  It's another winner.

...

I would move on to book five immediately, but I have had a couple of books recommended to me which now sit in the front of the queue.  So, for a while, I will say goodbye to Harry Dresden.  But I will be back.  This is simply too much fun, and the storytelling too good, to stay away for long.

Review - Grave Peril

Title: Grave Peril
Author: Jim Butcher

The third book in this extremely entertaining series which might be described as noir horror fantasy.  Harry Dresden, professional wizard, is dealing once again with dangers from the supernatural world, and from the moment the book begins, he is in a fight to save the lives of mortals who don't believe, the lives of his friends, and if he has a chance, his own life.

As the inevitable mystery unfolds, this book allows Harry to have a significant partner in his struggles, and I must say that this particular addition to the Dresden Files Mythos was particularly well crafted.  Harry's friend and companion in Grave Peril is Michael.  I will not spoil exactly who Michael is, but I will say this -- he is holy.  Author Jim Butcher's world, to this point, has dealt with magic of many forms, and so it was quite interesting to see him take on a character who is related to Christianity.  Butcher handles it marvelously.  The power of a holy person is not accessible to Harry Dresden, the wizard, but it is not completely foreign to him.  Harry recognizes (and through Harry, we see) Faith as a source for "magical" power in the same way Harry's magic comes from emotions, the earth, the air and so on.

There are ghosts, vampires, curses, and a trip or two into the Nevernever.  There is an awaited encounter, or two, with Harry's godmother.  There is a glimpes into Harry's past.  And there is a deepening of Harry's personal relationship with a character from the first two novels.  All this, wrapped in a mystery in which we learn more about the Dresden/Butcher mythos, while turning pages as fast as possible to find out how Harry deals with his enemies.

I continue to love this series. 

Review - Fool Moon

Title: Fool Moon
Author: Jim Butcher

The main character in this series of books is a tall, lonely man named Harry Dresden.  In many respects, Harry is very similar to private detectives who live life on the edge of the legal system, helping the police at times, and at times being at odds with them.  Like those detectives, Harry has certain skills, and a freedom to operate outside the constraints of the law.

Unlike those detective, though, Harry Dresden is a wizard.

The world created by author Jim Butcher is very much like ours, except that magic exists, and so do many of the dangerous creatures and situations which accompany magic in our collective culture.  I reviewed the first of the Dresden Files novels a while back.  This second follows a very similar pattern, but fortunately that does not make it predictable -- it makes it a fast-moving detective story in which a well-conceived magical reality exists intermixed with our own.

As one expects from the title, Fool Moon is going to have something to do with the moon, and that leads us to believe that werewolves will be involved.  Butcher doesn't disappoint.  But while it becomes clear in the very early pages of the novel that the gruesome murder which brings Harry into the story must have been committed by magical beings -- magical beings with big teeth and sharp claws -- the investigation has many twists, turns and a new mythology on the several ways in which humans and wolves can be connected by magic.

Most of Harry Dresden's life is pretty slow, and pretty isolated.  But based on the first two novels, it's clear that when something bad starts happening, it happens fast, and lives are on the line.  Harry's magic, and his knowledge of the Nevernever -- from which magical beings originate, apparently -- are tested, as are his stamina and his determination to keep the Laws of Magic, despite temptations to save lives by breaking those laws.

As with the first novel, this story is self contained.  However, there were a few ties to the prior story, and it's clear Butcher is setting Dresden up for even more.  Dresden does not tell us his whole story, leaving plenty of mystery about his past, his dealings with the mysterious White Council, and his enemies.

This is a book which does not take long to read -- it's hard to believe it takes 400 pages in paperback because as each short chapter ended, I wanted to keep going and going and going.

This is not Harry Potter.  It's darker, more adult, and  more American.  And I like it.  Give me book three, please.

Review - Storm Front

Title: Storm Front
Author: Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is a wizard.  But don't think "wizard" in the style of that other wizard named Harry.

While this novel, which starts a series, does match the Potter mythos in the idea that magic exists in our world, that's pretty much the end of the similarity.  Harry Dresden is not trusted by most people -- whether they believe in magic or not.  Harry Dresden scrapes by as a sort of private investigator who takes cases which can't be handled by your typical PI.  He works with one detective who happens to be open to the idea of sorcery, only because she gets assigned cases which can have no other explanation.

In Storm Front, two people have been found dead -- in a very gruesome manner which has no possible explanation, unless you are willing to consider the idea of magical attacks.  Harry is brought in on the case, and before long is not only trying to solve the murders, but is dealing with vampires, demons and mystery -- while trying to keep the wizards who know him from giving him a death sentence for breaking the Laws of Magic.

This is a very "noir" mystery.  It was very fast-paced, and I really liked the character as well as the description of how magic works.  I've had it recommended to me several times, but this time Tyler just gave me the book and said "I think you'll like it."

I did.

Now I want more.