#mird reads dresden files

[clevermird]

Review: Changes (Dresden Files 12) by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden’s life is turned upside-down when, within five minutes, he learns three things: 1. His ex-girlfriend Susan secretly had their child several years ago. 2. That child has now been kidnapped by the Red Court vampires. 3. If they don’t rescue her, she will be sacrificed in some kind of black magic ritual. Although shocked and hurt, Harry doesn’t hesitate to join the hunt, but soon finds that he’s woefully underpowered for this fight and that in order to have a chance, he’s going to have to be willing to sacrifice more than he ever has before.

This book was fantastic. The plot starts on page one and never really lets up, with every battle gaining a little ground for our heroes at the cost of something dear to Harry – a plot structure that I love. Fan favorite characters like Molly, Sanya, and Mouse get moments in the spotlight, we get a few more backstory and worldbuilding reveals, and the finale was intense, emotional, and dramatic. This really is an edge-of-your-seat experience for Dresden fans.

Not that the book is without flaws. While I enjoyed all of the fan service, it does become obvious at some point that that’s what it is – scenes meant to make the audience happy rather than being strictly necessary to the plot. And similar to White Night, the action in the finale is a bit difficult to follow. 

But really, these are nitpicks and as it stands currently, Changes is easily in the top three Dresden Files books for me so far. 

Warnings: The entire plot of the book hinges on a young child being at risk of torture and death.

Rating: 9/10

[clevermird]

started Turn Coat yesterday

@trashcat-waifu

Why do I feel like half the reason Morgon went to Harry for help was the thought of "if I have to bring someone down for helping me, at least it will be a guy I already dislike"? :P

[clevermird]

I know everyone talks about how horny Dresden Files is for its female characters (and it 100% is), but after reading a very detailed and loving description of Michael’s pecs, I’m starting to feel like it’s pretty equal-opportunity. Thomas and Lara have the excuse of literally exuding Horny Aura, but nobody else does.

[clevermird]

forgot to mention I’m up to Small Favor now

Harry. Honey.

I know that Luccio had a good excuse as to why she is taking a sponge bath in your living room when you woke up from sleeping off the hypothermia

But she is still 100% trying to hit on you

[clevermird]

3/4 of the way through White Night and the main plot is apparently all resolved. . .

what diabolical twist do you have in store for us now, Butcher? 

[clevermird]

Review: Dead Beat (Dresden Files, book 7) by Jim Butcher

We’re now on book seven of the Dresden Files, and things show no signs of slowing down any time soon. 

Dead Beat sees Harry blackmailed into searching for a dead necromancer's research notes. If he finds them, the world (or at least Chicago) could be plunged into an undead apocalypse. If he doesn't, Murphy's career and reputation are ruined. If you know anything about Harry Dresden, you'll know what his choice will be. But he's not the only one looking for the book, and in order to survive, he's going to have to call on several new allies, not all of whom have his best interests at heart. 

This book continues to increase my respect for Butcher's worldbuilding and series-crafting skills. He skillfully uses the varying plots of each book to gradually introduce more elements of the setting, some of which go on to be important going forward, others of which are simply window dressing for the current adventure. The ever-increasing cast of characters is equally well-handled, which each book choosing one or two of the supporting cast to have their own day in the limelight. 

In this book's case, we learn a great deal about how necromancy works in the Dresden universe (culminating in one of the most badass and iconic moments of the series thus far - I knew it happened even before I started reading the series, although I didn't know the context). We also get development for some old friends and enemies and meet Captain Luccio, who I immediately decided I was fond of.

However, as many positive elements as this book had, I wouldn't say it's one of the stronger entries overall. Not the weakest, either, but definitely could have been better. There are a few reasons for this, but it all boils down to overcomplication. The series has always had "multiple plots crashing into each other" as a feature of its storytelling, but I think some of the additional complications and sub-stories in this one just added confusion rather than depth. 

This is most obvious in two places. First, there are three major villains in this book, but only two of them are interesting or memorable in any way and I think the story would have worked just fine with only them. Second, there is a subplot that, while carrying heavy implications for Harry and some of his choices from earlier in the series going forward, really would have fit better in a different book. I found that it didn't mesh with rest of the story that well.  

So again, if you're enjoying the series so far, there's no reason not to keep going, but not one of my favorites. Or maybe Blood Rites was just too hard to top. 

Rating: 3.75/5

[clevermird]

Review: Ghost Story (Dresden Files book 13) by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is dead, but he’s not about to let that stop him. 

After sacrificing nearly everything to save his daughter, Chicago’s only professional wizard found himself shot and killed by parties unknown. But instead of eternal reward, unending punishment, or oblivion, he instead wakes up in. . . Chicago? Turns out, his job isn’t done yet and he has a choice: move into the hearafter and take what comes, or return as a ghost to pick up the pieces he left behind and save his friends from one last mortal danger. And of course he takes the latter. 

Ghost Story is a necessary book, but not necessarily a good one. Well, that isn’t entirely fair. This is Dresden Files, after all, and there hasn’t been a truly bad book yet. But this is definitely one of the weaker ones. The story is forced to spend a lot of time on the mechanics of ghosts in the Dresden-verse and on catching us up with what the supporting cast has been doing since Harry’s death, which interferes with the level of attention that can be spent on the plot itself, to the point that I didn’t realize that there was a “big bad” with a specific plan (as opposed to a collection of smaller plotlines and character dramas) until they actually appeared in the story.

Worse still, the ostenisble goal for Harry’s return – to find his killer – gets heavily sidelined throughout the book until it is suddenly returned to focus in the last few chapters. While there is an in-universe explanation for this, it contributes to an overall sense that the book is unfocused.

On the bright side, the character development and subplots in the book are quite good. Harry’s ghostly status gives him an outside view of how his friends (many of whom are basically family at this point) are dealing with things – both his death and the repercussions of his actions against the Red Court, and his existance as memories brings out some previously-unknown details about his life before the start of Storm Front. Butcher has built a cast of characters that I genuinely care about here. It’s messy, it’s moving, at times it’s heartbreaking, and it’s always far more intriguing that the actual plot of the book. When I say that Ghost Stories was necessary, this is what I meant – the story benefits greatly from the chance to have a metaphorical reaction shot to everything that went down in Changes.

While Ghost Story is far from the strongest book in the series, the emotional payoffs make it well worth the time all the same. 

Warnings: Ghost Story deals heavily with grief, death, and loss and the varried effects they can have on people, and subplots feature the physical and emotional abuse of both children and adults, as well as a few brief scenes of torture.

Rating: 7/10

[clevermird]

Review: Side Jobs (Dresden Files side story) by Jim Butcher

I think this is my lowest-rated Dresden Files book so far and I really didn’t want it to be.

Side Jobs is a collection of eleven short stories (or technically ten and a novella) set in the Dresden-verse, the first a bit before the events of Storm Front and the last immediately after Changes. Most are from Harry’s perspective and, like the book’s title implies, cover smaller adventures that he’s dealt with in his career as licensed private investigator and Chicago’s only professional wizard, although there are a few exceptions to both of these comments.

“A Restoration of Faith” – Harry searches for a lost little girl in a part of town filled with monsters

“Vignette” – A brief moment in Harry’s daily life, featuring Bob the Skull

“Something Borrowed” – Werewolves Billy and Georgia are getting married and Harry is appointed best man at the last minute, but when Georgia disappears and then reappears right before the ceremony, it becomes clear that something’s wrong.

“It’s My Birthday, Too” – Harry tries to deliver a gift to Thomas on his birthday (Valentine’s Day, of course) and discovers that his brother is busy. . . LARPing as a vampire.

“Heorot” – Mac asks Harry to help him find a newly-married girl who’s gone missing from a beer convention, which results in him teaming up with a supernatural ally.

“Day Off” – All Harry wants to do is enjoy a day with no responsibilities and spend some time with his girlfriend. Fate, however, has other plans.

“Backup” – Thomas gets an assignment from his sister to stop a supernatural threat with as little noise as possible. Unfortunately, doing so means getting Harry off the case without explaining what’s going on.

“The Warrior” – Harry discovers that someone is targeting retired Knight of the Cross Michael and his family and must stop someone from stealing one the holy swords as he wrestles with the unfairness of Michael’s fate.

“Last Call” – A mysterious curse is targeting Mac’s beer and Harry and Murphy are on the case!

“Love Hurts” – Harry is enlisted by Murphy to track down a black magician who is forcing couples into suicide pacts, but following the trail brushes against feelings they’ve both been denying.

“Aftermath” – Immediately after the end of Changes, Murphy grapples with her grief over Harry’s disappearance and the imminent end of her career while she and the Alphas try to stop dark forces who’ve stepped into the resulting power vacuum without a wizard’s backup. 

Some of the stories in this book were fantastic, in particular the two alternate perspective pieces which flesh out some of the major side characters’ viewpoints and a few points of worldbuilding that we haven’t been able to look at earlier. “The Warrior”, however, is probably the strongest story, offering some much-needed closure and perspective on Michael’s story and the ability of ordinary people to effect change in Harry’s world. While not so “important” to the setting, “Day Off” and “It’s My Birthday Too” get props for being absolutely hilarious. 

The rest of the stories, however, are nothing to write home about. Most follow the same formula as a longer Dresden novel, but without nearly as much space to breathe or room for character development, leaving them snappy but ultimately forgettable mini-mysteries. And after reading half a dozen of them in near-succession, they started to feel pretty repetitive, too. 

While Side Jobs is a fun read for dedicated Dresden Files fans and some of the inclusions are amazing, it just doesn’t quite have enough good content to justify its length. 

Warnings: Several of the stories reference sexual assault with varying levels of blatancy and human trafficking is the subject of one of the stories as well. One story features the aftermath of multiple suicides.

Rating: 7/10

[clevermird]

Review: Turn Coat (Dresden Files, book 11) by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden thought he was prepared for anything – until his old nemesis, Warden Donald Morgan, shows up bleeding at his front door and begs for his help. Someone has framed Morgan for murder and he needs shelter, medical attention, and help to find the real killer. Against his better judgement, Harry says ‘yes’ and in the process attracts the attention of vampires, skinwalkers, and even a private investigator. 

I often struggle to review Dresden Files books simply because so little that would be relevant to a review changes between the installments. If you love the staples of the series – fast moving scenes, multiple plotlines that crash together at the end, flashy magical fights, snarky first-person narration, and a huge cast of characters – then you’ll get what you want here. If you don’t, then there is nothing in this book that will change your mind about the series. 

What Turn Coat does have to offer is some fleshing out of the wider word of wizards beyond Harry, including a glimpse at the White Council headquarters, as well as some development on Morgan and a few other unexpected side characters. Molly and Mouse continue to be a source of side hilarity and there are several moments at the end that are truly heartfelt if you’ve grown attached to the characters – giving me plenty of feelings both happy and sad.

My biggest complaint about the book is related to my complaint about Small Favor – when I reviewed that book, I felt that there were several plotlines left unsatisfyingly unresolved, more so than is usual for the series, and none of them really moved forward in Turn Coat. Apart from a quick mention, we get no insight into how Michael and Charity are faring, nor is there any time devoted to the possible consequences of The Archive’s traumatic experience at the hands of Nicodemus. While the focus obviously lies elsewhere, with the amount of time that’s apparently passed between the two books, it would have been nice to have a bit of an update.

But although some of the weaknesses of such an expansive series are starting to show, Turn Coat is another solid read for fans of Harry and company and promises both excitement and emotion aplenty. 

Warnings: Because the White Court is involved, expect plenty of strongly implied sexual assault. Additionally, while the series is no stranger to violence, Turn Coat contains a notable increase in the level of graphic details and gore over previous books.

Rating: 8/10

[clevermird]

Review: Small Favor (Dresden Files 10)

After the shakeup with the White Court last year, things have been relatively normal for Harry Dresden – warden duties, training his apprentice, and getting into assorted supernatural scrapes. But when an early snowstorm ends with him and the Carpenter family getting attacked by mysterious goat creatures and Mab calls in a favor, he finds himself back in the hot seat of danger again as he tries to figure out who abducted Gentleman Johnny Marcone before it’s too late

Unlike some of the other books in this series, Small Favor is short on big twists. Not that there’s not things that I didn’t expect, but there were very few moments when the rug was pulled out from under me like in some other books. Michael, his relationship to Harry, and his calling as a Knight of the Cross get a lot of focus here, which was really enjoyable, and a few other characters who’ve been off-screen for a while return. Again, Butcher drops tantalizing hints about future directions for the series that leave me guessing.

I think my biggest complaint about this book is that it’s somewhat less “resolved” than earlier books, with what feels like a lot more loose threads and a major character’s fate left somewhat up in the air. This isn’t a proper critique – after all, it’s a long-running series with a throughplot, some things taking multiple installments is to be expected – but it did leave me feeling a bit unsatisfied when I finished.

Overall, a solid entry in the series, perhaps not the strongest but far from the weakest.

Warnings: Alongside the typical Dresden Files violence, there is a scene that deals with the torture and abuse of a child, including the implication (although not confirmation) that some of the abuse was sexual in nature.

Rating: 4.25/5

[clevermird]

Review: White Night (Dresden Files book 9)

We're about halfway through the Dresden Files and things are getting more complicated for Harry by the year. When Murphy contacts Harry about a string of suspicious suicides, he realizes something chilling - every one of the women was a hedge mage. A supernatural threat and women in trouble is more than enough to put Harry on the case, but solving it will involve family ties, old enemies, and even older flames. After a slight slump in the last two books, White Night is back on form (not that it had far to go) with an intertwined plot, snarky one-liners, and constant action and twists. Many of my favorite characters return, the White Court gets some more screen time when Thomas becomes key to solving the mystery, and Harry makes several choices that I think will be important to the plot of future books. The only major complaint I have about the book is that the finale is a bit confusing, with a lot going on in a very short time space, and I had to read a couple of chapters twice to keep it in my head what was going on. This kept it from being as exciting as it could have been. Overall, not my favorite book in the series but yet another solid entry with something for most fans.

Warning: This book deals heavily with suicide as a theme and several scenes depict the act, attempt, or aftermath.

Rating: 4/5