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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
A short story, 17.2 in The Dresden Files urban fantasy series and revolving around Harry Dresden emerging from his grief, a bit. It’s been a month since Battle Ground, 17.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of The Dresden Files books on my website.
My Take
It’s all about what’s fair, and all those shades of gray, for one must honor loyalty, support the good guys, and face the truth about human law . What a conundrum!!
Oops.
Unfortunately, part of that loyalty is caring for the people who depend upon you, and it keeps getting Harry up in the mornings. The loyalty doesn’t go one way for Harry. His allies from Battle Ground are there as well, helping Harry care for the various refugees from the battle.
Oh man, lawyers. Then there’s the officious government bureaucrats. However, Tripp Gregory makes them all look like saints! Butcher certainly does a good job of describing him in the worst way. Major ick. It’s Triple J who really sums the guy up though, lol. I swear, the man is an idiot who cannot see past his own greed.
You can’t help but love Maya. She is such a giving person with a great mission, helping so very many people. I think it’s that comment about coming to Harry Dresden for a miracle that suck . . . er, pulls Harry in.
Harry is still struggling with being the Winter Knight, which we learn through first person protagonist point-of-view from Harry’s perspective. There are all sorts of benefits — and negatives — about the position. And Harry is in no position to walk away from it.
I’m confused about the Castle. If it was built by Marcone after the boardinghouse burned down, how was it “built in bygone days by some hoary old wizard long dead”?
That Talvi is scary. Especially in his initial confrontation with Harry. There’s more conflict in Harry’s memories of Marcone’s support in Battle Ground.
I do wonder about the irascible Valerious. He sounds like he has some sort of connection to magic. And I’m hoping we’ll see more of him *grin*.
It’s a Dresden File, so it is definitely character-driven and with lots of action. From the scary to the frightening, the frustrating to the legal, you’ll love it.
Oh, and Thursday nights are old school games nights with homemade pizza.
The Story
A professional tutor with a business that provides a lifeline for children and single mothers is threatened with a lawsuit. One that she’s likely to lose, even if she wins.
The Characters
Harry Dresden, the Wizard of Chicago (but not part of the White Council any more) and Mab’s Winter Knight, is still a white knight and not just because he’s Winter. Mister is his huge tomcat. Maggie is the daughter Harry had with Susan. Will Borden is the werewolf alpha of the Alpha Pack who is helping Harry out around Marcone’s former Castle. Will is a dad?? Karrin Murphy is dead (Battle Ground). Bob, the talking database of a skull, is now the spiritual conductor of security in the Castle. Thomas Raith is Harry’s half-vampire brother imprisoned on Demonreach since Peace Talks, 16.
Maya is a professional tutor (with a bachelor’s in education) being sued by her former pimp, Tripp Gregory, who just got out of prison. Her business is Sunflower, a tutoring business that helps poor people’s kids. She’s “franchised” out with up to thirty-nine Sunflowers now. Maximillian Valerious, Esq, is a retired law professor who eschews any dealings with the supernatural; he’s also the only lawyer who ever won against Talvi. Peppermint, a.k.a. Pepper, is his dog. Heloise is his interesting wife.
The retired Knight (since Small Favor, 10), Michael Carpenter, gave Harry a coffee machine. Rawlins had been Karrin's partner in Special Investigations. Lamar is an EMT who wanted nothing to do with Harry. Justine is the woman whom Thomas loves and can’t touch. McAnally’s is a basement pub owned and run by Mac that serves as a refuge for magic users. Juan Julio Jefferson, a.k.a. Triple J, an enforcer for Marcone, had been Gregory’s cellmate in Pontiac.
Mab is the Winter Queen, Harry’s terrifying “boss”. Loviatarm, the Maiden of Pain, is a goddess, who had ten children. Vainamoinene was a Finnish wizard-hero.
Baron John Marcone, a.k.a. Gentleman John Marcone, is in charge of the criminal element in Chicago and has become a Knight of the Blackened Denarius. Ms Gard, a Valkyrie, is one of his bodyguards.
The terrifying Talvi Inverso, Esq, a.k.a. Winter Winter, is a lawyer who has won 99% of his cases. The very sexy Ms Lapland is his even scarier secretary.
Although he hasn’t any magic, Paranoid Gary’s obsession with conspiracy has opened his eyes to more than a mortal should know; he’s also a Paranetter. The Paranet is a group of low level magic users on the Internet. The Ordo Lebes, or Order of the Cauldron, is a small group of magic practitioners, kitchen witches with little power who cook up a storm.
The Heebie Jeebies is how the government explained events in Battle Ground when the Titan had tried to destroy the world. An otso is a spirit bear, the corrupted servitor of a Lapland hag. The Unseelie Accords are the Geneva Conventions of the supernatural world.
The Cover and Title
Even the cover is scary with its complementary background of deep blue gradating to orange with a Gothic window in the center, obscure items hanging on either side of it. It’s a long-haired Harry in his black leather coat standing behind a wooden desk cluttered with books and artifacts, hands flat on either side of a tome on its own stand. At the top is the series info in a gold to orange gradient, as is the author’s name at the bottom. Above Harry’s head is the title in a gold foil with glints of orange.
The title finds Harry Dresden forced to adhere to “The Law” of fae and of man.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of The Dresden Files books on my website.
My Take
It’s all about what’s fair, and all those shades of gray, for one must honor loyalty, support the good guys, and face the truth about human law . What a conundrum!!
Oops.
Unfortunately, part of that loyalty is caring for the people who depend upon you, and it keeps getting Harry up in the mornings. The loyalty doesn’t go one way for Harry. His allies from Battle Ground are there as well, helping Harry care for the various refugees from the battle.
Oh man, lawyers. Then there’s the officious government bureaucrats. However, Tripp Gregory makes them all look like saints! Butcher certainly does a good job of describing him in the worst way. Major ick. It’s Triple J who really sums the guy up though, lol. I swear, the man is an idiot who cannot see past his own greed.
You can’t help but love Maya. She is such a giving person with a great mission, helping so very many people. I think it’s that comment about coming to Harry Dresden for a miracle that suck . . . er, pulls Harry in.
Harry is still struggling with being the Winter Knight, which we learn through first person protagonist point-of-view from Harry’s perspective. There are all sorts of benefits — and negatives — about the position. And Harry is in no position to walk away from it.
I’m confused about the Castle. If it was built by Marcone after the boardinghouse burned down, how was it “built in bygone days by some hoary old wizard long dead”?
That Talvi is scary. Especially in his initial confrontation with Harry. There’s more conflict in Harry’s memories of Marcone’s support in Battle Ground.
I do wonder about the irascible Valerious. He sounds like he has some sort of connection to magic. And I’m hoping we’ll see more of him *grin*.
It’s a Dresden File, so it is definitely character-driven and with lots of action. From the scary to the frightening, the frustrating to the legal, you’ll love it.
Oh, and Thursday nights are old school games nights with homemade pizza.
The Story
A professional tutor with a business that provides a lifeline for children and single mothers is threatened with a lawsuit. One that she’s likely to lose, even if she wins.
The Characters
Harry Dresden, the Wizard of Chicago (but not part of the White Council any more) and Mab’s Winter Knight, is still a white knight and not just because he’s Winter. Mister is his huge tomcat. Maggie is the daughter Harry had with Susan. Will Borden is the werewolf alpha of the Alpha Pack who is helping Harry out around Marcone’s former Castle. Will is a dad?? Karrin Murphy is dead (Battle Ground). Bob, the talking database of a skull, is now the spiritual conductor of security in the Castle. Thomas Raith is Harry’s half-vampire brother imprisoned on Demonreach since Peace Talks, 16.
Maya is a professional tutor (with a bachelor’s in education) being sued by her former pimp, Tripp Gregory, who just got out of prison. Her business is Sunflower, a tutoring business that helps poor people’s kids. She’s “franchised” out with up to thirty-nine Sunflowers now. Maximillian Valerious, Esq, is a retired law professor who eschews any dealings with the supernatural; he’s also the only lawyer who ever won against Talvi. Peppermint, a.k.a. Pepper, is his dog. Heloise is his interesting wife.
The retired Knight (since Small Favor, 10), Michael Carpenter, gave Harry a coffee machine. Rawlins had been Karrin's partner in Special Investigations. Lamar is an EMT who wanted nothing to do with Harry. Justine is the woman whom Thomas loves and can’t touch. McAnally’s is a basement pub owned and run by Mac that serves as a refuge for magic users. Juan Julio Jefferson, a.k.a. Triple J, an enforcer for Marcone, had been Gregory’s cellmate in Pontiac.
Mab is the Winter Queen, Harry’s terrifying “boss”. Loviatarm, the Maiden of Pain, is a goddess, who had ten children. Vainamoinene was a Finnish wizard-hero.
Baron John Marcone, a.k.a. Gentleman John Marcone, is in charge of the criminal element in Chicago and has become a Knight of the Blackened Denarius. Ms Gard, a Valkyrie, is one of his bodyguards.
The terrifying Talvi Inverso, Esq, a.k.a. Winter Winter, is a lawyer who has won 99% of his cases. The very sexy Ms Lapland is his even scarier secretary.
Although he hasn’t any magic, Paranoid Gary’s obsession with conspiracy has opened his eyes to more than a mortal should know; he’s also a Paranetter. The Paranet is a group of low level magic users on the Internet. The Ordo Lebes, or Order of the Cauldron, is a small group of magic practitioners, kitchen witches with little power who cook up a storm.
The Heebie Jeebies is how the government explained events in Battle Ground when the Titan had tried to destroy the world. An otso is a spirit bear, the corrupted servitor of a Lapland hag. The Unseelie Accords are the Geneva Conventions of the supernatural world.
The Cover and Title
Even the cover is scary with its complementary background of deep blue gradating to orange with a Gothic window in the center, obscure items hanging on either side of it. It’s a long-haired Harry in his black leather coat standing behind a wooden desk cluttered with books and artifacts, hands flat on either side of a tome on its own stand. At the top is the series info in a gold to orange gradient, as is the author’s name at the bottom. Above Harry’s head is the title in a gold foil with glints of orange.
The title finds Harry Dresden forced to adhere to “The Law” of fae and of man.
willrefuge's review
4.0
7.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/06/24/the-law-by-jim-butcher-review/
Fresh off a dust-up with your friendly neighborhood Titan, Harry Dresden is back on the case—and back to being more of a small-time wizard for hire. For now.
The client: the owner of a tutoring franchise Sunflower is being sued by her former landlord, over alleged profits that she withheld from him while he was in prison. Seems like a pretty simple case of intimidation, and Harry Dresden’s never much liked a bully. But as with most things in life, this is a bit more complicated. And while the job may seem small-time, it quickly becomes clear that this one is going to be a pain.
See, not every small-time asshole is created equal. In fact, this one should come with a warning label. Trip Gregory, low-level pimp and general scum of the earth, also too stupid for his own good. Trip just spent 8 years on the inside, and he’s come back for his. Maya, his former “employee”, is essentially broke, running a non-profit that helps children from low-income family’s. There is no real money in it—but Gregory doesn’t care. He just wants his, one way or another.
—
This is billed as an ode to the old-fashioned Dresden Files: where Harry would take on an impossible case, and solve it through a combination of gumption, magic, and luck. Except… well, is it though? There’s not a whole lot of investigating. In fact, the first three things Harry tries are intimidation—three times, without doing anything more than a cursory check on who Trip Gregory is. I mean, he hears pimp, and assumes that’s it. All I’m saying is, if you’re in a legal bind, you look for a lawyer. If you need a mystery solved, hire a PI. If you go to a wizard, there’s a good chance that magic is in some way involved. And he doesn’t even consider this at first. There’s a bare amount of investigation done in the middle, with more intimidation thrown in. This is billed as a return to the good old-fashioned Dresden Files, and… in those terms, it kinda falls flat.
I’m not saying the mystery itself it’s interesting. It’s a process, once Harry falls down the rabbit-hole, and there’s the good old “favor for a favor” progression—and that turned out to be my favorite part of the story! Harry Dresden, Wizard for Hire, running the streets, chasing down leads. So it’s a pity that he keeps falling back on trying to hit his problems to make them go away.
Negatives aside, it was a return to the world of the Dresden Files, and a good way to bridge the gap between Battle Ground and Twelve Months. It fills in what you may have missed (or just forgotten) from the previous novel, and sums up the state of affairs moving forward. It also gives a rare glimpse into the mind of Harry dealing with the fallout from a previous book (as a lot of Dresden Files novellas seem to feature POV characters other than the man himself).
Audio Note: Jim Butcher provides an enthusiastic, if… somewhat underwhelming performance. I mean, you can tell he really enjoyed doing the voices, and taking his time with the story and the progression. Establishing the atmosphere and gravity. Setting the tone. And it’s not just that he repeatedly mentions how much he enjoyed doing it—he even sounds like he’s enjoying it. It’s a debut read, and not a bad one; there’ll always be hiccups along the way, especially right out of the gate. It’s just… how do I say this? Well, I’m more pleased that he enjoyed it than I am worried about how he did.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/06/24/the-law-by-jim-butcher-review/
Fresh off a dust-up with your friendly neighborhood Titan, Harry Dresden is back on the case—and back to being more of a small-time wizard for hire. For now.
The client: the owner of a tutoring franchise Sunflower is being sued by her former landlord, over alleged profits that she withheld from him while he was in prison. Seems like a pretty simple case of intimidation, and Harry Dresden’s never much liked a bully. But as with most things in life, this is a bit more complicated. And while the job may seem small-time, it quickly becomes clear that this one is going to be a pain.
See, not every small-time asshole is created equal. In fact, this one should come with a warning label. Trip Gregory, low-level pimp and general scum of the earth, also too stupid for his own good. Trip just spent 8 years on the inside, and he’s come back for his. Maya, his former “employee”, is essentially broke, running a non-profit that helps children from low-income family’s. There is no real money in it—but Gregory doesn’t care. He just wants his, one way or another.
—
This is billed as an ode to the old-fashioned Dresden Files: where Harry would take on an impossible case, and solve it through a combination of gumption, magic, and luck. Except… well, is it though? There’s not a whole lot of investigating. In fact, the first three things Harry tries are intimidation—three times, without doing anything more than a cursory check on who Trip Gregory is. I mean, he hears pimp, and assumes that’s it. All I’m saying is, if you’re in a legal bind, you look for a lawyer. If you need a mystery solved, hire a PI. If you go to a wizard, there’s a good chance that magic is in some way involved. And he doesn’t even consider this at first. There’s a bare amount of investigation done in the middle, with more intimidation thrown in. This is billed as a return to the good old-fashioned Dresden Files, and… in those terms, it kinda falls flat.
I’m not saying the mystery itself it’s interesting. It’s a process, once Harry falls down the rabbit-hole, and there’s the good old “favor for a favor” progression—and that turned out to be my favorite part of the story! Harry Dresden, Wizard for Hire, running the streets, chasing down leads. So it’s a pity that he keeps falling back on trying to hit his problems to make them go away.
Negatives aside, it was a return to the world of the Dresden Files, and a good way to bridge the gap between Battle Ground and Twelve Months. It fills in what you may have missed (or just forgotten) from the previous novel, and sums up the state of affairs moving forward. It also gives a rare glimpse into the mind of Harry dealing with the fallout from a previous book (as a lot of Dresden Files novellas seem to feature POV characters other than the man himself).
Audio Note: Jim Butcher provides an enthusiastic, if… somewhat underwhelming performance. I mean, you can tell he really enjoyed doing the voices, and taking his time with the story and the progression. Establishing the atmosphere and gravity. Setting the tone. And it’s not just that he repeatedly mentions how much he enjoyed doing it—he even sounds like he’s enjoying it. It’s a debut read, and not a bad one; there’ll always be hiccups along the way, especially right out of the gate. It’s just… how do I say this? Well, I’m more pleased that he enjoyed it than I am worried about how he did.
courtreads93's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
agomes's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sjgomzi's review
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to the latest offering from Jim Butcher.
The Dresden Files is one of my all time favorite series, and even after 17 books, it’s still a thrill getting to watch Harry save the little guy, girl, or various kinds of supernatural beings, and blow shit up! It wouldn’t be a Dresden Files story unless something explodes. Anyway, this novella is a return to the small scale detective story of the week type of book from the early days. No world threatening battles, or city destroying titans-just Harry taking on a simple case and trying to find himself again after the life destroying events of the past couple of books. It’s was a welcome and much needed breather before the main story kicks it all up again. Still fun after all these years!
The Dresden Files is one of my all time favorite series, and even after 17 books, it’s still a thrill getting to watch Harry save the little guy, girl, or various kinds of supernatural beings, and blow shit up! It wouldn’t be a Dresden Files story unless something explodes. Anyway, this novella is a return to the small scale detective story of the week type of book from the early days. No world threatening battles, or city destroying titans-just Harry taking on a simple case and trying to find himself again after the life destroying events of the past couple of books. It’s was a welcome and much needed breather before the main story kicks it all up again. Still fun after all these years!
tenthrow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It feels like it has been an eternity since that last Dresden book, and while this is just a novella, it was a delight from cover to cover. While a short tale it has everything that we love about the wizard and his world. I am now looking so forward to the next book I might have to go back through the series.
bouldermimi's review
4.0
Read 12/5/2022 - eBook
So happy to be reading Dresden files again. This story picks up just weeks after the great battle in Battleground and it's wonderful to see Harry taking on clients and going back to his PI roots. We get introduced to another great character in Max, I feel like we'll see him again. Love these books!
So happy to be reading Dresden files again. This story picks up just weeks after the great battle in Battleground and it's wonderful to see Harry taking on clients and going back to his PI roots. We get introduced to another great character in Max, I feel like we'll see him again. Love these books!
mwplante's review
3.0
A solid Dresden story. Kind of feels like an introduction of characters that will carry over to the mainline books -- as if the Dresden Files weren't already crowded enough!
misfitmoxie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
archerburrito's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0