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samanthanoel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
eesh25's review against another edition
2.0
It would be so much easier to like Dresden if the author would stop fucking trying so hard to make him likable. Seriously, every scene in this book practically drips 'Look how great Harry is!'. But before I get more into how much I hate Harry now, I want to revisit a couple of things from my review of the first book.
I ended that review by saying that I hoped the next book would be better. It's actually worse. I also said that I thought the audiobook would've improved my enjoyment of the book. It didn't. Once the novelty of the good narrator wore off, the book had to stand on its own merits, of which it doesn't have many. The world did get some expansion, so I was right about that. Some of Harry's problems still felt made up, the book's treatment of its female characters was still terrible, and the detailed descriptions of every woman's body were amped up. So aside from one positive development, everything else is either unchanged or worse.
I don't know why I felt the need to compare the two books, but here you have it. Even James Marsters couldn't come and save my mood at the end. So I'm gonna need a month or so before I can read the third book. And yes, I'm still going to read it because I said I'd read at least three. Moving on.
The case Harry is working on this time is about werewolves. There are different ways one can become a werewolf in this world. Some are simpler, others a lot more complicated. And the type of werewolf you become depends on the method you use. That was a part of the book I liked. I also liked a couple of scenes where you could see the potential this series has. There's so much to explore, and you get hints of that. Unfortunately, that, and the last five minutes, was pretty much all I liked about the book. Everything else sucked.
Let's start with Harry. I'm so fucking sick of his... I don't even know what to call it. If a person died on another planet, he would find a way to blame himself. And usually, I find characters who feel a lot of guilt sympathetic. But with Dresden, the whole thing makes no sense and feels manufactured to make him likable.
Making it all worse, if someone literally stabbed him in the back, he would be all, "I can't believe I made this person betray me. I'm the worst." You know, because he's a condescending shithead. And especially if the person who stabbed him were a woman.
Speaking of... I'm not gonna get into the book's treatment of women. I already covered it in my Storm Front review. But I will take a second to wonder why Butcher decided to make Murphy such an irrational and unreasonable moron. Like, she wasn't great in the first book, but she's so much worse here. And it actually just made me hate both Harry and the author more. Because the objective of her behaviour seemed to be to make Harry look good. And of course, to manufacture conflict without having to put much effort into it.
Finally, the actual case Harry's working on, the one with people being killed ...It was fine. It didn't stand out. I liked the elements it introduced to the world (werewolves, demons, curses), but the case itself was just there and not very interesting. No wonder Butcher felt the need to put Harry in mortal peril every other chapter. The book would've been so dull otherwise.
And... that's all I have to say. I'm hoping the third book will be an improvement. I'm not looking for anything big, but I need at least a three-star read. I really want to like this series. Fingers crossed?
I ended that review by saying that I hoped the next book would be better. It's actually worse. I also said that I thought the audiobook would've improved my enjoyment of the book. It didn't. Once the novelty of the good narrator wore off, the book had to stand on its own merits, of which it doesn't have many. The world did get some expansion, so I was right about that. Some of Harry's problems still felt made up, the book's treatment of its female characters was still terrible, and the detailed descriptions of every woman's body were amped up. So aside from one positive development, everything else is either unchanged or worse.
I don't know why I felt the need to compare the two books, but here you have it. Even James Marsters couldn't come and save my mood at the end. So I'm gonna need a month or so before I can read the third book. And yes, I'm still going to read it because I said I'd read at least three. Moving on.
The case Harry is working on this time is about werewolves. There are different ways one can become a werewolf in this world. Some are simpler, others a lot more complicated. And the type of werewolf you become depends on the method you use. That was a part of the book I liked. I also liked a couple of scenes where you could see the potential this series has. There's so much to explore, and you get hints of that. Unfortunately, that, and the last five minutes, was pretty much all I liked about the book. Everything else sucked.
Let's start with Harry. I'm so fucking sick of his... I don't even know what to call it. If a person died on another planet, he would find a way to blame himself. And usually, I find characters who feel a lot of guilt sympathetic. But with Dresden, the whole thing makes no sense and feels manufactured to make him likable.
Making it all worse, if someone literally stabbed him in the back, he would be all, "I can't believe I made this person betray me. I'm the worst." You know, because he's a condescending shithead. And especially if the person who stabbed him were a woman.
Speaking of... I'm not gonna get into the book's treatment of women. I already covered it in my Storm Front review. But I will take a second to wonder why Butcher decided to make Murphy such an irrational and unreasonable moron. Like, she wasn't great in the first book, but she's so much worse here. And it actually just made me hate both Harry and the author more. Because the objective of her behaviour seemed to be to make Harry look good. And of course, to manufacture conflict without having to put much effort into it.
Finally, the actual case Harry's working on, the one with people being killed ...It was fine. It didn't stand out. I liked the elements it introduced to the world (werewolves, demons, curses), but the case itself was just there and not very interesting. No wonder Butcher felt the need to put Harry in mortal peril every other chapter. The book would've been so dull otherwise.
And... that's all I have to say. I'm hoping the third book will be an improvement. I'm not looking for anything big, but I need at least a three-star read. I really want to like this series. Fingers crossed?
pc953's review against another edition
3.0
I've given up on being invested in the Dresden novels. And then I found this book at a free library at my local coffee shop you figured why not give it another read. This book is clearly better than the first one, let's be fair if I was almost exact same beats. A grisly murder, Dresden not being trusted, and almost dying. The circumstances may be different but the flow is thr dame
There is a line near the end of the book where a character calls Dresden A pompous arrogant pretentious chauvinistic hopelessly old-fashioned and stupidly pig headed. All that rings true. Dresden acts like a edgy horny 20 year old with too much mysterious power. And to be fair he was written by such a man early in his career. I heard recently that everyone should skip the first book and start with the 2nd. Or the 3rd or the 4th... I'll read thr next book and not think to hard about it. They are enjoyable brisk reads. I don't fault the author for this style. But I'm curious to see how he and Mt Dresden develop.
There is a line near the end of the book where a character calls Dresden A pompous arrogant pretentious chauvinistic hopelessly old-fashioned and stupidly pig headed. All that rings true. Dresden acts like a edgy horny 20 year old with too much mysterious power. And to be fair he was written by such a man early in his career. I heard recently that everyone should skip the first book and start with the 2nd. Or the 3rd or the 4th... I'll read thr next book and not think to hard about it. They are enjoyable brisk reads. I don't fault the author for this style. But I'm curious to see how he and Mt Dresden develop.
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First read 3 September 2009 and again 28 April 2014.
Second in the Dresden Files urban fantasy series and revolving around Harry Dresden, wizard. Based in Chicago. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of The Dresden Files books on my website.
My Take
Ooh, the snark! I love it when Murphy has the nerve to ask for Harry's help and his angry response! Then there's Bob harassing Harry about doing those weight-loss potions, lol.
Harry's right, his problems do come from that conflict between needing to keep secrets and other people's need to know — to keep them alive. He's really gotta tell Murph', especially after that last scene! And hindsight is 20/20. I like that moment when Harry gets it. When he finally starts to see it from Murphy's point of view. Now if only Murphy would do Harry the same courtesy! Still Harry takes too much guilt that he doesn't deserve onto himself. Kim, for one, should have explained why she needed to know.
We meet the good-guy wolf pack in this story, and how they came to be. We learn more back history about what Harry knows about his parents, that his magician dad died of an aneurism when Harry was young, and his mother died at his birth. So when Chauncy teases Harry with tidbits about his mother, how she almost fell, ooh, it's very tempting to give up yet another part of himself to know.
I don't know where Murphy gets off bitching at Harry for following up his clue when she's doing the same thing.
Wait a minute. At one point Harry reckons Tera wouldn't wait for him and then a few paragraphs later she's checking behind to make sure he's keeping up with her. C'mon…which is it?
Ah, geez, that escape at the jail…if only Murphy would've trusted Harry.
I can't believe how careless Harry is. I'd'a thought he'd been around a lot longer, had more experience than to make the mistakes he makes in this.
Tera's right, animals only kill to eat or to protect or defend. It's humans who are the real monsters. And ain't that a scary thought.
It's an exciting blend of magic and police procedural, urban fantasy and human politics, and it all boils down to human interaction, whatever flavor of being you may be.
The Story
After events in Storm Front, 1, Murphy hasn't called Harry to consult, and he doesn't think it's because the monsters disappeared. So, when suddenly Murphy is calling, and they're both too busy dancing around that silly need-to-know.
Dang, Harry's in trouble. His morals do keep him hopping. Between antagonizing a pack of lycanthropes, turning down Marcone's offers, and unable to tell important people in his life the truth about it all.
The Characters
With a strong sense of responsibility and of right and wrong, Harry Dresden finds work here and there as a private investigator and wizard. The Blue Beetle isn't really blue anymore, but Volkswagens survive better being around a wizard — technology doesn't do well around wizards. Mike is his mechanic. Mister is his huge cat. Bob is a skull who lives in his sub-basement and has more knowledge of magic than anyone. He's got a thing for romance novels. Justin was Harry's teacher until he died.
The five-foot-tall Lieutenant Karrin Murphy is the director of Special Investigations at the Chicago PD due to some influential enemies. Her department investigates the unusual. She's also the source of most of Harry's income. And she hasn't been calling. Partly due to intense interest from Internal Affairs. Carmichael is Murphy's right hand man, and he thinks Harry is a charlatan.
Susan Rodriguez works for the Arcane and is always hunting stories with a supernatural slant, determined to make people think. And she's curious as to why someone is so anxious to get rid of the most successful preternatural investigator the police department has ever had.
The Alphas wolf pack...
...consists of Billy Borden, Georgia, Tommy, and Cindy =.
Harley MacFinn has inherited the family curse and is obsessed with the Northwest Passage Project, an endeavor that's making a lot of businessmen, including James Harding III, unhappy. Tera West is Harley's fiancée.
Gentleman John Marcone is Chicago's resident crime lord with influence reaching all over the country and into Washington D.C. Rumor is, Harry's working for him. Spike was one of his bodyguards; Hendricks still is.
Agent Philip Denton is FBI and quickly on the scene, every time. The rest of his team includes Deborah Benn who has control issues, Roger Harris is a redheaded kid, the forensic specialist, and George Wilson is an overweight jerk.
The Streetwolves is...
...a biker gang of lycanthropes with headquarters at the Full Moon Garage. Parker is their aging leader; Flatnose would like to challenge him. Lana is another member of the pack.
Chaunzaggoroth, a.k.a., Chauncy, is a demon Harry calls up on occasion.
Mac owns and runs McAnally's pub and grill with great food and his own brew. It's also neutral territory for supernaturals and magic users. Kim Delaney has been a student of Harry's, unwilling to heed his warnings.
The White Council makes the Laws of Magic for the magical world, and they don't like Harry. Elaine was Harry's first love.
There are different kinds of werewolves:
hexenwolves make a deal with the devil or a powerful sorcerer and use a wolf-hide belt with some magic words; werewolves are theriomorphs, a being that shifts from human to animal; lycanthropes are a natural channel for a spirit of rage which gets inside a person's head — Norse berserkers are an example; and, loup-garou which are the major monsters, cursed, who transform at the full moon and go on a killing spree until moonset. A soulgaze is when you look deep inside a person and see them for who they really are.
The Cover and Title
The cover is Harry with staff in hand in his black leather coat and hat atop a tall building above Chicago. A huge fool's moon behind him.
The title is a reference to Harry and how slowly he puts the pieces together in this time of the Fool Moon.
Second in the Dresden Files urban fantasy series and revolving around Harry Dresden, wizard. Based in Chicago. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of The Dresden Files books on my website.
My Take
Ooh, the snark! I love it when Murphy has the nerve to ask for Harry's help and his angry response! Then there's Bob harassing Harry about doing those weight-loss potions, lol.
Harry's right, his problems do come from that conflict between needing to keep secrets and other people's need to know — to keep them alive. He's really gotta tell Murph', especially after that last scene! And hindsight is 20/20. I like that moment when Harry gets it. When he finally starts to see it from Murphy's point of view. Now if only Murphy would do Harry the same courtesy! Still Harry takes too much guilt that he doesn't deserve onto himself. Kim, for one, should have explained why she needed to know.
We meet the good-guy wolf pack in this story, and how they came to be. We learn more back history about what Harry knows about his parents, that his magician dad died of an aneurism when Harry was young, and his mother died at his birth. So when Chauncy teases Harry with tidbits about his mother, how she almost fell, ooh, it's very tempting to give up yet another part of himself to know.
I don't know where Murphy gets off bitching at Harry for following up his clue when she's doing the same thing.
Wait a minute. At one point Harry reckons Tera wouldn't wait for him and then a few paragraphs later she's checking behind to make sure he's keeping up with her. C'mon…which is it?
Ah, geez, that escape at the jail…if only Murphy would've trusted Harry.
I can't believe how careless Harry is. I'd'a thought he'd been around a lot longer, had more experience than to make the mistakes he makes in this.
Tera's right, animals only kill to eat or to protect or defend. It's humans who are the real monsters. And ain't that a scary thought.
It's an exciting blend of magic and police procedural, urban fantasy and human politics, and it all boils down to human interaction, whatever flavor of being you may be.
The Story
After events in Storm Front, 1, Murphy hasn't called Harry to consult, and he doesn't think it's because the monsters disappeared. So, when suddenly Murphy is calling, and they're both too busy dancing around that silly need-to-know.
Dang, Harry's in trouble. His morals do keep him hopping. Between antagonizing a pack of lycanthropes, turning down Marcone's offers, and unable to tell important people in his life the truth about it all.
The Characters
With a strong sense of responsibility and of right and wrong, Harry Dresden finds work here and there as a private investigator and wizard. The Blue Beetle isn't really blue anymore, but Volkswagens survive better being around a wizard — technology doesn't do well around wizards. Mike is his mechanic. Mister is his huge cat. Bob is a skull who lives in his sub-basement and has more knowledge of magic than anyone. He's got a thing for romance novels. Justin was Harry's teacher until he died.
The five-foot-tall Lieutenant Karrin Murphy is the director of Special Investigations at the Chicago PD due to some influential enemies. Her department investigates the unusual. She's also the source of most of Harry's income. And she hasn't been calling. Partly due to intense interest from Internal Affairs. Carmichael is Murphy's right hand man, and he thinks Harry is a charlatan.
Susan Rodriguez works for the Arcane and is always hunting stories with a supernatural slant, determined to make people think. And she's curious as to why someone is so anxious to get rid of the most successful preternatural investigator the police department has ever had.
The Alphas wolf pack...
...consists of Billy Borden, Georgia, Tommy, and Cindy =.
Harley MacFinn has inherited the family curse and is obsessed with the Northwest Passage Project, an endeavor that's making a lot of businessmen, including James Harding III, unhappy. Tera West is Harley's fiancée.
Gentleman John Marcone is Chicago's resident crime lord with influence reaching all over the country and into Washington D.C. Rumor is, Harry's working for him. Spike was one of his bodyguards; Hendricks still is.
Agent Philip Denton is FBI and quickly on the scene, every time. The rest of his team includes Deborah Benn who has control issues, Roger Harris is a redheaded kid, the forensic specialist, and George Wilson is an overweight jerk.
The Streetwolves is...
...a biker gang of lycanthropes with headquarters at the Full Moon Garage. Parker is their aging leader; Flatnose would like to challenge him. Lana is another member of the pack.
Chaunzaggoroth, a.k.a., Chauncy, is a demon Harry calls up on occasion.
Mac owns and runs McAnally's pub and grill with great food and his own brew. It's also neutral territory for supernaturals and magic users. Kim Delaney has been a student of Harry's, unwilling to heed his warnings.
The White Council makes the Laws of Magic for the magical world, and they don't like Harry. Elaine was Harry's first love.
There are different kinds of werewolves:
hexenwolves make a deal with the devil or a powerful sorcerer and use a wolf-hide belt with some magic words; werewolves are theriomorphs, a being that shifts from human to animal; lycanthropes are a natural channel for a spirit of rage which gets inside a person's head — Norse berserkers are an example; and, loup-garou which are the major monsters, cursed, who transform at the full moon and go on a killing spree until moonset. A soulgaze is when you look deep inside a person and see them for who they really are.
The Cover and Title
The cover is Harry with staff in hand in his black leather coat and hat atop a tall building above Chicago. A huge fool's moon behind him.
The title is a reference to Harry and how slowly he puts the pieces together in this time of the Fool Moon.
justgj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
slawler's review against another edition
3.0
I've read enough reviews to expect Harry Dresden to be a cringey chauvinist with an over-developed hero complex. But I've also read that he's on a character development journey. And I'm enjoying the gritty Chicago backdrop for paranormal crimes and learning more about how the magic works.
Having the right expectations has really helped me frame my reading and enjoy the books. Despite the heavy themes, the writing seems more pulpy than gritty, helped by the self-absorbed and goofy protagonist, and the books read like a light thriller. This convoluted werewolf installment is right on theme.
And I hear the series gets better as it goes, so great!
Having the right expectations has really helped me frame my reading and enjoy the books. Despite the heavy themes, the writing seems more pulpy than gritty, helped by the self-absorbed and goofy protagonist, and the books read like a light thriller. This convoluted werewolf installment is right on theme.
And I hear the series gets better as it goes, so great!
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
3.0
Took my time with this one and read other books between.
More of the same, great, bloody fight scenes, but too complicated, and although the book could be read as a standalone, there are a couple of loose ends, and more complications, some even from the first book. Somehow not really my kind of mc and also not my kind of book. Not sure wether or when I will read more of the series, currently I do not feel it. Would depend on price, would buy them cheap or an omnibus, but as it is, the books are too expensive for me.
Recommended for those who liked the first book in the series.
More of the same, great, bloody fight scenes, but too complicated, and although the book could be read as a standalone, there are a couple of loose ends, and more complications, some even from the first book. Somehow not really my kind of mc and also not my kind of book. Not sure wether or when I will read more of the series, currently I do not feel it. Would depend on price, would buy them cheap or an omnibus, but as it is, the books are too expensive for me.
Recommended for those who liked the first book in the series.
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed [b:Fool Moon|91477|Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, #2)|Jim Butcher|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507307616s/91477.jpg|855288] more than I did [b:Storm Front|47212|Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)|Jim Butcher|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1419456275s/47212.jpg|1137060], which I definitely enjoyed. Harry was still stupidly overprotective of other people in a way which put them in more danger than they would have been otherwise, but at least there was less "omg, the wimmenz, they need protecting and coddling" bullshit. I also found the story more interesting. Where the first book bounced around in a way that I found confusing at times, the pace of the second was pretty good. The audio is also great. I recommend listening to these. I'm looking forward to the next one!
malignantcactus's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite as exhilarating at Storm Front, mostly due to it feeling bogged down from too many plotlines, but damn if it still wasn't fun to listen to. James Marsters's narration is phenomenal and has me addicted as hell to this series.
garrettld's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0